Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
The story as printed portrays crass behaviour which is tactless in rural Scotland at present where covid camping by idiots who have never heard of the Countryside Code and its more modern versions in Scotland is a big concern. Sure, the Mail may be stirring things up, but whether they realise that I don't know. It's not a great way to make Mr Johnson loved by the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Will such behaviour endear Etonians to the local Scots? I think we should be told....
Mr Cameron admitted that he was not a fan of Mr Johnson's politics and was a supporter of Scottish independence.
At 55-45 for Yes, I'd imagine BJ would want to be changing the minds of such deplorables? Though calling these supporters SNP bigots & separatists seems to be the preferred strategy of the SCons, so maybe they're all a wee bit confused.
Mr Cameron voted Yes even in 2014 and he said it was nice to have the PM in the area in the full quote.
Given it is only 51% Yes including Don't Knows and 7% Don't Knows it is actually mainly don't knows that need to be converted, only 2% of current Yes voters need to be switched to No
Holding a few cabinet meetings in Scotland will certainly get you that 2%. Nicely done.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
The story as printed portrays crass behaviour which is tactless in rural Scotland at present where covid camping by idiots who have never heard of the Countryside Code and its more modern versions in Scotland is a big concern. Sure, the Mail may be stirring things up, but whether they realise that I don't know. It's not a great way to make Mr Johnson loved by the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Will such behaviour endear Etonians to the local Scots? I think we should be told....
Mr Cameron admitted that he was not a fan of Mr Johnson's politics and was a supporter of Scottish independence.
At 55-45 for Yes, I'd imagine BJ would want to be changing the minds of such deplorables? Though calling these supporters SNP bigots & separatists seems to be the preferred strategy of the SCons, so maybe they're all a wee bit confused.
Mr Cameron voted Yes even in 2014 and he said it was nice to have the PM in the area in the full quote.
Given it is only 51% Yes including Don't Knows and 7% Don't Knows it is actually mainly don't knows that need to be converted, only 2% of current Yes voters need to be switched to No
You mean only 2% of current 'SNP bigots & separatists'?
If that is a reference to Kay Burley I agree 100%.
Farage
If true Neil and Farage on a mainstream news channel will put the cat amongst the pigeons
What qualifications in hosting does Farage have? Why is he relevant?
What qualifications does anyone need to be in the media
Well. He we go. Fox News UK. A daily rant and diatribe of populist nonsense, lies and god knows what else. No doubt broadcasting live from Kent's beaches throughout the summer months.
Just great.
And why ?
Because the current media cant find balance. The mould is now broken.
I watch CNN and Fox News - they mirror each other exactly in their partiality - none of it resembles real news as I uinderstand it.
Two thoughts. The first is I take a shooting stick for queues if they may be long.
Second is that you may well have the option to have your dressings done at a walk-in Minor Injuries Unit. I did that for a nasty burn last December when the GP was slightly struggling with appointments at a busy time around Christmas when staff were away.
The key is to find a not-busy one and go at a quiet time. There are three within 20 minutes drive of me, with very different catchment populations. The one with a population of 125k is in the District Hospital site and you wait for a fair time. The one in the small isolated town is much better.
I did not arrange it with my GP. The ward did at the hospital. I was simply given a time and a place.
I was referred back to the GP, but it was pre-Christmas and I just upped and went to the MIU every other day as they were fully open throughout including the bank holidays. Then I kept going there afterwards.
Last summer, as the Jason Roy and Joe Denly experiments went forward with at best mixed success, I was asked on here which batsmen in county cricket could solve England's persistent red-ball problems with the top order.
I nominated Dominic Sibley, as the best opener in county cricket, Zak Crawley, who clearly had bags of talent, and James Bracey, an excellent top order batsman and keeper who loves a challenge.
This summer, Sibley has opened in every test, including a match winning century. Crawley has scored this superb 167 today and we should now be thinking of him as a possible opener on the winter tours and for 10 years beyond. James Bracey top scored in the England squad matches and is still in the squad when Foakes and Robinson have been released for their counties, a sign perhaps that in addition to his cricketing skills England like what he brings to the dressing room.
Some people scoffed. Others had just never heard of them.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
The story as printed portrays crass behaviour which is tactless in rural Scotland at present where covid camping by idiots who have never heard of the Countryside Code and its more modern versions in Scotland is a big concern. Sure, the Mail may be stirring things up, but whether they realise that I don't know. It's not a great way to make Mr Johnson loved by the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Will such behaviour endear Etonians to the local Scots? I think we should be told....
Mr Cameron admitted that he was not a fan of Mr Johnson's politics and was a supporter of Scottish independence.
At 55-45 for Yes, I'd imagine BJ would want to be changing the minds of such deplorables? Though calling these supporters SNP bigots & separatists seems to be the preferred strategy of the SCons, so maybe they're all a wee bit confused.
Mr Cameron voted Yes even in 2014 and he said it was nice to have the PM in the area in the full quote.
Given it is only 51% Yes including Don't Knows and 7% Don't Knows it is actually mainly don't knows that need to be converted, only 2% of current Yes voters need to be switched to No
You mean only 2% of current 'SNP bigots & separatists'?
If that is a reference to Kay Burley I agree 100%.
Farage
If true Neil and Farage on a mainstream news channel will put the cat amongst the pigeons
What qualifications in hosting does Farage have? Why is he relevant?
What qualifications does anyone need to be in the media
Well. He we go. Fox News UK. A daily rant and diatribe of populist nonsense, lies and god knows what else. No doubt broadcasting live from Kent's beaches throughout the summer months.
Just great.
And why ?
Because the current media cant find balance. The mould is now broken.
I watch CNN and Fox News - they mirror each other exactly in their partiality - none of it resembles real news as I uinderstand it.
If the Beeb hadn't messed Neil about over his shows then perhaps he wouldn't be lending support to this, if true.
Once again the BBC shoots itself in the foot.*
* Or the rumours are right and he is being lined up as BBC chairman.
No way he could do a Murdoch TV news station as well.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
Who would visit Birmingham when you have Cannock just to the north?
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
Yawn, change the record you are worse than HYFUD, at least he posts an opinion and not every single post of his is slagging off Scotland..
Last summer, as the Jason Roy and Joe Denly experiments went forward with at best mixed success, I was asked on here which batsmen in county cricket could solve England's persistent red-ball problems with the top order.
I nominated Dominic Sibley, as the best opener in county cricket, Zak Crawley, who clearly had bags of talent, and James Bracey, an excellent top order batsman and keeper who loves a challenge.
This summer, Sibley has opened in every test, including a match winning century. Crawley has scored this superb 167 today and we should now be thinking of him as a possible opener on the winter tours and for 10 years beyond. James Bracey top scored in the England squad matches and is still in the squad when Foakes and Robinson have been released for their counties, a sign perhaps that in addition to his cricketing skills England like what he brings to the dressing room.
Some people scoffed. Others had just never heard of them.
But to quote Charles Kennedy - I was right.
Permission to now pull my unbearably smug face.
Granted. Crawley has been immense today. I do seem to recall you questioning Buttler’s ability to bat however?
If that is a reference to Kay Burley I agree 100%.
Farage
If true Neil and Farage on a mainstream news channel will put the cat amongst the pigeons
What qualifications in hosting does Farage have? Why is he relevant?
What qualifications does anyone need to be in the media
Well. He we go. Fox News UK. A daily rant and diatribe of populist nonsense, lies and god knows what else. No doubt broadcasting live from Kent's beaches throughout the summer months.
Just great.
And why ?
Because the current media cant find balance. The mould is now broken.
I watch CNN and Fox News - they mirror each other exactly in their partiality - none of it resembles real news as I uinderstand it.
If the Beeb hadn't messed Neil about over his shows then perhaps he wouldn't be lending support to this, if true.
Once again the BBC shoots itself in the foot.*
* Or the rumours are right and he is being lined up as BBC chairman.
No way he could do a Murdoch TV news station as well.
He is a greedy avaricious git, he would sell his granny for cash.
Last summer, as the Jason Roy and Joe Denly experiments went forward with at best mixed success, I was asked on here which batsmen in county cricket could solve England's persistent red-ball problems with the top order.
I nominated Dominic Sibley, as the best opener in county cricket, Zak Crawley, who clearly had bags of talent, and James Bracey, an excellent top order batsman and keeper who loves a challenge.
This summer, Sibley has opened in every test, including a match winning century. Crawley has scored this superb 167 today and we should now be thinking of him as a possible opener on the winter tours and for 10 years beyond. James Bracey top scored in the England squad matches and is still in the squad when Foakes and Robinson have been released for their counties, a sign perhaps that in addition to his cricketing skills England like what he brings to the dressing room.
Some people scoffed. Others had just never heard of them.
But to quote Charles Kennedy - I was right.
Permission to now pull my unbearably smug face.
Granted. Crawley has been immense today. I do seem to recall you questioning Buttler’s ability to bat however?
I used to say Buttler had three weaknesses in red ball cricket.
He can't bat, he can't throw and he can't keep.
I am now willing to concede that on the evidence of the last three matches he has at least partially addressed one of those weaknesses.
But he's still got a worse average with the bat than Ben Foakes.
Edit - not just in Tests, but in all first class cricket (38 to 32).
If that is a reference to Kay Burley I agree 100%.
Farage
If true Neil and Farage on a mainstream news channel will put the cat amongst the pigeons
What qualifications in hosting does Farage have? Why is he relevant?
What qualifications does anyone need to be in the media
Well. He we go. Fox News UK. A daily rant and diatribe of populist nonsense, lies and god knows what else. No doubt broadcasting live from Kent's beaches throughout the summer months.
Just great.
And why ?
Because the current media cant find balance. The mould is now broken.
I watch CNN and Fox News - they mirror each other exactly in their partiality - none of it resembles real news as I uinderstand it.
If the Beeb hadn't messed Neil about over his shows then perhaps he wouldn't be lending support to this, if true.
Once again the BBC shoots itself in the foot.*
* Or the rumours are right and he is being lined up as BBC chairman.
No way he could do a Murdoch TV news station as well.
He is a greedy avaricious git, he would sell his granny for cash.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
Pitching that tent on such a slope? No way was it slept in. Any fool should know to pick a flat spot.
According to the Mail it was used as a sort of arbour in the evenings.
More fool them if so. They must have been eaten alive by midges.
I did wonder if that's why they packed up and went. Anyone booking mid-August in the Highlands is really taking their family's life and happiness in jeopardy unless there are other options [edit] such as a nice cottage nearby, if the weather doesn't play ball - though a coastal breeze might be all one needs.
If there were no animals in the field, it is probably access land anyway so they were probably allowed to do it - including wild camping.
The only issue is probably climbing over the fence which they didn't damage.
Kittens in a manufactured fluff about not very much.
The animals are irrelevant to access to land (apart from obvious cases such as dangerous kine, or dogs off leads).
Bit of a grey area re camping on farmland - it does depend if the crop was a hay or grazing one - but the field was plainly enclosed and gated, and the real issue is lighting fires on farmland esp in dry weather: SAC says
"Wherever possible, use a stove rather than light an open fire. If you do wish to light an open fire, keep it small, under control, and supervised - fires that get out of control can cause major damage, for which you might be liable. Never light an open fire during prolonged dry periods or in areas such as forests, woods, farmland or on peaty ground or near to buildings or in cultural heritage sites where damage can be easily caused."
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
The chair of Ofqual threatened to quit this week unless Gavin Williamson publicly backed the exams regulator and admitted it was behind the U-turn that salvaged millions of student grades, the Guardian has learned.
Roger Taylor’s ultimatum came after the education secretary tried to lay the blame for the exams fiasco at the door of Ofqual following a humiliating climbdown that scrapped A-levels and GCSEs awarded by algorithm.
Taylor went directly to Williamson to demand a public statement of support or he would resign. It came the day before hundreds of thousands of pupils in England received their GCSE results.
So serious was the threat of a void at the top of Ofqual that Amanda Spielman, Taylor’s predecessor and now chief inspector of the schools watchdog Ofsted, was being lined up to potentially step in and support the regulator, it is understood. She could still be called on if Taylor or Ofqual’s chief regulator, Sally Collier, resigns.
Williamson’s Department for Education (DfE) – after seeking approval from Downing Street – hurriedly issued a statement on Wednesday saying: “We have full confidence in Ofqual and its leadership in their role as independent regulator.”
To placate Taylor, the DfE also confirmed that it had been Ofqual’s decision to drop grades decided by algorithm in favour of grades recommended by teachers, and that it had been backed by the government in doing so.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
It’s actually a very British thing to think of your local area as a sh*thole.
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
Was there a few years ago for a test match. Brilliant curries and good Chinese. Broad Street. Good fun all round.
The chair of Ofqual threatened to quit this week unless Gavin Williamson publicly backed the exams regulator and admitted it was behind the U-turn that salvaged millions of student grades, the Guardian has learned.
Roger Taylor’s ultimatum came after the education secretary tried to lay the blame for the exams fiasco at the door of Ofqual following a humiliating climbdown that scrapped A-levels and GCSEs awarded by algorithm.
Taylor went directly to Williamson to demand a public statement of support or he would resign. It came the day before hundreds of thousands of pupils in England received their GCSE results.
So serious was the threat of a void at the top of Ofqual that Amanda Spielman, Taylor’s predecessor and now chief inspector of the schools watchdog Ofsted, was being lined up to potentially step in and support the regulator, it is understood. She could still be called on if Taylor or Ofqual’s chief regulator, Sally Collier, resigns.
Williamson’s Department for Education (DfE) – after seeking approval from Downing Street – hurriedly issued a statement on Wednesday saying: “We have full confidence in Ofqual and its leadership in their role as independent regulator.”
To placate Taylor, the DfE also confirmed that it had been Ofqual’s decision to drop grades decided by algorithm in favour of grades recommended by teachers, and that it had been backed by the government in doing so.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
Luckyguy you on the midgies front. I was fine till about my mid thirties, now I am most definitely not, to the point It would certainly affect the timing and areas of visits to the Highlands and Islands.
Last summer, as the Jason Roy and Joe Denly experiments went forward with at best mixed success, I was asked on here which batsmen in county cricket could solve England's persistent red-ball problems with the top order.
I nominated Dominic Sibley, as the best opener in county cricket, Zak Crawley, who clearly had bags of talent, and James Bracey, an excellent top order batsman and keeper who loves a challenge.
This summer, Sibley has opened in every test, including a match winning century. Crawley has scored this superb 167 today and we should now be thinking of him as a possible opener on the winter tours and for 10 years beyond. James Bracey top scored in the England squad matches and is still in the squad when Foakes and Robinson have been released for their counties, a sign perhaps that in addition to his cricketing skills England like what he brings to the dressing room.
Some people scoffed. Others had just never heard of them.
But to quote Charles Kennedy - I was right.
Permission to now pull my unbearably smug face.
Granted. Crawley has been immense today. I do seem to recall you questioning Buttler’s ability to bat however?
I used to say Buttler had three weaknesses in red ball cricket.
He can't bat, he can't throw and he can't keep.
I am now willing to concede that on the evidence of the last three matches he has at least partially addressed one of those weaknesses.
But he's still got a worse average with the bat than Ben Foakes.
Edit - not just in Tests, but in all first class cricket (38 to 32).
That over where he took 2 x6 and a 4 is when Pakistan’s heads started to go down and they have never recovered. Look seriously ragged now.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
It’s actually a very British thing to think of your local area as a sh*thole.
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
If your local area is B'ham you probably don't think of it like that because everyone else is always saying it.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
It’s actually a very British thing to think of your local area as a sh*thole.
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
If your local area is B'ham you probably don't think of it like that because everyone else is always saying it.
Birmingham centre is actually pretty good. Nothing very special architecturally, although it has some quite impressive individual buildings, but it's vibrant, got a wide range of shops and services, not expensive and quite well laid out.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
It’s actually a very British thing to think of your local area as a sh*thole.
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
If your local area is B'ham you probably don't think of it like that because everyone else is always saying it.
I am from just outside of Birmingham actually.
The place is a sh*thole, but still much better than most people think.
The idea we have avoided a second wave is for the birds
Look at hospital numbers not postive cases
Indeed.
Seven in ten cases are asymptomatic; possibly the healthy rate is higher in this 'second wave'.
If people are infected but largely healthy, is the second wave a wave at all?
In Spain it was like that at first but now it is spreading beyond the young and fit, there are more in hospitals and at least 4/5 care homes have been affected. Don't say you weren't warned.
What should we do now to prevent the same thing happening here? I don’t believe in British exceptionalism, but I also think we have currently got some differences in how open we are to Spain.
1. More mask wearing generally. 2. Restrictions on all kinds of night tike entertainments. 3. Restrictions on family reunions. 4. Very strict on care and old folks homes
Yes, I would recommend that simple structure and add:
5. Foreign travel only in exceptional circumstances and at own risk. 6. Attention to ventilation, everything possible to be done outdoors
Agreed - the decision by Spain to try to salvage a summer tourist season was a big mistake - and will possibly have the effect of wrecking a successful back to school in September. All very sad. However, the UK can and should learn some lessons from it.
Seriously, there are certainly some things we can learn - frankly, the Government should never have lifted the advice not to travel abroad, beach holidays are essential to precisely nobody and we've seen the kind of havoc that destination hokey-cokey has resulted in - but we also have to remember what the most important factor in this whole pandemic is. Namely, that the vast bulk of the casualties are elderly.
Here are the figures from the NHS England hospital death bulletin published yesterday, breaking down all Covid deaths recorded in English hospitals since the start of this disaster by age:
Aged under 60: 2,523 (9% of total) Aged 60 and over: 26,962 (91% of total)
Moreover, of all those dying outside of hospitals, the vast majority have passed on in care homes dealing with mostly very frail and/or demented elderly people in the last years of life. I can't immediately locate a value for the average age of a Covid victim but I would be very surprised if it was less than 80; average life expectancy in the UK is only about 81.
So, we have a disease that kills loads of old people, and causes the healthcare system to implode by overburdening it with too many sick old people. Therefore, if - and I still think it's a big if, by the way - the epidemic develops through the Autumn in such a fashion as to threaten a repeat of the too many sick old people crisis, what would the rational response be?
(a) shut down society in a series of salami slicing measures, until we all die at home of starvation or hypothermia because the economy has completely collapsed, OR (b) lock up old people
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
It’s actually a very British thing to think of your local area as a sh*thole.
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
Actually, I don't take the view that "everything British must be good" - I tend to find it quite easy to see good everywhere, because it's usually there. It's not a patriotism thing, and it's not a pretense.
Whilst I understand and support the sentiment behind the dog proposal, what is the point of having laws that are so patently unenforceable?
So was your morning walk an hour or 40 minutes?
Woof. Thank you. And your evening walk? Woof woof.
Open and shut case I think constable? Woof?
It's even more silly that that. As was pointed out on the news this morning, IIRC, different breeds of dog require vastly different amounts of exercise. For some, two hour-long walkies might still be insufficient; for others, it would probably kill them through exhaustion.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
It’s actually a very British thing to think of your local area as a sh*thole.
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
Actually, I don't take the view that "everything British must be good" - I tend to find it quite easy to see good everywhere, because it's usually there. It's not a patriotism thing, and it's not a pretense.
Yeah - very un British. We are a nation of whingers, let’s be real.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
Pitching that tent on such a slope? No way was it slept in. Any fool should know to pick a flat spot.
According to the Mail it was used as a sort of arbour in the evenings.
More fool them if so. They must have been eaten alive by midges.
I did wonder if that's why they packed up and went. Anyone booking mid-August in the Highlands is really taking their family's life and happiness in jeopardy unless there are other options [edit] such as a nice cottage nearby, if the weather doesn't play ball - though a coastal breeze might be all one needs.
If there were no animals in the field, it is probably access land anyway so they were probably allowed to do it - including wild camping.
The only issue is probably climbing over the fence which they didn't damage.
Kittens in a manufactured fluff about not very much.
The animals are irrelevant to access to land (apart from obvious cases such as dangerous kine, or dogs off leads).
Bit of a grey area re camping on farmland - it does depend if the crop was a hay or grazing one - but the field was plainly enclosed and gated, and the real issue is lighting fires on farmland esp in dry weather: SAC says
"Wherever possible, use a stove rather than light an open fire. If you do wish to light an open fire, keep it small, under control, and supervised - fires that get out of control can cause major damage, for which you might be liable. Never light an open fire during prolonged dry periods or in areas such as forests, woods, farmland or on peaty ground or near to buildings or in cultural heritage sites where damage can be easily caused."
Hardly been hot weather up there. I love that the DM calls it a "bonfire".
I wonder if Boris will go back to do Bealach na Ba on his Boris Bike.
I don't care if this comment means he's out first ball tomorrow. That was a fabulous innings from Crawley. Hopefully career defining. And Buttler did pretty well too.
They have put England in a very strong position from 127-4 when Pakistan must have been pretty happy. 332 is a decent score with such a good attack even if the pitch doesn't look too scary.
Whilst I understand and support the sentiment behind the dog proposal, what is the point of having laws that are so patently unenforceable?
So was your morning walk an hour or 40 minutes?
Woof. Thank you. And your evening walk? Woof woof.
Open and shut case I think constable? Woof?
It's even more silly that that. As was pointed out on the news this morning, IIRC, different breeds of dog require vastly different amounts of exercise. For some, two hour-long walkies might still be insufficient; for others, it would probably kill them through exhaustion.
Look if you are going to let facts get in the way of social preening we aren’t going to get anywhere.
I'm afraid that's just a misreading of what it means. Not to only do anything when cases are zero but to push and push to get them as close to zero as possible. This gives you more breathing space to deal with any outbreaks.
Of course, it relies on having an efficient test, track and isolate system, so it's not going to work as we are now (and why the UK government won't think about it).
The policy is a desirable one, however. It does mean 'intrusive' monitoring etc, and that's a good thing! It does, however, lead to fewer and lighter lockdowns, that's the whole point, not to have to rely on them.
Amazingly, Crawley has been scoring more quickly than Butler. I think that's because he's run between the wickets so well (so far 🤞).
332 for 4 at stumps.
Good day and Pakistan have it all to do
The series has gone today. Best case scenario for Pakistan now is a draw. With the time likely to be lost to weather England really can’t lose this and will have chances to win.
Very strange - allegedl;y camping and lighting fires (in dry weather) without permission and leaving a mess behind.
He hides, set fire to things, leaves a mess and runs away.
This works as a metaphor.
the inhabitants of this particular province of the Empire.
Victim, much? As any fule no, The Scots ran the British Empire
I'm not talking about the past, or the "British" empire, but the one now run from Whitehall.
The one where elected politicians in Edinburgh have powers over education, health, justice, rural affairs, housing, environment, equal opportunities, consumer advocacy and advice, transport and taxation and social security?
I'm talking about what I genuinely find a surprising failure to be on best behaviour, and visibly so, at a very sensitive time for the Union.
To be reported by the Mail as if a litter lout leaving clutter at Loch Lomond - though not on that level of severity - is not scoring 100%.
As a friend of mine said when stealing food off my plate:
'You can take the boy out of Walsall, but not Walsall out of the boy.'
Not that Johnson is from Walsall, of course, but the general thrust holds good.
It's almost as if he couldn't be bothered.
Massive vibe of 'can we go home yet?' and 'will this be enough for the Jocks?'.
How long was he there for? Wasn't it supposed to be two weeks? I'm a Lowlander - you are even more of a native - and even I would be wary of two whole August weeks in somewhere the wrong side of the Bealach na Ba without alternative things to do depending on the family in question [edit]. I'd definitely pick somewhere windy for a start like Tiree or the Long Isle.
You definitely need a strong motive to do it (with my pals it's being obsessive trout fishermen). I don't see BJ and Carrie checking out the best trout lochs of the area.
I'm really glad I don't despise my own country so much I can't believe anyone would willingly enjoy spending a fortnight there.
You show love for your country by getting eaten alive by midgies? No wonder I've been getting it wrong.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
I don't tend to get bothered by them. And despite a hazy memory of a rude comment I might have made this morning, I like Birmingham. Only visited once on business, but I was impressed by the city centre.
It’s actually a very British thing to think of your local area as a sh*thole.
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
If your local area is B'ham you probably don't think of it like that because everyone else is always saying it.
Birmingham centre is actually pretty good. Nothing very special architecturally, although it has some quite impressive individual buildings, but it's vibrant, got a wide range of shops and services, not expensive and quite well laid out.
I see it is all kicking off in Corbynite twitter world.
Do tell...
Well the editor of The Canary went full Justin 124 and Owen Jones called her out on it, and well.
So anyhoo Corbynite Twitter is denouncing Owen Jones as a Tory melt.
Owen Jones is bang right there. I have been making this point for a couple of days, calling people who you disagree with politically "Nazis" etc because they are right of centre, is probably more insulting to Jews than any criticism of Israel
Whilst I understand and support the sentiment behind the dog proposal, what is the point of having laws that are so patently unenforceable?
So was your morning walk an hour or 40 minutes?
Woof. Thank you. And your evening walk? Woof woof.
Open and shut case I think constable? Woof?
It's even more silly that that. As was pointed out on the news this morning, IIRC, different breeds of dog require vastly different amounts of exercise. For some, two hour-long walkies might still be insufficient; for others, it would probably kill them through exhaustion.
Look if you are going to let facts get in the way of social preening we aren’t going to get anywhere.
Are handbag dogs allowed to be carried round their walks?
I heard the item on I think You and Yours. They had a couple of people from the silly end of the dog lobby arguing that dot and tittle laws were good and the UK just treats dogs like a piece of property that can be disposed of.
UK laws say that the dog's behavioural needs have to be met, which includes walkies.
Strangely they said nothing about the thousands of livestock killed by dog owners with their dogs every year.
Amazingly, Crawley has been scoring more quickly than Butler. I think that's because he's run between the wickets so well (so far 🤞).
332 for 4 at stumps.
Good day and Pakistan have it all to do
The series has gone today. Best case scenario for Pakistan now is a draw. With the time likely to be lost to weather England really can’t lose this and will have chances to win.
Shush.
Some of us are still traumatised by Adelaide 2006.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
I see it is all kicking off in Corbynite twitter world.
Do tell...
Well the editor of The Canary went full Justin 124 and Owen Jones called her out on it, and well.
So anyhoo Corbynite Twitter is denouncing Owen Jones as a Tory melt.
Owen Jones is bang right there. I have been making this point for a couple of days, calling people who you disagree with politically "Nazis" etc because they are right of centre, is probably more insulting to Jews than any criticism of Israel
Looks like top popcorn stuff from their twitter feeds.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
Can you explain Norway applying quarantine to Austria
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
I didn't claim it was objective, just that there is a number of cases/population which triggers it.
I'm afraid that's just a misreading of what it means. Not to only do anything when cases are zero but to push and push to get them as close to zero as possible. This gives you more breathing space to deal with any outbreaks.
Of course, it relies on having an efficient test, track and isolate system, so it's not going to work as we are now (and why the UK government won't think about it).
The policy is a desirable one, however. It does mean 'intrusive' monitoring etc, and that's a good thing! It does, however, lead to fewer and lighter lockdowns, that's the whole point, not to have to rely on them.
We need to find a balance between some level of COVID in the community and life carrying on as (reasonably) normal. Today more people are dieing of influenza, cancer and car crashes than COVID - are we aiming for zero cancer, zero car crashes or zero influenza? It's epidemiologically illiterate.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
I didn't claim it was objective, just that there is a number of cases/population which triggers it.
The UK government put Portugal on the naughty list for just a few weeks - objectively a clear mistake given the subsequent virus data from that country - wrecking individuals’ holidays and delivering an unnecessary further blow to the travel industry.
It is simply quarantine roulette, with no significance for combatting the spread of the virus whatsoever. The data they are using to make these decisions is crude and takes no account of where or how the extra cases are arising within the target countries.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
Can you explain Norway applying quarantine to Austria
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
The virus is spreading - “we must do something”
“This is something”. So it gets done.
Damaging and pointless. Simply arse covering from a government that should have been restricting or quarantining returning travellers back in March, when we had very little infection at home.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
I didn't claim it was objective, just that there is a number of cases/population which triggers it.
It is simply quarantine roulette, with no significance for combatting the spread of the virus whatsoever. The data they are using to make these decisions is crude and takes no account of where or how the extra cases are arising within the target countries.
What would you do? AIUI the "cut off" is 30 cases per 100,000 - assuming robust testing.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
And what's the betting that in another month or six weeks, Austria will be back on the green list and Portugal will be off it again?
You put your left leg in, your left leg out, etc. etc.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
Edited to add: Portugal does have a significantly larger population than Austria (16%) so even using your preferred metric of "the most recent single day's reported cases" Austria has 75% more.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
How many imported Covid cases have come from each country? More relevant that the gross national figure.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
How many imported Covid cases have come from each country? More relevant that the gross national figure.
The number's irrelevant, it's the proportion. We have got about 21 cases/100,000 at the moment. We don't want people coming here from countries with a significantly higher proportion of cases.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
Can you explain Norway applying quarantine to Austria
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
The virus is spreading - “we must do something”
“This is something”. So it gets done.
Damaging and pointless. Simply arse covering from a government that should have been restricting or quarantining returning travellers back in March, when we had very little infection at home.
But now it's down again it seems sensible to impose those restrictions.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
Can you explain Norway applying quarantine to Austria
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
The virus is spreading - “we must do something”
“This is something”. So it gets done.
Damaging and pointless. Simply arse covering from a government that should have been restricting or quarantining returning travellers back in March, when we had very little infection at home.
You seem to be very exercised by this when I expect the vast majority of the country support the process, indeed some would want it extending much further
I'm afraid that's just a misreading of what it means. Not to only do anything when cases are zero but to push and push to get them as close to zero as possible. This gives you more breathing space to deal with any outbreaks.
Of course, it relies on having an efficient test, track and isolate system, so it's not going to work as we are now (and why the UK government won't think about it).
The policy is a desirable one, however. It does mean 'intrusive' monitoring etc, and that's a good thing! It does, however, lead to fewer and lighter lockdowns, that's the whole point, not to have to rely on them.
We need to find a balance between some level of COVID in the community and life carrying on as (reasonably) normal. Today more people are dieing of influenza, cancer and car crashes than COVID - are we aiming for zero cancer, zero car crashes or zero influenza? It's epidemiologically illiterate.
Beyond that, Herdson's point about ever more extreme measures to deal with the disease as it moves closer to zero prevalence is demonstrably correct. New Zealand had a small cluster of cases and it caused such a monumental panic that a third of the population was put back into tight lockdown and the general election was postponed - and they're at constant risk of further such cycles, because the disease still exists out in the world. Besides which, we don't have the level of geographical isolation that would make pursuing such an approach a realistic option: even if we can intercept and quarantine all the illegal immigrants, what the Hell could we do about the constant flow of truck drivers?
We need to aim for a degree of control over the disease sufficient to avoid another mass eruption. Absent a completely effective vaccine, which we may not have for years and might never have at all, trying to wipe it out completely would be so disruptive and damaging that it wouldn't be worth the cost.
Unlikely you're doing better than Germany at the moment :-)
Anyway my 3rd choice October holiday plan has just been screwed up as I was thinking of doing something around the Austro-Hungarian littoral ie Slovenia/Italy/Croatia/maybe Graz. I suppose I can still do Slovenia, Fiume, and walk some of the Isonzo front.
I don't hold out much hope of Greece still being possible (2nd choice) and my first choice of Transylvania by train is probably a dead loss (80+ cases/100,000 and a rising death rate).
Belarus seems to be reporting very low CV rates...
Just to add, apparently the UK government's strategy has been to have no more than 1000 cases per day. That was as bad a mistake as the ones in March, at a time when beating the virus back they accepted too high a level of
I'm afraid that's just a misreading of what it means. Not to only do anything when cases are zero but to push and push to get them as close to zero as possible. This gives you more breathing space to deal with any outbreaks.
Of course, it relies on having an efficient test, track and isolate system, so it's not going to work as we are now (and why the UK government won't think about it).
The policy is a desirable one, however. It does mean 'intrusive' monitoring etc, and that's a good thing! It does, however, lead to fewer and lighter lockdowns, that's the whole point, not to have to rely on them.
We need to find a balance between some level of COVID in the community and life carrying on as (reasonably) normal. Today more people are dieing of influenza, cancer and car crashes than COVID - are we aiming for zero cancer, zero car crashes or zero influenza? It's epidemiologically illiterate.
The UK government set a disastrously high target of 1000 infections per day. They have no way back from that now. I appreciate that the Channel Islands have got this right but England, for one, has screwed up yet again.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
How many imported Covid cases have come from each country? More relevant that the gross national figure.
The number's irrelevant, it's the proportion. We have got about 21 cases/100,000 at the moment. We don't want people coming here from countries with a significantly higher proportion of cases.
Of course it’s not irrelevant, if no tourists are importing the virus then the quarantine is pointless. Just publish the data so it becomes self explanatory, clearly any sensible government will have collected the necessary data.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
Can you explain Norway applying quarantine to Austria
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
The virus is spreading - “we must do something”
“This is something”. So it gets done.
Damaging and pointless. Simply arse covering from a government that should have been restricting or quarantining returning travellers back in March, when we had very little infection at home.
We had shitloads of virus in March, we just didn't know it at the time. ZOE reckon there were 2 million active cases by 1 April. The borders should have been closed mid-February to be effective. Now we have very low active infection rates (18,000 across the whole country according to ZOE) then imported infections could make a significant difference.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
How many imported Covid cases have come from each country? More relevant that the gross national figure.
The number's irrelevant, it's the proportion. We have got about 21 cases/100,000 at the moment. We don't want people coming here from countries with a significantly higher proportion of cases.
Of course it’s not irrelevant, if no tourists are importing the virus then the quarantine is pointless. Just publish the data so it becomes self explanatory, clearly any sensible government will have collected the necessary data.
As this is UK wide with all four countries acting together, indeed Scotland has gone further by putting Switzerland into quarantine and this mirrors Norway
I expect most of the UK are content and in any respect it is a very small percentage who want to travel abroad anyway (10%)
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
How many imported Covid cases have come from each country? More relevant that the gross national figure.
The number's irrelevant, it's the proportion. We have got about 21 cases/100,000 at the moment. We don't want people coming here from countries with a significantly higher proportion of cases.
Of course it’s not irrelevant, if no tourists are importing the virus then the quarantine is pointless. Just publish the data so it becomes self explanatory, clearly any sensible government will have collected the necessary data.
So you are saying we should quarantine people from all popular holiday destinations, just to be on the safe side, but not places people don't go, however much they are a hotbed of Corona?
The page I linked to is the ECDC data on 14-day new case rates for all countries. 14-day rates are a good proxy for "how many people have Corona at the moment" as it is reckoned than, on average, you have it for 14 days. The UK government is working off 7-day rates but unfortunately I can't find a good source of the data. I presume they feel it shows the recent rate of increase better.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
Can you explain Norway applying quarantine to Austria
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
The virus is spreading - “we must do something”
“This is something”. So it gets done.
Damaging and pointless. Simply arse covering from a government that should have been restricting or quarantining returning travellers back in March, when we had very little infection at home.
You seem to be very exercised by this when I expect the vast majority of the country support the process, indeed some would want it extending much further
I am exercised by this because potentially it affects me, and is an example of our government making a series of futile and damaging policy decisions. If you want to sit in North Wales and take no notice because it makes no difference to you, so be it. But we can all see how your aborted stand against no deal Brexit looks like turning out.
It is simply pointless and futile quarantine roulette. From a government that, just a couple of weeks ago, was actively encouraging people to book foreign holidays.
Calling for the English to be locked out of Scotland because they are claimed to be plague spreaders is, of course, the worst kind of xenophobia.
Although it has to be pointed out at this juncture that the First Minister of Scotland has openly toyed with the idea of sealing the border on and off for the last couple of months.
Now, personally I have a certain degree of sympathy with the devolved administrations thinking about tailoring their public health measures to suit their particular circumstances - albeit that, AFAIK, there has been no evidence found linking the Aberdeen boozer cluster to the dirty infectious English.
Meanwhile, in other news, Scotland has five times as many Covid patients in hospital per head of population as England does. Insofar as I'm aware, this has not thus far led to any meaningful demands from South of the Border for the construction of a wall.
Well it makes sense. The new cases rate has been static around 1,000 for a week or two now, so it stands to reason the R0 number is about 1. On a 7-day average it has actually started to fall slightly.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
How many imported Covid cases have come from each country? More relevant that the gross national figure.
The number's irrelevant, it's the proportion. We have got about 21 cases/100,000 at the moment. We don't want people coming here from countries with a significantly higher proportion of cases.
Of course it’s not irrelevant, if no tourists are importing the virus then the quarantine is pointless. Just publish the data so it becomes self explanatory, clearly any sensible government will have collected the necessary data.
So you are saying we should quarantine people from all popular holiday destinations, just to be on the safe side, but not places people don't go, however much they are a hotbed of Corona?
The page I linked to is the ECDC data on 14-day new case rates for all countries. 14-day rates are a good proxy for "how many people have Corona at the moment" as it is reckoned than, on average, you have it for 14 days. The UK government is working off 7-day rates but unfortunately I can't find a good source of the data. I presume they feel it shows the recent rate of increase better.
No I’m saying quarantine decisions should be based on the actual number of imported infections from each holiday destination and the recent growth/reduction trend. Taking a national figure should not be necessary. Imported infections are not the main driver, social/family gatherings and working environments are the major driver out here in Spain, with night life also featuring, the importation from one part of Spain to another barely features as a reason on its own. One of the areas with the lowest infection rates is Benidorm where I believe the controls have been rigorously enforced and they have the police to maintain them.
Calling for the English to be locked out of Scotland because they are claimed to be plague spreaders is, of course, the worst kind of xenophobia.
Although it has to be pointed out at this juncture that the First Minister of Scotland has openly toyed with the idea of sealing the border on and off for the last couple of months.
Now, personally I have a certain degree of sympathy with the devolved administrations thinking about tailoring their public health measures to suit their particular circumstances - albeit that, AFAIK, there has been no evidence found linking the Aberdeen boozer cluster to the dirty infectious English.
Meanwhile, in other news, Scotland has five times as many Covid patients in hospital per head of population as England does. Insofar as I'm aware, this has not thus far led to any meaningful demands from South of the Border for the construction of a wall.
AZction for Scotland is, let's say, a rather fringe movement. Sean Clerkins is well klnwon for protesting against the SNP.
The populations of Austria and Portugal are pretty similar. Yet the former has just been added to the quarantine list with 331 reported new cases today whereas the latter just removed from the quarantine list with 219. Hardly a difference significant enough to justify the hassle and disruption being imposed on travellers and the travel industry.
There has to be a threshold somewhere.
Lol. Like any of this is actually objective?
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
Can you explain Norway applying quarantine to Austria
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
The virus is spreading - “we must do something”
“This is something”. So it gets done.
Damaging and pointless. Simply arse covering from a government that should have been restricting or quarantining returning travellers back in March, when we had very little infection at home.
You seem to be very exercised by this when I expect the vast majority of the country support the process, indeed some would want it extending much further
I am exercised by this because potentially it affects me, and is an example of our government making a series of futile and damaging policy decisions. If you want to sit in North Wales and take no notice because it makes no difference to you, so be it. But we can all see how your aborted stand against no deal Brexit looks like turning out.
Covid is deadly to me and to dismiss my comments, even including a reference to the non relevance of brexit on the issue, does show you to be unreasonable and unfair.
And by the way, for fairness have a pop at Sturgeon , Drakeford and Foster all of whom are on the same page as Boris in implimenting this policy
Whilst I understand and support the sentiment behind the dog proposal, what is the point of having laws that are so patently unenforceable?
So was your morning walk an hour or 40 minutes?
Woof. Thank you. And your evening walk? Woof woof.
Open and shut case I think constable? Woof?
It's even more silly that that. As was pointed out on the news this morning, IIRC, different breeds of dog require vastly different amounts of exercise. For some, two hour-long walkies might still be insufficient; for others, it would probably kill them through exhaustion.
Look if you are going to let facts get in the way of social preening we aren’t going to get anywhere.
Are handbag dogs allowed to be carried round their walks?
I heard the item on I think You and Yours. They had a couple of people from the silly end of the dog lobby arguing that dot and tittle laws were good and the UK just treats dogs like a piece of property that can be disposed of.
UK laws say that the dog's behavioural needs have to be met, which includes walkies.
Strangely they said nothing about the thousands of livestock killed by dog owners with their dogs every year.
Quite. I remember a watching sheep in Dorset running straight through a barbed wire fence when it was worried by a dog going on walkies. My partner and i had to corral it and make sure some responsible person took care of it. The chap was evidently pleasantly surprised and asked me if I was a farmer - I said, no, just from sheep country!
Calling for the English to be locked out of Scotland because they are claimed to be plague spreaders is, of course, the worst kind of xenophobia.
Although it has to be pointed out at this juncture that the First Minister of Scotland has openly toyed with the idea of sealing the border on and off for the last couple of months.
Now, personally I have a certain degree of sympathy with the devolved administrations thinking about tailoring their public health measures to suit their particular circumstances - albeit that, AFAIK, there has been no evidence found linking the Aberdeen boozer cluster to the dirty infectious English.
Meanwhile, in other news, Scotland has five times as many Covid patients in hospital per head of population as England does. Insofar as I'm aware, this has not thus far led to any meaningful demands from South of the Border for the construction of a wall.
AZction for Scotland is, let's say, a rather fringe movement. Sean Clerkins is well klnwon for protesting against the SNP.
it really does not do the SNPs image any favours and needs a full public rejection by Sturgeon and everyone in the SNP
Of course it isn't. R is a crude number, it's a guesstimate, it's volatile, it tells us nothing at all about variations in the infection rate by age group or by locality, and breaks down completely at low levels of community transmission.
I remember all those months of Downing Street press conferences where everyone was looking all ashen-faced and worried over the fact that R was, apparently, at 1, or approaching 1, or just under 1, or somewhere between 0.8 and 1. Meanwhile, the total number of Covid patients in hospital in the UK has declined by 96% relative to the peak value, and daily deaths in single figures are now commonly reported.
And what's the latest estimate of R for the UK, as published on gov.uk today? 0.9-1.1.
Comments
https://twitter.com/Doctor_Wurm/status/1295919718520545280?s=20
Wishing you all the best with whatever happens.
I nominated Dominic Sibley, as the best opener in county cricket, Zak Crawley, who clearly had bags of talent, and James Bracey, an excellent top order batsman and keeper who loves a challenge.
This summer, Sibley has opened in every test, including a match winning century. Crawley has scored this superb 167 today and we should now be thinking of him as a possible opener on the winter tours and for 10 years beyond. James Bracey top scored in the England squad matches and is still in the squad when Foakes and Robinson have been released for their counties, a sign perhaps that in addition to his cricketing skills England like what he brings to the dressing room.
Some people scoffed. Others had just never heard of them.
But to quote Charles Kennedy - I was right.
Permission to now pull my unbearably smug face.
https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1296827473720729602?s=20
Once again the BBC shoots itself in the foot.*
* Or the rumours are right and he is being lined up as BBC chairman.
No way he could do a Murdoch TV news station as well.
Planning a patriotic visit to Birmingham any time soon?
Biden 52% (-3)
Trump 33% (-8)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-53846414
He can't bat, he can't throw and he can't keep.
I am now willing to concede that on the evidence of the last three matches he has at least partially addressed one of those weaknesses.
But he's still got a worse average with the bat than Ben Foakes.
Edit - not just in Tests, but in all first class cricket (38 to 32).
Bit of a grey area re camping on farmland - it does depend if the crop was a hay or grazing one - but the field was plainly enclosed and gated, and the real issue is lighting fires on farmland esp in dry weather: SAC says
"Wherever possible, use a stove rather than light an open fire. If you do wish to light an open fire, keep it small, under control, and supervised - fires that get out of control can cause major damage, for which you might be liable. Never light an open fire during prolonged dry periods or in areas such as forests, woods, farmland or on peaty ground or near to buildings or in cultural heritage sites where damage can be easily caused."
Roger Taylor’s ultimatum came after the education secretary tried to lay the blame for the exams fiasco at the door of Ofqual following a humiliating climbdown that scrapped A-levels and GCSEs awarded by algorithm.
Taylor went directly to Williamson to demand a public statement of support or he would resign. It came the day before hundreds of thousands of pupils in England received their GCSE results.
So serious was the threat of a void at the top of Ofqual that Amanda Spielman, Taylor’s predecessor and now chief inspector of the schools watchdog Ofsted, was being lined up to potentially step in and support the regulator, it is understood. She could still be called on if Taylor or Ofqual’s chief regulator, Sally Collier, resigns.
Williamson’s Department for Education (DfE) – after seeking approval from Downing Street – hurriedly issued a statement on Wednesday saying: “We have full confidence in Ofqual and its leadership in their role as independent regulator.”
To placate Taylor, the DfE also confirmed that it had been Ofqual’s decision to drop grades decided by algorithm in favour of grades recommended by teachers, and that it had been backed by the government in doing so.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/aug/21/ofqual-chair-roger-taylor-quit-threat-gavin-williamson-a-levels-gcse-exams
Your rampant “everything British must be good” patriotism is in fact very un-British.
You and I have had our differences.
But here and now, stand your ground. Don't give them any backing.
Edit- but don't recall Spielman either, she's even more useless than Taylor.
The rest of the city, however...
The place is a sh*thole, but still much better than most people think.
Here are the figures from the NHS England hospital death bulletin published yesterday, breaking down all Covid deaths recorded in English hospitals since the start of this disaster by age:
Aged under 60: 2,523 (9% of total)
Aged 60 and over: 26,962 (91% of total)
Moreover, of all those dying outside of hospitals, the vast majority have passed on in care homes dealing with mostly very frail and/or demented elderly people in the last years of life. I can't immediately locate a value for the average age of a Covid victim but I would be very surprised if it was less than 80; average life expectancy in the UK is only about 81.
So, we have a disease that kills loads of old people, and causes the healthcare system to implode by overburdening it with too many sick old people. Therefore, if - and I still think it's a big if, by the way - the epidemic develops through the Autumn in such a fashion as to threaten a repeat of the too many sick old people crisis, what would the rational response be?
(a) shut down society in a series of salami slicing measures, until we all die at home of starvation or hypothermia because the economy has completely collapsed, OR
(b) lock up old people
Hmmm, that's a toughie.
Woof.
Thank you. And your evening walk?
Woof woof.
Open and shut case I think constable?
Woof?
https://twitter.com/RobDunsmore/status/1296859928221683713?s=20
Amazingly, Crawley has been scoring more quickly than Butler. I think that's because he's run between the wickets so well (so far 🤞).
Good day and Pakistan have it all to do
I wonder if Boris will go back to do Bealach na Ba on his Boris Bike.
They have put England in a very strong position from 127-4 when Pakistan must have been pretty happy. 332 is a decent score with such a good attack even if the pitch doesn't look too scary.
Of course, it relies on having an efficient test, track and isolate system, so it's not going to work as we are now (and why the UK government won't think about it).
The policy is a desirable one, however. It does mean 'intrusive' monitoring etc, and that's a good thing! It does, however, lead to fewer and lighter lockdowns, that's the whole point, not to have to rely on them.
I heard the item on I think You and Yours. They had a couple of people from the silly end of the dog lobby arguing that dot and tittle laws were good and the UK just treats dogs like a piece of property that can be disposed of.
UK laws say that the dog's behavioural needs have to be met, which includes walkies.
Strangely they said nothing about the thousands of livestock killed by dog owners with their dogs every year.
'Clinton's much smarter but not a likable person', he told the group. 'Joe is not nearly as smart, but he's more likable.'
He also said Pelosi could become President after a divided election
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8651891/Trump-reveals-thinks-Joe-Biden-likable-Hillary-convention-stresses-empathy.html
Some of us are still traumatised by Adelaide 2006.
Helping Biden in the crucial Northeast swing states where he is at risk.
The travel industry made a huge fuss when Portugal - unjustifiably in its view and in the view of the Portuguese government (and objectively a mistake in view of the subsequent virus data) - was added to the quarantine list. So the government taken the earliest opportunity to correct its mistake. Meanwhile tons of travellers to Portugal have had their trips ruined or incurred extra expense, and travel companies have taken an unnecessary hit.
Now the same cycle is about to repeated regarding Austria.
And why Scotland is to do the same with Switzerland
It is simply quarantine roulette, with no significance for combatting the spread of the virus whatsoever. The data they are using to make these decisions is crude and takes no account of where or how the extra cases are arising within the target countries.
https://twitter.com/DJohnsonMSP/status/1296748254361792514?s=20
“This is something”. So it gets done.
Damaging and pointless. Simply arse covering from a government that should have been restricting or quarantining returning travellers back in March, when we had very little infection at home.
You put your left leg in, your left leg out, etc. etc.
Austria has 33 cases per hundred thousand today. A week ago it had 19. In comparison Portugal had 28.5 and a week ago 26. The issue is the rate of travel.
Edited to add: Portugal does have a significantly larger population than Austria (16%) so even using your preferred metric of "the most recent single day's reported cases" Austria has 75% more.
https://twitter.com/POLITICOEurope/status/1296849270650413056?s=20
We need to aim for a degree of control over the disease sufficient to avoid another mass eruption. Absent a completely effective vaccine, which we may not have for years and might never have at all, trying to wipe it out completely would be so disruptive and damaging that it wouldn't be worth the cost.
Anyway my 3rd choice October holiday plan has just been screwed up as I was thinking of doing something around the Austro-Hungarian littoral ie Slovenia/Italy/Croatia/maybe Graz. I suppose I can still do Slovenia, Fiume, and walk some of the Isonzo front.
I don't hold out much hope of Greece still being possible (2nd choice) and my first choice of Transylvania by train is probably a dead loss (80+ cases/100,000 and a rising death rate).
Belarus seems to be reporting very low CV rates...
I expect most of the UK are content and in any respect it is a very small percentage who want to travel abroad anyway (10%)
The page I linked to is the ECDC data on 14-day new case rates for all countries. 14-day rates are a good proxy for "how many people have Corona at the moment" as it is reckoned than, on average, you have it for 14 days. The UK government is working off 7-day rates but unfortunately I can't find a good source of the data. I presume they feel it shows the recent rate of increase better.
It is simply pointless and futile quarantine roulette. From a government that, just a couple of weeks ago, was actively encouraging people to book foreign holidays.
Although it has to be pointed out at this juncture that the First Minister of Scotland has openly toyed with the idea of sealing the border on and off for the last couple of months.
Now, personally I have a certain degree of sympathy with the devolved administrations thinking about tailoring their public health measures to suit their particular circumstances - albeit that, AFAIK, there has been no evidence found linking the Aberdeen boozer cluster to the dirty infectious English.
Meanwhile, in other news, Scotland has five times as many Covid patients in hospital per head of population as England does. Insofar as I'm aware, this has not thus far led to any meaningful demands from South of the Border for the construction of a wall.
And by the way, for fairness have a pop at Sturgeon , Drakeford and Foster all of whom are on the same page as Boris in implimenting this policy
I remember all those months of Downing Street press conferences where everyone was looking all ashen-faced and worried over the fact that R was, apparently, at 1, or approaching 1, or just under 1, or somewhere between 0.8 and 1. Meanwhile, the total number of Covid patients in hospital in the UK has declined by 96% relative to the peak value, and daily deaths in single figures are now commonly reported.
And what's the latest estimate of R for the UK, as published on gov.uk today? 0.9-1.1.
What meaningless twaddle.