The original tweet was shown on Sky News this morning. OFCOM should be on to them as reporting gossip on this subject should be a big no no.
Ah, that was the "absence of testing" tweet. That did seem odd to me, especially given the ONS does this sort of surveillance testing all the time. More twitter bollocks.
Depending on timing, you could imagine the government adding a week either side of the school holidays at Christmas and enforcing more measures, telling everyone to stay home and enjoy Xmas with their nuclear family to create a four week firebreak to suppress any winter outbreak, get us through to the spring and perhaps a vaccine thereafter. Would seem a reasonable compromise that would minimise the economic disruption as things are quiet then anyway.
Need to rule out ski holidays now.
Eh? Surely nobody in their right mind would be planning to go to the alps in the middle of a pandemic. What's wrong with staying at home, drinking and watching TV like normal people do at Xmas?
You are obviously forgetting loads of people reaction in March / April, when told only travel if necessary, people decided that skiing in the Alps classed as such.
Same as summer holidays, the government came up with the stupid airbridge idea, but personally it seemed like a daft and unnecessary risk to take.
UK government should be restricting foreign travel and testing / quarantining all arrivals, otherwise we just keep reimporting the virus.
Just sitting down to a hearty lunch in a mountain hutte.
I think you'll find there is enough of the virus here already.
Following your and Mystic's logic, we should stop people travelling to or from the North, very dangerous. Or South Wales. Stop all sport; both participating and spectating are unnecessary risks. Ban all non-essential shopping; going out and mixing with others just to buy something you don't need - how selfish is that?
Indeed unless you are a key worker you don't need to leave your town. Or street. Or house. Just stay at home.
"[Ferguson's] notorious Report 9 was based on a modified flu simulation that failed to incorporate insights from previous coronavirus pandemics. But far from recanting his doom-mongering modelling, he merely insists lockdown didn't come quickly enough. Such stupendous self-delusion at the top table doesn’t bode well for the future. "
It's the fantasy collapsing, as so many of us said.
"Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid."
For the first time since the Brexit vote I'm of the opinion that if we went back in time and re-ran it, but with everyone given foresight of the consequences of Leave, then Remain would win. There will be enough former Leave voters now who'd conclude it wasn't worth a candle.
The shock of people who expected Boris to lie for them, who now find he is lying to them.
There are two types of people in the world.
People who regret trusting Boris and people who will regret trusting Boris.
Can I volunteer a third type: people who never trusted him? Not that being a member of this group offers much satisfaction when there are enough in the other two camps to have made him Prime Minister.
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
It depends on what you do there. If you visit a country that has prematurely opened nightclubs, you stand more chance of catching the virus than you would at home and then bringing it back to the UK.
"[Ferguson's] notorious Report 9 was based on a modified flu simulation that failed to incorporate insights from previous coronavirus pandemics. But far from recanting his doom-mongering modelling, he merely insists lockdown didn't come quickly enough. Such stupendous self-delusion at the top table doesn’t bode well for the future. "
Telegraph
This is the very same Prof Ferguson who was so terrified of the virus that he broke his own lockdown to bonk a blonde.
"[Ferguson's] notorious Report 9 was based on a modified flu simulation that failed to incorporate insights from previous coronavirus pandemics. But far from recanting his doom-mongering modelling, he merely insists lockdown didn't come quickly enough. Such stupendous self-delusion at the top table doesn’t bode well for the future. "
Telegraph
This is the very same Prof Ferguson who was so terrified of the virus that he broke his own lockdown to bonk a blonde.
"[Ferguson's] notorious Report 9 was based on a modified flu simulation that failed to incorporate insights from previous coronavirus pandemics. But far from recanting his doom-mongering modelling, he merely insists lockdown didn't come quickly enough. Such stupendous self-delusion at the top table doesn’t bode well for the future. "
Telegraph
This is the very same Prof Ferguson who was so terrified of the virus that he broke his own lockdown to bonk a blonde.
He'd already recovered from the virus when he did that, so he was merely setting a bad example.
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
It depends on what you do there. If you visit a country that has prematurely opened nightclubs, you stand more chance of catching the virus than you would at home and then bringing it back to the UK.
Avoiding night clubs, and indeed their typical clientele - who aren't frequenting the Alpine high paths in large numbers early in the morning - isn't so hard.
It is long time since the control of House flipped in a presidential election year (it happened last in 1952 if I am not mistaken). That may one reason why some think it is really unlikely to happen.
I don't buy the whole "The house isn't possible for the GOP to win" that we've seen on previous threads.
I've looked, and the 218th seat in 2016 was Michigan-11. The GOP won that by 12.7% with a 1.1% lead in the generic vote nationally; so 11.6% lean to the GOP. The 218th seat in 2018 was California-10. The GOP lost that by 4.6% and were 8.6% behind in the generic vote; so there was still a 4% House lean to the GOP.
There's another complicating factor in that generic vote and presidential vote don't entirely match but Ryan outperformed Trump by 3.2% in 2016 - as to how that shakes out it's not entirely clear.
So with no redistricting since 2016 or 2018 taking place, we can't be sure of the 2020 House lean as a prior - but it's a stretch to imagine it'll disappear completely for the GOP - and with that it's a huge stretch to somehow think the House is unwinnable for the GOP.
If you're going to go with that prior, you might as well write off Trump as well.
Yeah, I see the potential for big gains for the GOP.
People are treating things like Scotland post 2015. They saw 56 SNP seats and went "Well that's Scotland soliudly SNP for ever now" and ignored both that those gains were made on enormous swings and that many of those seats were now very marginal.
This is what happened in 2018. The Dems got some huge swings and those seats are now marginal seats.
I think the Dems will keep the House actually, but 4-1 was too big to miss.
USC Dornsife today has {Biden + Dems 50%}, {Trump 44%/ GOP 46%}. Which is nice if you're on the GOP for the House and Biden for the presidency.
Yeah, it's the people who are tipping Trump to win the Presidency but not the GOP to take the house when you could get 4-1 on the latter that you have to give the side eye to.
The GOP are going to outperform Trump in national vote share.
It's only 2012 since the GOP took the house with a Democrat winning the presidential race though.
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
It depends on what you do there. If you visit a country that has prematurely opened nightclubs, you stand more chance of catching the virus than you would at home and then bringing it back to the UK.
Avoiding night clubs, and indeed their typical clientele - who aren't frequenting the Alpine high paths in large numbers early in the morning - isn't so hard.
No, but ensuring that everyone who is travelling abroad feels the same way is very difficult.
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
It depends on what you do there. If you visit a country that has prematurely opened nightclubs, you stand more chance of catching the virus than you would at home and then bringing it back to the UK.
Yes, of course, but that's nothing to do with the travel per se, is it? That's behavioural.
I could equally say that if you go to loads of autumn-term house parties in Manchester you would be more at risk than if you'd flown to Georgia and sat on a boat for a fortnight.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
It's the fantasy collapsing, as so many of us said.
It's a basic failure of arithmetic to think a worse deal covering a third of the amount of trade as the deal you are ripping up will compensate. The fact that that worse deal isn't even on the table is the chaser. It is all lala land economics for the gullible, a fantasy like you say.
I wonder how many lefties here will suddenly find they like the Toadmeister?
He'll always be a grifting, self-regarding, little **** to me. He just appears to have changed his mind about another grifting, self-regarding, little ****.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
It depends on what you do there. If you visit a country that has prematurely opened nightclubs, you stand more chance of catching the virus than you would at home and then bringing it back to the UK.
Yes, of course, but that's nothing to do with the travel per se, is it? That's behavioural.
I could equally say that if you go to loads of autumn-term house parties in Manchester you would be more at risk than if you'd flown to Georgia and sat on a boat for a fortnight.
Exactly.
And I am doing my bit to keep hard working people in a living, just the same as those who flocked to their local on a Monday for Rishi's covid dinners.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Does IDS think Biden is already the President?
Last five words redundant there. As, I see, was this comment.
I wonder how many lefties here will suddenly find they like the Toadmeister?
Not me. If Blowhard wasn't already a term you'd need to invent it for him.
Does anyone – left, right or middle – care either way what Young thinks about Boris (or anything else come to that)?
It shows that the wind has changed. I have never cared for Toby Young (amusing as his book was), but he is routinely used by cabinet members to float ideas. Notably Gove, who has form in plotting...
I love Rees-Mogg. If you want to know what Tories really think but are normally too sly to say out loud he is always there to provide an unredacted window on their world-view.
IDS met Dick Cheney several times at the White House as Tory leader so no surprise he is endorsing the Republicans and not Biden in November
How f***ing stupid are these people - always keep out of foreign elections, you don't change voters intentions (heck even Obama probably did more harm than good in the referendum) and just annoy one side for zero gratitude on the other side.
So Labour plus SNP = the Tories and Labour plus SNP plus LDs plus PC is more than the Tories and DUP making Starmer PM
I am amazed that Boris still has a lead
He only has a lead because the SNP win almost all the old Labour Scottish seats, however he does not have a lead once you combine Labour and SNP seats
True, but there's also the remarkably sturdy floor for Conservative support at 40 % or so. Which, given the cavalcade of cockups at the moment, is remarkable and needs explaining. My theory is still that it's a "Brexit is in peril, defend it with all your might" vote.
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
The pinch points are airports, ferry terminals, planes, ferries. You can be as cautious as you like when you get abroad, but having to travel through those community plague pits is about as dangerous as a pub crawl of late-night northern drinking dens.
It shows that the wind has changed. I have never cared for Toby Young (amusing as his book was), but he is routinely used by cabinet members to float ideas. Notably Gove, who has form in plotting...
Amazingly, Gove gets a namecheck in the article.
Unfortunately, Boris’s critics have been proved correct. Funnily enough, one of the most prominent, Michael Gove, is now de facto deputy prime minister. Four years ago, when justifying his decision to knife Boris in the Tory leadership contest, Gove said it was because, having seen him operate up close, he’d concluded he lacked the character for the top job. Not lazy exactly, but not serious enough. At the time I took this with a pinch of salt, thinking Gove was exaggerating to make it sound as if he was motivated by public-spiritedness rather than personal ambition. Now I think he was right.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
It's the fantasy collapsing, as so many of us said.
"Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid."
For the first time since the Brexit vote I'm of the opinion that if we went back in time and re-ran it, but with everyone given foresight of the consequences of Leave, then Remain would win. There will be enough former Leave voters now who'd conclude it wasn't worth a candle.
That's probably true, as of today, but only if you could give the foresight of the consequences of Remain up to this point as well.
The original tweet was shown on Sky News this morning. OFCOM should be on to them as reporting gossip on this subject should be a big no no.
Ah, that was the "absence of testing" tweet. That did seem odd to me, especially given the ONS does this sort of surveillance testing all the time. More twitter bollocks.
Depending on timing, you could imagine the government adding a week either side of the school holidays at Christmas and enforcing more measures, telling everyone to stay home and enjoy Xmas with their nuclear family to create a four week firebreak to suppress any winter outbreak, get us through to the spring and perhaps a vaccine thereafter. Would seem a reasonable compromise that would minimise the economic disruption as things are quiet then anyway.
Need to rule out ski holidays now.
Eh? Surely nobody in their right mind would be planning to go to the alps in the middle of a pandemic. What's wrong with staying at home, drinking and watching TV like normal people do at Xmas?
You are obviously forgetting loads of people reaction in March / April, when told only travel if necessary, people decided that skiing in the Alps classed as such.
Same as summer holidays, the government came up with the stupid airbridge idea, but personally it seemed like a daft and unnecessary risk to take.
UK government should be restricting foreign travel and testing / quarantining all arrivals, otherwise we just keep reimporting the virus.
Just sitting down to a hearty lunch in a mountain hutte.
I think you'll find there is enough of the virus here already.
Following your and Mystic's logic, we should stop people travelling to or from the North, very dangerous. Or South Wales. Stop all sport; both participating and spectating are unnecessary risks. Ban all non-essential shopping; going out and mixing with others just to buy something you don't need - how selfish is that?
Indeed unless you are a key worker you don't need to leave your town. Or street. Or house. Just stay at home.
Astonishing isn`t it. Otherwise intelligent people are losing their marbles. The undercurrent seems to be "we don`t want any foreign virus here" despite the prevalance being higher in the Uk compared to the country visited. Add a touch of envy to this mild xenophobia and you have a super new cohort to scapegoat.
I live in one of the worst affected UK areas. Infections over 150 per 100k. If I decide to travel to a "safe list" country, e.g. Greece with 25 per 100k or Italy with 23 per 100k, and spend two weeks there, the odds are that I will be a lesser risk to UK subjects on my return than if I had stayed in my home town for the two weeks. (Not to mention the obvious that it we don`t support the airlines and other tourism stakeholders they will be be fucked.)
Enjoy your apple strudel, by the way.
Reaction against anything foreign has been an instinctive follow on from plague for millennia.
In my normally quiet out of season home town, as soon as the lockdown was announced, a shedload of SeanT types - who had spent their lives yakking on about their wonderful lives in London - suddenly pitched up here, frightened about staying in the big city. Their normally dark empty second homes sprang to life and they proceeded to fill up our doctors' appointments and take the toilet rolls off our supermarket shelves. According to the local paper, several of them brought the virus with them and ended up filling a few of the handful of ICU beds at St Mary's
As soon as the lockdown ended, we have been destination for armies of Brits, many from hotspot towns in the Midlands and North, who didn't fancy Majorca or the Canaries this year.
All these visitors clearly push up my risk had I stayed at home. To be honest, although I am on the tourist circuit, a couple of weeks up here with the dog in the mountains feels like getting away from it all.
I have had homemade macaroni with tomato and local vegetables, followed by some sort of grilled river salmon with polenta, washed down with a flagon on white wine from the vines I can see down in the valley. The strudel will have to wait until later.
So, you're saying your against free movement and immigration?
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Remember the anecdote about Biden's meeting with Cameron, where Cameron's team eagerly prepared to talk about all the issues that were important to them, and Biden completely ignored them? That's what it will be like working with him.
My theory is still that it's a "Brexit is in peril, defend it with all your might" vote.
That may be true, but...
Just as Trump is running on platform of Vote for Me so that all the really bad stuff that is happening right now with me in charge won't happen, so BoZo ran on a platform of "I will get it done", and then didn't...
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
The pinch points are airports, ferry terminals, planes, ferries. You can be as cautious as you like when you get abroad, but having to travel through those community plague pits is about as dangerous as a pub crawl of late-night northern drinking dens.
Also depends where the visitor comes from and visits: - Comes from area with very low COVID-19 incidence -> may still (on average) increase risks for that area compared to staying home, even if visited country is on average lower incidence than UK - Visits area with high incidence, in country that is relatively low risk, may still increase risks for home area
The above also of course applies to someone from a low risk part of the UK taking a holiday in a high risk part of the UK. In some areas, shipping large parts of the population off on holiday abroad for 2-3 weeks might reduce incidence at home (might not be good for the holiday destination though!)
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Yes the likely leader of the world's most powerful country really needs to watch his mouth. He's already upset IDS, if he's not careful Mark Francois might hear about it and then shit will get real.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Remember the anecdote about Biden's meeting with Cameron, where Cameron's team eagerly prepared to talk about all the issues that were important to them, and Biden completely ignored them? That's what it will be like working with him.
Yep, of the G7 leaders Biden would put Macron, Merkel, Trudeau, Conte and Suga first and will then firmly place Boris 'at the back of the queue' and effectively wait for a PM Starmer in 2024, until then the UK would be on the 'naughty step' as far as the White House is concerned
So Labour plus SNP = the Tories and Labour plus SNP plus LDs plus PC is more than the Tories and DUP making Starmer PM
I am amazed that Boris still has a lead
He only has a lead because the SNP win almost all the old Labour Scottish seats, however he does not have a lead once you combine Labour and SNP seats
True, but there's also the remarkably sturdy floor for Conservative support at 40 % or so. Which, given the cavalcade of cockups at the moment, is remarkable and needs explaining. My theory is still that it's a "Brexit is in peril, defend it with all your might" vote.
I think that's right, combined with "that Starmer bloke seems okay, but I'm not sure about the Labour Party yet - he's the only one I really know, and Corbyn and some of the other nutters are still around".
Terrible idea. It's this that keeps them anchored and knowledgeable about the real world.
They otherwise just fill their time writing pointless EDMs and doing social work.
Agreed 100%
The amount of people who will both moan that MPs are all "out of touch" and then complain about them having second jobs.
There's no reason backbench MPs shouldn't have second jobs, in fact it should really be encouraged. Ministers are afterall all a second job on top of being MPs so why shouldn't backbenchers have one too that keeps them in touch in the real world?
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Yes the likely leader of the world's most powerful country really needs to watch his mouth. He's already upset IDS, if he's not careful Mark Francois might hear about it and then shit will get real.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Will he rue the day he tweeted that tweet? He'll either allow or deny us the odd crumb from his table, and concentrate on frying bigger fish.
Can someone explain to me the science behind "importing the virus"?
I'm not clear how visiting a country with a lower rate of covidianism than the UK is more risky than, erm, going down the shops.
The pinch points are airports, ferry terminals, planes, ferries. You can be as cautious as you like when you get abroad, but having to travel through those community plague pits is about as dangerous as a pub crawl of late-night northern drinking dens.
Any travel pretty well guarantees encountering a greater diversity of people than you would staying at home. I'm pretty sure any individual challenged would be equally adamant that they weren't taking any risks. A few might even be right.
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Will he rue the day he tweeted that tweet? He'll either allow or deny us the odd crumb from his table, and concentrate on frying bigger fish.
It's amazing how those that talk down Britain don't win over more Britons to their side.
When are Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, Pendle, Oldham, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Rochdale, Manchester, Bolton, Tameside, Trafford, Bury, Preston, Salford, Leicester, Kirklees and Calderdale going to grow up and stop being different for the sake of it?
One has to feel for Joe Biden here. He's already in the fight of his life to eject Donald Trump from the White House in the most divisive and potentially explosive US presidential election there has ever been and now he has Iain Duncan Smith on his back.
Mega lolz
Even I laughed at that one but there's a serious point: Biden is likely to be working with this Government in less than 4 months and his tweet wasn't very diplomatic.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Yes the likely leader of the world's most powerful country really needs to watch his mouth. He's already upset IDS, if he's not careful Mark Francois might hear about it and then shit will get real.
I wouldn't expect a tedious old Lefty fart, like you, to understand but his intervention has already agitated support on the Tory backbenches and IDS was until recently a minister - this will have an impact.
He might calculate this does little damage to him with his Democrat activist base, who might applaud it, but he will still need to have a constructive working relationship with the UK Government of the day.
Comments
Ridiculous.
Telegraph
https://twitter.com/RossMcCaff/status/1306545698054246400?s=20
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/video-donald-trump-attends-sinn-fein-fundraiser-amid-anti-ira-terror-protests-in-1995-34272622.html
Especially as the clubs here are all closed.
I could equally say that if you go to loads of autumn-term house parties in Manchester you would be more at risk than if you'd flown to Georgia and sat on a boat for a fortnight.
He lacks the charm of (say) the ridiculous but entertaining anti Trump convert Scaramucci.
https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/usercode.py?scotcontrol=Y&CON=41&LAB=39&LIB=8&Brexit=2&Green=5&UKIP=&TVCON=&TVLAB=&TVLIB=&TVBrexit=&TVGreen=&TVUKIP=&SCOTCON=20.5&SCOTLAB=17.4&SCOTLIB=5.5&SCOTBrexit=1.1&SCOTGreen=1.1&SCOTUKIP=&SCOTNAT=53.5&display=AllChanged&regorseat=(none)&boundary=2019
So Labour plus SNP = the Tories and Labour plus SNP plus LDs plus PC is more than the Tories and DUP making Starmer PM
And I am doing my bit to keep hard working people in a living, just the same as those who flocked to their local on a Monday for Rishi's covid dinners.
As, I see, was this comment.
Full English?!!
Tories + DUP = 318 (less 2 deputy speakers) = 316
Starmer + left/nationalists (& Lucas). (Lab 252, SNP 58, PC 4, SDLP 2, Green 1) = 317 less 1 deputy speaker & Hoyle = 315.
Sinn Fein (Absent) = 7
Majority block decider = Ed Davey. Who probably supports Starmer and the Nats ahead of Johnson and the DUP.
Unfortunately, Boris’s critics have been proved correct. Funnily enough, one of the most prominent, Michael Gove, is now de facto deputy prime minister. Four years ago, when justifying his decision to knife Boris in the Tory leadership contest, Gove said it was because, having seen him operate up close, he’d concluded he lacked the character for the top job. Not lazy exactly, but not serious enough. At the time I took this with a pinch of salt, thinking Gove was exaggerating to make it sound as if he was motivated by public-spiritedness rather than personal ambition. Now I think he was right.
What a coincidence, eh?
Now they've done the damage without securing any of the alleged benefit.
He's not being particularly well advised on how thorny the B-word is over here.
Have you told the Lib Dems?
Just as Trump is running on platform of Vote for Me so that all the really bad stuff that is happening right now with me in charge won't happen, so BoZo ran on a platform of "I will get it done", and then didn't...
There must come a point, surely?
Then hope 2021 is better than 2020 (it won't be as we'll walk straight into a UK constitutional crisis).
- Comes from area with very low COVID-19 incidence -> may still (on average) increase risks for that area compared to staying home, even if visited country is on average lower incidence than UK
- Visits area with high incidence, in country that is relatively low risk, may still increase risks for home area
The above also of course applies to someone from a low risk part of the UK taking a holiday in a high risk part of the UK. In some areas, shipping large parts of the population off on holiday abroad for 2-3 weeks might reduce incidence at home (might not be good for the holiday destination though!)
(Fried bread is also in the survey, and backed by 47%, so a number agree with you - small print under the picture)
They otherwise just fill their time writing pointless EDMs and doing social work.
The amount of people who will both moan that MPs are all "out of touch" and then complain about them having second jobs.
There's no reason backbench MPs shouldn't have second jobs, in fact it should really be encouraged. Ministers are afterall all a second job on top of being MPs so why shouldn't backbenchers have one too that keeps them in touch in the real world?
With marmalade, obvs.
Edit: not 100% sure about the hash brown situation. Full English?! Hmm.
I'm pretty sure any individual challenged would be equally adamant that they weren't taking any risks. A few might even be right.
https://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes/status/1306560108189683712?s=20
When are Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, Pendle, Oldham, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford, Rochdale, Manchester, Bolton, Tameside, Trafford, Bury, Preston, Salford, Leicester, Kirklees and Calderdale going to grow up and stop being different for the sake of it?
He might calculate this does little damage to him with his Democrat activist base, who might applaud it, but he will still need to have a constructive working relationship with the UK Government of the day.