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Trump preparing for GOP losses in the Georgia runoffs? He Tweets that the races are “illegal and inv

SystemSystem Posts: 11,006
edited January 2021 in General
imageTrump preparing for GOP losses in the Georgia runoffs? He Tweets that the races are “illegal and invalid” – politicalbetting.com

CBS – YouTube

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • Options
    First...like cockney covid in race to infect everybody.
  • Options
    OmniumOmnium Posts: 9,748
    Seconds like the selling price of Mr Us jokes.
  • Options
    eekeek Posts: 24,932
    The worse the Republicans do in these races the easier it is for Trump to keep control of part of the Republican party.

    Losing both senate seats probably doesn't do Trump's future prospects any harm.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited January 2021
    Senior doctor Prof Andrew Goddard said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.

    Case numbers were "mild" compared with where he expected them to be next week, he said, with doctors "really worried".

    BBC News - Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge', senior doctor warns
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55514363
  • Options
    I'm sure Trump has the modern day version of a Napoleon complex.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624
    He always says that about contests he is involved in, so I don't think it signified he is preparing for losses so much as he will always undermine the outcomes just in case, not because he is specifically worried for the party. Not least as I doubt he cares one jot for the GOP.

    On the other hand he might want two Democrat wins, since that will then prove just how rigged the contest was, and therefore that the outcome in the presidential was rigged as well.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624

    I'm sure Trump has the modern day version of a Napoleon complex.

    I think he would be quite pleased if what he has were to be called the Trump complex.
  • Options
    JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901
    kle4 said:

    I'm sure Trump has the modern day version of a Napoleon complex.

    I think he would be quite pleased if what he has were to be called the Trump complex.
    Small hands tweeting lies furiously.
  • Options
    eekeek Posts: 24,932
    FPT
    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    I also don't see what price the UK is paying? The vaccines are coming in.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624

    kle4 said:

    These biographical details are unfortunately revealing I have quite a bit in common with Jeremy Corbyn.

    Bit of a one with the laydeez?
    Ok, it's not a complete match, alas.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited January 2021
    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    And they have become the place everybody manufacturers cheap / generic drugs.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,337

    Senior doctor Prof Andrew Goddard said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.

    Case numbers were "mild" compared with where he expected them to be next week, he said, with doctors "really worried".

    BBC News - Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge', senior doctor warns
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55514363

    (FPT) Any re-opening schools, too.

    https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/mrc-gida/2020-12-31-COVID19-Report-42-Preprint-VOC.pdf
    ... Available SGTF data indicate a shift in the age composition of reported cases, with a larger share of under 20 year olds among reported VOC than non-VOC cases. Fourth, we assess the association of VOC frequency with independent estimates of the overall SARS-CoV-2 reproduction number through time. Finally, we fit a semi-mechanistic model directly to local VOC and non-VOC case incidence to estimate the reproduction numbers over time for each. There is a consensus among all analyses that the VOC has a substantial transmission advantage, with the estimated difference in reproduction numbers between VOC and non-VOC ranging between 0.4 and 0.7, and the ratio of reproduction numbers varying between 1.4 and 1.8. We note that these estimates of transmission advantage apply to a period where high levels of social distancing were in place in England; extrapolation to other transmission contexts therefore requires caution....

    ... Early versions of our analyses informed the UK government policy response to this VOC and that of other countries. The substantial transmission advantage we have estimated the VOC to have over prior viral lineages poses major challenges for ongoing control of COVID-19 in the UK and elsewhere in the coming months. Social distancing measures will need to be more stringent than they would have otherwise. A particular concern is whether it will be possible to maintain control over transmission while allowing schools to reopen in January 2021...
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,337
    Jonathan said:

    kle4 said:

    I'm sure Trump has the modern day version of a Napoleon complex.

    I think he would be quite pleased if what he has were to be called the Trump complex.
    Small hands tweeting lies furiously.
    Chomsky ?
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    And they have become the place everybody manufacturers cheap / generic drugs.
    Can't we ask the world's drug gangs if they can help out, at least with the distribution side of things? They are experts at getting things to people and convincing people to take their product.
  • Options
    Nigelb said:

    Senior doctor Prof Andrew Goddard said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.

    Case numbers were "mild" compared with where he expected them to be next week, he said, with doctors "really worried".

    BBC News - Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge', senior doctor warns
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55514363

    (FPT) Any re-opening schools, too.

    https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/mrc-gida/2020-12-31-COVID19-Report-42-Preprint-VOC.pdf
    ... Available SGTF data indicate a shift in the age composition of reported cases, with a larger share of under 20 year olds among reported VOC than non-VOC cases. Fourth, we assess the association of VOC frequency with independent estimates of the overall SARS-CoV-2 reproduction number through time. Finally, we fit a semi-mechanistic model directly to local VOC and non-VOC case incidence to estimate the reproduction numbers over time for each. There is a consensus among all analyses that the VOC has a substantial transmission advantage, with the estimated difference in reproduction numbers between VOC and non-VOC ranging between 0.4 and 0.7, and the ratio of reproduction numbers varying between 1.4 and 1.8. We note that these estimates of transmission advantage apply to a period where high levels of social distancing were in place in England; extrapolation to other transmission contexts therefore requires caution....

    ... Early versions of our analyses informed the UK government policy response to this VOC and that of other countries. The substantial transmission advantage we have estimated the VOC to have over prior viral lineages poses major challenges for ongoing control of COVID-19 in the UK and elsewhere in the coming months. Social distancing measures will need to be more stringent than they would have otherwise. A particular concern is whether it will be possible to maintain control over transmission while allowing schools to reopen in January 2021...
    I can't tell you how glad I am that Gavin Williamson is in charge of the schools.

    Once again he's proving he is a risk to safety & security of the nation.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,337
    edited January 2021
    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    We have an outsize pharma and biotech industry - but we offshored a lot of the manufacturing, for no massively compelling reason.
    A very small amount of government intervention might have prevented that; it’s not like trying to keep steel mills or shipyards open.
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,109
    edited January 2021

    Nigelb said:

    Senior doctor Prof Andrew Goddard said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.

    Case numbers were "mild" compared with where he expected them to be next week, he said, with doctors "really worried".

    BBC News - Hospitals across UK 'must prepare for Covid surge', senior doctor warns
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55514363

    (FPT) Any re-opening schools, too.

    https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/mrc-gida/2020-12-31-COVID19-Report-42-Preprint-VOC.pdf
    ... Available SGTF data indicate a shift in the age composition of reported cases, with a larger share of under 20 year olds among reported VOC than non-VOC cases. Fourth, we assess the association of VOC frequency with independent estimates of the overall SARS-CoV-2 reproduction number through time. Finally, we fit a semi-mechanistic model directly to local VOC and non-VOC case incidence to estimate the reproduction numbers over time for each. There is a consensus among all analyses that the VOC has a substantial transmission advantage, with the estimated difference in reproduction numbers between VOC and non-VOC ranging between 0.4 and 0.7, and the ratio of reproduction numbers varying between 1.4 and 1.8. We note that these estimates of transmission advantage apply to a period where high levels of social distancing were in place in England; extrapolation to other transmission contexts therefore requires caution....

    ... Early versions of our analyses informed the UK government policy response to this VOC and that of other countries. The substantial transmission advantage we have estimated the VOC to have over prior viral lineages poses major challenges for ongoing control of COVID-19 in the UK and elsewhere in the coming months. Social distancing measures will need to be more stringent than they would have otherwise. A particular concern is whether it will be possible to maintain control over transmission while allowing schools to reopen in January 2021...
    I can't tell you how glad I am that Gavin Williamson is in charge of the schools.

    Once again he's proving he is a risk to safety & security of the nation.
    I wouldn’t be too cheery. Last Secretary of State of Education who was removed for being a psychopath ended up at Justice.

    Edit: it’s just occurred to me that with the NAHT suing him Williamson’s about to get Justice anyway,
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,216
    On topic

    I think that Trump sees the GOP as having betrayed him, by not following him on the election bullshit. The way he sees it, he gave them the judges, and didn't get anything in return.

    So burning down the GOP majority in the Senate down is entirely in his wheelhouse. It's not like he is a life long Republican, after all....
  • Options
    OmniumOmnium Posts: 9,748
    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    It's a ridiculous thing anyway. Having some basic resource is important, and being able to adapt is important too. If it turns out that eating mongolian rice is the surefire cure then you'd hardly imagine that we should have had a mongolian rice facility in waiting.

  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,337
    kle4 said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    And they have become the place everybody manufacturers cheap / generic drugs.
    Can't we ask the world's drug gangs if they can help out, at least with the distribution side of things? They are experts at getting things to people and convincing people to take their product.
    Yes, but they’d equally likely end up injecting us with bleach, given their record on product standards.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624
    edited January 2021
    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    And they have become the place everybody manufacturers cheap / generic drugs.
    Can't we ask the world's drug gangs if they can help out, at least with the distribution side of things? They are experts at getting things to people and convincing people to take their product.
    Yes, but they’d equally likely end up injecting us with bleach, given their record on product standards.
    Try the Albanians - this still hilarious story from the Guardian is practically glowing about their standards in some of its quotes:

    They have shown that you don’t have to be greedy to dominate drug markets. They’ve gone down the route of sustainable prices, good quality.


    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/13/kings-of-cocaine-albanian-mafia-uk-drugs-crime
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,337
    Omnium said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    It's a ridiculous thing anyway. Having some basic resource is important, and being able to adapt is important too. If it turns out that eating mongolian rice is the surefire cure then you'd hardly imagine that we should have had a mongolian rice facility in waiting.
    Unlikely that capacity could usefully be utilised, outside of pandemics, by one of our most profitable industries, though.
  • Options
    kinabalukinabalu Posts: 39,079

    On topic

    I think that Trump sees the GOP as having betrayed him, by not following him on the election bullshit. The way he sees it, he gave them the judges, and didn't get anything in return.

    So burning down the GOP majority in the Senate down is entirely in his wheelhouse. It's not like he is a life long Republican, after all....

    And they overrode his veto yesterday. That's dissing him big time. Kicking a man when he's down. He'll be rooting for them to lose now. It's just exactly like Arsene Wenger feels when he watches Arsenal. No difference.
  • Options
    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    And they have become the place everybody manufacturers cheap / generic drugs.
    Can't we ask the world's drug gangs if they can help out, at least with the distribution side of things? They are experts at getting things to people and convincing people to take their product.
    Yes, but they’d equally likely end up injecting us with bleach, given their record on product standards.
    Try the Albanians - this still hilarious story from the Guardian is practically glowing about their standards in some of its quotes:

    They have shown that you don’t have to be greedy to dominate drug markets. They’ve gone down the route of sustainable prices, good quality.


    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/13/kings-of-cocaine-albanian-mafia-uk-drugs-crime
    I hear they are less accommodating and friendly when it comes to any competition.
  • Options
    GaussianGaussian Posts: 793

    First...like cockney covid in race to infect everybody.

    Northern Ireland in particular is astonishingly bad at the moment. Cases almost tripled in a week, with the 7 day reported case average now higher than England's.
  • Options
    Gaussian said:

    First...like cockney covid in race to infect everybody.

    Northern Ireland in particular is astonishingly bad at the moment. Cases almost tripled in a week, with the 7 day reported case average now higher than England's.
    The Ireland of Ireland is really bad... apparently Ireland official numbers are nonsense as their systems can't cope once they get above a couple of 1000 cases a day.
  • Options
    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,095
    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    Even then, with that production it will only get round to vaccinating its rural poor in the autumn.

    And that's only if there hasn't been a decision made to sell production abroad. Watch this space....
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,337
    .

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    And they have become the place everybody manufacturers cheap / generic drugs.
    Can't we ask the world's drug gangs if they can help out, at least with the distribution side of things? They are experts at getting things to people and convincing people to take their product.
    Yes, but they’d equally likely end up injecting us with bleach, given their record on product standards.
    Try the Albanians - this still hilarious story from the Guardian is practically glowing about their standards in some of its quotes:

    They have shown that you don’t have to be greedy to dominate drug markets. They’ve gone down the route of sustainable prices, good quality.


    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/13/kings-of-cocaine-albanian-mafia-uk-drugs-crime
    I hear they are less accommodating and friendly when it comes to any competition.
    So they’d get the vaccination done for us - but we might be down a few GPs in the process.
  • Options
    YokesYokes Posts: 1,200
    edited January 2021
    Gaussian said:

    First...like cockney covid in race to infect everybody.

    Northern Ireland in particular is astonishingly bad at the moment. Cases almost tripled in a week, with the 7 day reported case average now higher than England's.
    Like elsewhere the number of positives against kids & young people, particularly secondary school and student population, is a major driver. And yet, they still took forever to consider addressing the schools.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,152
    As someone who has wondered on here about 'death with covid' vs 'death of covid' figures this made for sobering reading:

    "It is perhaps worth exploring a few more of these Covid myths, so that we can enjoy catharsis, if not put the issue to bed.

    “Patients are dying ‘with’ Covid, not ‘of’ it.” The death certificate data from the Office for National Statistics, which provides us with the most reliable figures on Covid deaths, records causation. But even more obvious is what a patient with Covid pneumonia looks like clinically. They have very low oxygen levels, a dense white shadow in both lungs on their X-rays, a particular pattern of low platelets and specific white blood cells, and very high marker of clotting called D-Dimer. This is a clinical pattern doctors all over the world have seen time and time again. Trust us, they are dying of this disease."

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/01/healthcare-workers-covid-conspiracies-coronavirus-deniers
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,940
    edited January 2021
    Omnium said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    It's a ridiculous thing anyway. Having some basic resource is important, and being able to adapt is important too. If it turns out that eating mongolian rice is the surefire cure then you'd hardly imagine that we should have had a mongolian rice facility in waiting.

    Ironically, Mongolia grows its rice offshore...

    https://wwf.panda.org/?196695/MONGOLIA-LEASES-LAND-FOR-RICE-FARMING#:~:text=MONGOLIA LEASES LAND FOR RICE FARMING | WWF&text=It has been recently decided,of Mongolia's "Food" programme.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,337

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    Even then, with that production it will only get round to vaccinating its rural poor in the autumn.

    And that's only if there hasn't been a decision made to sell production abroad. Watch this space....
    To be clear, there is not exactly a worldwide glut of bioreactors.
    South Korea for example (a similar size to the UK) has built and will be building some quite large capacity - as a commercial investment, rather than a pandemic response.
    And as part of a plan to build a larger biopharma industry.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited January 2021
    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,918
    dixiedean said:

    Omnium said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    It's a ridiculous thing anyway. Having some basic resource is important, and being able to adapt is important too. If it turns out that eating mongolian rice is the surefire cure then you'd hardly imagine that we should have had a mongolian rice facility in waiting.

    Ironically, Mongolia grows its rice offshore...

    https://wwf.panda.org/?196695/MONGOLIA-LEASES-LAND-FOR-RICE-FARMING#:~:text=MONGOLIA LEASES LAND FOR RICE FARMING | WWF&text=It has been recently decided,of Mongolia's "Food" programme.
    Mongolia? Off-shore?? Lake Baikal???
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
  • Options
    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
    And based on a bloke who was pissed off because he got stuck cos of Macron's nonsense.
  • Options
    Scott_xP said:
    I look forward to seeing a few yards of tarmac in my rear-view mirror where a Romanian lorry driver always seemed to be.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624
    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
    All outlets routinely do stories that basically amount to 'this was said on twitter', it's the world we live in, so on an anecdote still works.
  • Options
    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
    Because Brexit stories sell papers, whether true or false, important or not, just as they have done for many years.
  • Options
    FF43FF43 Posts: 15,691
    edited January 2021

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    There is apparently a shortage of drivers in Europe. It wouldn't be a case of Romanians staying in Romania rather than driving to the UK. They will drive between EU27 countries instead of the UK.

    Water eventually finds its level. They will come to the UK if they get enough extra money. It just adds extra import costs that will be passed onto UK consumers. UK businesses may give up exporting if they can't eat the additional costs within their margins. There is some evidence of that already happening.

    Incidentally an interesting insider account of what happened during last week's blockade in Kent

    https://orynski.eu/imprisoned-at-the-border/
  • Options
    dixiedean said:

    Omnium said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    It's a ridiculous thing anyway. Having some basic resource is important, and being able to adapt is important too. If it turns out that eating mongolian rice is the surefire cure then you'd hardly imagine that we should have had a mongolian rice facility in waiting.

    Ironically, Mongolia grows its rice offshore...

    https://wwf.panda.org/?196695/MONGOLIA-LEASES-LAND-FOR-RICE-FARMING#:~:text=MONGOLIA LEASES LAND FOR RICE FARMING | WWF&text=It has been recently decided,of Mongolia's "Food" programme.
    Mongolia is not exactly noted for its arable sector. Cattle, sheep, horses, and yacks, yes. Plants other than grass (and trees in the northern bit which is essentially Siberia), no.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    edited January 2021
    FF43 said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    There is apparently a shortage of drivers in Europe. It wouldn't be a case of Romanians staying in Romania rather than driving to the UK. They will drive between EU27 countries instead of the UK.

    Water eventually finds its level. They will come to the UK if they get enough extra money. It just adds extra import costs that will be passed onto UK consumers. UK businesses may just give up exporting as they can't eat the additional costs within their margins. There is some evidence of that already happening.
    It wouldn't be a case of Romanians staying in Romania rather than driving to the UK

    Except that wasn't the claim in the article. The quote is in the tweet.
  • Options
    isamisam Posts: 40,894
    edited January 2021
    Is this fake news? A Corbynite wind up to mess with Starmer? Looks like a tweet by Wes Streeting has been doctored to make it look like he is involved

    https://twitter.com/AristotleSR/status/1345407398689861634?s=20
  • Options
    WhisperingOracleWhisperingOracle Posts: 8,503
    edited January 2021

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    There's plenty of other countries to work in, though.

    To be fair, the idea of drivers staying away for a while was widely predicted in December on the back of the combination, of both Brexit preparations , and so many having been stuck after Macron's closure of the border, so it wouldn't come as a huge surprise to many of those who were reporting on it , and interviewed some of them .
  • Options
    OmniumOmnium Posts: 9,748

    Scott_xP said:
    I look forward to seeing a few yards of tarmac in my rear-view mirror where a Romanian lorry driver always seemed to be.
    Enforcing some sort of minimal standards on UK roads could (and should) be a huge cash-cow for the UK.

    I think that there is almost no road with a reasonable traffic flow in central London where the police couldn't make a huge profit. Especially at night.

    London councils need to embrace speeding in the same way they've done so with parking. I'm sure it could work elsewhere too, but I just know London.
  • Options
    YokesYokes Posts: 1,200

    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
    Because Brexit stories sell papers, whether true or false, important or not, just as they have done for many years.
    Anything that sounds bad is where its at. Terror, confusion, negativity. Thats the media and enough of the public keen enough to read/watch/listen themselves into a funk.

    And now twitter is knocking on abour Starmer quitting as Labour leader. Seems rather unlikely unless his personal life gets him into diffs but there you go, storys can not only be made to look to be something of substance but can sometimes be created from apparently nowhere.
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606
    Nigelb said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    We have an outsize pharma and biotech industry - but we offshored a lot of the manufacturing, for no massively compelling reason.
    A very small amount of government intervention might have prevented that; it’s not like trying to keep steel mills or shipyards open.
    Yup. We're great at the creative IP side of the process but completely crap at actually making anything physical. Companies aren't properly incentivised for big capital investment in the UK and it shows.
  • Options
    TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    The main reason vaccine production capacity in the US disappeared until Amerithrax was because of liability issues. Thank god for Bruce Ifans: because of Amerithrax, the US passed legislation protecting vaccine producers from most liability claims and rebuilt the vaccine research and production capacity.
  • Options
    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,095

    Gaussian said:

    First...like cockney covid in race to infect everybody.

    Northern Ireland in particular is astonishingly bad at the moment. Cases almost tripled in a week, with the 7 day reported case average now higher than England's.
    The Ireland of Ireland is really bad... apparently Ireland official numbers are nonsense as their systems can't cope once they get above a couple of 1000 cases a day.
    Is there any element of people crossing the Irish border to get tested/treatment in the North, because it just isn't happening in the south?
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,849
    BoZo on Marr tomorrow, if anyone can bear it
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,216
    Yokes said:

    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
    Because Brexit stories sell papers, whether true or false, important or not, just as they have done for many years.
    Anything that sounds bad is where its at. Terror, confusion, negativity. Thats the media and enough of the public keen enough to read/watch/listen themselves into a funk.

    And now twitter is knocking on abour Starmer quitting as Labour leader. Seems rather unlikely unless his personal life gets him into diffs but there you go, storys can not only be made to look to be something of substance but can sometimes be created from apparently nowhere.
    There is only one thing I can think of that would get rid of Starmer as Labour leader.

    And I don't buy into the story - for one thing, no-one writes down the stuff alleged. Except in bad movies. And the for another, the story involves "someone know someone who saw" - which guarantees it is bullshit.

    So I am not going to repeat it.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,215

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    It is karma for all the bullshit bendy banana stories that Brexiters managed to get into the press for so long.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624
    edited January 2021
    IanB2 said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    It is karma for all the bullshit bendy banana stories that Brexiters managed to get into the press for so long.
    Thank goodness that two wrongs make a right.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    edited January 2021
    Scott_xP said:
    I think a bigger mess is paying £60 for a USB cable....

    edit:, ah.. 12 pack. Much more reasonable.
  • Options
    YokesYokes Posts: 1,200

    Yokes said:

    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
    Because Brexit stories sell papers, whether true or false, important or not, just as they have done for many years.
    Anything that sounds bad is where its at. Terror, confusion, negativity. Thats the media and enough of the public keen enough to read/watch/listen themselves into a funk.

    And now twitter is knocking on abour Starmer quitting as Labour leader. Seems rather unlikely unless his personal life gets him into diffs but there you go, storys can not only be made to look to be something of substance but can sometimes be created from apparently nowhere.
    There is only one thing I can think of that would get rid of Starmer as Labour leader.

    And I don't buy into the story - for one thing, no-one writes down the stuff alleged. Except in bad movies. And the for another, the story involves "someone know someone who saw" - which guarantees it is bullshit.

    So I am not going to repeat it.
    I'd agree, not least I havent seen anyone of substance actually say something of note is up.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,624

    IanB2 said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    It is karma for all the bullshit bendy banana stories that Brexiters managed to get into the press for so long.
    It is quite sweet to see Brexiteers expecting our relationship with the EU to be reported accurately and neutrally rather than sensationalised and exaggerated.
    That's quite true, but people also need to be content to lose any moral high ground if they are to so happy about that.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,215
    kle4 said:

    IanB2 said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    It is karma for all the bullshit bendy banana stories that Brexiters managed to get into the press for so long.
    Thank goodness that two wrongs make a right.
    There’s good karma and bad karma; that’s the point.
  • Options
    Scott_xP said:

    //twitter.com/martinwoodward/status/1345420018893398017

    I ordered the other way, from NI, with no issues.
  • Options
    TresTres Posts: 2,208
    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.
  • Options
    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,606
    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    I think a bigger mess is paying £60 for a USB cable....

    edit:, ah.. 12 pack. Much more reasonable.
    It's a 12 pack, but at £5 per cable it does seem a bit expensive.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    MaxPB said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    I think a bigger mess is paying £60 for a USB cable....

    edit:, ah.. 12 pack. Much more reasonable.
    It's a 12 pack, but at £5 per cable it does seem a bit expensive.
    Yeah, i noticed that a little too late. :D
  • Options
    WhisperingOracleWhisperingOracle Posts: 8,503
    edited January 2021
    Yokes said:

    Yokes said:

    RobD said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    Not sure why the times is publishing a story based on one anecdote, but there we are.
    Because Brexit stories sell papers, whether true or false, important or not, just as they have done for many years.
    Anything that sounds bad is where its at. Terror, confusion, negativity. Thats the media and enough of the public keen enough to read/watch/listen themselves into a funk.

    And now twitter is knocking on abour Starmer quitting as Labour leader. Seems rather unlikely unless his personal life gets him into diffs but there you go, storys can not only be made to look to be something of substance but can sometimes be created from apparently nowhere.
    There is only one thing I can think of that would get rid of Starmer as Labour leader.

    And I don't buy into the story - for one thing, no-one writes down the stuff alleged. Except in bad movies. And the for another, the story involves "someone know someone who saw" - which guarantees it is bullshit.

    So I am not going to repeat it.
    I'd agree, not least I havent seen anyone of substance actually say something of note is up.
    It seems mainly interesting to me in showing how much of twitter is willing to turn against Starmer on the back of a hashtag. His support on the left seems very shallow.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    I find that exceedingly unlikely given GPS has absolutely nothing to do with the EU.
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,216
    MaxPB said:

    Nigelb said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    We have an outsize pharma and biotech industry - but we offshored a lot of the manufacturing, for no massively compelling reason.
    A very small amount of government intervention might have prevented that; it’s not like trying to keep steel mills or shipyards open.
    Yup. We're great at the creative IP side of the process but completely crap at actually making anything physical. Companies aren't properly incentivised for big capital investment in the UK and it shows.
    It's also due to a near-religious belief that all manufacturing should be off shored. Managing physical production is hard and takes work. Running an investment vehicle that owns IP, less so.
  • Options
    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Just looked at the route my phone generated for my walk today and I can't see a problem (in Bucks and using an iPhone). That may be just me, but it suggests it's not universal.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,215
    isam said:

    Is this fake news? A Corbynite wind up to mess with Starmer? Looks like a tweet by Wes Streeting has been doctored to make it look like he is involved

    https://twitter.com/AristotleSR/status/1345407398689861634?s=20

    It’s Peston, so doubtless Labour HQ is deserted today.
  • Options
    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,095
    I'm assuming the stuff about Starmer quitting is so much bullshit.

    BUT if he were to go - who on earth takes over?
  • Options
    kle4 said:

    IanB2 said:

    RobD said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Wait, I thought it was congestion that was going to cripple trade?
    Call absolute bullshit on a Romanian lorry driver actually staying in Romania to work...the money differential is enormous, that's why they spend months every year on the road away from home in the first place.
    It is karma for all the bullshit bendy banana stories that Brexiters managed to get into the press for so long.
    It is quite sweet to see Brexiteers expecting our relationship with the EU to be reported accurately and neutrally rather than sensationalised and exaggerated.
    That's quite true, but people also need to be content to lose any moral high ground if they are to so happy about that.
    Its not a question of high ground, its accepting reality. The press misreported on the EU because it sells and makes journalists careers (see the PM for one). It is hugely naive not to expect the same to happen with Brexit.

    It is good that those who have benefited from fake news are now going to have to put up with it, not because its fair or moral that they should, but because it increases the chance that we might eventually agree to tackle it.
  • Options
    GaussianGaussian Posts: 793
    RobD said:

    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    I find that exceedingly unlikely given GPS has absolutely nothing to do with the EU.
    Maybe Trump degrading civilian GPS in preparation for invading somewhere?
  • Options
    Expect lots of fake news on brexit

    And to be honest brexit is so yesterday, it is all covid now and rightly so
  • Options
    YokesYokes Posts: 1,200
    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Other countries have been reporting GPS issues in recent days.

    Just for note, I have just ordered something from Amazon to come to me in NI. No issues. Order placed.
  • Options
    WhisperingOracleWhisperingOracle Posts: 8,503
    edited January 2021

    MaxPB said:

    Nigelb said:

    eek said:

    FPT

    Nigelb said:



    Was that this article ? (Paywalled - though from the bit I saw, someone used ‘disinterested’ where they meant ‘uninterested’.)
    https://twitter.com/thelonevirologi/status/1345386225356697602

    I don't think any country saw the need to keep vaccine capacity high on the off chance that there was going to be a new epidemic. Indian only has capacity as it has a population 20x the UKs.
    We have an outsize pharma and biotech industry - but we offshored a lot of the manufacturing, for no massively compelling reason.
    A very small amount of government intervention might have prevented that; it’s not like trying to keep steel mills or shipyards open.
    Yup. We're great at the creative IP side of the process but completely crap at actually making anything physical. Companies aren't properly incentivised for big capital investment in the UK and it shows.
    It's also due to a near-religious belief that all manufacturing should be off shored. Managing physical production is hard and takes work. Running an investment vehicle that owns IP, less so.
    This is connected to the religious belief that foreign ownership of even core strategic industries and infrastructure was irrelevant. Not even Reagan thought this, and he prevented its loss far more than Britain, but "the invisible hand" was taken more literally and religiously in Britain than almost anywhere else for a long period.

    This might be because of the over-literal reclamation of figures like Adam Smith as part of national heritage, but dependent on a completely skewed and ahistorical account of their thinking.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961

    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Just looked at the route my phone generated for my walk today and I can't see a problem (in Bucks and using an iPhone). That may be just me, but it suggests it's not universal.
    I am guessing they are talking about the accuracy of the GPS location, rather than the pathfinding?
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,216
    RobD said:

    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Just looked at the route my phone generated for my walk today and I can't see a problem (in Bucks and using an iPhone). That may be just me, but it suggests it's not universal.
    I am guessing they are talking about the accuracy of the GPS location, rather than the pathfinding?
    If it is runners - people out with the new GPS watch they got for Christmas, and don't know about multipathing in built up areas?
  • Options
    GaussianGaussian Posts: 793
    Yokes said:

    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Other countries have been reporting GPS issues in recent days.
    Or maybe just a Garmin firmware issue:
    https://mightygadget.co.uk/garmin-gps-accuracy-problems/
  • Options
    YokesYokes Posts: 1,200
    Gaussian said:

    Yokes said:

    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Other countries have been reporting GPS issues in recent days.
    Or maybe just a Garmin firmware issue:
    https://mightygadget.co.uk/garmin-gps-accuracy-problems/
    could be, no one has really any idea what it is.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,215
    CNN: 2021 could see Britain ripped to pieces

    It's not hard to see why the SNP's platform - leaving the UK and re-joining the EU under the leadership of Sturgeon - is so appealing to many north of the border. Conservatives in England are seriously worried that Johnson doesn't have either the energy or passion needed to combat it.

    "There is genuine fear that Scotland could go under this government and that there is no energy going into addressing that," says one MP on the government's payroll. "We've struggled to make an emotional case for the Union. Partly that's because our focus is on our heartlands in England, but we are going to need to make a positive case beyond the economic benefits to Scotland."

    Also, the more now Britain shifts from the EU, the more in common Northern Ireland has with the EU, and thus the Republic of Ireland," says Katy Hayward, professor of political sociology at Queen's University Belfast. The issue of the north becoming closer to the Republic has put a spring in the step of those who dream of reunification.

    "Soft-nationalists who were pro-European -- and even some soft-Unionists -- have been forced to seriously rethink what Northern Ireland is and should be," says Matthew O'Toole, a Northern Irish lawmaker for the pro-reunification Social Democratic and Labour Party.

    Since Johnson faces the prospect of fighting in Scotland and Northern Ireland, he risks overlooking Wales. "Covid has highlighted what devolution actually means, in terms of Welsh politicians being able to make independent policy that directly affects Welsh people," says Roger Awan-Scully, professor of politics at Cardiff University. “If Conservatives take a more aggressive line against devolution and pro-centralised control from London, it risks emboldening the anti-Westminster movement in Wales”.

    If Johnson is unable to make leaving the EU look like a success and he alienates the public in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, it's inevitable that more and more voters will wonder if the grass is greener outside of the United Kingdom.
  • Options
    Yokes said:

    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Other countries have been reporting GPS issues in recent days.

    Just for note, I have just ordered something from Amazon to come to me in NI. No issues. Order placed.
    I suspect it depends on the warehouse location of the items ordered. If its sat in their sole NI warehouse then no problem. If its sat in a GB warehouse, problem.
  • Options
    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,899
    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Working fine for me
  • Options
    NHS requiring your inside leg measurement and wang length before being allowed to be consideered for.volunteering to help with vaccination drive has finally been picked up by BBC..

    BBC News - Coronavirus: Medics complain of 'bureaucracy' in bid to join Covid vaccine effort
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55516277
  • Options
    RobD said:

    Tres said:

    Another benefit of Brexit? Lots of runners reporting GPS tracking is wildly off since we left.

    Just looked at the route my phone generated for my walk today and I can't see a problem (in Bucks and using an iPhone). That may be just me, but it suggests it's not universal.
    I am guessing they are talking about the accuracy of the GPS location, rather than the pathfinding?
    What I meant by the "route generated" was the map it made tracking where I went on my walk: I didn't need directions to walk for an hour starting and ending at my house.
    Looking at what I wrote I can see how it was misleading though, so sorry for the confusion.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,937
    edited January 2021
    Trump is actually holding a big rally in Georgia on eve of poll for Perdue and Loeffler to get GOP voters out for them on election day as he has tweeted this afternoon, his fraud allegations related to the Presidential election in Georgia.

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1345372487337598977?s=20
  • Options
    My GPS system while on my bike has been working fine over Christmas....the fact it is a stationary bike is a total irrelevance.
  • Options
    Boris Johnson is losing his grip on the “red wall” seats that propelled him to power at the 2019 general election, according to a new poll conducted during the turbulent festive period.

    More than 22,000 people were surveyed in a constituency-by-constituency poll, which predicts that neither the Conservatives nor Labour would win an outright majority if an election were held tomorrow.

    The MRP poll was carried out over a four-week period in December, when Christmas was cancelled for millions of families as a super-strain of the coronavirus ripped through the country and as the country teetered on the brink of leaving the EU without a deal.

    The MRP (multilevel regression and post-stratification) process is a statistical method that produces predictions based on small geographic areas, analysing elements of a person’s lifestyle and background to generate probabilities about their voting habits. It is believed to be more accurate than a more conventional poll.

    The survey gives the first detailed insight into the public’s perception of Johnson’s handling of the Brexit talks and the pandemic, amid fears that Britain is heading into a third national lockdown.

    According to the survey, conducted by the research data company Focaldata, the Conservatives would lose 81 seats, wiping out the 80-seat majority they won in December 2019.

    This would leave the Conservatives with 284 seats, while Labour would win 282 seats, an overall increase of 82.

    The Scottish National Party is predicted to win 57 of the 59 seats in Scotland, paving the way for a Labour-SNP coalition government.

    The findings will be interpreted as a vote of confidence in Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, who is a vehement opponent of Brexit and has won plaudits for her response to the coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the poll, the Liberal Democrats would crumble to just two seats in parliament, down from 11 won in the last general election.

    A quarter of those who voted Lib Dem in 2019 say they would now vote Labour. The poll says the Lib Dems would cling on only to Bath, and Kingston and Surbiton, both by the tightest of margins. The party won 62 seats in 2005.

    Of the constituencies that Labour would gain, half (41) are seats in the north of England, Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2017 before switching to the Tories in 2019, suggesting that the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, is on course to rebuild his party’s red wall.

    Labour is also predicted to win five London seats from the Conservatives, taking Chingford and Wood Green, Chipping Barnet, Finchley and Golders Green, Hendon, and Kensington.

    The Conservatives cling on to just eight of the 43 red wall seats that they won at last year’s general election — Bassetlaw, Bishop Auckland, Colne Valley, Dudley North, Great Grimsby, Penistone and Stocksbridge, Scunthorpe, and Sedgefield.

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/detailed-poll-shows-boris-johnson-risks-losing-his-majority-and-his-seat-7tm9p3dp7
  • Options
    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,899

    NHS requiring your inside leg measurement and wang length before being allowed to be consideered for.volunteering to help with vaccination drive has finally been picked up by BBC..

    BBC News - Coronavirus: Medics complain of 'bureaucracy' in bid to join Covid vaccine effort
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55516277

    'Some medics have been asked for proof they are trained in areas such as preventing radicalisation.'
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,508
    Busy day, but an interesting article for PB punters:

    https://twitter.com/TheAtlantic/status/1345428838470348801?s=19
  • Options
    TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    On topic, this from the NY Post:

    "As President Trump continued to condemn the US Senate elections in Georgia as corrupt, Democrats took an early lead in the two runoffs as early voting ended on Jan. 1, according to an analysis of returns from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

    "While state law mandates that no ballots be opened before election night on Tuesday, Georgia’s largest paper said its review showed more ballots were cast by Democrat-leaning demographics and came from left-leaning parts of the state.

    "A record total of 3,002,100 early votes have been cast. Black voters — who generally support Democrats in the state by overwhelming numbers — are voting in higher numbers than they did in the presidential election, the paper reported.

    "Turnout in rural and more conservative-leaning portions of the state have lagged. President Trump is planning a last-minute rally Monday in Dalton in a last-ditch effort to rally the faithful to the polls."
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    RobDRobD Posts: 58,961
    Pulpstar said:

    NHS requiring your inside leg measurement and wang length before being allowed to be consideered for.volunteering to help with vaccination drive has finally been picked up by BBC..

    BBC News - Coronavirus: Medics complain of 'bureaucracy' in bid to join Covid vaccine effort
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55516277

    'Some medics have been asked for proof they are trained in areas such as preventing radicalisation.'
    Insane. They are going to see each person for what, five minutes?
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