It is quite absurd how long this scheme is taking to realise. Over the past 12 months, has the government not thought to perhaps have a few civil servants come up with such a plan , you know just in case....
It may be significant that Nicola would not give details of her managed quarantine scheme announced by her yesterday, saying she is hoping to give more details next week
It would be a welcome change if Boris and Nicola could, for once, agree a scheme rather than continual point scoring
Hoiw do you know it's point scoring on Ms Sturgeon's side? SHe did a much better job of Christmas.
I said it is better than point scoring, and as for Christmas all four nations had the same regulations, just allowing mixing on Christmas day only
They did not and do not have the same regulations. Scotland was more restrictive even on Christmas Day.
Scotland was certainly not more restrictive on Christmas Day than London and the SE
yes it was , less people allowed (6 max)and limited to one house only and lockdown at midnight that day.
London and the SE was no mixing whatsoever on christmas day.
Whether everyone followed that is another matter, but thats what the rules were.
They were allowed to have mixing on christmas day , apart for some extra restrictions on Tier 4 areas, and it was more families than Scotland for sure, definitely more than 1.
Can I just say that automatic hoovers are the absolute pits. As are Dysons - really poorly designed and expensive for what they are.
Finding a decent vacuum cleaner for hard flooring which actually picks up the dirt is harder than it seems. Lots of models but in my experience they all fall apart after a bit. I've tried G-Tech: fell to bits. My Bosch is now playing silly buggers.
Ideally I'd like a cordless one for a quick clean (I have a Henry for a proper vacuum). I am currently doing research on the topic. Any tips gratefully received.
Tineco. The one we got came with a full set of changeable heads including an excellent hard floor head.
@Pagan2 - apologies, very late to this thread, but intriguing ideas.
I've often thought one of the problems we have is that our Executive is drawn exclusively from our Legislature, which isn't always impressive and restricts the pool of available talent.
Life peerages are a way round that, to get skilled people in as ministers through the Lords instead, but, by the same token, you always have the political and accountability challenge the other way then too.
I think it'd be better to have wider and broader recruitment of talent into the civil service, more transparency of public policy debate, including on the numbers and alternatives (as you say), and more open-minded recruitment of talent by political parties - i.e. professional diversity, and not just the traditional kind.
We have far too few engineers, scientists, and experienced project/change managers. I'd like to see them actively go out to recruit some more of them.
Slimeball Gove peddling more lies, only in a crooked cesspit like the UK could an absolute reptile like him be anywhere near power. Thicker than two short planks to boot.
Dear God, Carlotta and her crush on the dumb pet food salesman. Not meaning to but admitting that Brexit is a disaster. Not even bright enough to realise they are showing how really crap they are.
Can I just say that automatic hoovers are the absolute pits. As are Dysons - really poorly designed and expensive for what they are.
Finding a decent vacuum cleaner for hard flooring which actually picks up the dirt is harder than it seems. Lots of models but in my experience they all fall apart after a bit. I've tried G-Tech: fell to bits. My Bosch is now playing silly buggers.
Ideally I'd like a cordless one for a quick clean (I have a Henry for a proper vacuum). I am currently doing research on the topic. Any tips gratefully received.
Airport quarantine kills the aviation industry. I don't think any airline can afford to repeat last year, unless a massive government bung.
However necessary we feel a travel ban is, we have to recognise that not all travel is holidays. Some is essential family stuff for our large diaspora communities, both for Brits abroad and immigrants here.
Any such policy needs a review date built in so that people can plan.
If travel is that essential then people will have no issue with quarantining afterwards.
People moving around for ‘family reasons’ (other than funerals) are a huge part of the problem.
Some of us living abroad haven’t seen our parents for over a year. Doing so isn’t ‘essential’ unless they’re dying.
Airlines and tour operators can be dealt with by the various furlough and loan schemes available.
Some of us not living abroad haven't seen our parents for almost a year. I feel for you mate, its hard.
We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good during a pandemic. Not seeing people is one of the easier ones to have to make, although it probably affects my parents more not seeing their children and grandchildren. Thankfully we have FaceTime and WebEx.
Have you ever been canvassing with a candidate, in a less than rich area? I have.
It is pretty sobering. About every 3rd house you think, OMFG these people are deciding the future of the nation. They haven't got a clue. They can barely boil an egg.
I love the idea of democracy but I wonder if it has peaked. I'm serious. First, we have the success of China, clearly out-performing the USA, in almost every way now (including pandemic-management, despite starting a pandemic). In China, the technocratic Party decides. but as the Party can take a longer view than any individual, the Party is wiser. This model becomes increasingly seductive to many, as America declines and China ascends. Cf Singapore. Basically a one party state which has beautifully married English Common Law to Chinese autocracy.
Second, AI. How far away is the moment when a computer will make a better political choice than any average human? About 10 minutes, I reckon.
The future will be special, neutral, bespoke voting robots, deciding our elections.
I am serious. I think democracy, as we know it, is nearly done. The machines know better, that's why they fly our planes and will soon drive our cars. After that, they select our government
Interesting to hear that you have been canvassing with the PPC in poorer areas. I'm sure your flint knapping is all the richer for it.
I have done so. Many, many times. And generally, when faced with a canvasser (if they want to give you the time of day which many don't, obvs), I have found that 99% of people of whatever socio-economic grouping have thought and do think about it very carefully. It is their one shot at making a difference in an otherwise perhaps quite powerless existence.
Perhaps it's also because they are away from the pub/their mates/their peers/the bridge club/their agent's office.
But all give thoughtful answers to questions. And of course some of the most pig-ignorant of them all are those of the higher socio-economic groupings.
As I'm sure you found also.
That is almost as hyperbolic as @Leon's in the other direction. I still remember the guy who was going to vote against Scottish independence because of the way the SNP council had papered his kitchen. And another one who was voting no because he'd been banned from the local library.
What I would say is that a lot of those I canvassed in such areas had focused on 1 thing that had a direct impact on their lives and had given it careful thought. For every bit of humour like the above there were as many genuinely thought provoking moments.
The problem for democracy as I see it is that governments are increasingly powerless in the modern world and unable to change very much. For multinational companies tax in any one jurisdiction is becoming optional and it drives down the rates governments dare to claim. Increasingly this is the case with well heeled individuals as well. As these businesses become increasingly dominant in our economies the tax base is weakened to the point that governments are emasculated and have to do what they are told.
I remember Frank Dobson talking after he'd been eliminated from the Mayoral race in London describing how he was with Ken Livingstone when he visited an old lady in Vauxhall and after describing in great detail his plans for sorting out the Middle East crisis she nodded and said 'Thank you but could you tell me on what day I'm going to get my bins emptied?'
Can I just say that automatic hoovers are the absolute pits. As are Dysons - really poorly designed and expensive for what they are.
Finding a decent vacuum cleaner for hard flooring which actually picks up the dirt is harder than it seems. Lots of models but in my experience they all fall apart after a bit. I've tried G-Tech: fell to bits. My Bosch is now playing silly buggers.
Ideally I'd like a cordless one for a quick clean (I have a Henry for a proper vacuum). I am currently doing research on the topic. Any tips gratefully received.
My robot roomba does hard floors just fine
What about furniture? How does it move that or get under it or get into spaces into which it does not fit?
It's a disc less than four inches high, so goes under stuff just fine. Because it's round it doesn't do corners, and there is the odd spot it can't make, so I need to get the regular hoover out now and again.
I also have the one that sweeps and mops, which is square, and much better at doing edges and corners.
Slimeball Gove peddling more lies, only in a crooked cesspit like the UK could an absolute reptile like him be anywhere near power. Thicker than two short planks to boot.
And yet look at how much more successful he has been in his life compared to, just for example, you.
@Pagan2 - apologies, very late to this thread, but intriguing ideas.
I've often thought one of the problems we have is that our Executive is drawn exclusively from our Legislature, which isn't always impressive and restricts the pool of available talent.
Life peerages are a way round that, to get skilled people in as ministers through the Lords instead, but, by the same token, you always have the political and accountability challenge the other way then too.
I think it'd be better to have wider and broader recruitment of talent into the civil service, more transparency of public policy debate, including on the numbers and alternatives (as you say), and more open-minded recruitment of talent by political parties - i.e. professional diversity, and not just the traditional kind.
We have far too few engineers, scientists, and experienced project/change managers. I'd like to see them actively go out to recruit some more of them.
Again on topic - whilst I stated my main problem to the proposal as life isn't a load of responsibility silos, I do see merit in having appointed ministers. Personally if a party wants to appoint a minister from a specialism then I don't see why they need to have been elected somewhere. I would be happy for scrutiny committees for appointments. If this process has been followed then they should be allowed to speak at the despatch box. If they are appointed by a party then it's MPs would have a self interest in ensuring the performance of the minister
Have you ever been canvassing with a candidate, in a less than rich area? I have.
It is pretty sobering. About every 3rd house you think, OMFG these people are deciding the future of the nation. They haven't got a clue. They can barely boil an egg.
I love the idea of democracy but I wonder if it has peaked. I'm serious. First, we have the success of China, clearly out-performing the USA, in almost every way now (including pandemic-management, despite starting a pandemic). In China, the technocratic Party decides. but as the Party can take a longer view than any individual, the Party is wiser. This model becomes increasingly seductive to many, as America declines and China ascends. Cf Singapore. Basically a one party state which has beautifully married English Common Law to Chinese autocracy.
Second, AI. How far away is the moment when a computer will make a better political choice than any average human? About 10 minutes, I reckon.
The future will be special, neutral, bespoke voting robots, deciding our elections.
I am serious. I think democracy, as we know it, is nearly done. The machines know better, that's why they fly our planes and will soon drive our cars. After that, they select our government
Interesting to hear that you have been canvassing with the PPC in poorer areas. I'm sure your flint knapping is all the richer for it.
I have done so. Many, many times. And generally, when faced with a canvasser (if they want to give you the time of day which many don't, obvs), I have found that 99% of people of whatever socio-economic grouping have thought and do think about it very carefully. It is their one shot at making a difference in an otherwise perhaps quite powerless existence.
Perhaps it's also because they are away from the pub/their mates/their peers/the bridge club/their agent's office.
But all give thoughtful answers to questions. And of course some of the most pig-ignorant of them all are those of the higher socio-economic groupings.
As I'm sure you found also.
That is almost as hyperbolic as @Leon's in the other direction. I still remember the guy who was going to vote against Scottish independence because of the way the SNP council had papered his kitchen. And another one who was voting no because he'd been banned from the local library.
What I would say is that a lot of those I canvassed in such areas had focused on 1 thing that had a direct impact on their lives and had given it careful thought. For every bit of humour like the above there were as many genuinely thought provoking moments.
The problem for democracy as I see it is that governments are increasingly powerless in the modern world and unable to change very much. For multinational companies tax in any one jurisdiction is becoming optional and it drives down the rates governments dare to claim. Increasingly this is the case with well heeled individuals as well. As these businesses become increasingly dominant in our economies the tax base is weakened to the point that governments are emasculated and have to do what they are told.
Did you notice a discernible difference in responses depending on which party’s badge you were wearing?
Comments
I've often thought one of the problems we have is that our Executive is drawn exclusively from our Legislature, which isn't always impressive and restricts the pool of available talent.
Life peerages are a way round that, to get skilled people in as ministers through the Lords instead, but, by the same token, you always have the political and accountability challenge the other way then too.
I think it'd be better to have wider and broader recruitment of talent into the civil service, more transparency of public policy debate, including on the numbers and alternatives (as you say), and more open-minded recruitment of talent by political parties - i.e. professional diversity, and not just the traditional kind.
We have far too few engineers, scientists, and experienced project/change managers. I'd like to see them actively go out to recruit some more of them.
NEW THREAD
I also have the one that sweeps and mops, which is square, and much better at doing edges and corners.