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The Masque of the Red Death – politicalbetting.com

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    TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 40,281
    edited November 2020
    IshmaelZ said:

    On topic I'm not going to pretend to have my finger on the pulse of the British family but I wonder if this isn't exaggerating how desperately everybody loves Christmas. I mean kids love the presents, but they can still get their presents. If the government calmly and reasonably says, "this disease is very bad, the vaccine will just be a few more months and then you can get together with your family", is everyone really going to say "fuck everything, we do this every year, I want to see the grandparents *now* and I don't care if their immune system is eating their lungs in January"?

    This country now runs on institutionalised mawkishness. Picture an extended family gathering of obese poppy wearing retards standing round the Christmas table toasting Our NHS Carers at the end of the Queen's (gawd bless her) speech. Mess with that vision at your peril.
    Don't forget a Battle of Britain flight flypast, crews in Santa costumes, bomb doors of Lanc' opening to scatter Made in China crap upon the land 'for the kiddies'.
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    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/21/donald-trump-jr-coronavirus-isolation

    Donald Trump Jr to spend self-isolation "cleaning his guns". Let's hope he doesn't have any kind of accident, right?
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    RogerRoger Posts: 18,904

    felix said:

    One thing more - I strongly echo Mystiose's point about wearing masks by reminding folk that if you hate wearing them - and I do - you gonna find the ventilator in the ICU wards much worse!

    The issue is that wearing a mask mainly protects others, not the wearer.

    Thus we see once again the country (and indeed all humankind) divide broadly into the two great tribes of the Altruists and the Selfish.
    In this country would that be roughly 48% - 52% ?
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,983

    In response to the header, are people really being irrational, though? For a very large majority, it's not a disease that threatens them. One can argue that is selfish, but that's a different argument.
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    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,402
    Stocky said:

    DavidL said:

    Well I really like Christmas. My views on it are perfectly summed up in Tim Minchin's song Drinking white wine in the sun. It is not a religious festival for me but it is normally a delight to have so many of the family together playing games, catching up and eating and drinking far too much. I will really miss it this year.

    I love that Minchin song too, a real tear-jerker.
    I saw him perform it live in Edinburgh shortly before Christmas last year. It was an excellent concert, courtesy of my daughter who is also a fan. The lyrics are so brilliant:

    I don't go in for ancient wisdom,
    I don't believe just because ideas are tenacious
    it means that they're worthy.
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,068

    IshmaelZ said:

    On topic I'm not going to pretend to have my finger on the pulse of the British family but I wonder if this isn't exaggerating how desperately everybody loves Christmas. I mean kids love the presents, but they can still get their presents. If the government calmly and reasonably says, "this disease is very bad, the vaccine will just be a few more months and then you can get together with your family", is everyone really going to say "fuck everything, we do this every year, I want to see the grandparents *now* and I don't care if their immune system is eating their lungs in January"?

    This country now runs on institutionalised mawkishness. Picture an extended family gathering of obese poppy wearing retards standing round the Christmas table toasting Our NHS Carers at the end of the Queen's (gawd bless her) speech. Mess with that vision at your peril.
    Probably all Leave voters. (Cue accusations of elitism, including from those who Liked post above...).
    On topic, it is hard to understand this obsession with the great Christmas family gathering. One thought: why not have an extra bank holiday in the summer after the vaccine is here to allow for a delayed family celebration, announced at the same time as an extension of current rules through year-end? Give people something to look forward to.
    They'd all just go and have a Bondi Beach-style Christmas bash. And there's bound to be some super spreader anti-vaxer there who has been hiding away....
    I've spent a couple of Christmases on a tropical beach. Don't knock it till you've tried it!
    The 2020 plan WAS to go to Thailand, to Younger Son's for a couple of weeks before, and a couple of weeks after.Did it a few years ago; I've got a picture of me somewhere by his swimming pool in a silly hat and swimming shorts, with a drink in my hand.
    It was a good one.
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    Roger said:

    felix said:

    One thing more - I strongly echo Mystiose's point about wearing masks by reminding folk that if you hate wearing them - and I do - you gonna find the ventilator in the ICU wards much worse!

    The issue is that wearing a mask mainly protects others, not the wearer.

    Thus we see once again the country (and indeed all humankind) divide broadly into the two great tribes of the Altruists and the Selfish.
    In this country would that be roughly 48% - 52% ?
    Roger, just let it go.
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    I'm already getting the 'well, we'll have to get together at some point around xmas' pressure.

  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,068

    IshmaelZ said:

    On topic I'm not going to pretend to have my finger on the pulse of the British family but I wonder if this isn't exaggerating how desperately everybody loves Christmas. I mean kids love the presents, but they can still get their presents. If the government calmly and reasonably says, "this disease is very bad, the vaccine will just be a few more months and then you can get together with your family", is everyone really going to say "fuck everything, we do this every year, I want to see the grandparents *now* and I don't care if their immune system is eating their lungs in January"?

    This country now runs on institutionalised mawkishness. Picture an extended family gathering of obese poppy wearing retards standing round the Christmas table toasting Our NHS Carers at the end of the Queen's (gawd bless her) speech. Mess with that vision at your peril.
    Don't forget a Battle of Britain flight flypast, crews in Santa costumes, bomb doors of Lanc' opening to scatter Made in China crap upon the land 'for the kiddies'.
    Have you been round to Malc's for a drink?
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    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,983
    Roger said:

    felix said:

    One thing more - I strongly echo Mystiose's point about wearing masks by reminding folk that if you hate wearing them - and I do - you gonna find the ventilator in the ICU wards much worse!

    The issue is that wearing a mask mainly protects others, not the wearer.

    Thus we see once again the country (and indeed all humankind) divide broadly into the two great tribes of the Altruists and the Selfish.
    In this country would that be roughly 48% - 52% ?
    The divide between altrusim and selfishness runs more within, rather than between, people.
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    IshmaelZ said:

    On topic I'm not going to pretend to have my finger on the pulse of the British family but I wonder if this isn't exaggerating how desperately everybody loves Christmas. I mean kids love the presents, but they can still get their presents. If the government calmly and reasonably says, "this disease is very bad, the vaccine will just be a few more months and then you can get together with your family", is everyone really going to say "fuck everything, we do this every year, I want to see the grandparents *now* and I don't care if their immune system is eating their lungs in January"?

    This country now runs on institutionalised mawkishness. Picture an extended family gathering of obese poppy wearing retards standing round the Christmas table toasting Our NHS Carers at the end of the Queen's (gawd bless her) speech. Mess with that vision at your peril.
    Don't forget a Battle of Britain flight flypast, crews in Santa costumes, bomb doors of Lanc' opening to scatter Made in China crap upon the land 'for the kiddies'.
    Have you been round to Malc's for a drink?
    That sounds like a party worth breaking lockdown for!
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,833

    DavidL said:

    Hmm... According to Hancock there is a good chance that the most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Christmas. If that is the case I would very much not want my 84 year old mother in law to spend Christmas on her own. My brother has a terminal condition. Again, he may well have been vaccinated by then.

    IIUC the Pfizer vaccine needs an injection, then 2 weeks, then another injection, then another week, before you have immunity. So if you want the MiL to be immune by then, you'll need her to get her injection a week on Thursday at the latest.
    Sadly, I'm certain that I won't be protected by vaccination by Christmas, even given my age. I'm also not at all certain that the requisite systems will be in place to provide vaccination to all who are 'due' it.

    Yes I know Hancock has said everything will be in place, but that's all we've got to go von.
    Re the two injections, yes for full effect some will need both injections, and it will take a few weeks. However, immunity is not an on/off system, and there will be some, mainly the younger, who would only need one shot, and gain immunity quickly.
    Re Christmas, I suspect the government are having to allow some relaxation, because they know it will happen anyway. For all our sakes we should try to be good as much as possible, but this has been a rubbish year, and for many Christmas is a valuable time.
    Pfizer say that immunising using their vaccine requires two injection 2-3 weeks apart. Others don't, but Pfizer's is what we'll have first.
    Given the record systems we have, or ought to have, in GP surgeries, getting everyone done ought to be possible, but there are quite a lot of people who are not registered with a GP, or are registered with GP's away from their current homes. That situation may well have improved, of course, since I had anything to do with it, of course.
    If we were going to have some other arrangement, then there will have to be some system for identifying people who have had jab one, and ensuring they are called for jab two.
    OKC, take vitamin D
    http://www.drdavidgrimes.com/2020/04/vitamin-d-and-immunity-important.html

    I'll wait. I fail to see how normal safety testing of any vaccine can be complete before end 2021, even though governments have signed blank cheques (and as usual, indemnified producers against legal claims).
    Personally I would rather take my chances with the vaccine rather than the virus.

    Not that I may get that choice, Isolating with covid positive Mrs Foxy. So far so good, but must have been exposed to viral Russian roulette, and another 10 days to go of it.
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    StockyStocky Posts: 9,736
    DavidL said:

    Stocky said:

    DavidL said:

    Well I really like Christmas. My views on it are perfectly summed up in Tim Minchin's song Drinking white wine in the sun. It is not a religious festival for me but it is normally a delight to have so many of the family together playing games, catching up and eating and drinking far too much. I will really miss it this year.

    I love that Minchin song too, a real tear-jerker.
    I saw him perform it live in Edinburgh shortly before Christmas last year. It was an excellent concert, courtesy of my daughter who is also a fan. The lyrics are so brilliant:

    I don't go in for ancient wisdom,
    I don't believe just because ideas are tenacious
    it means that they're worthy.
    Minchin is a fellow skeptic, he used to crop up a lot in the many science/skeptic podcasts that I used to listen to before politics podcasts grabbed me.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,168
    I think in terms of Christmas we will still be in a tiers system and rule of 6 even if lockdown is lifted
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829
    ydoethur said:

    Love Christmas or not, the government ought by now to be giving more information so families can *plan* Christmas.

    Seriously? They haven’t even given us enough info to plan Brexit.

    I’ve been considering a complaint to the ASA about that ad they’ve put out telling people to look at their website for new information, when actually they don’t have the information yet.
    Every business in the country received a letter last week from the Business Dept, telling them to be prepared for Jan 1st.
    I wonder how many copies they received back with the note ‘you first’, or something less polite. Perhaps it was just me.
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    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,144
    We will have to make a decision in early February on whether the Dart Music Festival is a go for May. I would love to think that we will have enough encouraging signs that we will be good to go. But, being realistic, a week of Christmas merriment paid for by five more weeks of lockdown leaves me thinking we just can't take the financial risk.

    Our suppliers of things like stages etc might well not be there as functioning businesses in 2022. So we might already have had the last one. And I can sit back and think this will be what we lost....

    https://www.dartmusicfestival.co.uk/?utm_source=Business news subscribers&utm_campaign=a88aee3e7f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_06_05_08_59_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4788e290db-a88aee3e7f-141813397&mc_cid=a88aee3e7f&mc_eid=8f50bbd53e&fbclid=IwAR1hl0qzPiz_w-zapuYRgDQUco9U7-OyZCksCnUMBeg7n1rukD42VfEAHyY
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    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/21/donald-trump-jr-coronavirus-isolation

    Donald Trump Jr to spend self-isolation "cleaning his guns". Let's hope he doesn't have any kind of accident, right?

    I was assuming "cleaning his gun" was a euphemism. I think it's unwise - best to keep his strength up to fight the virus really.
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,631

    Morning all. We are close to a vaccine - very close. So grim as this winter is and annoying as it is not to be allowed to see people, there is an end in sight. So why would anyone responsible want to bin off that future for something we can do later when it's safe?

    I've been making the point for ages about the release of students from university being a super-spreader event. It doesn't matter how desperate the pubs may be for drunken singalongs to "Last Christmas" (eugh) and big sitdown Christmas dinners. It doesn't matter how desperate people may be to see Granny and Aunt Flo and Cousin Vinny. It isn't safe. But it will be in the not to distant future.

    If we had a responsible government whose credibility on these matters was clear, then it would be a simple message. You've had to put up with so many privations this year and we have to ask for one more. But 2021 will be better than 2020 - the vaccine is nearly hear and we will defeat Covid. But until then it Isn't Safe for you to meet up with friends and family unless you want them or possibly you to die before the vaccine rolls out.

    Sadly we have wazzocks as a government so I won't be at all surprised to see Shagger announce something barely credible and a quarter baked, with knobbers like Jenrick sent onto the media to confuse it even further. The result? Too many people will go "fuck this" and January will be sobering.

    Personally, now there is definitely a vaccine on the horizon I find myself becoming more risk averse.

    If we had no prospect of a vaccine, I'd be shrugging my shoulders and thinking I'm going to catch it at some point anyway - but with a vaccine only months away why risk catching Covid now?

    How stupid that would be.
    Yes, that's just sensible though, if AZ reports 90%+ efficacy in a few days then everyone in the country should receive a vaccine by the end of April and serious restrictions should be lifted by the end of January. It doesn't seem worth it to take any risks at this point.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,168
    edited November 2020
    IDS again showing he is a No Deal hardliner as Boris edges towards a Deal with the EU

    https://twitter.com/MPIainDS/status/1330348939057516546?s=20

    Adonis on the other side refusing to accept anything but a BINO Deal

    https://twitter.com/Andrew_Adonis/status/1330420896130011138?s=20

    Montie gets it right

    https://twitter.com/montie/status/1330426424323403776?s=20
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    DeClareDeClare Posts: 483
    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.
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    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    I'm already getting the 'well, we'll have to get together at some point around xmas' pressure.

    Why though!
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    StockyStocky Posts: 9,736

    We will have to make a decision in early February on whether the Dart Music Festival is a go for May. I would love to think that we will have enough encouraging signs that we will be good to go. But, being realistic, a week of Christmas merriment paid for by five more weeks of lockdown leaves me thinking we just can't take the financial risk.

    Our suppliers of things like stages etc might well not be there as functioning businesses in 2022. So we might already have had the last one. And I can sit back and think this will be what we lost....

    https://www.dartmusicfestival.co.uk/?utm_source=Business news subscribers&utm_campaign=a88aee3e7f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_06_05_08_59_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4788e290db-a88aee3e7f-141813397&mc_cid=a88aee3e7f&mc_eid=8f50bbd53e&fbclid=IwAR1hl0qzPiz_w-zapuYRgDQUco9U7-OyZCksCnUMBeg7n1rukD42VfEAHyY

    That`s a very good promotional video. A shame when it comes down to financial risk.
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    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483
    Foxy said:

    DavidL said:

    Hmm... According to Hancock there is a good chance that the most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Christmas. If that is the case I would very much not want my 84 year old mother in law to spend Christmas on her own. My brother has a terminal condition. Again, he may well have been vaccinated by then.

    IIUC the Pfizer vaccine needs an injection, then 2 weeks, then another injection, then another week, before you have immunity. So if you want the MiL to be immune by then, you'll need her to get her injection a week on Thursday at the latest.
    Sadly, I'm certain that I won't be protected by vaccination by Christmas, even given my age. I'm also not at all certain that the requisite systems will be in place to provide vaccination to all who are 'due' it.

    Yes I know Hancock has said everything will be in place, but that's all we've got to go von.
    Re the two injections, yes for full effect some will need both injections, and it will take a few weeks. However, immunity is not an on/off system, and there will be some, mainly the younger, who would only need one shot, and gain immunity quickly.
    Re Christmas, I suspect the government are having to allow some relaxation, because they know it will happen anyway. For all our sakes we should try to be good as much as possible, but this has been a rubbish year, and for many Christmas is a valuable time.
    Pfizer say that immunising using their vaccine requires two injection 2-3 weeks apart. Others don't, but Pfizer's is what we'll have first.
    Given the record systems we have, or ought to have, in GP surgeries, getting everyone done ought to be possible, but there are quite a lot of people who are not registered with a GP, or are registered with GP's away from their current homes. That situation may well have improved, of course, since I had anything to do with it, of course.
    If we were going to have some other arrangement, then there will have to be some system for identifying people who have had jab one, and ensuring they are called for jab two.
    OKC, take vitamin D
    http://www.drdavidgrimes.com/2020/04/vitamin-d-and-immunity-important.html

    I'll wait. I fail to see how normal safety testing of any vaccine can be complete before end 2021, even though governments have signed blank cheques (and as usual, indemnified producers against legal claims).
    Personally I would rather take my chances with the vaccine rather than the virus.

    Not that I may get that choice, Isolating with covid positive Mrs Foxy. So far so good, but must have been exposed to viral Russian roulette, and another 10 days to go of it.
    When will the treatment for those who can’t tie the vaccine be ready?
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    RogerRoger Posts: 18,904
    HYUFD said:

    IDS again showing he is a No Deal hardliner as Boris edges towards a Deal with the EU

    https://twitter.com/MPIainDS/status/1330348939057516546?s=20

    The Great British patriot Rupert Murdoch has spoken
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    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Matched, or withdrawn unmatched?
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,054
    Roger said:

    FTP.

    Nigelb said:
    Wonderful hand in the till moment!
    I just dont know how people can justify to themselves lying so blatantly when it will be so easily shown as a lie, as she must have known or been made aware of the past comments, which could be checked. I get justifying lying in order to win, but lying in a press conference wont contribute to winning, so why do it rather than just obfuscste? Lying for a perceived greater good, however dumb, is one thing, but just lying and looking a fool?

    Have some goddamn self respect.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,054
    Cant we all celebrate orthodox Christmas instead or something?
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    MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 25,340

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/21/donald-trump-jr-coronavirus-isolation

    Donald Trump Jr to spend self-isolation "cleaning his guns". Let's hope he doesn't have any kind of accident, right?

    Etching specific names on his ammunition with a Dremel?

    He would be better employed spending some "quality" time with Kimberly Guilfoyle, while he still can. She doesn't look like the sort of girl who would be keen to wait around for his, in all likelihood, lengthy sentence to end.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,168
    edited November 2020
    Scottish Labour once again likely to get squeezed next year outside Glasgow and central Scotland, with Nationalists voting SNP and Unionists voting Tory

    https://twitter.com/ScotTories/status/1330443847902629888?s=20
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,631
    nichomar said:

    Foxy said:

    DavidL said:

    Hmm... According to Hancock there is a good chance that the most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Christmas. If that is the case I would very much not want my 84 year old mother in law to spend Christmas on her own. My brother has a terminal condition. Again, he may well have been vaccinated by then.

    IIUC the Pfizer vaccine needs an injection, then 2 weeks, then another injection, then another week, before you have immunity. So if you want the MiL to be immune by then, you'll need her to get her injection a week on Thursday at the latest.
    Sadly, I'm certain that I won't be protected by vaccination by Christmas, even given my age. I'm also not at all certain that the requisite systems will be in place to provide vaccination to all who are 'due' it.

    Yes I know Hancock has said everything will be in place, but that's all we've got to go von.
    Re the two injections, yes for full effect some will need both injections, and it will take a few weeks. However, immunity is not an on/off system, and there will be some, mainly the younger, who would only need one shot, and gain immunity quickly.
    Re Christmas, I suspect the government are having to allow some relaxation, because they know it will happen anyway. For all our sakes we should try to be good as much as possible, but this has been a rubbish year, and for many Christmas is a valuable time.
    Pfizer say that immunising using their vaccine requires two injection 2-3 weeks apart. Others don't, but Pfizer's is what we'll have first.
    Given the record systems we have, or ought to have, in GP surgeries, getting everyone done ought to be possible, but there are quite a lot of people who are not registered with a GP, or are registered with GP's away from their current homes. That situation may well have improved, of course, since I had anything to do with it, of course.
    If we were going to have some other arrangement, then there will have to be some system for identifying people who have had jab one, and ensuring they are called for jab two.
    OKC, take vitamin D
    http://www.drdavidgrimes.com/2020/04/vitamin-d-and-immunity-important.html

    I'll wait. I fail to see how normal safety testing of any vaccine can be complete before end 2021, even though governments have signed blank cheques (and as usual, indemnified producers against legal claims).
    Personally I would rather take my chances with the vaccine rather than the virus.

    Not that I may get that choice, Isolating with covid positive Mrs Foxy. So far so good, but must have been exposed to viral Russian roulette, and another 10 days to go of it.
    When will the treatment for those who can’t tie the vaccine be ready?
    Aiui everyone over 18 is eligible and Pfizer are planning a new trial for 13-17 year olds in the new year. I think even immunodeficient people can take the vaccine.
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    Mr. kle4, Coptic Christmas?
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,168
    edited November 2020
    Rishi Sunak on Marr confirms he would prefer an EU trade deal though not at any price but the impact of Covid remains the main threat
  • Options
    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Some previously-wealthy person finally sobered up after a 10-day binge, logged into their betfair account and said OMG what did I do
  • Options
    MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 25,340
    HYUFD said:

    Scottish Labour once again likely to get squeezed next year outside Glasgow and central Scotland, with Nationalists voting SNP and Unionists voting Tory

    https://twitter.com/ScotTories/status/1330443847902629888?s=20

    It worked so well, post Sindyref, for Scottish Labour, so what's their problem?
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,068
    kle4 said:

    Cant we all celebrate orthodox Christmas instead or something?

    Good thought. One of my late grandfather's (well they both are, of course) birthday was Jan 6th, so his large family used to celebrate Christmas then, so that the workers on the mixed farm he ran could have Christmas Day off and the family would do all the necessary. This was about 100-120 years ago!
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,054

    Mr. kle4, Coptic Christmas?

    Pushes it back 2 weeks, a christmas firebreak.
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    MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 25,340
    kle4 said:

    Cant we all celebrate orthodox Christmas instead or something?

    Christmas without the Coca Cola Santa Claus is Communism!
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,054

    kle4 said:

    Cant we all celebrate orthodox Christmas instead or something?

    Christmas without the Coca Cola Santa Claus is Communism!
    I only meant date wise, I'm not mad.
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    Deep thought: Maybe Boris plans to Get Brexit Done then resign in the New Year, that would explain him not caring much who gets infected over Christmas.
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    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    HYUFD said:

    Scottish Labour once again likely to get squeezed next year outside Glasgow and central Scotland, with Nationalists voting SNP and Unionists voting Tory

    https://twitter.com/ScotTories/status/1330443847902629888?s=20

    It worked so well, post Sindyref, for Scottish Labour, so what's their problem?
    Work with the tories and have your hahds bitten off as a minimum.
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    Sean_F said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Xmas Day is a great hooning day due the sparsity of traffic and cops so I'll be taking the Fireblade for a rip. If I don't materialise on the 26th you'll know I rolled a 2.

    I find driving on Christmas Day a pretty frightening experience, as so many other drivers are drunk,
    I drove my eldest to Heathrow on a Christmas Day once as he was flying back to New Zealand

    The roads were absolutely empty
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Some previously-wealthy person finally sobered up after a 10-day binge, logged into their betfair account and said OMG what did I do
    The judge in the Pennsylvania case handed Giuliani and his team their asses.
    With prejudice.
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    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    Mr. kle4, Coptic Christmas?

    JW Xmas would be fine
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    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Presumably a late reaction to Trump's latest setback in the Pennsylvania courts overnight - brutally scathing from a staunch Republican judge.

    But he remains poor value to back at any price, whatever the fantasists say - if you burn the money, at least it'll keep you warm.
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    IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Christmas is a load of old wank at the best of times. Our lives are ordered by the approach of the next celebration, and each celebration makes us spend money we don't have on stuff we don't need or really even want. On Boxing Day there will be Easter eggs on supermarket shelves. Once Easter is out the way, it'll be holidays, then whatever celebration the marketing departments try to foist on us next. Chuck in Comic Relief and Children in Need. In September we have to get ready for Halloween, but you'll find mince pies and chocolate reindeer on the shelves as well. A quick sprint to Bonfire Night, Poppy Wearing, maybe a bit of Diwali and then It's Christmaaaaas!
    Somebody shoot me.

    Narnia under the White Witch, where it was always winter but never Christmas, sounds unimprovable to me.
  • Options
    DeClareDeClare Posts: 483
    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Matched, or withdrawn unmatched?
    Dunno could be, beginning to move back again now, maybe there's a high roller who cancelled his bets because he's having a restful Sunday away from it.

    Nothing new on ABC breaking news website, but it highlights a problem, if Donald Trump wakes up this morning has a row with his missus and thinks 'sod it, I've had enough of this now, I'm off' then people not paying attention will be stuffed.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,054
    edited November 2020
    We already have the 12 days of Christmas, so different regions can celebrate on different days and make a jingle of it.

    On the 1st day of Christmas Boris gave to me, a lockdown end to the north east.

    And so on. I'm not doing the whole song :)
  • Options
    DeClare said:

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Matched, or withdrawn unmatched?
    Dunno could be, beginning to move back again now, maybe there's a high roller who cancelled his bets because he's having a restful Sunday away from it.

    Nothing new on ABC breaking news website, but it highlights a problem, if Donald Trump wakes up this morning has a row with his missus and thinks 'sod it, I've had enough of this now, I'm off' then people not paying attention will be stuffed.
    To be honest, anyone backing Trump is already stuffed. Doesn't matter whether he has a domestic, a change of heart, or a heart attack. He's already lost the election.
  • Options
    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July
  • Options
    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Matched, or withdrawn unmatched?
    Dunno could be, beginning to move back again now, maybe there's a high roller who cancelled his bets because he's having a restful Sunday away from it.

    Nothing new on ABC breaking news website, but it highlights a problem, if Donald Trump wakes up this morning has a row with his missus and thinks 'sod it, I've had enough of this now, I'm off' then people not paying attention will be stuffed.
    To be honest, anyone backing Trump is already stuffed. Doesn't matter whether he has a domestic, a change of heart, or a heart attack. He's already lost the election.
    "The Trump campaign’s legal efforts to challenge election results in Pennsylvania met with a sharp defeat Saturday night, and some fellow Republicans began to signal their desire to move on, acknowledging that the president had lost both the state and his bid for re-election"

    NYTimes
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,833
    nichomar said:

    Foxy said:

    DavidL said:

    Hmm... According to Hancock there is a good chance that the most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Christmas. If that is the case I would very much not want my 84 year old mother in law to spend Christmas on her own. My brother has a terminal condition. Again, he may well have been vaccinated by then.

    IIUC the Pfizer vaccine needs an injection, then 2 weeks, then another injection, then another week, before you have immunity. So if you want the MiL to be immune by then, you'll need her to get her injection a week on Thursday at the latest.
    Sadly, I'm certain that I won't be protected by vaccination by Christmas, even given my age. I'm also not at all certain that the requisite systems will be in place to provide vaccination to all who are 'due' it.

    Yes I know Hancock has said everything will be in place, but that's all we've got to go von.
    Re the two injections, yes for full effect some will need both injections, and it will take a few weeks. However, immunity is not an on/off system, and there will be some, mainly the younger, who would only need one shot, and gain immunity quickly.
    Re Christmas, I suspect the government are having to allow some relaxation, because they know it will happen anyway. For all our sakes we should try to be good as much as possible, but this has been a rubbish year, and for many Christmas is a valuable time.
    Pfizer say that immunising using their vaccine requires two injection 2-3 weeks apart. Others don't, but Pfizer's is what we'll have first.
    Given the record systems we have, or ought to have, in GP surgeries, getting everyone done ought to be possible, but there are quite a lot of people who are not registered with a GP, or are registered with GP's away from their current homes. That situation may well have improved, of course, since I had anything to do with it, of course.
    If we were going to have some other arrangement, then there will have to be some system for identifying people who have had jab one, and ensuring they are called for jab two.
    OKC, take vitamin D
    http://www.drdavidgrimes.com/2020/04/vitamin-d-and-immunity-important.html

    I'll wait. I fail to see how normal safety testing of any vaccine can be complete before end 2021, even though governments have signed blank cheques (and as usual, indemnified producers against legal claims).
    Personally I would rather take my chances with the vaccine rather than the virus.

    Not that I may get that choice, Isolating with covid positive Mrs Foxy. So far so good, but must have been exposed to viral Russian roulette, and another 10 days to go of it.
    When will the treatment for those who can’t tie the vaccine be ready?
    Trial starting this week, I think, so probably a few months.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829
    ydoethur said:

    Roger said:

    FPT.

    Nigelb said:

    Someone else might need to be certified.
    This is just nuts, even by Trump’s standards.
    https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1330344762541559812

    Don't they have libel and slander laws in America?
    Yes, but they’re much weaker than ours. As a rough rule of thumb, you can say what you like about someone as long as it’s not overtly motivated by malice, and as long as you do not falsely attribute words or phrases to them.

    And the burden of proof is on the plaintiff.
    Which might stop Frank Luntz suing Giuliani’s co-counsel in the Pennsylvania case....
    https://twitter.com/JennaEllisEsq/status/1330346436760903682
  • Options

    Deep thought: Maybe Boris plans to Get Brexit Done then resign in the New Year, that would explain him not caring much who gets infected over Christmas.

    I don't think that would explain it at all. He'd still be blamed for a surge in cases, and it would further damage his reputation.

    I actually think this actually more suggests Johnson is intending to stay and is worried that "spoiling" Xmas for people would run into a lot of resistence among the public and his own MPs. Similarly, the recent Number 10 internal shenanigans strongly suggests he's in it for the longer run - why bother with it if you're on your way out?
  • Options
    What an incredibly patronising article from this author. He says 'If you’re young enough, maybe you have your grandparents in your sights'. Assuming the grandparents are aged 70 plus more than 9 in 10 would survive a bout of this infection even if someone was stupid enough to repeatedly get close to them. If they're younger the odds of this disease fall dramatically. The cost of lockdowns is greater, much greater than the effects of this disease.
  • Options
    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,227
    FFS! Another day, another example of sleazy cronyism.


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/matt-hancock-gave-key-covid-role-to-lobbyist-pal-tppg75t5c

    If Sunak needs the money he could charge a tax rate of 100% on all these lobbyists and the Ministers they supposedly “advise”.
  • Options

    The cost of lockdowns is greater, much greater than the effects of this disease.

    What's the monetary value of your life?
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829
    IshmaelZ said:

    Christmas is a load of old wank at the best of times. Our lives are ordered by the approach of the next celebration, and each celebration makes us spend money we don't have on stuff we don't need or really even want. On Boxing Day there will be Easter eggs on supermarket shelves. Once Easter is out the way, it'll be holidays, then whatever celebration the marketing departments try to foist on us next. Chuck in Comic Relief and Children in Need. In September we have to get ready for Halloween, but you'll find mince pies and chocolate reindeer on the shelves as well. A quick sprint to Bonfire Night, Poppy Wearing, maybe a bit of Diwali and then It's Christmaaaaas!
    Somebody shoot me.

    Narnia under the White Witch, where it was always winter but never Christmas, sounds unimprovable to me.
    You could always try on top ?
  • Options

    Sean_F said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Xmas Day is a great hooning day due the sparsity of traffic and cops so I'll be taking the Fireblade for a rip. If I don't materialise on the 26th you'll know I rolled a 2.

    I find driving on Christmas Day a pretty frightening experience, as so many other drivers are drunk,
    I drove my eldest to Heathrow on a Christmas Day once as he was flying back to New Zealand

    The roads were absolutely empty
    I once drove from Birmingham to Newcastle on Boxing Day. A1 empty. It was a real joy.
  • Options
    Andy_CookeAndy_Cooke Posts: 4,819
    kle4 said:

    Roger said:

    FTP.

    Nigelb said:
    Wonderful hand in the till moment!
    I just dont know how people can justify to themselves lying so blatantly when it will be so easily shown as a lie, as she must have known or been made aware of the past comments, which could be checked. I get justifying lying in order to win, but lying in a press conference wont contribute to winning, so why do it rather than just obfuscste? Lying for a perceived greater good, however dumb, is one thing, but just lying and looking a fool?

    Have some goddamn self respect.
    I think that’s part of the point of it.
    It’s not to convince people of something (although it provides a crutch for certain people to cling to as “the truth”), but as a display of loyalty. She will hold the line given to her, regardless of how indefensible it is. She will be loyal to her leader, even if it sacrifices her own self-respect.

    It’s a display. Posturing. Showing off her reliability to those she needs to impress.
  • Options
    IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    You just know an idea is not going to hit the feelgood spot when you learn it derives from Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther.

    My best Christmas was spent camping in the desert a bit North of Khartoum. It feels very different in 35 centigrade, and the knowledge that singing Oh Little Town of Bethlehem probably carries a prison sentence.
  • Options
    twistedfirestopper3twistedfirestopper3 Posts: 2,091
    edited November 2020

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829

    kle4 said:

    Roger said:

    FTP.

    Nigelb said:
    Wonderful hand in the till moment!
    I just dont know how people can justify to themselves lying so blatantly when it will be so easily shown as a lie, as she must have known or been made aware of the past comments, which could be checked. I get justifying lying in order to win, but lying in a press conference wont contribute to winning, so why do it rather than just obfuscste? Lying for a perceived greater good, however dumb, is one thing, but just lying and looking a fool?

    Have some goddamn self respect.
    I think that’s part of the point of it.
    It’s not to convince people of something (although it provides a crutch for certain people to cling to as “the truth”), but as a display of loyalty. She will hold the line given to her, regardless of how indefensible it is. She will be loyal to her leader, even if it sacrifices her own self-respect.

    It’s a display. Posturing. Showing off her reliability to those she needs to impress.
    The crucifix around her neck is a nice touch.
  • Options
    IshmaelZ said:

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    You just know an idea is not going to hit the feelgood spot when you learn it derives from Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther.

    My best Christmas was spent camping in the desert a bit North of Khartoum. It feels very different in 35 centigrade, and the knowledge that singing Oh Little Town of Bethlehem probably carries a prison sentence.
    I have enjoyed Christmas in Brugge. Bars and restaurants are open and public transport is running. You are actually allowed to enjoy yourself, unlike the 2 and a bit day shutdown in the UK.
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,413

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
    Uh-oh, here we go....
  • Options
    ydoethur said:

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
    Uh-oh, here we go....
    I know. It's all wrong.
    It should be "HO - HO - HO", not "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
  • Options
    Roy_G_Biv said:

    ydoethur said:

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
    Uh-oh, here we go....
    I know. It's all wrong.
    It should be "HO - HO - HO", not "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
    It was 10 quid from ebay, and that was 10 quid more than I wanted to pay!
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,168

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    In Australia of course Christmas is always in Summer anyway
  • Options
    SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,723
    Well said Mr Meeks.

    The government is sending us all a hand grenade and inviting us to pull out the pin.
  • Options
    DeClareDeClare Posts: 483
    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Matched, or withdrawn unmatched?
    Dunno could be, beginning to move back again now, maybe there's a high roller who cancelled his bets because he's having a restful Sunday away from it.

    Nothing new on ABC breaking news website, but it highlights a problem, if Donald Trump wakes up this morning has a row with his missus and thinks 'sod it, I've had enough of this now, I'm off' then people not paying attention will be stuffed.
    To be honest, anyone backing Trump is already stuffed. Doesn't matter whether he has a domestic, a change of heart, or a heart attack. He's already lost the election.
    Yes but one of the things people do on betting exchanges, when there's this sort of stalemate is to keep backing and laying to corner a profit, that's why there appears to be nearly £900million staked, most of it is the same money going backwards and forwards.

    For example, I offer to back Trump for £50 but I want 22/1 after a while someone lays it, so then I offer 21/1 about Trump but I only put up £48. If someone takes it, I've cornered £2 before commission.

    You could keep doing this over and over again, but if prices change suddenly because of events, you could be caught holding the baby if you're not careful.
  • Options
    Roy_G_Biv said:

    ydoethur said:

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
    Uh-oh, here we go....
    I know. It's all wrong.
    It should be "HO - HO - HO", not "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
    Is Albert involved?
  • Options
    Nigelb said:

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Some previously-wealthy person finally sobered up after a 10-day binge, logged into their betfair account and said OMG what did I do
    The judge in the Pennsylvania case handed Giuliani and his team their asses.
    With prejudice.
    Right but that was like 15 hours ago, DeClare is talking about the price moving just now.
  • Options

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    ydoethur said:

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
    Uh-oh, here we go....
    I know. It's all wrong.
    It should be "HO - HO - HO", not "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
    It was 10 quid from ebay, and that was 10 quid more than I wanted to pay!
    I'm just pulling your leg. Trying to pretend that was the controversial bit of your post rather than the fact that some people -- sad, weird, bitter people -- refuse to acknowledge that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,413

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    ydoethur said:

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
    Uh-oh, here we go....
    I know. It's all wrong.
    It should be "HO - HO - HO", not "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
    Is Albert involved?
    That question was positively Malachious...
  • Options
    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483
    Roy_G_Biv said:

    The cost of lockdowns is greater, much greater than the effects of this disease.

    What's the monetary value of your life?
    -ve these days
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,402
    Blimey, when people said that the application in Pennsylvania had been dismissed with prejudice they weren't kidding: https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2020/11/Order-Granting-MTD.pdf

    Just a taster:

    Although this case was initiated less than two weeks ago, it has already
    developed its own tortured procedural history. Plaintiffs have made multiple
    attempts at amending the pleadings, and have had attorneys both appear and
    withdraw in a matter of seventy-two hours. There have been at least two perceived
    discovery disputes, one oral argument, and a rude and ill-conceived voicemail
    which distracted the Court’s attention from the significant issues at hand.
  • Options
    RogerRoger Posts: 18,904
    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Odd isn't it? You can get a horse with a pretty good chance on the Grand National with those odds.

    Yet trump has none.

  • Options

    What an incredibly patronising article from this author. He says 'If you’re young enough, maybe you have your grandparents in your sights'. Assuming the grandparents are aged 70 plus more than 9 in 10 would survive a bout of this infection even if someone was stupid enough to repeatedly get close to them. If they're younger the odds of this disease fall dramatically. The cost of lockdowns is greater, much greater than the effects of this disease.

    The restrictions are really aimed at keeping numbers of cases under control, across the population. Not at individual risk which remains a personal responsibility. I have a heart condition that allegedly makes me higher risk and at 55 I'm edging into the higher risk age category. But I have been out and about, went on holiday to NL, visit pubs, and making my own choice about which are safe (and on some occasions poking my nose through the door and walking away). Life is for living, not simply existing. I hate Christmas but if a family Christmas is one of the things you live for, then maybe that risk is worthwhile. Once you are, say, 80 you probably take a more sanguine view of life anyway. My mum survived the V-weapon onslaught for example.
  • Options
    DeClare said:

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Matched, or withdrawn unmatched?
    Dunno could be, beginning to move back again now, maybe there's a high roller who cancelled his bets because he's having a restful Sunday away from it.

    Nothing new on ABC breaking news website, but it highlights a problem, if Donald Trump wakes up this morning has a row with his missus and thinks 'sod it, I've had enough of this now, I'm off' then people not paying attention will be stuffed.
    To be honest, anyone backing Trump is already stuffed. Doesn't matter whether he has a domestic, a change of heart, or a heart attack. He's already lost the election.
    Yes but one of the things people do on betting exchanges, when there's this sort of stalemate is to keep backing and laying to corner a profit, that's why there appears to be nearly £900million staked, most of it is the same money going backwards and forwards.

    For example, I offer to back Trump for £50 but I want 22/1 after a while someone lays it, so then I offer 21/1 about Trump but I only put up £48. If someone takes it, I've cornered £2 before commission.

    You could keep doing this over and over again, but if prices change suddenly because of events, you could be caught holding the baby if you're not careful.
    Sure, I get that, but there's much greater profit to be had in backing the outcome that's guaranteed to win. It's not often you can truly say that about an event, but since this one has already finished, and Betfair have (for no good reason) failed to close the market, this is an example.
    Biden has won. You can fiddle around with your 23s and 22s, but laying Trump or backing Biden is free money.
  • Options
    Mr. Eagles, "Now I have a machinegun. Ho ho ho."

    What could be more Christmassy?
  • Options
    gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362
    edited November 2020
    On topic. MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH Who are you planning to kill this Christmas?

    WTF! 😟

    The only thing I would add, the government are making a massive political mistake if they return to tiers and not same Dec Jan for everyone regardless of local difficulties explained by the science.

    “my good people of Suffolk, Chipping Norton, London, my government grants you Fun time, tiers to shop and meet, but for those of you in Redcar, Darlington, Stockton, masque of the red death”.

    The forensic stats and science will be forgotten. The political optics wont on a “Maggie thatcher milk snatcher” scale.
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,602
    edited November 2020
    DavidL said:

    Blimey, when people said that the application in Pennsylvania had been dismissed with prejudice they weren't kidding: https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2020/11/Order-Granting-MTD.pdf

    Just a taster:

    Although this case was initiated less than two weeks ago, it has already
    developed its own tortured procedural history. Plaintiffs have made multiple
    attempts at amending the pleadings, and have had attorneys both appear and
    withdraw in a matter of seventy-two hours. There have been at least two perceived
    discovery disputes, one oral argument, and a rude and ill-conceived voicemail
    which distracted the Court’s attention from the significant issues at hand.

    But tangentially, I did like this.

    https://twitter.com/ChrisMegerian/status/1330321841165111299
  • Options
    SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,723

    Sean_F said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Xmas Day is a great hooning day due the sparsity of traffic and cops so I'll be taking the Fireblade for a rip. If I don't materialise on the 26th you'll know I rolled a 2.

    I find driving on Christmas Day a pretty frightening experience, as so many other drivers are drunk,
    I drove my eldest to Heathrow on a Christmas Day once as he was flying back to New Zealand

    The roads were absolutely empty
    I once drove from Birmingham to Newcastle on Boxing Day. A1 empty. It was a real joy.
    The only traffic other than cars is milk tankers. The cows don't stop for Christmas!
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,472

    IanB2 said:

    IanB2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Roger said:

    FPT.

    Nigelb said:

    Someone else might need to be certified.
    This is just nuts, even by Trump’s standards.
    https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1330344762541559812

    Don't they have libel and slander laws in America?
    All the Republicans who matter will go along with this if they think it has a chance of succeeding. Does anybody think Mitch McConnell would die on a cross to save American democracy?
    Although Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell dying, on crosses or otherwise, might be very helpful to American democracy right now.
    Can you see Biden sticking Pelosi on one ?
    Well, not really. The physical effort involved would be somewhat beyond the average 77 year old.
    yeah but shes almost 81 so she wont put up a struggle.
    My wife has just turned 81 and she is as feisty as ever when necessary
    She has a lot to put up with?
    Yes !!!
    It must be tough for her, your spending the whole year bending her ear about how you're never going to eat chicken again, then when the anniversary comes along you book a table at Nando's.
    I have never been to Nando's and never said I am not going to eat chicken
    Something tells me this one flew past you....
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,168
    edited November 2020

    HYUFD said:

    Scottish Labour once again likely to get squeezed next year outside Glasgow and central Scotland, with Nationalists voting SNP and Unionists voting Tory

    https://twitter.com/ScotTories/status/1330443847902629888?s=20

    It worked so well, post Sindyref, for Scottish Labour, so what's their problem?
    Opinium's Scottish subsample figures today are SNP 47%, Tories 27% and Labour just 18% and LDs 3%

    https://www.opinium.com/resource-center/uk-voting-intention-19th-november-2020/
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    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,472

    Christmas is a load of old wank at the best of times. Our lives are ordered by the approach of the next celebration, and each celebration makes us spend money we don't have on stuff we don't need or really even want. On Boxing Day there will be Easter eggs on supermarket shelves. Once Easter is out the way, it'll be holidays, then whatever celebration the marketing departments try to foist on us next. Chuck in Comic Relief and Children in Need. In September we have to get ready for Halloween, but you'll find mince pies and chocolate reindeer on the shelves as well. A quick sprint to Bonfire Night, Poppy Wearing, maybe a bit of Diwali and then It's Christmaaaaas!
    Somebody shoot me.

    You forgot Valentines.

    That's the way the economy goes
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 42,090
    Roy_G_Biv said:

    malcolmg said:

    IanB2 said:

    IanB2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Roger said:

    FPT.

    Nigelb said:

    Someone else might need to be certified.
    This is just nuts, even by Trump’s standards.
    https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1330344762541559812

    Don't they have libel and slander laws in America?
    All the Republicans who matter will go along with this if they think it has a chance of succeeding. Does anybody think Mitch McConnell would die on a cross to save American democracy?
    Although Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell dying, on crosses or otherwise, might be very helpful to American democracy right now.
    Can you see Biden sticking Pelosi on one ?
    Well, not really. The physical effort involved would be somewhat beyond the average 77 year old.
    yeah but shes almost 81 so she wont put up a struggle.
    My wife has just turned 81 and she is as feisty as ever when necessary
    She has a lot to put up with?
    Yes !!!
    It must be tough for her, your spending the whole year bending her ear about how you're never going to eat chicken again, then when the anniversary comes along you book a table at Nando's.
    I have never been to Nando's and never said I am not going to eat chicken
    Their chicken is not bad at all, especially washed down with 8 bottles of beer. Have been once in Dublin and it was good if very simple.
    Nandos... was a metaphor ;)
    I know but as Big G is unlikely to have been in one I was just saying they were a decent chicken shack.
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,413

    DavidL said:

    Blimey, when people said that the application in Pennsylvania had been dismissed with prejudice they weren't kidding: https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2020/11/Order-Granting-MTD.pdf

    Just a taster:

    Although this case was initiated less than two weeks ago, it has already
    developed its own tortured procedural history. Plaintiffs have made multiple
    attempts at amending the pleadings, and have had attorneys both appear and
    withdraw in a matter of seventy-two hours. There have been at least two perceived
    discovery disputes, one oral argument, and a rude and ill-conceived voicemail
    which distracted the Court’s attention from the significant issues at hand.

    But tangentially, I did like this.

    https://twitter.com/ChrisMegerian/status/1330321841165111299
    https://twitter.com/dril/status/460673146451161088
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829

    Nigelb said:

    DeClare said:

    Has something just happened in America?

    Donald Trump has just gone from 20/1 to 25/1 on Betfair in just the last 10mins and there was £thousands available to lay.

    Some previously-wealthy person finally sobered up after a 10-day binge, logged into their betfair account and said OMG what did I do
    The judge in the Pennsylvania case handed Giuliani and his team their asses.
    With prejudice.
    Right but that was like 15 hours ago, DeClare is talking about the price moving just now.
    Those who had money on Trump are perhaps not that quick on the uptake ?
    The kicking out of the last suit which might have made a difference (utterly implausible though it was) is certainly a significant event.

    And the judgment was excoriating in terms that anyone can understand.
  • Options
    Mr. Doethur, victory wine is a great line, reads like a skaldic kenning.
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,413

    Mr. Doethur, victory wine is a great line, reads like a skaldic kenning.

    He's trying to Klingon to his victory.
  • Options
    ydoethur said:

    Roy_G_Biv said:

    ydoethur said:

    Christmas has been ruined for years what with things like the rampant commercialisation and people thinking Die Hard is a Christmas film.

    Without wanting to perpetuate the Daily Mail/Farage myth that Muslims want to cancel Christmas, I'm sure delaying Christmas to next summer will be fine, it used to be in the summer did it not, plus there's this precedent.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July

    Die Hard is a Christmas film. My old watch used to insist on Christmas jumpers if we were on duty over the 25th/26th. They'd have jumpers with flashing reindeer noses, and sparkly snowmen. Vomit inducing. Me? I had a grey sweatshirt with "Now I have a machine gun Ho! Ho! Ho!" on it in red.
    Now that's Christmas!
    Uh-oh, here we go....
    I know. It's all wrong.
    It should be "HO - HO - HO", not "Ho! Ho! Ho!"
    Is Albert involved?
    That question was positively Malachious...
    :D
  • Options
    IanB2 said:

    IanB2 said:

    IanB2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Roger said:

    FPT.

    Nigelb said:

    Someone else might need to be certified.
    This is just nuts, even by Trump’s standards.
    https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1330344762541559812

    Don't they have libel and slander laws in America?
    All the Republicans who matter will go along with this if they think it has a chance of succeeding. Does anybody think Mitch McConnell would die on a cross to save American democracy?
    Although Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell dying, on crosses or otherwise, might be very helpful to American democracy right now.
    Can you see Biden sticking Pelosi on one ?
    Well, not really. The physical effort involved would be somewhat beyond the average 77 year old.
    yeah but shes almost 81 so she wont put up a struggle.
    My wife has just turned 81 and she is as feisty as ever when necessary
    She has a lot to put up with?
    Yes !!!
    It must be tough for her, your spending the whole year bending her ear about how you're never going to eat chicken again, then when the anniversary comes along you book a table at Nando's.
    I have never been to Nando's and never said I am not going to eat chicken
    Something tells me this one flew past you....
    Obviously that chicken still had a bit of life in it... :D
  • Options
    RogerRoger Posts: 18,904
    Cyclefree said:

    FFS! Another day, another example of sleazy cronyism.


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/matt-hancock-gave-key-covid-role-to-lobbyist-pal-tppg75t5c

    If Sunak needs the money he could charge a tax rate of 100% on all these lobbyists and the Ministers they supposedly “advise”.

    The quality of photo editors is getting better. Maybe Harold Evans death got them to take a second look at his excellent book 'Pictures on a page'
  • Options
    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483
    edited November 2020

    IanB2 said:

    IanB2 said:

    IanB2 said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Roger said:

    FPT.

    Nigelb said:

    Someone else might need to be certified.
    This is just nuts, even by Trump’s standards.
    https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1330344762541559812

    Don't they have libel and slander laws in America?
    All the Republicans who matter will go along with this if they think it has a chance of succeeding. Does anybody think Mitch McConnell would die on a cross to save American democracy?
    Although Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell dying, on crosses or otherwise, might be very helpful to American democracy right now.
    Can you see Biden sticking Pelosi on one ?
    Well, not really. The physical effort involved would be somewhat beyond the average 77 year old.
    yeah but shes almost 81 so she wont put up a struggle.
    My wife has just turned 81 and she is as feisty as ever when necessary
    She has a lot to put up with?
    Yes !!!
    It must be tough for her, your spending the whole year bending her ear about how you're never going to eat chicken again, then when the anniversary comes along you book a table at Nando's.
    I have never been to Nando's and never said I am not going to eat chicken
    Something tells me this one flew past you....
    Obviously that chicken still had a bit of life in it... :D
    Had to make it to the cuckoos nest
  • Options

    Deep thought: Maybe Boris plans to Get Brexit Done then resign in the New Year, that would explain him not caring much who gets infected over Christmas.

    I don't think that would explain it at all. He'd still be blamed for a surge in cases, and it would further damage his reputation.

    I actually think this actually more suggests Johnson is intending to stay and is worried that "spoiling" Xmas for people would run into a lot of resistence among the public and his own MPs. Similarly, the recent Number 10 internal shenanigans strongly suggests he's in it for the longer run - why bother with it if you're on your way out?
    Given what we know of the Johnson temperament, I can't imagine that he's planning anything. He wants to be PM basically forever, so I guess he sort of assumes that is what is going to happen. And since nobody in their right mind would want to take over in 2021, he can continue to bumble along.

    On a related note, if IDS is already stiffening his sinews against any sort of deal with the EU, and Rishi is putting on his best "not bovvered" face, how does the PM get any sort of deal through? Or does he have to let late winter be grim first?
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,833
    Why should organisations deal with bullying and harassment? Well this is where it goes if they don't. Bad safety outcomes (in this case contributing to a child's death) and reputational damage. Yet this government continues to defend the indefensible.

    https://twitter.com/Mothers_Inst_UK/status/1330146382666227712?s=19
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    ydoethur said:

    Mr. Doethur, victory wine is a great line, reads like a skaldic kenning.

    He's trying to Klingon to his victory.
    Did you see yesterday that a Labour MP compared Jeremy Corbyn to Hannibal, finally some Corbynites have realised a couple of lucky victories in battle ain't worth shit if you lose war so badly you get wiped out.

    https://twitter.com/Mendelpol/status/1330105871691632641
This discussion has been closed.