Happily I will soon move far away from local Tory Simon Clarke. He couldn't be classier if he tried. "Happy Campers" FFS. He'll be posting in a bit claiming to be outraged that describing a gay woman that way could be considered to be problematic. https://twitter.com/SimonClarkeMP/status/1356236028978278403
I don't get it? 🤷🏻♂️
That phrase to me literally refers to people squabbling. I am not aware of any LGBT association to camping or happy campers.
You do have to be a bit old and/or middle aged to use that vocabulary as a matter of routine.
Oh, yeah. Didn't connect campers to camp but that seems a really big stretch to find that offensive.
Given that one of the key issues is a serious disagreement within the LGBT community I wouldn't be surprised if it was deliberately chosen (precisely to allow the claim of injured innocence if anyone points it out).
Is it? I thought it was all about Salmond. I clearly need to read up further (seriously). But then, I didn't even know Cherry was gay.
/Crawls back under the rock I've apparently been living under.
There's correlation: the angry old men in a hurry, let's call them the Wings Over Scotland faction, also tend to be obsessed by trans people using changing rooms.
Our local swimming pool now has just one, mixed changing room (with individual private cubicles), so the question is moot.
Until today the defence has been “because Scotland is doing care homes first” - given coverage of care homes is now equal across the U.K. we await to see what the latest excuse is. On the positive note they did open two mass vaccine Center’s today.
23% of the country either are, or are married to, a teacher?
There’s no way that doesn’t start to feed into voting intention by May, as everyone gets a jab but sees issues still there in other countries. If the May elections go ahead, there must be some value bets to be had.
I make that Scotland being nine days behind England at the moment.
How far behind would be a political problem?
I'm very glad we are all getting people jabbed as quickly as possible and the spread isn't very great. Friendly competition is one thing but I don't see why it would be a political problem to be slowest. Conditions differ. A long as the vaccines are available for use then the local speed of delivery isn't a matter of politics.
Good evening, everybody.
I think regular milestones would have media triggering. "2 weeks behind" or "one month behind".
It would be wrong, but our media have been self-obsessing twats throughout, so of course they would.
Kent variant may be no more deadly after all, despite many on here repeating project terror as gospel.
I said a long while back that my hairdressers's son was in on the Cobra meetings. As I reported here then, they didn't think Cockney Covid was materially deadlier - but it was W-A-Y more contagious.
I'm not a scientist. I'm not a scientist. I'm not a scientist.
But fuck it I'm going to say this anyway. In both the UK and South Africa significantly more trasmissible variants have smashed their way through the population and now, in both countries, the rate of new cases is dropping at the same rate as they went up - in fact in SA the average number of cases has dropped by an eyewatering 44% compared to a week ago. Deaths in both countries are, so far as I can see, levelling off or dropping. In South Africa they only got their first vaccine deliveries yesterday. So why? Here's one answer -
Off topic. I would hate to be a leaseholder with a flat , with cladding that is now classed as dangerous. The costs to them are eye-watering. Many will face bankruptcy for no fault of ther own.
I think it is a good call by Lab to chase this. Govt very much need to have a way out of this now.
But I have yet to see any real proposals for going after the insulation companies.
At the moment it all seems to be about narratives for victims with votes.
It's a scandal. Loads of people (many in straitened circumstances) losing more money than they can afford and/or trapped and unable to move. If we weren't in a time where Covid and Brexit eat all the pies it would be all over the media and a very hot political potato.
(Sorry about pies AND potatoes there. You can tell I've got dinner on the brain.)
Don't get me into Dinner On The Brain - I have to learn how to fillet a (small, but whole) Tilapia some time this week. Bought on a whim at Morrisons. Several of its former friends have tried to eat Jeremy Wade !
Agree on the cost, but what of the remedy? Who to pay, and how? At the moment it is being driven by a group of populist (?) MPs trying to save their constituents from paying.
UK Govt as some sort of 'community' cover?
Why socialise the cost - we others have done nothing wrong. And many of us paid the extra for a house, as we know flats are risky.
Insulation Product companies?
AIUI there are 2 groups of manufacturers who make this stuff - Celotex (now part of St Gobain - roots back to 1665, French and a conglomerate owning eg Jewson, Benchmark, International Timber etc - turnover 180bn, 180k employees), and Kingspan (Irish, entrpreneurial, 15k empoyees, £5bn turnover).
Kingspan could be taken down by it. St Gobain hurt.
Freehold owners?
Unlikely to be enough money in it, as these are worth a few k per flat. Say 12x ground rent on a 8.5%. yield. £500 ground rent -> £6k ish.
Why should freeholders be any more liable than owner, as they aere no more insulation material experts.
Leaseholders?
Currently the law seems to leave them holding the baby.
Building Regulators?
They and companies (depending on verdict - to cover OGH's backside) are perhaps the obvious ones who may have done something wrong - certified it and allowed others to use it. Subject to possible deception by insulation companies.
Some sort of insurance?
Developers?
Are they not covered by using approved materials - if they have.
Perhaps the way is for Govt to cover, then go after whoever the enquiry fingers afterwards.
13% very favourable. There is a hardcore of people who would love the EU if it was run by a triumvirate of Hitler, Pol Pot and Pazuzu the Sumerian Wind Demon
An EU run in part by a wind demon could be a real centre for renewable energy though...
The whole interview is fantastically interesting and shows so clearly why there was no 'right' way to vote or 'right' result of the referendum; Hammond's difficulties and doubts are identical to leave supporters ones.
Dear Cyclefree... Yes. All very well and good. But the point is that this unedifying EU spectacle has shown a window to the world. Negotiations? The EU have been negotiating in bad faith from day one with the UK over Brexit. The EU have been negotiating over everything, Free Movement, Maastricht, the Euro you name it... from day one of its existence.
Dear Cyclefree... Yes. All very well and good. But the point is that this unedifying EU spectacle has shown a window to the world. Negotiations? The EU have been negotiating in bad faith from day one with the UK over Brexit. The EU have been negotiating over everything, Free Movement, Maastricht, the Euro you name it... from day one of its existence.
It's not just edifying... it's... er endemic.
'...you name it...in bad faith from day one of its existence.'
Comments
In other news tractor production up 300%
It would be wrong, but our media have been self-obsessing twats throughout, so of course they would.
NEW THREAD
But fuck it I'm going to say this anyway. In both the UK and South Africa significantly more trasmissible variants have smashed their way through the population and now, in both countries, the rate of new cases is dropping at the same rate as they went up - in fact in SA the average number of cases has dropped by an eyewatering 44% compared to a week ago. Deaths in both countries are, so far as I can see, levelling off or dropping. In South Africa they only got their first vaccine deliveries yesterday. So why? Here's one answer -
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-south-africas-covid-lockdown-may-have-created-herd-immunity-12116494
Good.
Yes. All very well and good.
But the point is that this unedifying EU spectacle has shown a window to the world.
Negotiations?
The EU have been negotiating in bad faith from day one with the UK over Brexit.
The EU have been negotiating over everything, Free Movement, Maastricht, the Euro you name it... from day one of its existence.
It's not just edifying... it's... er endemic.