This draft thread header was written in December 2019, but due to pressure of work I never had a chance to send it in. Alterations are shown in italics.
Very interesting, I have a few Welsh friends from my uni days who echo Labour losing their grip in Wales too. I guess the difference is that in Wales there isn't a serious independence movement and it's unlikely there ever will be so the Tories get much more of a look in.
Very interesting, I have a few Welsh friends from my uni days who echo Labour losing their grip in Wales too. I guess the difference is that in Wales there isn't a serious independence movement and it's unlikely there ever will be so the Tories get much more of a look in.
Wales is quite a conservative country as well. It's just that their conservatism, up to now, has been expressed by voting Labour to keep things the same as they always have been.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I don't think even the biggest vaccine optimist would have thought gen 1 vaccines would be 90% effective. 50% was deemed an acceptable target.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
And then use that genius to cure a whole series of other illnesses and conditions.
Not if we persist with these idiotic vaccine passports and keep part of the economy closed or running at minimum capacity until they are introduced.
On the economy, buried in the ONS release was the international comparison based on an actually comparable number which showed that the UK economic contraction in 2020 was actually 4.8% rather than the headline report of 9.8% that gets all of the airtime. The 4.8% figure is actually much closer to what's happening on the ground, especially the private sector which has a lot less scarring than people currently realise.
Our bounceback is going to surprise a lot of the commenters in 2021 and 2022. I also expect the bitterness from the continent as it happens.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
Which would all be valid - and I don't rate him - if it wasn't for the facts his opponents are worse.
This is one where I'm not sure leadership ratings are going to play a big part. Unless Johnson's personality gives RT an undeserved lift.
(BTW, I answered your question about Lampeter on the last thread,and thank you for the nice remarks.)
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
Can we all agree that one issue is our political leaders are all a bit shit?
Not if we persist with these idiotic vaccine passports and keep part of the economy closed or running at minimum capacity until they are introduced.
On the economy, buried in the ONS release was the international comparison based on an actually comparable number which showed that the UK economic contraction in 2020 was actually 4.8% rather than the headline report of 9.8% that gets all of the airtime. The 4.8% figure is actually much closer to what's happening on the ground, especially the private sector which has a lot less scarring than people currently realise.
Our bounceback is going to surprise a lot of the commenters in 2021 and 2022. I also expect the bitterness from the continent as it happens.
I would be genuinely astonished if we do not outgrow the EU by a considerable margin this year. We should be getting at least a quarter's start. Conversely, the EU really should do better than us next year as they will still be in catch up mode.
It really will be at least 3 years before any kind of meaningful comparison can be made on relative performance. Anyone who tries to claim otherwise will simply show their agenda.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
Can we all agree that one issue is our political leaders are all a bit shit?
So its a lovely bank holiday weekend, sun is out, sitting in the garden as 90% of people will be doing, goes on twitter to try and find the vaccination numbers....and finds it is all arguing about Owen Jones wanting kids and trans rights....and the twatterati wonder why their bubble doesn't reflect the majority concerns.
Except the head of the vaccine task force, a remainer, said no the EU made it clear we wouldn't.
We weren't members of the EU by then.
But I think it's probably correct that the EU's approach would have remained flawed because they were looking at the wrong thing, because ultimately they're geared to negotiating trade deals not dealing with crises.
But the traffic in Wales has not been one way for Labour - even in recent years. Labour failed to win Cardiff North in 2015 and lost Gower. Both were gained in 2017 - and retained in 2019. Whilst the Tories narrowly picked up Delyn in 2019, their majority was smaller than enjoyed there by Keith Raffan as far back as 1987. Moreover, on the basis of national GB current polling, Labour is well placed to reverse its 2019 losses - with Aberconway also a possible gain.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
Can we all agree that one issue is our political leaders are all a bit shit?
Well, except the blessed Nicola of course. You'd never catch her changing the rules to persecute a rival and then lying about it, conspiring to bring evidence together to have that rival prosecuted, telling untruths to Parliament, misplacing £600k of party funds that have supposedly been ringfenced, signing guarantees for £500m of taxpayers money to a guy now accused of fabricating invoices,.. actually "yes" is the simpler answer.
I think the person who deserves the most thanks is Mr Eagles, to be honest, who was kind enough to both ask for it and then continuing to ask for it and find alternative ways to receive it when my email gave up on me.
Without his persistence, you wouldn't have had the chance to read it.
The potency of coal and steel as a totem for Labour has all but gone. It has retained it longest in Wales whilst places like Kent, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Scunthorpe and even the NE have moved solidly to the blues.
Other bookmakers and winning margins are available. Clearly the Oxford girls aren't up to much this year, and the Cambridge men are up against it.
The boat race is barely noticed these days but when I were a lad, growing up where no-one at all had been to university, everyone had a preference. Jumpers for goalposts...
Except the head of the vaccine task force, a remainer, said no the EU made it clear we wouldn't.
Given the EU vaccination strategy was to buy from the German maker and the French maker, whether Britain would have made a difference surely depends on whether you believe the EU is a Franco-German stitch up from start to finish.
And of course many Brexiteers do believe that, which is why our trade strategy was to try and cut a deal with Germany and not Brussels, who actually handle it.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The wiki page is entitled "Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2021 Senedd elections"
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
I am involved in iGEM (the International Genetically-Engineered Machine competition), so for the last 12 years I have had a front row seat on how synthetic biology is evolving across every human endeavour (including art). It is mind-blowing, both what can be achieved and how fast the field is moving.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
Other bookmakers and winning margins are available. Clearly the Oxford girls aren't up to much this year, and the Cambridge men are up against it.
The boat race is barely noticed these days but when I were a lad, growing up where no-one at all had been to university, everyone had a preference. Jumpers for goalposts...
They just showed a proposed route for 2022 if Hammersmith Bridge is still too dangerous to go under. They had it starting at the Houses of Parliament and finishing at Putney (5.4 miles v the 4 miles they normally do from Putney to Mortlake).
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
I am involved in iGEM (the International Genetically-Engineered Machine competition), so for the last 12 years I have had a front row seat on how synthetic biology is evolving across every human endeavour (including art). It is mind-blowing, both what can be achieved and how fast the field is moving.
AIUI a lot of groundwork WRT coronaviruses had been done in response to SARS and MERS also.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The wiki page is entitled "Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2021 Senedd elections"
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
As anyone with a brain knows Wikipedia is not the ultimate authority on facts. Somebody at my work who cites Wikipedia gets laughed at.
Leader ratings are a much better ratings, as Sir Bob Worcester pointed out for most of Margaret Thatcher's premiership she was heavily and widely disliked, but when you looked at her leader ratings it was clear she was going to win in 1983 and 1987, comfortably.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The wiki page is entitled "Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2021 Senedd elections"
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
As anyone with a brain knows Wikipedia is not the ultimate authority on facts. Somebody at my work who cites Wikipedia gets laughed at.
Leader ratings are a much better ratings, as Sir Bob Worcester pointed out for most of Margaret Thatcher's premiership she was heavily and widely disliked, but when you looked at her leader ratings it was clear she was going to win in 1983 and 1987, comfortably.
Never cite Wikipedia. But you can do worse than going to Wikipedia and citing its own citations.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
And yet, other experts did speak differently. eg I talked to one lady who is - let us say - very high in Public Health England. She told me in early 2020 that we would probably get vaccines but they would take 2-3 years at best, possibly a lot longer. And she was not completely confident they would work that well.
I haven't spoken to her since but getting several excellent vaccines from inception to distribution and into arms, in less than a year, must utterly amaze her. Certainly amazes me
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
And yet, other experts did speak differently. eg I talked to one lady who is - let us say - very high in Public Health England. She told me in early 2020 that we would probably get vaccines but they would take 2-3 years at best, possibly a lot longer. And she was not completely confident they would work that well.
I haven't spoken to her since but getting several excellent vaccines from inception to distribution and into arms, in less than a year, must utterly amaze her. Certainly amazes me
If you want cheering up, read immunology Twitter, steer clear of epidemiology and public health Twitter.
Can I just recommend the therapeutic effects of an illegal but professional haircut? I did it yesterday. It was all very glamorous, sneaking in and out of a Turkish barbershop, with the blinds down, I felt like I was going undercover for the SAS
But wow, a proper, smart haircut. After four months of looking like a hobo on meth. YES
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The wiki page is entitled "Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2021 Senedd elections"
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
As anyone with a brain knows Wikipedia is not the ultimate authority on facts. Somebody at my work who cites Wikipedia gets laughed at.
Leader ratings are a much better ratings, as Sir Bob Worcester pointed out for most of Margaret Thatcher's premiership she was heavily and widely disliked, but when you looked at her leader ratings it was clear she was going to win in 1983 and 1987, comfortably.
Never cite Wikipedia. But you can do worse than going to Wikipedia and citing its own citations.
Doesn't always work.
Sometimes wikipedia doesn't have all the information.
I remember once Wikipedia missed a poll off and one PBer got excited and accused OGH of posting misleading polling figures not realising there was a poll in between which meant Mike was actually right.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The wiki page is entitled "Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2021 Senedd elections"
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
As anyone with a brain knows Wikipedia is not the ultimate authority on facts. Somebody at my work who cites Wikipedia gets laughed at.
Leader ratings are a much better ratings, as Sir Bob Worcester pointed out for most of Margaret Thatcher's premiership she was heavily and widely disliked, but when you looked at her leader ratings it was clear she was going to win in 1983 and 1987, comfortably.
Never cite Wikipedia. But you can do worse than going to Wikipedia and citing its own citations.
Doesn't always work.
Sometimes wikipedia doesn't have all the information.
I remember once Wikipedia missed a poll off and one PBer got excited and accused OGH of posting misleading polling figures not realising there was a poll in between which meant Mike was actually right.
One should avoid it where possible but it can be a gateway to more authoritative sources.
Not if we persist with these idiotic vaccine passports and keep part of the economy closed or running at minimum capacity until they are introduced.
On the economy, buried in the ONS release was the international comparison based on an actually comparable number which showed that the UK economic contraction in 2020 was actually 4.8% rather than the headline report of 9.8% that gets all of the airtime. The 4.8% figure is actually much closer to what's happening on the ground, especially the private sector which has a lot less scarring than people currently realise.
Our bounceback is going to surprise a lot of the commenters in 2021 and 2022. I also expect the bitterness from the continent as it happens.
Britain on brink of ‘deus ex machina’ moment as eurozone sinks into new Covid misery
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The wiki page is entitled "Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2021 Senedd elections"
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
As anyone with a brain knows Wikipedia is not the ultimate authority on facts. Somebody at my work who cites Wikipedia gets laughed at.
Leader ratings are a much better ratings, as Sir Bob Worcester pointed out for most of Margaret Thatcher's premiership she was heavily and widely disliked, but when you looked at her leader ratings it was clear she was going to win in 1983 and 1987, comfortably.
Never cite Wikipedia. But you can do worse than going to Wikipedia and citing its own citations.
I use Wikipedia a lot to find out where to start reading.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
And yet, other experts did speak differently. eg I talked to one lady who is - let us say - very high in Public Health England. She told me in early 2020 that we would probably get vaccines but they would take 2-3 years at best, possibly a lot longer. And she was not completely confident they would work that well.
I haven't spoken to her since but getting several excellent vaccines from inception to distribution and into arms, in less than a year, must utterly amaze her. Certainly amazes me
These are the same people saying the vaccine passports are a necessity as well. They are all extremely and unnecessarily pessimistic about this. They live for the worst case scenario and rubes such as yourself who buy it.
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
The reality, Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson.
It is a good thing that wiki has the data & we don't have to rely on your Cantab brain:
Keir Starmer ... 5.35 Adam Price ... 4.34 Mark Drakeford ... 4.018 Boris Johnson ... 4.014 Ed Davey ... 3.7 Jane Dodds ... 3.617 Mark Reckless .... 2.62 Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
And how do you deal with statistical fluctuations/systematic error in a single poll?
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
I do look at more than one poll.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
The wiki page is entitled "Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2021 Senedd elections"
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
As anyone with a brain knows Wikipedia is not the ultimate authority on facts. Somebody at my work who cites Wikipedia gets laughed at.
Leader ratings are a much better ratings, as Sir Bob Worcester pointed out for most of Margaret Thatcher's premiership she was heavily and widely disliked, but when you looked at her leader ratings it was clear she was going to win in 1983 and 1987, comfortably.
Never cite Wikipedia. But you can do worse than going to Wikipedia and citing its own citations.
I use Wikipedia a lot to find out where to start reading.
I do as well. I don’t do legal research on there but occasionally there are links to background explainers that can help explain some of the more difficult concepts to clients in layman’s terms.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
And yet, other experts did speak differently. eg I talked to one lady who is - let us say - very high in Public Health England. She told me in early 2020 that we would probably get vaccines but they would take 2-3 years at best, possibly a lot longer. And she was not completely confident they would work that well.
I haven't spoken to her since but getting several excellent vaccines from inception to distribution and into arms, in less than a year, must utterly amaze her. Certainly amazes me
These are the same people saying the vaccine passports are a necessity as well. They are all extremely and unnecessarily pessimistic about this. They live for the worst case scenario and rubes such as yourself who buy it.
I've said vaxports - other than for international travel - should be voluntary, sector by sector, firm by firm. I do not agree with making them compulsory within the UK
If businesses think they will help encourage cautious customers - eg theatres - they should be allowed to impose them
My strategy is eminently sensible and will benefit the economy. I know I am extremely important and influential, but it's not actually my fault if the government makes a silly mistake
Completely OT but my 15 year old Griffon Bruxellois dog just managed to jump on the couch for the first time in two years. I have no one around at the moment to relate this (to me) extraordinary fact to so you lot will have to do.
When the UK made its decision to switch to a first dose strategy I thought it was a brave and wise decision that other countries would see succeeds and follow us in doing.
But it seems that having written it off as the 'eccentric Brits' doing their own thing, that even seeing deaths down 97% and us rapidly approaching herd immunity, nowhere seems to want to admit we got this right and change their own strategies.
The USA perhaps is far enough down its own path it mightn't make sense to change, but that's not the case in the EU and elsewhere.
Has anywhere else yet adopted the first dose strategy besides the UK?
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
I am involved in iGEM (the International Genetically-Engineered Machine competition), so for the last 12 years I have had a front row seat on how synthetic biology is evolving across every human endeavour (including art). It is mind-blowing, both what can be achieved and how fast the field is moving.
AIUI a lot of groundwork WRT coronaviruses had been done in response to SARS and MERS also.
Actually, I think it goes back further than that, to the Amerithrax letters and the massive increase in US DoD spending on biosecurity measures, which inter alia involved massive investments through BARDA into repatriating vaccine production onto US soil using new vaccine technologies and approaches, and legislative measures to reduce vaccine producers' liability (which had been the biggest driver of off-shoring of US capacity and the biggest brake on investment in vaccine technology.
The UK's death toll, yesterday - 10 - put us down at 58th on Worldometer. An incredible drop
Vaccines and lockdowns work.
WHO KNEW?
Nobody.
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
I think you are wrong on this. The advances in genomics, proteomics and synthetic biology are such that people knew, as well as anything in science can be known, that a global effort the size launched by the pharma industry and a couple of governments would produce at least one good vaccine and probably more. The speed, number of successes and effectiveness of most of the efforts is stunning, though.
Hmm. I remember talking to some expert scientists - biologists, academics, epidemiologists - and they were very pessimistic about a quick vaccine. Some said ‘never’. And all were unsure of their efficacy against a still-puzzling enemy
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
The virus was sequenced on 10 January 2020. A vaccine that is being pumped into American arms, and soon ours, was invented by Moderna on 15 January 2020. So Charles was right to be opitimistic. I’m not sure what date the lamented Eadric started blowing his horn in alarm but I think it was after 15 January, by which time the cavalry was already saddling up. Throughout this the immunologists I have been reading have been far more optimistic than the epidemiologists.
And yet, other experts did speak differently. eg I talked to one lady who is - let us say - very high in Public Health England. She told me in early 2020 that we would probably get vaccines but they would take 2-3 years at best, possibly a lot longer. And she was not completely confident they would work that well.
I haven't spoken to her since but getting several excellent vaccines from inception to distribution and into arms, in less than a year, must utterly amaze her. Certainly amazes me
These are the same people saying the vaccine passports are a necessity as well. They are all extremely and unnecessarily pessimistic about this. They live for the worst case scenario and rubes such as yourself who buy it.
I've said vaxports - other than for international travel - should be voluntary, sector by sector, firm by firm. I do not agree with making them compulsory within the UK
If businesses think they will help encourage cautious customers - eg theatres - they should be allowed to impose them
My strategy is eminently sensible and will benefit the economy. I know I am extremely important and influential, but it's not actually my fault if the government makes a silly mistake
When the UK made its decision to switch to a first dose strategy I thought it was a brave and wise decision that other countries would see succeeds and follow us in doing.
But it seems that having written it off as the 'eccentric Brits' doing their own thing, that even seeing deaths down 97% and us rapidly approaching herd immunity, nowhere seems to want to admit we got this right and change their own strategies.
The USA perhaps is far enough down its own path it mightn't make sense to change, but that's not the case in the EU and elsewhere.
Has anywhere else yet adopted the first dose strategy besides the UK?
With the supply of vaccines increasing, maybe it's now no longer necessary.
When the UK made its decision to switch to a first dose strategy I thought it was a brave and wise decision that other countries would see succeeds and follow us in doing.
But it seems that having written it off as the 'eccentric Brits' doing their own thing, that even seeing deaths down 97% and us rapidly approaching herd immunity, nowhere seems to want to admit we got this right and change their own strategies.
The USA perhaps is far enough down its own path it mightn't make sense to change, but that's not the case in the EU and elsewhere.
Has anywhere else yet adopted the first dose strategy besides the UK?
With the supply of vaccines increasing, maybe it's now no longer necessary.
I disagree completely. There are thousands a day dying across Europe at the very least and many nations going back into lockdown.
With the supply of vaccines increasing its surely easier not harder, to ensure you get to herd immunity with a 12 week first dose strategy. If Europe switched now to a first dose strategy, plus other countries elsewhere, then within three months they could potentially be reaching herd immunity. Just as we have within three months of switching strategy.
Comments
And, for that matter, "Doethur"?
Ludicrous, I propose that from now on all stupid, smelly, rubbish, foreign sounding names and words are banned from PB. Including mine, I suppose.
And it's not a name, it's a title. 'Y Doethur' = 'The Doctor'.
Thank you Mr Eagles, it looks a nice job.
Old English Wielisc, Wylisc (West Saxon), Welisc, Wælisc (Anglian and Kentish): FOREIGN
https://www.etymonline.com/word/welsh
Welsh explicltly means FOREIGN
So in summary, better than Ed M and Corbyn - but not good enough
WHO KNEW?
No one *knew* for sure that vaccines would be invented - many said it was impossible - and we couldn't be certain how well they would work.
Wonderfully, fantastically, gloriously they have been invented, and manufactured, at mind-boggling speed, and they work damn well. This is a near miracle. We should note it regularly.
https://twitter.com/MartyMakary/status/1378461383772225536?s=20
https://twitter.com/MacaesBruno/status/1378696444820008960
On the economy, buried in the ONS release was the international comparison based on an actually comparable number which showed that the UK economic contraction in 2020 was actually 4.8% rather than the headline report of 9.8% that gets all of the airtime. The 4.8% figure is actually much closer to what's happening on the ground, especially the private sector which has a lot less scarring than people currently realise.
Our bounceback is going to surprise a lot of the commenters in 2021 and 2022. I also expect the bitterness from the continent as it happens.
One thing to be mulled over in the betting is the character of Mark Drakeford himself.
There was a surge in his popularity last summer, when he was seen as keeping Wales safe (see polling 22-31 May 2020).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2021_Senedd_election
Since then, he has fallen. Now, I wonder if his dreary cautiousness is acting as a repellent, especially to younger voters. He always seems to be saying, "We're going to be very careful in Wales."
@isam describes Starmer as a fun sponge, but truly it applies to Mark Drakeford. He seems to suck all vitality and joy out of life. My guess is that Drakeford is now a big drag on the Labour vote.
The party-goers outside the Senedd chanted, "Drakeford's shut the pubs, let's go round to his place for drinks"
Somehow, Boris' ebullience means he gets credit for bringing the lockdown to an end, whereas Mark Drakeford's eeyore-like demeanour means he ends up getting the blame for shutting the pubs.
This is one where I'm not sure leadership ratings are going to play a big part. Unless Johnson's personality gives RT an undeserved lift.
(BTW, I answered your question about Lampeter on the last thread,and thank you for the nice remarks.)
Except the head of the vaccine task force, a remainer, said no the EU made it clear we wouldn't.
It really will be at least 3 years before any kind of meaningful comparison can be made on relative performance. Anyone who tries to claim otherwise will simply show their agenda.
But I think it's probably correct that the EU's approach would have remained flawed because they were looking at the wrong thing, because ultimately they're geared to negotiating trade deals not dealing with crises.
That % of UK population is wrong.
Without his persistence, you wouldn't have had the chance to read it.
Wales is now playing catch-up
Ladbrokes offers:-
LADIES Oxford 5/1 Cambridge 1/8
CHAPS Oxford 8/13 Cambridge 6/5 Dead-heat 250/1
Bet365 offers:-
LADIES Oxford 11/2 Cambridge 1/10 Dead-heat 100/1
CHAPS Oxford 4/7 Cambridge 5/4 Dead-heat 100/1
Other bookmakers and winning margins are available. Clearly the Oxford girls aren't up to much this year, and the Cambridge men are up against it.
The boat race is barely noticed these days but when I were a lad, growing up where no-one at all had been to university, everyone had a preference. Jumpers for goalposts...
We have come a long way when 350k jabs in one day seems a tad disappointing.
Today is 97,331 & 176,240 for a total of 31,523,013 & 5,381,745 1st/2nd
I make that 47.19% of the UK population
It's probably fortunate a Brexiteer wasn't the one facing that instruction.
And of course many Brexiteers do believe that, which is why our trade strategy was to try and cut a deal with Germany and not Brussels, who actually handle it.
I am sure some people placed at a particular nexus - like you? - had a more positive hunch. I also remember Charles, who has expertise here, being encouragingly optimistic and bullish. He was right, and bravo to you both
But for the rest of us anxious laymen, confronted with different yet authoritative opinions, we did not and could not know
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership_approval_opinion_polling_for_the_2021_Senedd_election#2020
Average approval
Keir Starmer ... 5.35
Adam Price ... 4.34
Mark Drakeford ... 4.018
Boris Johnson ... 4.014
Ed Davey ... 3.7
Jane Dodds ... 3.617
Mark Reckless .... 2.62
Neil Hamilton .. .2.2
Notice Starmer has significantly higher approval ratings than Drakeford in Wales, corroborating my suggestion that Doomford may be acting as a drag on the Labour vote.
I am not quite sure why Drakeford and Johnson's approval is given to 4 significant figures, but they are pretty much equal given the accuracy of the data. Your statement that "Drakeford has much better leader ratings in Wales than Boris Johnson" is clearly incorrect.
Most of the data predates the vaccine bounce as well.
LAB's decline is because of their voter base are fed up with non-delivery. Same as Scotland, same as 'red wall', same as small town England.
LAB's only base left is their client welfare-recipients base and metropolitan 'lefties' in London and other large English cities.
LAB no longer relevant to ordinary British people.
BUT - they will still hold Hartlepool!
You look at all the polling. As the wiki page does.
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1332771238771630080
Good afternoon, eveyrone.
You were wrong, I specifically said leader ratings, you cited the like/dislike figures which are entirely different.
My figures are from a regular series of polls about Wales, this isn't a one off, Drakeford led Johnson in the previous poll when the leadership question was asked.
https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1314979190555340800
What do you think like/dislike means?
I know you had the prettiest romance with David Cameron, but the rest of us are not going on a swooning date with our political leaders.
Like/dislike means like their leadership/dislike their leadership.
Leader ratings are a much better ratings, as Sir Bob Worcester pointed out for most of Margaret Thatcher's premiership she was heavily and widely disliked, but when you looked at her leader ratings it was clear she was going to win in 1983 and 1987, comfortably.
I haven't spoken to her since but getting several excellent vaccines from inception to distribution and into arms, in less than a year, must utterly amaze her. Certainly amazes me
But wow, a proper, smart haircut. After four months of looking like a hobo on meth. YES
Sometimes wikipedia doesn't have all the information.
I remember once Wikipedia missed a poll off and one PBer got excited and accused OGH of posting misleading polling figures not realising there was a poll in between which meant Mike was actually right.
Britain on brink of ‘deus ex machina’ moment as eurozone sinks into new Covid misery
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/03/30/britains-deus-ex-machina-moment-european-economy-sinks-renewed/
If businesses think they will help encourage cautious customers - eg theatres - they should be allowed to impose them
My strategy is eminently sensible and will benefit the economy. I know I am extremely important and influential, but it's not actually my fault if the government makes a silly mistake
https://twitter.com/RichardClegg522/status/1378724956918407168?s=20
But it seems that having written it off as the 'eccentric Brits' doing their own thing, that even seeing deaths down 97% and us rapidly approaching herd immunity, nowhere seems to want to admit we got this right and change their own strategies.
The USA perhaps is far enough down its own path it mightn't make sense to change, but that's not the case in the EU and elsewhere.
Has anywhere else yet adopted the first dose strategy besides the UK?
Actually, I think it goes back further than that, to the Amerithrax letters and the massive increase in US DoD spending on biosecurity measures, which inter alia involved massive investments through BARDA into repatriating vaccine production onto US soil using new vaccine technologies and approaches, and legislative measures to reduce vaccine producers' liability (which had been the biggest driver of off-shoring of US capacity and the biggest brake on investment in vaccine technology.
https://twitter.com/uk_vaccine/status/1378726506747326468?s=20
With the supply of vaccines increasing its surely easier not harder, to ensure you get to herd immunity with a 12 week first dose strategy. If Europe switched now to a first dose strategy, plus other countries elsewhere, then within three months they could potentially be reaching herd immunity. Just as we have within three months of switching strategy.