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Alex Salmond looks set to do a lot better amongst Scottish men than women – politicalbetting.com

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Comments

  • MaxPB said:
    So that's our Autumn booster stock sorted then?
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 21,298
    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That Daily Mail teacher story is appalling

    This is the teacher's father talking:

    'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed. '

    Does anyone know why he was stupid enough to present the cartoons?

    I would not, for example, be taking St Aloysius Girls Year 10 to see “Piss Christ” at the local art gallery.

    Of course one deplores the insane local “community”, and one feels immense pity he may now need to live anonymously, but the
    teacher seems to have been an idiot.
    Read the bloody article

    "However, his father fumed: 'The school has thrown my son under a bus. The lesson that he delivered in which the picture of the Prophet Muhammad was shown was part of the curriculum, it had been approved by the school. Other teachers have done exactly the same thing.

    "'So why is my son being victimised like this? The school should have come out fighting for him and made it clear to the protestors that if offence was caused, then it was not my son's fault. It was the school's policy to show this picture, it wasn't an individual decision made by him.'"
    Ah. I withdraw.

    In which case, the man and family need the full support of the state; the school should immediately be placed in special measures; and the local “protesters” arrested for making death threats.

    But I am not sure this is about “freedom of speech” as much as standing against hate.
    It is definitely about freedom of speech. What amounts to is

    "You have the freedom to say x because of freedom of speech, however don't actually ever say x because you might offend people"

    This is a bit like the queens ability to block legislation. In theory she has it the moment she tries to use it then it will be removed.
    No.

    Teachers (or schools) do not have the right, and certainly not the imperative, to say anything they like.

    There is no “right” to inflame local nutters.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    Nepotism? Or are they not related?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,355
    England CFR

    image
    image
  • Nepotism? Or are they not related?
    Unrelated.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    Leon said:

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    She almost starts blubbing here

    https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1376557932939206659?s=20

    What's the reason, tho? America seems to be plateauing, if anything, rather than riding a new wave...
    Lockdowns are being eased a little too soon. Maryland is easing restrictions for restaurants and businesses and schools are back in-person, even though only about 30% are vaccinated. So new infections are creeping up. And that is before Kent or Brazil or Saffa variants have hit big time.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,453

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    Hurrah.
    Thanks.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,350

    I am struggling to see how Alba make a notable enough breakthrough in the polling to have much of an impact on anyone.

    Salmond looks like someone’s dead uncle, not the leader of a new independence movement.

    I picking them to get 4%, taking half their support from the SNP, and 1% each from the Greens and the Tories.

    I can assure you that Salmond won't be taking any votes from the Tories!
    I am thinking that maybe 1% of the population are a bit indy, but alienated enough by SNP wokery to have voted Tory.

    There seems to have been one or two on here.
    He doesn't need Tory votes , if he gets the SNP list votes there will be few if any Tories.
  • MaxPB said:
    Isn't that the same company who is stalling on signing an EU contract
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited March 2021

    MaxPB said:
    So that's our Autumn booster stock sorted then?
    Yep. The way things are going, the UK will be starting its mutant-zapping 2.0 booster shots before the EU has finished the first round of jabbing its reluctant populations.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,692
    Leon said:

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    She almost starts blubbing here

    https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1376557932939206659?s=20

    What's the reason, tho? America seems to be plateauing, if anything, rather than riding a new wave...
    They still have a lot of cases, and people in some states are acting like it's all over. I think it's quite likely they'll end up with a per capita death rate above ours.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877

    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That Daily Mail teacher story is appalling

    This is the teacher's father talking:

    'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed. '

    Does anyone know why he was stupid enough to present the cartoons?

    I would not, for example, be taking St Aloysius Girls Year 10 to see “Piss Christ” at the local art gallery.

    Of course one deplores the insane local “community”, and one feels immense pity he may now need to live anonymously, but the
    teacher seems to have been an idiot.
    Read the bloody article

    "However, his father fumed: 'The school has thrown my son under a bus. The lesson that he delivered in which the picture of the Prophet Muhammad was shown was part of the curriculum, it had been approved by the school. Other teachers have done exactly the same thing.

    "'So why is my son being victimised like this? The school should have come out fighting for him and made it clear to the protestors that if offence was caused, then it was not my son's fault. It was the school's policy to show this picture, it wasn't an individual decision made by him.'"
    Ah. I withdraw.

    In which case, the man and family need the full support of the state; the school should immediately be placed in special measures; and the local “protesters” arrested for making death threats.

    But I am not sure this is about “freedom of speech” as much as standing against hate.
    It is definitely about freedom of speech. What amounts to is

    "You have the freedom to say x because of freedom of speech, however don't actually ever say x because you might offend people"

    This is a bit like the queens ability to block legislation. In theory she has it the moment she tries to use it then it will be removed.
    No.

    Teachers (or schools) do not have the right, and certainly not the imperative, to say anything they like.

    There is no “right” to inflame local nutters.
    There is no right for local nutters to utter death threats on some one saying something legal that was also on the school curriculum. It is noticeable though that you are on the side of local nutters
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,350

    Salmond's strategy seems - unfortunately for the Unionist side - to be more and more inspired. He's going to target the Unwoke Indies, who want to leave the UK but can't stand Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's woke identitarianism, the Hate Crime Bill, and so on. And if he can get more MSPs on the pro-independence side while making himself its kingmaker, well then, his cup runneth over...

    Its also quite clever as the Greens weren't associated with Indy even if they were technically pro-Indy. So when the SNP failed to get a majority it was portrayed as an Indy failure, not an Indy majority.

    Alba like SNP are going to be 100% perceived as pro-Indy. If they replace the Greens let alone take list seats from unionists, that all but guarantees not just an Indy majority in Holyrood, but a perceived Indy majority.
    They are in fact more Indy than the SNP, the leadership at least.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,350

    I am struggling to see how Alba make a notable enough breakthrough in the polling to have much of an impact on anyone.

    Salmond looks like someone’s dead uncle, not the leader of a new independence movement.

    I picking them to get 4%, taking half their support from the SNP, and 1% each from the Greens and the Tories.

    Scotch expert Klaxon
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,211

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    Are you now a merry old soul ? :smile:
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    28% of Americans have been vaccinated, 45% of Brits have been.

    When Israel unlocked less than 40% of Israelis had been.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865

    MaxPB said:
    So that's our Autumn booster stock sorted then?
    No, under 50s stock for April and May. The vaccines substance is already in production, it needs to be filled and finished which shouldn't take very long for the first doses to get into arms now.
  • Andy_CookeAndy_Cooke Posts: 5,005

    England CFR

    image
    image

    If the SIREN data reductions in cases, hospitalisations, and fatalities holds up, the blue line should stabilise at around 12-13% until second doses start to kick in to bring it down further, probably in about two or three weeks from now; the orange line at 7-8% (from now-ish onwards until it, too starts to come down further after second doses), and the grey line at around 3% (in a couple of weeks when the over 65s have all had 3-5 weeks since first dose completion.)

  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    Hurrah.
    Thanks.
    Enjoy OKC - we are seeing our oldest lad for first time in a year next weekend

  • TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,454
    malcolmg said:

    I am struggling to see how Alba make a notable enough breakthrough in the polling to have much of an impact on anyone.

    Salmond looks like someone’s dead uncle, not the leader of a new independence movement.

    I picking them to get 4%, taking half their support from the SNP, and 1% each from the Greens and the Tories.

    Scotch expert Klaxon
    What % of the list vote do you expect them to get, Malcolm? I know you have been broadly supporting of Salmond so far.
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877
    Nigelb said:

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    Are you now a merry old soul ? :smile:
    You can't say that because you might be misgendering as the next line is "and a merry old soul was he" Old king cole has never claimed not to be a she or they or other pronoun
  • Andy_CookeAndy_Cooke Posts: 5,005

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    28% of Americans have been vaccinated, 45% of Brits have been.

    When Israel unlocked less than 40% of Israelis had been.
    One or two doses?
  • sarissasarissa Posts: 1,993

    tlg86 said:

    His ratings really are terrible, but I suppose he only needs the support of a small percentage to potentially hold the balance of power.

    If he gets 10% on the list (two-thirds of those who give him a positive rating) then that will be enough to give him the balance of power - unless the SNP manage to win a majority in the constituencies alone, or they somehow tumble to losing at least a dozen constituency seats.

    I'd expect most of those favourable to him would be independence supporters, and willing to vote for him for the super majority.
    10% is, apparently, the figure Alba need to do more good than harm to the pro-Independence cause. I doubt they will do that well. They could do harm to the Greens who are certainly not happy with this development.
    If Alba's support comes exclusively from the SNP, 6-6.5% vote share (14-15% of the present SNP share) will be enough - after all, the SNP have only 4 seats to lose. If say 20% of its support comes from the greens (unlikely IMO) then yes, 8-10 % vote share is probably needed.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:
    So that's our Autumn booster stock sorted then?
    No, under 50s stock for April and May. The vaccines substance is already in production, it needs to be filled and finished which shouldn't take very long for the first doses to get into arms now.
    Has it bee OKed for use yet?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    malcolmg said:

    Salmond's strategy seems - unfortunately for the Unionist side - to be more and more inspired. He's going to target the Unwoke Indies, who want to leave the UK but can't stand Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's woke identitarianism, the Hate Crime Bill, and so on. And if he can get more MSPs on the pro-independence side while making himself its kingmaker, well then, his cup runneth over...

    Its also quite clever as the Greens weren't associated with Indy even if they were technically pro-Indy. So when the SNP failed to get a majority it was portrayed as an Indy failure, not an Indy majority.

    Alba like SNP are going to be 100% perceived as pro-Indy. If they replace the Greens let alone take list seats from unionists, that all but guarantees not just an Indy majority in Holyrood, but a perceived Indy majority.
    They are in fact more Indy than the SNP, the leadership at least.
    Precisely.

    An SNP+Green majority was viewed as an SNP failure.

    An SNP+Alba majority will be a pro-Indy supermajority.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865
    edited March 2021

    MaxPB said:
    Isn't that the same company who is stalling on signing an EU contract
    Yes, the very same.

    MaxPB said:
    So that's our Autumn booster stock sorted then?
    Yep. The way things are going, the UK will be starting its mutant-zapping 2.0 booster shots before the EU has finished the first round of jabbing its reluctant populations.
    I think it's for short term delivery and this decision has been made to avoid shipping the doses into the EU. Using existing GSK facilities should also mean a fairly short ramp up.

    Our variant buster is probably going to come from CureVac and AZ.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Amazing how strict with shielding people on here’s parents have been. My Dad is 74, had cancer and sepsis in Winter 2019 and has been doing his gardening round, and doing up my flat for the last two months, whilst babysitting his grandson theee times a week in the afternoon. My mum, same age, has worked in the local chemist throughout the whole kaboodle
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    Pagan2 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    Are you now a merry old soul ? :smile:
    You can't say that because you might be misgendering as the next line is "and a merry old soul was he" Old king cole has never claimed not to be a she or they or other pronoun
    I think "King" is a bit of a hint though.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,101

    malcolmg said:

    Salmond's strategy seems - unfortunately for the Unionist side - to be more and more inspired. He's going to target the Unwoke Indies, who want to leave the UK but can't stand Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's woke identitarianism, the Hate Crime Bill, and so on. And if he can get more MSPs on the pro-independence side while making himself its kingmaker, well then, his cup runneth over...

    Its also quite clever as the Greens weren't associated with Indy even if they were technically pro-Indy. So when the SNP failed to get a majority it was portrayed as an Indy failure, not an Indy majority.

    Alba like SNP are going to be 100% perceived as pro-Indy. If they replace the Greens let alone take list seats from unionists, that all but guarantees not just an Indy majority in Holyrood, but a perceived Indy majority.
    They are in fact more Indy than the SNP, the leadership at least.
    Precisely.

    An SNP+Green majority was viewed as an SNP failure.

    An SNP+Alba majority will be a pro-Indy supermajority.
    An SNP+Alba majority would not be an SNP majority, so when Boris refuses indyref2 (Unionist parties combined having still likely at least won a majority of votes even if not seats) he would just let Sturgeon and Salmond tear each other apart over what to do next
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    28% of Americans have been vaccinated, 45% of Brits have been.

    When Israel unlocked less than 40% of Israelis had been.
    One or two doses?
    Does it matter? One dose is 85% effective at preventing death, 80% at preventing hospitalisation. We are clearly further ahead of where Israel was when they lifted lockdown and miles ahead of the USA.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429
    lol

    That's EXACTLY how I felt on Primrose Hill about an hour ago. It's like a free festival up there, a tremendous sense of liberation in the first real warm sun, after this apocalyptic winter. Like Narnia being unfrozen

    When I came down from the hill onto Regent's Park Road and the shops and cafes, a little girl said, with an astonished voice, to her father, "Daddy, everyone's out!"

    Exactly right. Everyone's out.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    28% of Americans have been vaccinated, 45% of Brits have been.

    When Israel unlocked less than 40% of Israelis had been.
    One or two doses?
    Short gap between the two, so not as big a difference as in the UK. Montgomery Co, MD is at 30.4%/16.0% for 1/2
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,453
    Nigelb said:

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    Are you now a merry old soul ? :smile:
    Well, my wife is a very happy Grannie!
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,211
    Pagan2 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    Are you now a merry old soul ? :smile:
    You can't say that because you might be misgendering as the next line is "and a merry old soul was he" Old king cole has never claimed not to be a she or they or other pronoun
    I feel 'king' might be a clue, though.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,227
    edited March 2021
    Do the French have a fruitcake factory? This was just yesterday from the Internal Market Commissioner:

    Vaccination: "The British are totally dependent on us", assures Thierry Breton

    As long as AstraZeneca doesn’t make good on its obligations everything that’s produced on European soil is distributed to Europeans


    https://www.lci.fr/sante/europe-vs-astrazeneca-vaccination-les-britanniques-sont-totalement-dependants-de-nous-assure-thierry-breton-2181950.html
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,468
    edited March 2021
    HYUFD said:

    malcolmg said:

    Salmond's strategy seems - unfortunately for the Unionist side - to be more and more inspired. He's going to target the Unwoke Indies, who want to leave the UK but can't stand Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's woke identitarianism, the Hate Crime Bill, and so on. And if he can get more MSPs on the pro-independence side while making himself its kingmaker, well then, his cup runneth over...

    Its also quite clever as the Greens weren't associated with Indy even if they were technically pro-Indy. So when the SNP failed to get a majority it was portrayed as an Indy failure, not an Indy majority.

    Alba like SNP are going to be 100% perceived as pro-Indy. If they replace the Greens let alone take list seats from unionists, that all but guarantees not just an Indy majority in Holyrood, but a perceived Indy majority.
    They are in fact more Indy than the SNP, the leadership at least.
    Precisely.

    An SNP+Green majority was viewed as an SNP failure.

    An SNP+Alba majority will be a pro-Indy supermajority.
    An SNP+Alba majority would not be an SNP majority, so when Boris refuses indyref2 (Unionist parties combined having still likely at least won a majority of votes even if not seats) he would just let Sturgeon and Salmond tear each other apart over what to do next
    :D:D
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 48,710

    Can someone start a crowd funder for Larry the Cat?

    https://twitter.com/Number10cat/status/1376552352627429380

    I think Larry is just trying it on. That contaminated sofa is at the Wheeler/Johnson House, not number 10.

  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 33,453
    isam said:

    Amazing how strict with shielding people on here’s parents have been. My Dad is 74, had cancer and sepsis in Winter 2019 and has been doing his gardening round, and doing up my flat for the last two months, whilst babysitting his grandson theee times a week in the afternoon. My mum, same age, has worked in the local chemist throughout the whole kaboodle


    I think the staff in pharmacies, especially smaller ones, have been superb.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429
    edited March 2021
    TimT said:

    Leon said:

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    She almost starts blubbing here

    https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1376557932939206659?s=20

    What's the reason, tho? America seems to be plateauing, if anything, rather than riding a new wave...
    Lockdowns are being eased a little too soon. Maryland is easing restrictions for restaurants and businesses and schools are back in-person, even though only about 30% are vaccinated. So new infections are creeping up. And that is before Kent or Brazil or Saffa variants have hit big time.
    I suspect America will be fine, thanks to the enormous supply of vax coming down-the-line. But a perilous moment, for sure
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:
    So that's our Autumn booster stock sorted then?
    No, under 50s stock for April and May. The vaccines substance is already in production, it needs to be filled and finished which shouldn't take very long for the first doses to get into arms now.
    Has it bee OKed for use yet?
    I can't imagine it's far off if fill and finish is commencing. If Novavax send their already manufactured doses to GSK today as part of this new deal, it will be 4 weeks before the first doses reach the arms of ordinary people. I get the feeling this has been one of the hold ups becuase finding fill and finish capacity in the UK that isn't already spoken for is very difficult and the government are probably extremely cautious about sending doses to be finished in the EU where capacity is available.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Redfield & Wilton






  • I'll take a fully vaccinated Blackpool over a partially vaccinated Barcelona any day.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,207

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That Daily Mail teacher story is appalling

    This is the teacher's father talking:

    'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed. '

    Does anyone know why he was stupid enough to present the cartoons?

    I would not, for example, be taking St Aloysius Girls Year 10 to see “Piss Christ” at the local art gallery.

    Of course one deplores the insane local “community”, and one feels immense pity he may now need to live anonymously, but the
    teacher seems to have been an idiot.
    Read the bloody article

    "However, his father fumed: 'The school has thrown my son under a bus. The lesson that he delivered in which the picture of the Prophet Muhammad was shown was part of the curriculum, it had been approved by the school. Other teachers have done exactly the same thing.

    "'So why is my son being victimised like this? The school should have come out fighting for him and made it clear to the protestors that if offence was caused, then it was not my son's fault. It was the school's policy to show this picture, it wasn't an individual decision made by him.'"
    Ah. I withdraw.

    In which case, the man and family need the full support of the state; the school should immediately be placed in special measures; and the local “protesters” arrested for making death threats.

    But I am not sure this is about “freedom of speech” as much as standing against hate.
    And I repeat you can or could get postcards with a pic of Mo in Iran - So not a blanket ban under Islam and I remind you that we are not an Islamic State in any event.

  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429
    That has to be a joke. The EU has gone mad. Again
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877
    They do realise there is a lot of the world outside the eu and that they might really not wanting people to discover that in case when they can reopen for business people are going spain? Greece? France but chile, aruba, turks and caicos are so much nicer
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 21,298
    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That Daily Mail teacher story is appalling

    This is the teacher's father talking:

    'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed. '

    Does anyone know why he was stupid enough to present the cartoons?

    I would not, for example, be taking St Aloysius Girls Year 10 to see “Piss Christ” at the local art gallery.

    Of course one deplores the insane local “community”, and one feels immense pity he may now need to live anonymously, but the
    teacher seems to have been an idiot.
    Read the bloody article

    "However, his father fumed: 'The school has thrown my son under a bus. The lesson that he delivered in which the picture of the Prophet Muhammad was shown was part of the curriculum, it had been approved by the school. Other teachers have done exactly the same thing.

    "'So why is my son being victimised like this? The school should have come out fighting for him and made it clear to the protestors that if offence was caused, then it was not my son's fault. It was the school's policy to show this picture, it wasn't an individual decision made by him.'"
    Ah. I withdraw.

    In which case, the man and family need the full support of the state; the school should immediately be placed in special measures; and the local “protesters” arrested for making death threats.

    But I am not sure this is about “freedom of speech” as much as standing against hate.
    It is definitely about freedom of speech. What amounts to is

    "You have the freedom to say x because of freedom of speech, however don't actually ever say x because you might offend people"

    This is a bit like the queens ability to block legislation. In theory she has it the moment she tries to use it then it will be removed.
    No.

    Teachers (or schools) do not have the right, and certainly not the imperative, to say anything they like.

    There is no “right” to inflame local nutters.
    There is no right for local nutters to utter death threats on some one saying something legal that was also on the school curriculum. It is noticeable though that you are on the side of local nutters
    Stupid comment.

    Clearly the local nutters are culpable first and foremost.

    Sad you don’t engage properly.

  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 57,206

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    28% of Americans have been vaccinated, 45% of Brits have been.

    When Israel unlocked less than 40% of Israelis had been.
    It's also worth remembering that a lot of the US is going straight to 100% unlocked, while the UK is going for a step system.

    Personally, I think the UK could probably go a little quicker, but politicians are (understandably) concerned about being forced into another lockdown.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    isam said:

    Redfield & Wilton






    BJ beats SKS on "tells the truth"? What?
  • BluestBlueBluestBlue Posts: 4,556
    isam said:

    Redfield & Wilton






    That's just adding insult to injury for poor Sir Keir: Boris is beating him on 'Tells the truth'... :lol:
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    The wave is over, the vulnerable have been vaccinated.

    There are no meaningful deaths.

    We should be at least as relaxed on regulations and law as we were in July last year.

    Except Cockney Covid wasn't a thing last July.

    Look June 21st will soon be here.
    Neither were vaccines.

    Vaccinating the vulnerable has done more than Cockney Covid did.
    Let us have a look at the number of Covid-19 deaths from say January onwards and then laugh at your comment.
    Let us look at the low number of Covid-19 active vaccines from January and then laugh at your comment.

    The vaccine is injected now, it wasn't in January.
    The UK vaccine rollout began at the start of December.
    But it was a miniscule number still by January. It isn't now.

    Plus it takes 3 weeks for the vaccine to really give full protection, so the levels of protection from the vaccine in January was effectively close to zero. It isn't now.

    You are Macron and I claim €5
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That Daily Mail teacher story is appalling

    This is the teacher's father talking:

    'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed. '

    Does anyone know why he was stupid enough to present the cartoons?

    I would not, for example, be taking St Aloysius Girls Year 10 to see “Piss Christ” at the local art gallery.

    Of course one deplores the insane local “community”, and one feels immense pity he may now need to live anonymously, but the
    teacher seems to have been an idiot.
    Read the bloody article

    "However, his father fumed: 'The school has thrown my son under a bus. The lesson that he delivered in which the picture of the Prophet Muhammad was shown was part of the curriculum, it had been approved by the school. Other teachers have done exactly the same thing.

    "'So why is my son being victimised like this? The school should have come out fighting for him and made it clear to the protestors that if offence was caused, then it was not my son's fault. It was the school's policy to show this picture, it wasn't an individual decision made by him.'"
    Ah. I withdraw.

    In which case, the man and family need the full support of the state; the school should immediately be placed in special measures; and the local “protesters” arrested for making death threats.

    But I am not sure this is about “freedom of speech” as much as standing against hate.
    It is definitely about freedom of speech. What amounts to is

    "You have the freedom to say x because of freedom of speech, however don't actually ever say x because you might offend people"

    This is a bit like the queens ability to block legislation. In theory she has it the moment she tries to use it then it will be removed.
    No.

    Teachers (or schools) do not have the right, and certainly not the imperative, to say anything they like.

    There is no “right” to inflame local nutters.
    There is no right for local nutters to utter death threats on some one saying something legal that was also on the school curriculum. It is noticeable though that you are on the side of local nutters
    Stupid comment.

    Clearly the local nutters are culpable first and foremost.

    Sad you don’t engage properly.

    It was legal for the teacher to show
    It was on the curriculum

    Why does any of your opprobrium attach to him?

    Not me not engaging properly its you saying he is somewhat to blame
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 21,298
    malcolmg said:

    I am struggling to see how Alba make a notable enough breakthrough in the polling to have much of an impact on anyone.

    Salmond looks like someone’s dead uncle, not the leader of a new independence movement.

    I picking them to get 4%, taking half their support from the SNP, and 1% each from the Greens and the Tories.

    Scotch expert Klaxon
    Got some better numbers?
    Thought not.
  • HYUFD said:

    malcolmg said:

    Salmond's strategy seems - unfortunately for the Unionist side - to be more and more inspired. He's going to target the Unwoke Indies, who want to leave the UK but can't stand Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's woke identitarianism, the Hate Crime Bill, and so on. And if he can get more MSPs on the pro-independence side while making himself its kingmaker, well then, his cup runneth over...

    Its also quite clever as the Greens weren't associated with Indy even if they were technically pro-Indy. So when the SNP failed to get a majority it was portrayed as an Indy failure, not an Indy majority.

    Alba like SNP are going to be 100% perceived as pro-Indy. If they replace the Greens let alone take list seats from unionists, that all but guarantees not just an Indy majority in Holyrood, but a perceived Indy majority.
    They are in fact more Indy than the SNP, the leadership at least.
    Precisely.

    An SNP+Green majority was viewed as an SNP failure.

    An SNP+Alba majority will be a pro-Indy supermajority.
    An SNP+Alba majority would not be an SNP majority, so when Boris refuses indyref2 (Unionist parties combined having still likely at least won a majority of votes even if not seats) he would just let Sturgeon and Salmond tear each other apart over what to do next
    :D:D
    Sometimes I think most of us could write HYUFD's comment pieces as they are so predictable
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 51,692
    Leon said:

    That has to be a joke. The EU has gone mad. Again
    It makes a mockery of the idea the EU has 'moved on' and doesn't care about the UK anymore.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,350

    tlg86 said:

    His ratings really are terrible, but I suppose he only needs the support of a small percentage to potentially hold the balance of power.

    If he gets 10% on the list (two-thirds of those who give him a positive rating) then that will be enough to give him the balance of power - unless the SNP manage to win a majority in the constituencies alone, or they somehow tumble to losing at least a dozen constituency seats.

    I'd expect most of those favourable to him would be independence supporters, and willing to vote for him for the super majority.
    10% is, apparently, the figure Alba need to do more good than harm to the pro-Independence cause. I doubt they will do that well. They could do harm to the Greens who are certainly not happy with this development.
    They will get 6 seats with just under 6% and only 1 of those is SNP , so even at that it is a big benefit.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited March 2021
    MaxPB said:

    I think it's for short term delivery and this decision has been made to avoid shipping the doses into the EU. Using existing GSK facilities should also mean a fairly short ramp up.

    Our variant buster is probably going to come from CureVac and AZ.

    I believe Novavax are also well down the road on developing modified versions of their vaccine:

    In a comment for MNT, Novavax said they “initiated the development of new vaccine constructs in January 2021 as soon as some of the emerging variants’ (501Y.V1 and 501Y.V2) genetic sequences were available. [They] have begun the production process to make a purified variant recombinant spike protein for a bivalent vaccine.”

    Similarly to Pfizer, they added that: “Preclinical studies are underway, and we plan to begin clinical testing of these new vaccine candidates in the first half of this year. The FDA has issued preliminary guidance on a regulatory pathway that provides clarity on the path forward.”


    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/new-sars-cov-2-variants-how-can-vaccines-be-adapted#Adapting-vaccines-to-match-variants
  • Have we noted this research? It's very encouraging confirmation of the Israeli and UK real-world experience. Note in particular that they were getting 80% effectiveness even after just one dose, and that the vaccines were effective against asymptomatic infection:

    https://twitter.com/PlanetofFinks/status/1376559768748232711

    Full details here:
    https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7013e3.htm

    These vaccines work. I know it's a shock to a number of people, including some scared-witless scientists, but they really do work.

    It has been an utterly brilliant response of science and business, backed to the hilt by the UK Government.

  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,486

    Excellent questions from the irrepressible Beth Rigby.

    Rule breaking Rigby you mean?
    Excellent questions from her, hope they will be recognised as such by her many fans on PB.

  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877

    Leon said:

    That has to be a joke. The EU has gone mad. Again
    It makes a mockery of the idea the EU has 'moved on' and doesn't care about the UK anymore.
    Are they perhaps going to the "british planes cant fly through eu airspace route again" in order to block us leaving the country?
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    OK, what does it say about me that what I take from this tweet is "how did they get the flags to fly in opposite directions like that"?
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 12,542
    edited March 2021
    felix said:

    Andy_JS said:
    Hilarious given the header from last Saturday.
    Yet another poll consistent with Tory 42, Labour 36. True of all recent polls without exception, and the only figures which are consistent. So the chances of that being right are high. Should be easily good enough for Labour to hold Hartlepool.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,211

    MaxPB said:

    MaxPB said:
    So that's our Autumn booster stock sorted then?
    No, under 50s stock for April and May. The vaccines substance is already in production, it needs to be filled and finished which shouldn't take very long for the first doses to get into arms now.
    Has it bee OKed for use yet?
    No - they said on 15th March they'd be applying for authorisation.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    Leon said:

    TimT said:

    Leon said:

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    She almost starts blubbing here

    https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1376557932939206659?s=20

    What's the reason, tho? America seems to be plateauing, if anything, rather than riding a new wave...
    Lockdowns are being eased a little too soon. Maryland is easing restrictions for restaurants and businesses and schools are back in-person, even though only about 30% are vaccinated. So new infections are creeping up. And that is before Kent or Brazil or Saffa variants have hit big time.
    I suspect America will be fine, thanks to the enormous supply of vax coming down-the-line. But a perilous moment, for sure
    Yep. I am sure the US will beat the UK to 100% of those wanting a vaccine having had both doses. They did 3 million yesterday, and it is only going to speed up. Maryland has 6 super vaccination centers, of which a couple have just come online. They will be opening a further 6 in the coming days. I have heard that the intention is to have everyone who wants vaccination to be completed by the end of May.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,350

    malcolmg said:

    I am struggling to see how Alba make a notable enough breakthrough in the polling to have much of an impact on anyone.

    Salmond looks like someone’s dead uncle, not the leader of a new independence movement.

    I picking them to get 4%, taking half their support from the SNP, and 1% each from the Greens and the Tories.

    Scotch expert Klaxon
    Got some better numbers?
    Thought not.
    Numpty , I would expect about 12%-14% minimum , mainly SNP but some Labour as well.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429

    I'll take a fully vaccinated Blackpool over a partially vaccinated Barcelona any day.
    It's also bollocks. Southern Europe is desperate for UK tourists, and will take us as soon as HMG opens the gates

    Madeira:

    “We depend a lot on the British market. We know it will be the first to resume travelling. We are waiting for the UK to follow its end-of-lockdown plan so British people can start arriving gradually.”

    “I think this measure is an absolute advantage for British tourists that want to come to Madeira because most of them will already be vaccinated by May and can arrive with tranquility,” he added.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/madeira-lets-in-tourists-who-can-show-covid-vaccine-passport?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616995503
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,486

    Excellent questions from the irrepressible Beth Rigby.

    Oh God, what's she saying now?

    She was raising very valid points about liberty and the lack of it, given the numbers. Good questions from her. I'm sure PBers will be the first to recognise that.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865

    Leon said:

    That has to be a joke. The EU has gone mad. Again
    It makes a mockery of the idea the EU has 'moved on' and doesn't care about the UK anymore.
    It seems to be all they care about. Every single move they've made on vaccines since it became clear we'd vaccinate months faster than they would has been to try and slow down our roll out, not to speed up their own one. The latter is achievable with money, the former with export bans.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 21,298
    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That Daily Mail teacher story is appalling

    This is the teacher's father talking:

    'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed. '

    Does anyone know why he was stupid enough to present the cartoons?

    I would not, for example, be taking St Aloysius Girls Year 10 to see “Piss Christ” at the local art gallery.

    Of course one deplores the insane local “community”, and one feels immense pity he may now need to live anonymously, but the
    teacher seems to have been an idiot.
    Read the bloody article

    "However, his father fumed: 'The school has thrown my son under a bus. The lesson that he delivered in which the picture of the Prophet Muhammad was shown was part of the curriculum, it had been approved by the school. Other teachers have done exactly the same thing.

    "'So why is my son being victimised like this? The school should have come out fighting for him and made it clear to the protestors that if offence was caused, then it was not my son's fault. It was the school's policy to show this picture, it wasn't an individual decision made by him.'"
    Ah. I withdraw.

    In which case, the man and family need the full support of the state; the school should immediately be placed in special measures; and the local “protesters” arrested for making death threats.

    But I am not sure this is about “freedom of speech” as much as standing against hate.
    It is definitely about freedom of speech. What amounts to is

    "You have the freedom to say x because of freedom of speech, however don't actually ever say x because you might offend people"

    This is a bit like the queens ability to block legislation. In theory she has it the moment she tries to use it then it will be removed.
    No.

    Teachers (or schools) do not have the right, and certainly not the imperative, to say anything they like.

    There is no “right” to inflame local nutters.
    There is no right for local nutters to utter death threats on some one saying something legal that was also on the school curriculum. It is noticeable though that you are on the side of local nutters
    Stupid comment.

    Clearly the local nutters are culpable first and foremost.

    Sad you don’t engage properly.

    It was legal for the teacher to show
    It was on the curriculum

    Why does any of your opprobrium attach to him?

    Not me not engaging properly its you saying he is somewhat to blame
    I started that way, but I was corrected.
    It was on the school curriculum.

    My beef (apart from with the rancid community “protesters”) is with the idea that this is about “freedom of speech”.

    It is, but only marginally.
    These people are not against “freedom of speech”. They are just hateful shit-heads.
  • isam said:

    Redfield & Wilton






    That's just adding insult to injury for poor Sir Keir: Boris is beating him on 'Tells the truth'... :lol:
    And the comparisons across the board are appalling for Starmer
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865

    MaxPB said:

    I think it's for short term delivery and this decision has been made to avoid shipping the doses into the EU. Using existing GSK facilities should also mean a fairly short ramp up.

    Our variant buster is probably going to come from CureVac and AZ.

    I believe Novavax are also well down the road on developing modified versions of their vaccine:

    In a comment for MNT, Novavax said they “initiated the development of new vaccine constructs in January 2021 as soon as some of the emerging variants’ (501Y.V1 and 501Y.V2) genetic sequences were available. [They] have begun the production process to make a purified variant recombinant spike protein for a bivalent vaccine.”

    Similarly to Pfizer, they added that: “Preclinical studies are underway, and we plan to begin clinical testing of these new vaccine candidates in the first half of this year. The FDA has issued preliminary guidance on a regulatory pathway that provides clarity on the path forward.”


    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/new-sars-cov-2-variants-how-can-vaccines-be-adapted#Adapting-vaccines-to-match-variants
    Well we could do 30m of the current formulation and 30m of the new one in that case!
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877
    Leon said:

    I'll take a fully vaccinated Blackpool over a partially vaccinated Barcelona any day.
    It's also bollocks. Southern Europe is desperate for UK tourists, and will take us as soon as HMG opens the gates

    Madeira:

    “We depend a lot on the British market. We know it will be the first to resume travelling. We are waiting for the UK to follow its end-of-lockdown plan so British people can start arriving gradually.”

    “I think this measure is an absolute advantage for British tourists that want to come to Madeira because most of them will already be vaccinated by May and can arrive with tranquility,” he added.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/madeira-lets-in-tourists-who-can-show-covid-vaccine-passport?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616995503
    Have to say I love Madeira though not sure about the basket public transport system
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That Daily Mail teacher story is appalling

    This is the teacher's father talking:

    'Look what happened to the teacher in France who was killed for doing the same thing. Eventually they will get my son and he knows this. His whole world has been turned upside down. He's devastated and crushed. '

    Does anyone know why he was stupid enough to present the cartoons?

    I would not, for example, be taking St Aloysius Girls Year 10 to see “Piss Christ” at the local art gallery.

    Of course one deplores the insane local “community”, and one feels immense pity he may now need to live anonymously, but the
    teacher seems to have been an idiot.
    Read the bloody article

    "However, his father fumed: 'The school has thrown my son under a bus. The lesson that he delivered in which the picture of the Prophet Muhammad was shown was part of the curriculum, it had been approved by the school. Other teachers have done exactly the same thing.

    "'So why is my son being victimised like this? The school should have come out fighting for him and made it clear to the protestors that if offence was caused, then it was not my son's fault. It was the school's policy to show this picture, it wasn't an individual decision made by him.'"
    Ah. I withdraw.

    In which case, the man and family need the full support of the state; the school should immediately be placed in special measures; and the local “protesters” arrested for making death threats.

    But I am not sure this is about “freedom of speech” as much as standing against hate.
    It is definitely about freedom of speech. What amounts to is

    "You have the freedom to say x because of freedom of speech, however don't actually ever say x because you might offend people"

    This is a bit like the queens ability to block legislation. In theory she has it the moment she tries to use it then it will be removed.
    No.

    Teachers (or schools) do not have the right, and certainly not the imperative, to say anything they like.

    There is no “right” to inflame local nutters.
    There is no right for local nutters to utter death threats on some one saying something legal that was also on the school curriculum. It is noticeable though that you are on the side of local nutters
    Stupid comment.

    Clearly the local nutters are culpable first and foremost.

    Sad you don’t engage properly.

    It was legal for the teacher to show
    It was on the curriculum

    Why does any of your opprobrium attach to him?

    Not me not engaging properly its you saying he is somewhat to blame
    I started that way, but I was corrected.
    It was on the school curriculum.

    My beef (apart from with the rancid community “protesters”) is with the idea that this is about “freedom of speech”.

    It is, but only marginally.
    These people are not against “freedom of speech”. They are just hateful shit-heads.
    Then my apologies I misunderstood you I got the impression you were saying he shouldn't have shown it
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    I'll take a fully vaccinated Blackpool over a partially vaccinated Barcelona any day.
    It's also bollocks. Southern Europe is desperate for UK tourists, and will take us as soon as HMG opens the gates

    Madeira:

    “We depend a lot on the British market. We know it will be the first to resume travelling. We are waiting for the UK to follow its end-of-lockdown plan so British people can start arriving gradually.”

    “I think this measure is an absolute advantage for British tourists that want to come to Madeira because most of them will already be vaccinated by May and can arrive with tranquility,” he added.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/madeira-lets-in-tourists-who-can-show-covid-vaccine-passport?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616995503
    Have to say I love Madeira though not sure about the basket public transport system
    Is that short for basket case, or do they actually use baskets? I would love to see that...
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468

    OK, what does it say about me that what I take from this tweet is "how did they get the flags to fly in opposite directions like that"?
    That you are a Fysics Teacher, not someone who stands watching flags fluttering in the wind.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,486
    malcolmg said:

    Salmond's strategy seems - unfortunately for the Unionist side - to be more and more inspired. He's going to target the Unwoke Indies, who want to leave the UK but can't stand Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's woke identitarianism, the Hate Crime Bill, and so on. And if he can get more MSPs on the pro-independence side while making himself its kingmaker, well then, his cup runneth over...

    Its also quite clever as the Greens weren't associated with Indy even if they were technically pro-Indy. So when the SNP failed to get a majority it was portrayed as an Indy failure, not an Indy majority.

    Alba like SNP are going to be 100% perceived as pro-Indy. If they replace the Greens let alone take list seats from unionists, that all but guarantees not just an Indy majority in Holyrood, but a perceived Indy majority.
    They are in fact more Indy than the SNP, the leadership at least.
    It could work out quite well for indy overall. My sense is that Alba are to the right of the SNP politically, so could pick up some so-called Tartan Tory votes (i.e. centre-right nationalists)?
  • Pagan2Pagan2 Posts: 9,877
    edited March 2021

    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    I'll take a fully vaccinated Blackpool over a partially vaccinated Barcelona any day.
    It's also bollocks. Southern Europe is desperate for UK tourists, and will take us as soon as HMG opens the gates

    Madeira:

    “We depend a lot on the British market. We know it will be the first to resume travelling. We are waiting for the UK to follow its end-of-lockdown plan so British people can start arriving gradually.”

    “I think this measure is an absolute advantage for British tourists that want to come to Madeira because most of them will already be vaccinated by May and can arrive with tranquility,” he added.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/madeira-lets-in-tourists-who-can-show-covid-vaccine-passport?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616995503
    Have to say I love Madeira though not sure about the basket public transport system
    Is that short for basket case, or do they actually use baskets? I would love to see that...
    Have you never been, they have these baskets and you hurtle down the slope in them with a couple of guys behind on ropes slowing them as needed and a couple in front speeding you up
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUJ23rsgu8
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,429

    Leon said:

    That has to be a joke. The EU has gone mad. Again
    It makes a mockery of the idea the EU has 'moved on' and doesn't care about the UK anymore.
    The tone of snarling contempt is also a giveaway - "little island".

    You can see it here as well:

    "But, Kirkegaard said, the battle over exports had been “nonsense”. Von der Leyen, he suggests, may have been guilty of letting Boris Johnson get under her skin.

    “The UK is a tiny, tiny vaccine producer and will always be that. One of the biggest communication mistakes they made was that AstraZeneca supplies were down in the EU because they were up in the UK, which is absurd,” he said.

    “They think of the UK [as] much more of an equal than it is. In vaccine production it is a mouse and the EU will very soon by far be the largest producer in the world ""

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/28/jean-claude-juncker-and-dominic-cummings-unite-on-ursula-von-der-leyen-eu-stupid-vaccine-war

    Brexit REALLY upsets them, and they show it most when they are actively trying to show how little they care about Brexit.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 123,101

    malcolmg said:

    Salmond's strategy seems - unfortunately for the Unionist side - to be more and more inspired. He's going to target the Unwoke Indies, who want to leave the UK but can't stand Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's woke identitarianism, the Hate Crime Bill, and so on. And if he can get more MSPs on the pro-independence side while making himself its kingmaker, well then, his cup runneth over...

    Its also quite clever as the Greens weren't associated with Indy even if they were technically pro-Indy. So when the SNP failed to get a majority it was portrayed as an Indy failure, not an Indy majority.

    Alba like SNP are going to be 100% perceived as pro-Indy. If they replace the Greens let alone take list seats from unionists, that all but guarantees not just an Indy majority in Holyrood, but a perceived Indy majority.
    They are in fact more Indy than the SNP, the leadership at least.
    It could work out quite well for indy overall. My sense is that Alba are to the right of the SNP politically, so could pick up some so-called Tartan Tory votes (i.e. centre-right nationalists)?
    Alba describes itself as a social democratic party and Scottish Conservatives are overwhelmingly Unionist.

    Most likely it takes more conservative SNP voters in the Borders for instance and costs the SNP list seats there
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,598
    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    I'll take a fully vaccinated Blackpool over a partially vaccinated Barcelona any day.
    It's also bollocks. Southern Europe is desperate for UK tourists, and will take us as soon as HMG opens the gates

    Madeira:

    “We depend a lot on the British market. We know it will be the first to resume travelling. We are waiting for the UK to follow its end-of-lockdown plan so British people can start arriving gradually.”

    “I think this measure is an absolute advantage for British tourists that want to come to Madeira because most of them will already be vaccinated by May and can arrive with tranquility,” he added.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/madeira-lets-in-tourists-who-can-show-covid-vaccine-passport?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616995503
    Have to say I love Madeira though not sure about the basket public transport system
    Or the airport arrival, which tests the tightness of your sphincter....
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,355

    OK, what does it say about me that what I take from this tweet is "how did they get the flags to fly in opposite directions like that"?
    You care about Fysics?

    You are a Flag Unbeliever? and so subject to head count reduction?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 28,380

    isam said:

    Redfield & Wilton






    That's just adding insult to injury for poor Sir Keir: Boris is beating him on 'Tells the truth'... :lol:
    And the comparisons across the board are appalling for Starmer
    I wonder how the hapless Attlee would have fared against the political titan that was Winston Churchill in the early 1940s? It was hardly worth Attlee turning up for GE1945 was it?
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 38,865
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That has to be a joke. The EU has gone mad. Again
    It makes a mockery of the idea the EU has 'moved on' and doesn't care about the UK anymore.
    The tone of snarling contempt is also a giveaway - "little island".

    You can see it here as well:

    "But, Kirkegaard said, the battle over exports had been “nonsense”. Von der Leyen, he suggests, may have been guilty of letting Boris Johnson get under her skin.

    “The UK is a tiny, tiny vaccine producer and will always be that. One of the biggest communication mistakes they made was that AstraZeneca supplies were down in the EU because they were up in the UK, which is absurd,” he said.

    “They think of the UK [as] much more of an equal than it is. In vaccine production it is a mouse and the EU will very soon by far be the largest producer in the world ""

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/28/jean-claude-juncker-and-dominic-cummings-unite-on-ursula-von-der-leyen-eu-stupid-vaccine-war

    Brexit REALLY upsets them, and they show it most when they are actively trying to show how little they care about Brexit.
    The UK is about to become a vaccine superpower. In 2022 we'll make in excess of 1bn doses of various vaccines. They're in for a very big shock.
  • Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,285
    TimT said:

    OK, what does it say about me that what I take from this tweet is "how did they get the flags to fly in opposite directions like that"?
    That you are a Fysics Teacher, not someone who stands watching flags fluttering in the wind.
    I've been trying to work out how to do it (assuming it isn't just photoshopped) and have so far got to using a very high voltage to charge both flags with an opposite charge or have two flagpoles moving past each other (take the photo at just the right time). Are you telling me its just turbulence?
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 23,486

    OK, what does it say about me that what I take from this tweet is "how did they get the flags to fly in opposite directions like that"?

    That you are a teacher of physics?
  • Andy_CookeAndy_Cooke Posts: 5,005

    The US is demonstrating why premature reopening is a bad idea.
    https://twitter.com/guardian/status/1376572551812554760

    28% of Americans have been vaccinated, 45% of Brits have been.

    When Israel unlocked less than 40% of Israelis had been.
    One or two doses?
    Does it matter? One dose is 85% effective at preventing death, 80% at preventing hospitalisation. We are clearly further ahead of where Israel was when they lifted lockdown and miles ahead of the USA.
    Yes it does.
    If one dose slows spread by 50% and two doses by 90%, it makes a big difference on rapidity of doubling.
    We've more or less reduced the Groups 1-4 from being ICU admissions to a point of saturation.

    It's gone from 30-55-15 out of 100 to 15-28-15 out of 58 against the same case numbers (from groups 1-4, Groups 5-9, and Phase 2 vaccinees). So while we might have expected 100 ICU admissions per week against 5,000 cases per day, we'll now have 58 ICU admissions per week.
    Let's double the case numbers. Then we have 30-56-30 admissions - a total of 116 admissions per week. A bit more than we would have had at current case levels without vaccination, but here's the catch: case levels are doubling again. If we dropped restrictions to, say, Tier 1 levels, we'd probably have an R sufficient to double cases every week.

    That's 232 ICU admissions per week a week later - and while we're vaccinating at pace, it ain't quick enough to be giving much extra protection to Groups 5-9 or to the under-fifties in one more week.

    Another week later, and it's 464 ICU admissions per week. We've sent over 700 extra people into ICU in three weeks now, and without the vaccinations yet helping much. At this point, we're about two weeks from equalling the peak ICU admissions rate of the second wave (which was around 2500 per week) - how many people will be doubled-dosed-plus-two-weeks by then? We're looking at shortly after the end of April. Let's say Groups 1-4 are all double-dosed by then and have had 2 weeks extra. That 464 weekly admissions reduces by 80-100. So, actually, we're about 370 or so, and we're two-and-a-half weeks from exceeding the second wave maximum ICU admissions.

    In two and a half weeks, how many of the Phase 2 people will have had a jab and waited for 2-4 weeks for protection? How many of the Group 5-9 will have had a second jab and waited 2 weeks for maximum protection?

    Throughout all of this, we'd be looking at needing to buy 3-8 weeks of time, somehow. We'd need to lock down again.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 49,868

    Eldest son has just phoned; will we go to his, over in Kent, for lunch on Saturday. Heavily into barbecuing so it'll be outside. Forecast looks OK, if not as warm as today.

    First time we've seen his family for best part of 6 months!

    After this week, Saturday is going to feel cold. Take your winter coat!
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    .
    MaxPB said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    That has to be a joke. The EU has gone mad. Again
    It makes a mockery of the idea the EU has 'moved on' and doesn't care about the UK anymore.
    The tone of snarling contempt is also a giveaway - "little island".

    You can see it here as well:

    "But, Kirkegaard said, the battle over exports had been “nonsense”. Von der Leyen, he suggests, may have been guilty of letting Boris Johnson get under her skin.

    “The UK is a tiny, tiny vaccine producer and will always be that. One of the biggest communication mistakes they made was that AstraZeneca supplies were down in the EU because they were up in the UK, which is absurd,” he said.

    “They think of the UK [as] much more of an equal than it is. In vaccine production it is a mouse and the EU will very soon by far be the largest producer in the world ""

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/28/jean-claude-juncker-and-dominic-cummings-unite-on-ursula-von-der-leyen-eu-stupid-vaccine-war

    Brexit REALLY upsets them, and they show it most when they are actively trying to show how little they care about Brexit.
    The UK is about to become a vaccine superpower. In 2022 we'll make in excess of 1bn doses of various vaccines. They're in for a very big shock.
    1 billion in the UK? 😲

    That is incredible. That is India levels.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,599
    They’re being driven completely mad by it.

    What they should be saying, is that they are building more factories so their population can stop the pandemic and everyone can travel again.

    Anyway, that nice Mr Sunak will be more than happy to see everyone take holidays in the U.K. this summer, there’s a massive deficit in tourism spending in a usual year.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,598
    After a beautiful day, the sun has gone behind the trees - with a brutal reminder: "It's still March, guys..."
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    MaxPB said:

    The UK is about to become a vaccine superpower. In 2022 we'll make in excess of 1bn doses of various vaccines. They're in for a very big shock.

    To be fair, it's not all our own doing. They've helped a lot in making this happen.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 54,599
    Talking of parties, I’m late to the one that’s going on in the Suez Canal right now. That damn big ship finally moved a couple of hours ago.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Leon said:

    I'll take a fully vaccinated Blackpool over a partially vaccinated Barcelona any day.
    It's also bollocks. Southern Europe is desperate for UK tourists, and will take us as soon as HMG opens the gates

    Madeira:

    “We depend a lot on the British market. We know it will be the first to resume travelling. We are waiting for the UK to follow its end-of-lockdown plan so British people can start arriving gradually.”

    “I think this measure is an absolute advantage for British tourists that want to come to Madeira because most of them will already be vaccinated by May and can arrive with tranquility,” he added.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/madeira-lets-in-tourists-who-can-show-covid-vaccine-passport?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1616995503
    Have to say I love Madeira though not sure about the basket public transport system
    Is that short for basket case, or do they actually use baskets? I would love to see that...
    Have you never been, they have these baskets and you hurtle down the slope in them with a couple of guys behind on ropes slowing them as needed and a couple in front speeding you up
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUJ23rsgu8
    That video reminded me of this one

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL0rbxB9Lqg
This discussion has been closed.