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Ahead of the May 6 locals – some key facts and figures – politicalbetting.com

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  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 5,288

    Leon said:

    On the vaccine slowdown:

    There are about 53 million adults in the UK. If we assume that, to get out of the shit, we need to jab everyone once plus all the vulnerable groups for a second time, that gets us up to 85 million vaccinations.

    As of tonight, 27.6m doses have been administered. Let us be optimistic and assume that we get up to 35m by the end of the month, due to the brief uplift in supply. That leaves 50m to go.

    How long will that take if supply from abroad goes to shit, as looks increasingly likely? IIRC, domestic production is about 2m AZ per week and that assumes nothing else goes wrong (bad batches, low yields, vials running out and everything else.) It could be a long, long wait.

    Novavax, Moderna, Pfizer. The SII in India have said they WILL give us the other 5m AZ in about 4 weeks.

    AZ production in the UK is a lot more than you say, I believe - and will improve

    You are being unduly pessimistic. We've had bad news, but remember we have now done 27.6 MILLION injections; 580,000 - 1% of the adult population - were done just today
    We have done 27.6 million injections - but it's taken about three months.

    If we want to do the remaining 70+ million injections by the end of July (so we can then start on the autumn boosters) we have to increase the rate very significantly. Instead of 10 million per month we need close to 20 million.

    It's a big challenge.
    The remaining are only slated to have all had their first injections by the end of July, so it is that 22 million plus the 27 m second injections by that point, plus a few early second injections for the younger.

    So, a little north of 50m needed by end July, I think.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421
    Leon said:

    Worth noting: if Sturgeon goes that isn't necessarily bad for the SNP in May.

    Remember John Smith for Blair?

    It's now bad either way for the SNP.

    If she stays, that looks extremely awkward, and it will dog her through the campaign; the SNP must surely lose votes. Maybe not many, but enough to nix a majority.

    If she goes, that looks just as bad, if not worse. Proven corruption, a scene of chaos, and she's their best politician, albeit now severely tarnished. Who can replace her?

    My guess is she will try and tough it out but it will cause collateral damage for her party
    At this moment there’s also no obvious alternative leader, which does not help the SNP.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,487
    rcs1000 said:

    As an aside, when I got my vaccine at the LA Dodgers stadium, the staff were chucking used vials into a big trash bin.

    It seems insane, given the worldwide vial shortage, that they binned them rather than recycling them.

    Don't the septics have a different attitude to recycling all round?
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    Andy_JS said:

    LOLs. People coming to the countryside for their dream, and then demanding that it change.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 59,930

    Leon said:

    On the vaccine slowdown:

    There are about 53 million adults in the UK. If we assume that, to get out of the shit, we need to jab everyone once plus all the vulnerable groups for a second time, that gets us up to 85 million vaccinations.

    As of tonight, 27.6m doses have been administered. Let us be optimistic and assume that we get up to 35m by the end of the month, due to the brief uplift in supply. That leaves 50m to go.

    How long will that take if supply from abroad goes to shit, as looks increasingly likely? IIRC, domestic production is about 2m AZ per week and that assumes nothing else goes wrong (bad batches, low yields, vials running out and everything else.) It could be a long, long wait.

    Novavax, Moderna, Pfizer. The SII in India have said they WILL give us the other 5m AZ in about 4 weeks.

    AZ production in the UK is a lot more than you say, I believe - and will improve

    You are being unduly pessimistic. We've had bad news, but remember we have now done 27.6 MILLION injections; 580,000 - 1% of the adult population - were done just today
    I believe that I'm right on domestic AZ production but stand to be corrected if someone has recent numbers to hand. The Novavax facility on Teesside wasn't due to begin delivery until the second half of the year and that'll probably start out as a piss dribble even if it isn't delayed outright. Everything else comes from abroad so we can't rely on any of it.

    Of course, everything may go wonderfully after April and the Government might be proven right on all its remaining milestones and targets, but from hereon in I won't believe any of it at all until it actually happens. Promises mean nothing.
    Wasn't @MaxPB saying that production had already started for Novavax?
  • Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,487
    ydoethur said:

    Worth noting: if Sturgeon goes that isn't necessarily bad for the SNP in May.

    Remember John Smith for Blair?

    I don’t see an accusation of perjury being equivalent to a popular if slippery figure having a tragic heart attack.
    Yes, but Blair was more popular. The SNP cause is an overwhelming one for its believers.

    A new carrier of the torch might surprise. Or they simply might not care who carries it.
  • PoodleInASlipstreamPoodleInASlipstream Posts: 253
    edited March 2021

    Worth noting: if Sturgeon goes that isn't necessarily bad for the SNP in May.

    Can't agree on that one. A good number of SNP voters I've talked to do so primarily because they like and trust Sturgeon. Losing her will be a major blow to the SNP. A leadership contest is also likely to drown the SNP is a sea of bitter in-fighting.

    But I think she'll try to tough it out by claiming to have just made a mistake, no sir, no lies, conspiracy or perjury here. Just a moment of fuzzy brain syndrome. And she may get away with it unless the Hamilton inquiry also finds against her. That would probably be the end.
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,676

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Don't see why as I say Johnson does it most weeks
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,080
    edited March 2021

    Leon said:
    Just Paris? Prepare for the exodus...
    Definiton of insanity and all that....which bit of regional lockdowns don't really work do they not get, certainly not town or city based ones unless you are literally going to cut them off from the world like wuhan.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865
    edited March 2021

    On the vaccine slowdown:

    There are about 53 million adults in the UK. If we assume that, to get out of the shit, we need to jab everyone once plus all the vulnerable groups for a second time, that gets us up to 85 million vaccinations.

    As of tonight, 27.6m doses have been administered. Let us be optimistic and assume that we get up to 35m by the end of the month, due to the brief uplift in supply. That leaves 50m to go.

    How long will that take if supply from abroad goes to shit, as looks increasingly likely? IIRC, domestic production is about 2m AZ per week and that assumes nothing else goes wrong (bad batches, low yields, vials running out and everything else.) It could be a long, long wait.

    We're getting more vaccine doses in April than we did in Feb which is 11m doses, we're getting a new vaccine which the manufacturer has confirmed in a note to investors today will be delivered on time and we've got two vaccines going through the approvals process with one or both likely to be approved in the next few weeks and one of those likely to be delivered by the end of April.

    Also, domestic AZ production is more than 2m per week, what's currently going to centres was likely produced a the end of January or beginning of Feb when we know that AZ had issues with manufacturing. Now we know they don't but it takes time for the whole manufacturing and supply chain to reflect today's achievements.
  • Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Don't see why as I say Johnson does it most weeks
    You do not understand Scotland or its politics then
  • logical_songlogical_song Posts: 9,914
    stodge said:

    Looking back at yesterday's Dutch General election, we now have results with 98% of the vote counted.

    The big winners are D66 23 (+4 but below some of the early forecasts) and the FvD who won 8 seats (+6).

    The big losers are the Greens (-6), the Socialists (-5), the centre-right CDA (-4), the far-right PVV (-3) and the 50+ Party (-3)

    Rutte's VVD gained two to 35 while two new groups, JA21 and Volt Netherlands joined with 3 MPs each.

    The existing Coalition won 78 seats so a majority and it seems likely Rutte will want to continue the existing arrangement.

    Hopefully a swing back to moderation has started?
    "The election, just months after Britain's Brexit divorce settlement with the European Union came into full force, saw gains among pro-EU parties. Big winner D66 has long been a staunch defender of the 27-nation bloc and among new parties in the lower house of parliament was outspokenly pro-European party Volt, which was forecast to win three seats.
    Kaag, a former diplomat who served as minister for foreign trade and development cooperation in Rutte’s last coalition, had campaigned as a viable alternative to Rutte as national leader in a country that has never had a female prime minister.
    “I have always believed and that has been confirmed this evening, that people in the Netherlands are not extreme, but moderate and appreciate a positive attitude,” she said after her party tweeted a photo of Kaag standing on a table cheering her party’s big gains."
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dutch-prime-minister-powers-to-fourth-straight-election-win-mark-rutte-netherlands-dutch-thierry-baudet-forum-for-democracy-b1818884.html
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421

    ydoethur said:

    Worth noting: if Sturgeon goes that isn't necessarily bad for the SNP in May.

    Remember John Smith for Blair?

    I don’t see an accusation of perjury being equivalent to a popular if slippery figure having a tragic heart attack.
    Yes, but Blair was more popular. The SNP cause is an overwhelming one for its believers.

    A new carrier of the torch might surprise. Or they simply might not care who carries it.
    The latter is more likely. But independence is currently not looking likely in the short term and therefore five years of more poor government under a weak leader isn’t what the SNP need.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 32,586
    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865
    RobD said:

    Leon said:

    On the vaccine slowdown:

    There are about 53 million adults in the UK. If we assume that, to get out of the shit, we need to jab everyone once plus all the vulnerable groups for a second time, that gets us up to 85 million vaccinations.

    As of tonight, 27.6m doses have been administered. Let us be optimistic and assume that we get up to 35m by the end of the month, due to the brief uplift in supply. That leaves 50m to go.

    How long will that take if supply from abroad goes to shit, as looks increasingly likely? IIRC, domestic production is about 2m AZ per week and that assumes nothing else goes wrong (bad batches, low yields, vials running out and everything else.) It could be a long, long wait.

    Novavax, Moderna, Pfizer. The SII in India have said they WILL give us the other 5m AZ in about 4 weeks.

    AZ production in the UK is a lot more than you say, I believe - and will improve

    You are being unduly pessimistic. We've had bad news, but remember we have now done 27.6 MILLION injections; 580,000 - 1% of the adult population - were done just today
    I believe that I'm right on domestic AZ production but stand to be corrected if someone has recent numbers to hand. The Novavax facility on Teesside wasn't due to begin delivery until the second half of the year and that'll probably start out as a piss dribble even if it isn't delayed outright. Everything else comes from abroad so we can't rely on any of it.

    Of course, everything may go wonderfully after April and the Government might be proven right on all its remaining milestones and targets, but from hereon in I won't believe any of it at all until it actually happens. Promises mean nothing.
    Wasn't @MaxPB saying that production had already started for Novavax?
    Not me, Kate Bingham and the Novavax CEO have both said it.
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 10,770
    BBC now resorting to self-confessed criminals to bolster their Meghan coverage.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429
    The finding of the Holyrood committee also vindicates Salmond. Yet AGAIN. An d opens several more cans of tartan worms,

    Every time this has come before a court or a tribunal or a committee, they find that the SNP/Sturgeon lied and Salmond was right

    There could be years more of this. Why should Salmond let it go now, as he is being exonerated in public and his enemy crumbles?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421
    Omnium said:

    BBC now resorting to self-confessed criminals to bolster their Meghan coverage.

    Where did they dig Prince Andrew up?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,380

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,487
    I've backed the Greens for 14+ seats.

    Please come in. That'd be a stonking bet.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,219

    stodge said:

    I was told next Tuesday is a Day of Remembrance for those lost to the coronavirus in the past year.

    This doesn't seem to have been well advertised so far - given there have been 125,000 excess deaths, it's entirely appropriate to take the time, before we concentrate on life, to remember those who won't be there to enjoy it with us.

    I would like to propose that we find some suitable land somewhere to plant a new wood as a memorial to the dead. At one tree per dead, at mature broadleaf tree density, it would be about half the size of Richmond Park - I think the scale would get across well the size of the loss.

    And then, unlike with something that puts an exact number on the dead, the fuzzy numbers involved would represent the inevitable uncertainty in counting the dead.
    Excellent post and a great idea. Hope an MP is reading this.
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,676

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    Correct dont forget lovely Mr Drakeford not so trigger happy with Johnson though
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 8,388

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    Big G's list is longer than that: Macron, Merkel, VDL, Khan, Dick, Williams of Hartlepool (in advance), Sturgeon.

    Only Drakeford is truly safe from the Big G axe. Or is he?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    He also misled Parliament over the return of schools.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,380
    ydoethur said:

    Omnium said:

    BBC now resorting to self-confessed criminals to bolster their Meghan coverage.

    Where did they dig Prince Andrew up?
    Pizza Express, Woking?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429

    Worth noting: if Sturgeon goes that isn't necessarily bad for the SNP in May.

    Can't agree on that one. A good number of SNP voters I've talked to do so primarily because they like and trust Sturgeon. Losing her will be a major blow to the SNP. A leadership contest is also likely to drown the SNP is a sea of bitter in-fighting.

    But I think she'll try to tough it out by claiming to have just made a mistake, no sir, no lies, conspiracy or perjury here. Just a moment of fuzzy brain syndrome. And she may get away with it unless the Hamilton inquiry also finds against her. That would probably be the end.
    Salmond won't let her get away with it. He must be slavering for his final victory now, and it looks like he has all the evidence on his side.

    Remember, he is always there. Cunning, and coldly furious.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421

    ydoethur said:

    Omnium said:

    BBC now resorting to self-confessed criminals to bolster their Meghan coverage.

    Where did they dig Prince Andrew up?
    Pizza Express, Woking?
    Was he having a Magherita or a Hawaiian?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    If we're on the subject of favourite Churches, then can I say this is the kind of Church scene I'd like to see again soon.

    The Unitarian Church in Nottingham, aka Pitcher & Piano
    image

    I am not spiritually minded, but I find a church being repurposed as a pub, vaguely depressing.
    Fair enough, I respect that but respectfully disagree.

    I think its impressive and a much better use for the venue than letting it become derelict or knocking it down.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,380
    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    He also misled Parliament over the return of schools.
    ...and I am yet to see his resignation. I must have missed that
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    edited March 2021

    rcs1000 said:

    As an aside, when I got my vaccine at the LA Dodgers stadium, the staff were chucking used vials into a big trash bin.

    It seems insane, given the worldwide vial shortage, that they binned them rather than recycling them.

    Don't the septics have a different attitude to recycling all round?
    Presumably it was a medical waste container. That should then be handled separately from general waste. In the US, pharmaceutical waste should be in a blue container. Interested to know if it was.

    That would not preclude decontamination/sterilization and subsequent recycling. But there may not be facilities for that, as in general the costs of recycling glass are greater than just making new.
  • Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    You know he hasn't

    And I have no idea if Sturgeon will but the disarray and infighting in the SNP will be something to behold

  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    Brexit is already done. So long as he doesn't pick at the scab (and I'm assuming he won't) then it should make no difference.
  • Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    Big G's list is longer than that: Macron, Merkel, VDL, Khan, Dick, Williams of Hartlepool (in advance), Sturgeon.

    Only Drakeford is truly safe from the Big G axe. Or is he?
    Drakeford is top of the list but no idea who Dick is
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,710
    Interesting Scottish and Welsh by-elections:

    https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1372629773684518916?s=09
  • I suspect Nicola Sturgeon will say it was an inadvertent misleading of Parliament rather than a deliberate misleading.

    A bit like Priti Patel's defence that she inadvertently bullied civil servants rather than deliberately bullied them.

    Both stink, but you can see how Boris Johnson and his government have debased standards in this country.
  • Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    His press release manages to "throw us [Stockton] under the fucking bus" according to a close mutual friend. He isn't wrong either - I am both astonished and entertained that Labour have shit the bed this badly again.

    Imposing a non-local candidate, who was the poster boy for the People's Vote, into Hartlepool where support for the EU was like support for the monkey. What on earth are they thinking? The campaign will keep being pulled back to two issues:
    1. You abandoned your PCC campaign for a better job. What will stop you doing the same here?
    2. You openly and endlessly campaigned for a 2nd referendum. Why did you want to overturn democracy and why do you think the people of Hartlepool are stupid?

    Meanwhile, the Hartlepool councillor and teacher passed over for the MP ticket who is now dropped into the PCC seat will get utterly ignored. No image. No time to build an image. With the Tory saying "Labour care so much about crime that their candidate was taken away at the last minute. They have no interest in the PCC or your terrible issues with crime, look what an appalling job they have done overseeing Cleveland Polis so far".

    Tories will win the Tees Mayoral by a landslide, will win the PCC comfortably now, and will win Hartlepool. Bravo Keith, Bravo.
  • Spurs tie all square
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865
    Leon said:

    The finding of the Holyrood committee also vindicates Salmond. Yet AGAIN. An d opens several more cans of tartan worms,

    Every time this has come before a court or a tribunal or a committee, they find that the SNP/Sturgeon lied and Salmond was right

    There could be years more of this. Why should Salmond let it go now, as he is being exonerated in public and his enemy crumbles?

    I think the last point is what will drag her down so much, Salmond won't stop now, he keeps winning and has no incentive to let sleeping dogs lie. Especially after her testimony and many remarks casting doubt on the verdict in his trial. He's absolutely got the right to keep gunning for her, in his place I'd do the same until she was utterly destroyed.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,380
    Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    He succumbs to Covid and they replace him with Laura Pidcock.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,354
    Stocky said:

    stodge said:

    I was told next Tuesday is a Day of Remembrance for those lost to the coronavirus in the past year.

    This doesn't seem to have been well advertised so far - given there have been 125,000 excess deaths, it's entirely appropriate to take the time, before we concentrate on life, to remember those who won't be there to enjoy it with us.

    I would like to propose that we find some suitable land somewhere to plant a new wood as a memorial to the dead. At one tree per dead, at mature broadleaf tree density, it would be about half the size of Richmond Park - I think the scale would get across well the size of the loss.

    And then, unlike with something that puts an exact number on the dead, the fuzzy numbers involved would represent the inevitable uncertainty in counting the dead.
    Excellent post and a great idea. Hope an MP is reading this.
    Yes - as an additional idea... make it an arboretum. A mono-culture wood is a soulless place.....
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    MattW said:

    5th.

    TOPPING said:

    MattW said:

    Do others have a favourite City Church?

    Having visited them all I probably go for St Vedast-alias-Foster due to the modest Epstein in the Courtyard and All Hallows on the Wall because the ceiling is like a perfect drawing room.

    Hawksmoor's Spitalfields all day long.

    I find the church quite bombastic. Though peal of bells is one of the best to ring in London, and the acoustic is great.

    For Hawksmoor I prefer St Mary Woolnoth, just by the statue of Wotsit Peabody near Bank Station.
    St Dunstan in the West naturally
  • Spurs being Spursy tonight.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 60,487
    FP
    Leon said:

    The finding of the Holyrood committee also vindicates Salmond. Yet AGAIN. An d opens several more cans of tartan worms,

    Every time this has come before a court or a tribunal or a committee, they find that the SNP/Sturgeon lied and Salmond was right

    There could be years more of this. Why should Salmond let it go now, as he is being exonerated in public and his enemy crumbles?

    Salmond will prioritise revenge over Independence.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    You know he hasn't

    And I have no idea if Sturgeon will but the disarray and infighting in the SNP will be something to behold

    9/4 on Sturgeon going this year is VALUE. There are several ways she could go

    She resigns now (unlikely)

    The Hamilton inquiry finds her guilty as well (then she would probably go)

    Hamilton says she's OK, she sticks around but the bad smell lingers, she does badly in May: she goes soon after

    She does well in May but then the SNP hardliners realise she won't push for UDI when Boris says No: she goes then, quite quickly, what's the point in keeping her, as she is splitting the party and is so badly damaged?

    Plus there is the chance of FURTHER allegations or revelations

    I'd say it is maybe more likely than not that she will quit or be pushed this year
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,238
    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    He also misled Parliament over the return of schools.
    You and I both know how this works now.
    "If the public are unhappy, they can make their views known at the appropriate time- the brilliance of British Democracy is that they can fire me, kick me out... in 2024."

    Though the blatantness of the snigger before "2024" does grate a bit.

    (The previous method of political regulation was the Decent Chap Principle- A Decent Chap knows when they've done wrong and goes. The government got round that by not appointing any Decent Chaps, or Decent Chapettes).
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421

    Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    His press release manages to "throw us [Stockton] under the fucking bus" according to a close mutual friend. He isn't wrong either - I am both astonished and entertained that Labour have shit the bed this badly again.

    Imposing a non-local candidate, who was the poster boy for the People's Vote, into Hartlepool where support for the EU was like support for the monkey. What on earth are they thinking? The campaign will keep being pulled back to two issues:
    1. You abandoned your PCC campaign for a better job. What will stop you doing the same here?
    2. You openly and endlessly campaigned for a 2nd referendum. Why did you want to overturn democracy and why do you think the people of Hartlepool are stupid?
    Remind me, how many times did they vote for Mandelson?
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,710

    If we're on the subject of favourite Churches, then can I say this is the kind of Church scene I'd like to see again soon.

    The Unitarian Church in Nottingham, aka Pitcher & Piano
    image

    I am not spiritually minded, but I find a church being repurposed as a pub, vaguely depressing.
    Fair enough, I respect that but respectfully disagree.

    I think its impressive and a much better use for the venue than letting it become derelict or knocking it down.
    Once it is deconsecrated, it is just a steeplehouse. A Church is a congregation or it is nothing.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    fpt

    "Do others have a favourite City Church?

    Having visited them all I probably go for St Vedast-alias-Foster due to the modest Epstein in the Courtyard and All Hallows on the Wall because the ceiling is like a perfect drawing room."


    Like Topping I'd go for Hawksmoor's Christ Church, Spitalfields. Possibly my favourite church in the world, not just London. But is it in the City, technically? I think not


    So I'd go for either St Brides, Fleet St (Roman foundations in the cellar!), St Stephen Walbrook - Wrenaissance perfection - or St Bartholomew the Great - medieval and picturesque

    https://www.themontcalm.com/blog/a-look-at-christ-church-spitalfields/

    https://ststephenwalbrook.net/tag/church-design/

    https://regentclassicorgans.com/st-bartholomew-the-great/

    St Brides is also right next to Goldman Sachs
    Goldmans has moved.

    But did you see their analyst PowerPoint today?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,380

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    Big G's list is longer than that: Macron, Merkel, VDL, Khan, Dick, Williams of Hartlepool (in advance), Sturgeon.

    Only Drakeford is truly safe from the Big G axe. Or is he?
    Drakeford is top of the list but no idea who Dick is
    Dame Cressida (De Menenez) Dick.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,598
    edited March 2021
    Leon said:

    Worth noting: if Sturgeon goes that isn't necessarily bad for the SNP in May.

    Remember John Smith for Blair?

    It's now bad either way for the SNP.

    If she stays, that looks extremely awkward, and it will dog her through the campaign; the SNP must surely lose votes. Maybe not many, but enough to nix a majority.

    If she goes, that looks just as bad, if not worse. Proven corruption, a scene of chaos, and she's their best politician, albeit now severely tarnished. Who can replace her?

    My guess is she will try and tough it out but it will cause collateral damage for her party
    I also firmly believe that the antics of the EU will play badly with soft-Indies. "Really? You want us to go through the uncertainty and upheaval of leaving the UK - to sign up with THEM?"
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    Charles said:

    MattW said:

    5th.

    TOPPING said:

    MattW said:

    Do others have a favourite City Church?

    Having visited them all I probably go for St Vedast-alias-Foster due to the modest Epstein in the Courtyard and All Hallows on the Wall because the ceiling is like a perfect drawing room.

    Hawksmoor's Spitalfields all day long.

    I find the church quite bombastic. Though peal of bells is one of the best to ring in London, and the acoustic is great.

    For Hawksmoor I prefer St Mary Woolnoth, just by the statue of Wotsit Peabody near Bank Station.
    St Dunstan in the West naturally
    I hadn't thought of you as being of Romanian Orthodox faith.
  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905

    Leon said:
    Just Paris? Prepare for the exodus...
    Definiton of insanity and all that....which bit of regional lockdowns don't really work do they not get, certainly not town or city based ones unless you are literally going to cut them off from the world like wuhan.
    Macron is desperate to avoid tumbling backwards into another national lockdown. The curfew was meant to stop it, then local weekend lockdowns, and now imprisoning Paris (though allowing just enough time for half the population to run away and spread the disease everywhere else first.) This latest roll of the dice might work, but I think everyone will be surprised if it does.
  • Leon said:

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    You know he hasn't

    And I have no idea if Sturgeon will but the disarray and infighting in the SNP will be something to behold

    9/4 on Sturgeon going this year is VALUE. There are several ways she could go

    She resigns now (unlikely)

    The Hamilton inquiry finds her guilty as well (then she would probably go)

    Hamilton says she's OK, she sticks around but the bad smell lingers, she does badly in May: she goes soon after

    She does well in May but then the SNP hardliners realise she won't push for UDI when Boris says No: she goes then, quite quickly, what's the point in keeping her, as she is splitting the party and is so badly damaged?

    Plus there is the chance of FURTHER allegations or revelations

    I'd say it is maybe more likely than not that she will quit or be pushed this year
    Good assessment
  • maaarshmaaarsh Posts: 3,590
    Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    yeah, but he's a doctor, which I'm sure will help when he has to explain why he was so vocal about us staying in the EMA and not going our own way on vaccines...
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 17,238

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    Big G's list is longer than that: Macron, Merkel, VDL, Khan, Dick, Williams of Hartlepool (in advance), Sturgeon.

    Only Drakeford is truly safe from the Big G axe. Or is he?
    Drakeford is top of the list but no idea who Dick is
    Cressida D rather than D Whittington, I suspect.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 4,671
    edited March 2021

    Stocky said:

    stodge said:

    I was told next Tuesday is a Day of Remembrance for those lost to the coronavirus in the past year.

    This doesn't seem to have been well advertised so far - given there have been 125,000 excess deaths, it's entirely appropriate to take the time, before we concentrate on life, to remember those who won't be there to enjoy it with us.

    I would like to propose that we find some suitable land somewhere to plant a new wood as a memorial to the dead. At one tree per dead, at mature broadleaf tree density, it would be about half the size of Richmond Park - I think the scale would get across well the size of the loss.

    And then, unlike with something that puts an exact number on the dead, the fuzzy numbers involved would represent the inevitable uncertainty in counting the dead.
    Excellent post and a great idea. Hope an MP is reading this.
    Yes - as an additional idea... make it an arboretum. A mono-culture wood is a soulless place.....
    A woodland with a mix of species and plenty of rides / space between the trees would be fine - it doesn't have to be an arboretum. But where?

    A single location that only a handful of people can visit doesn't really do much.

    Split the numbers to regional or local woodlands?

    Good idea though.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421

    I suspect Nicola Sturgeon will say it was an inadvertent misleading of Parliament rather than a deliberate misleading.

    A bit like Priti Patel's defence that she inadvertently bullied civil servants rather than deliberately bullied them.

    Both stink, but you can see how Boris Johnson and his government have debased standards in this country.

    Boris Johnson has one priceless advantage, and that is a large majority made up mostly of lobby fodder.

    Sturgeon does not have a majority. She seems unlikely to get one now.

    The Greens are critical. If they say they will support an SNP administration but only if she stands down, it is over.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,176

    I suspect Nicola Sturgeon will say it was an inadvertent misleading of Parliament rather than a deliberate misleading.

    A bit like Priti Patel's defence that she inadvertently bullied civil servants rather than deliberately bullied them.

    Both stink, but you can see how Boris Johnson and his government have debased standards in this country.

    Not that I think Patel should have been allowed to stay, but I think the situation is more serious for Sturgeon because the evidence (or covering up of evidence) has been available for all of us to see.

    The Patel case is more dubious because it ultimately comes down to a view of someone's behaviour. We all will have different views on what is and what isn't acceptable.
  • ChameleonChameleon Posts: 4,264

    Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    Brexit is already done. So long as he doesn't pick at the scab (and I'm assuming he won't) then it should make no difference.
    He won't be the one in control of whether the scab is picked though. And the people who are will be feeling *very* itchy.
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,676
    edited March 2021
    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    He also misled Parliament over the return of schools.
    and on Child poverty

    and on the way Labour voted against the NHS Funding Bill

    and countless other occasions

    Not a peep from the aforesaid poster
  • Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    Big G's list is longer than that: Macron, Merkel, VDL, Khan, Dick, Williams of Hartlepool (in advance), Sturgeon.

    Only Drakeford is truly safe from the Big G axe. Or is he?
    Drakeford is top of the list but no idea who Dick is
    Dame Cressida (De Menenez) Dick.
    Many agree she should go
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429
    edited March 2021
    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    The finding of the Holyrood committee also vindicates Salmond. Yet AGAIN. An d opens several more cans of tartan worms,

    Every time this has come before a court or a tribunal or a committee, they find that the SNP/Sturgeon lied and Salmond was right

    There could be years more of this. Why should Salmond let it go now, as he is being exonerated in public and his enemy crumbles?

    I think the last point is what will drag her down so much, Salmond won't stop now, he keeps winning and has no incentive to let sleeping dogs lie. Especially after her testimony and many remarks casting doubt on the verdict in his trial. He's absolutely got the right to keep gunning for her, in his place I'd do the same until she was utterly destroyed.
    Yep, me too. And he is good at this brutal stuff. And he burns with righteous fury (as you would in his position)

    At some point the SNP will realise that this isn't going away until Sturgeon and her delightful husband have gone away, and for all her incredibly tenacious popularity, she is damaging the ultimate cause. That's when she goes (if it's not any of the other times I've already outlined!)
  • Legendary modesty klaxon.

    https://twitter.com/TSEofPB/status/1371055295884095488

    Now 7/2 and 20/1 respectively.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,876

    Leon said:

    Worth noting: if Sturgeon goes that isn't necessarily bad for the SNP in May.

    Remember John Smith for Blair?

    It's now bad either way for the SNP.

    If she stays, that looks extremely awkward, and it will dog her through the campaign; the SNP must surely lose votes. Maybe not many, but enough to nix a majority.

    If she goes, that looks just as bad, if not worse. Proven corruption, a scene of chaos, and she's their best politician, albeit now severely tarnished. Who can replace her?

    My guess is she will try and tough it out but it will cause collateral damage for her party
    I also firmly believe that the antics of the EU will play badly with soft-Indies. "Really? You want us to go through the uncertainty and upheaval of leaving the UK - to sign up with THEM?"
    I think the eu has landed itself in trouble, it has stamped its feet and screamed and most countries outside have basically just shook their heads and ignored it. It has shown itself to have a lot less heft and weight in world affairs than it believed.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    IanB2 said:

    Also St Bartholomew the Great, near to a hospital where I have spent far too much time, for the facade of its gatehouse which was revealed by surprise when a German airship dropped a bomb on it during WW1

    But the statue of Henry has a very striking codpiece
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,725
    Oh Dear Nicola.. oncoming ordure...
  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    Scott_xP said:
    Doubly so in Scotland because everyone knows which party will win the election before it is held.

    The likelihood of the SNP losing is zero, so their Parliamentarians also have zero incentive to remove Sturgeon. It might now take the continued (and guaranteed) support of the sock puppets to keep her in office again, but Sturgeon will be back as First Minister. All these inquiries are an irrelevance.
  • maaarshmaaarsh Posts: 3,590
    Charles said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    fpt

    "Do others have a favourite City Church?

    Having visited them all I probably go for St Vedast-alias-Foster due to the modest Epstein in the Courtyard and All Hallows on the Wall because the ceiling is like a perfect drawing room."


    Like Topping I'd go for Hawksmoor's Christ Church, Spitalfields. Possibly my favourite church in the world, not just London. But is it in the City, technically? I think not


    So I'd go for either St Brides, Fleet St (Roman foundations in the cellar!), St Stephen Walbrook - Wrenaissance perfection - or St Bartholomew the Great - medieval and picturesque

    https://www.themontcalm.com/blog/a-look-at-christ-church-spitalfields/

    https://ststephenwalbrook.net/tag/church-design/

    https://regentclassicorgans.com/st-bartholomew-the-great/

    St Brides is also right next to Goldman Sachs
    Goldmans has moved.

    But did you see their analyst PowerPoint today?
    They've moved about 50 yards
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    He also misled Parliament over the return of schools.
    You and I both know how this works now.
    "If the public are unhappy, they can make their views known at the appropriate time- the brilliance of British Democracy is that they can fire me, kick me out... in 2024."

    Though the blatantness of the snigger before "2024" does grate a bit.

    (The previous method of political regulation was the Decent Chap Principle- A Decent Chap knows when they've done wrong and goes. The government got round that by not appointing any Decent Chaps, or Decent Chapettes).
    One thing recent years have shown is we need a proper process of impeachment.

    It wouldn’t be easy to set one up, but at the moment these bastards are pretty well literally getting away with murder.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429
    Scott_xP said:
    Of course she would say that, but the arrogant tone is breathtaking
  • tlg86 said:

    I suspect Nicola Sturgeon will say it was an inadvertent misleading of Parliament rather than a deliberate misleading.

    A bit like Priti Patel's defence that she inadvertently bullied civil servants rather than deliberately bullied them.

    Both stink, but you can see how Boris Johnson and his government have debased standards in this country.

    Not that I think Patel should have been allowed to stay, but I think the situation is more serious for Sturgeon because the evidence (or covering up of evidence) has been available for all of us to see.

    The Patel case is more dubious because it ultimately comes down to a view of someone's behaviour. We all will have different views on what is and what isn't acceptable.
    Dubious? The government, well rather you and I paid out £340,000 for that thing you say is dubious.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56281781
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421
    Floater said:
    Agreed. How would Biden win a mass debate against the world’s greatest tosser?
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207
    NEXT Wednesday? take your time lads, no hurry


    https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1372626302268768258
  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    He also misled Parliament over the return of schools.
    You and I both know how this works now.
    "If the public are unhappy, they can make their views known at the appropriate time- the brilliance of British Democracy is that they can fire me, kick me out... in 2024."

    Though the blatantness of the snigger before "2024" does grate a bit.

    (The previous method of political regulation was the Decent Chap Principle- A Decent Chap knows when they've done wrong and goes. The government got round that by not appointing any Decent Chaps, or Decent Chapettes).
    One thing recent years have shown is we need a proper process of impeachment.

    It wouldn’t be easy to set one up, but at the moment these bastards are pretty well literally getting away with murder.
    Donald says hi!
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,100
    edited March 2021

    Scott_xP said:
    Doubly so in Scotland because everyone knows which party will win the election before it is held.

    The likelihood of the SNP losing is zero, so their Parliamentarians also have zero incentive to remove Sturgeon. It might now take the continued (and guaranteed) support of the sock puppets to keep her in office again, but Sturgeon will be back as First Minister. All these inquiries are an irrelevance.
    I disagree and expect this will see her out of office in 2021

    I would also suggest the Greens may want to keep their distance from Sturgeon
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    You surely know I have a huge interest in Scotland and am pro the union

    And many are calling for the useless UVDL to go
    A Judge recently ruled that Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Covid contracts.

    Did Boris Johnson resign?
    He also misled Parliament over the return of schools.
    You and I both know how this works now.
    "If the public are unhappy, they can make their views known at the appropriate time- the brilliance of British Democracy is that they can fire me, kick me out... in 2024."

    Though the blatantness of the snigger before "2024" does grate a bit.

    (The previous method of political regulation was the Decent Chap Principle- A Decent Chap knows when they've done wrong and goes. The government got round that by not appointing any Decent Chaps, or Decent Chapettes).
    One thing recent years have shown is we need a proper process of impeachment.

    It wouldn’t be easy to set one up, but at the moment these bastards are pretty well literally getting away with murder.
    Donald says hi!
    I said ‘proper,’ which lets the USA’s system out on the fly.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,598
    ydoethur said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    His press release manages to "throw us [Stockton] under the fucking bus" according to a close mutual friend. He isn't wrong either - I am both astonished and entertained that Labour have shit the bed this badly again.

    Imposing a non-local candidate, who was the poster boy for the People's Vote, into Hartlepool where support for the EU was like support for the monkey. What on earth are they thinking? The campaign will keep being pulled back to two issues:
    1. You abandoned your PCC campaign for a better job. What will stop you doing the same here?
    2. You openly and endlessly campaigned for a 2nd referendum. Why did you want to overturn democracy and why do you think the people of Hartlepool are stupid?
    Remind me, how many times did they vote for Mandelson?
    Do you think they would have voted for him in 2019?

    Different world now.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Of course she would say that, but the arrogant tone is breathtaking
    The tone is not only arrogant, it's also bristly and defensive. She must be very rattled.
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 22,676

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    This is a biggie - make no mistake

    Scotland has just entered uncharted territory
    Blimey BigG.is there no news from which you don't demand the defenestration of an opponent of this Government? It was Khan at the weekend, UVDL earlier today and now Nippy.
    Big G's list is longer than that: Macron, Merkel, VDL, Khan, Dick, Williams of Hartlepool (in advance), Sturgeon.

    Only Drakeford is truly safe from the Big G axe. Or is he?
    Drakeford is top of the list but no idea who Dick is
    Dame Cressida (De Menenez) Dick.
    She was definitely on BigGs list

    Now he claims not to even know her
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,752
    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    The finding of the Holyrood committee also vindicates Salmond. Yet AGAIN. An d opens several more cans of tartan worms,

    Every time this has come before a court or a tribunal or a committee, they find that the SNP/Sturgeon lied and Salmond was right

    There could be years more of this. Why should Salmond let it go now, as he is being exonerated in public and his enemy crumbles?

    I think the last point is what will drag her down so much, Salmond won't stop now, he keeps winning and has no incentive to let sleeping dogs lie. Especially after her testimony and many remarks casting doubt on the verdict in his trial. He's absolutely got the right to keep gunning for her, in his place I'd do the same until she was utterly destroyed.
    Yep, me too. And he is good at this brutal stuff. And he burns with righteous fury (as you would in his position)

    At some point the SNP will realise that this isn't going away until Sturgeon and her delightful husband have gone away, and for all her incredibly tenacious popularity, she is damaging the ultimate cause. That's when she goes (if it's not any of the other times I've already outlined!)
    The thing I find strange is the extraordinarily contemptuous and aggressive tone she uses whenever referring to Salmond. Seems to be provoking him (not that he needs provoking, mind).
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,176

    tlg86 said:

    I suspect Nicola Sturgeon will say it was an inadvertent misleading of Parliament rather than a deliberate misleading.

    A bit like Priti Patel's defence that she inadvertently bullied civil servants rather than deliberately bullied them.

    Both stink, but you can see how Boris Johnson and his government have debased standards in this country.

    Not that I think Patel should have been allowed to stay, but I think the situation is more serious for Sturgeon because the evidence (or covering up of evidence) has been available for all of us to see.

    The Patel case is more dubious because it ultimately comes down to a view of someone's behaviour. We all will have different views on what is and what isn't acceptable.
    Dubious? The government, well rather you and I paid out £340,000 for that thing you say is dubious.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56281781
    Standard practice. Too bad none of the principled civil servants went after Gordon Brown.
  • maaarshmaaarsh Posts: 3,590

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Of course she would say that, but the arrogant tone is breathtaking
    The tone is not only arrogant, it's also bristly and defensive. She must be very rattled.
    I thought the bullying, aggressive tone was more or less her house style rather than a reflection of circumstances.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Of course she would say that, but the arrogant tone is breathtaking
    The tone is not only arrogant, it's also bristly and defensive. She must be very rattled.
    Yes, if she was saying it live on air she'd blinking at a rate of 60 blinks per second.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,380
    edited March 2021
    Floater said:
    Putin as the GOP candidate for 2024, wow! I know he owned Trump, but going for it himself is ballsy!

    Mind you, he would need to use Obama's birth certificate (alleged) forger to get on the ticket.
  • Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    Chameleon said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Labour has just selected one of their most pro-Remain former MPs to stand in a constituency that voted 70% Leave, in the shape of Paul Williams.

    What could possibly go wrong...

    Brexit is already done. So long as he doesn't pick at the scab (and I'm assuming he won't) then it should make no difference.
    He won't be the one in control of whether the scab is picked though. And the people who are will be feeling *very* itchy.
    Any shouting by the usual suspects, especially given the circumstances (low turnout by-election in the middle of a plague) will go mostly unheard by a mostly disinterested electorate. Labour hold.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,126

    I'm not attached to the districts, but I am to the counties.

    I'd only support it if, say, Hampshire County Council became the unitary.

    Problem is it is fair that some counties, in themselves, probably are too big for single unitaries, but then you get into weird divisions of untiaries. Wiltshire and Swindon(Wiltshire) makes pretty decent sense, but others somewhat less so.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 71,421
    @TSE

    Couple of questions I was wondering if you knew the answer to:

    1) What time do vaccination centres open until?

    2) Is there any sort of protocol/procedure for people turning up and asking if there’s any spare vaccine they could have?

    If you don’t know, no worries, was just a thought.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429

    Leon said:

    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    The finding of the Holyrood committee also vindicates Salmond. Yet AGAIN. An d opens several more cans of tartan worms,

    Every time this has come before a court or a tribunal or a committee, they find that the SNP/Sturgeon lied and Salmond was right

    There could be years more of this. Why should Salmond let it go now, as he is being exonerated in public and his enemy crumbles?

    I think the last point is what will drag her down so much, Salmond won't stop now, he keeps winning and has no incentive to let sleeping dogs lie. Especially after her testimony and many remarks casting doubt on the verdict in his trial. He's absolutely got the right to keep gunning for her, in his place I'd do the same until she was utterly destroyed.
    Yep, me too. And he is good at this brutal stuff. And he burns with righteous fury (as you would in his position)

    At some point the SNP will realise that this isn't going away until Sturgeon and her delightful husband have gone away, and for all her incredibly tenacious popularity, she is damaging the ultimate cause. That's when she goes (if it's not any of the other times I've already outlined!)
    The thing I find strange is the extraordinarily contemptuous and aggressive tone she uses whenever referring to Salmond. Seems to be provoking him (not that he needs provoking, mind).
    They REALLY hate each other. And she lets that unbalance her (perhaps that is the root of all her troubles). Her constant snide hints that he's really guilty were quite pointless, and must have riled him all the more.

    He will never leave this alone until either she is vanquished, or he is dead.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,080
    edited March 2021

    Leon said:
    Just Paris? Prepare for the exodus...
    Definiton of insanity and all that....which bit of regional lockdowns don't really work do they not get, certainly not town or city based ones unless you are literally going to cut them off from the world like wuhan.
    Macron is desperate to avoid tumbling backwards into another national lockdown. The curfew was meant to stop it, then local weekend lockdowns, and now imprisoning Paris (though allowing just enough time for half the population to run away and spread the disease everywhere else first.) This latest roll of the dice might work, but I think everyone will be surprised if it does.
    The key lesson about dealing with covid is trying the the diet option and hoping for the best doesn't work. You need lockdown early and hard and for a significant period.
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,752

    Scott_xP said:
    Doubly so in Scotland because everyone knows which party will win the election before it is held.

    The likelihood of the SNP losing is zero, so their Parliamentarians also have zero incentive to remove Sturgeon. It might now take the continued (and guaranteed) support of the sock puppets to keep her in office again, but Sturgeon will be back as First Minister. All these inquiries are an irrelevance.
    They won't lose, in the sense of being by some margin the largest party. But they may well fail to secure a majority, which will make it easier for Boris to refuse IndRef2 or, worse still, lose the existing pro-Indy majority (SNP + Green) which would kybosh it completely and probably lead to her leaving office.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    maaarsh said:

    Leon said:

    Scott_xP said:
    Of course she would say that, but the arrogant tone is breathtaking
    The tone is not only arrogant, it's also bristly and defensive. She must be very rattled.
    I thought the bullying, aggressive tone was more or less her house style rather than a reflection of circumstances.
    True, good point.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,126

    Leon said:
    Johnson does it most weeks

    No biggie
    Well yeah, but him doing it doesn't make it ok for people who would like to claim they are better than him.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 82,080
    Floater said:
    Debate bout what?
This discussion has been closed.