FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Relgions, like science, are a belief system. I think everyone has a right to comment on belief systems (and politics), regardless of their field.
I am with those who support much of what Dawkins says on religion, but not the manner in which he does it sometimes. I have great respect of the deeply (i.e. genuinely) religious.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
Out and about in London for the first time and I am now follicly smart again following my first haircut since last July.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
Day 3 of the Great Football Crisis of 2021 and the hyperbolic outpourings continue it seems.
Back in the real world, I wonder what the Thatcher Government's response would have been. Probably something along the lines of it's not Government's role to get involved in the internal affairs of football, market forces, blah, blah, etc.
It shows how far modern populist conservatism has travelled from the "small state" era of the 1980s and early 1990s.
You'd think Government would have more things to worry about than the fate of some football clubs. As others have said, where was the Government to help Bury or Dover Athletic?
One could argue allowing non-British domiciled individuals to take a majority stake in football clubs was the first mistake but if you live by the sword of the free movement of capital then you have to die by that sword.
MY sport is horse racing (as you've guessed) and the equivalent would be if Coolmore, Godolphin , Shadwell, Qatar Racing and three or four of the other top Owners decided they weren't going to run their horses at the scheduled meetings but they were going to run their own network of races open only to their horses. 1-2 meetings per week across Europe - say at Ascot, Goodwood, Longchamp or The Curragh.
Their closed races would be run for huge purses - far more than the main programme so their "Derby" would go for £5 million rather then £1 million. They would invite the top Australian, American and Japanese owners and horses to join "World Elite Racing".
These fixtures would then be sold back to bookmakers and media rights for huge amounts of money.
That's basically the ESL as I understand it.
If racing followed the proposed UEFA response, the Owners, Trainers and Jockeys would be barred from competing in the main schedule so Ryan Moore would never ride at LIngfield again - instead, he'd have 12-15 rides per week for Coolmore in World Elite Racing for which he would presumably earn a hefty fee quite apart from the prize money percentage.
Does football suffer if Liverpool or Chelsea don't grace Carrow Road or Vicarage Road next season? To a point, yes but to another point the door for the likes of Norwich, Watford, Burnley, Everton and others for Champions League and Europa League football swings open.
Then it's down to the broadcasters and the fans - is ESL to be deliberately shunned or, as those with experience of substance addiction on here may attest, will it be too difficult to go "cold turkey" with what remains?
The issue as I see it is the idea as @Gallowgate confirms below they wanted to pocket the richs in their new league while still playing in the Premiership.
Out and about in London for the first time and I am now follicly smart again following my first haircut since last July.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
I suspect it's cheaper to run a full length train empty then it is to leave half of it at a terminus.
Mohamed Bouhafsi @mohamedbouhafsi · 4m UEFA is preparing a counter-attack in the Super League. UEFA is working with english investment fund to come up with new LOC that would have a starting budget of 4.5 billion € but which could go up to 7 billion.
As some said, was it all brinksmanship after all, UEFA were stuck on their stupid CL idea of 6000 teams in a league that don't play one another and the 498th placed team could still qualify for the playoffs...Are they going to basically go for say a two division "Super League", but with yearly qualification for the bottom tier?
Yearly qualification or relegation is fine - the important thing is that you don't staythere permanently because you joined at the beginning.
I am surprised the ESL didn't think of that and have a fudge which was basically we are having founding clubs in a league, and then we will form a second division, and establish ability for progression....but fudge the funding such that the founders are shareholders in the league and thus get the bigger payouts every year (which would cushion them if they did go down to tier 2 of the ESL).
Then they could say, look there is still the dream...we just happen to put our thumb on the scale such that most other clubs won't ever be able to compete.
The founders want stability in their revenue stream so no threat of relegation or non-qualification. I would imagine it was the American-owned clubs (Liverpool, Arsenal, Man U etc) who were most insistent plus Spurs. I'm sure their current PL status influenced quite a few of the clubs.
Out and about in London for the first time and I am now follicly smart again following my first haircut since last July.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
Thanks for the report. When I was in London last week I was amazed to find that tube trains were still running every 2 minutes despite having so few passengers. I don't know how TFL and the government are able to afford it.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Relgions, like science, are a belief system. I think everyone has a right to comment on belief systems (and politics), regardless of their field.
I am with those who support much of what Dawkins says on religion, but not the manner in which he does it sometimes. I have great respect of the deeply (i.e. genuinely) religious.
I totally agree. I just think Dawkins has been an obnoxious turd. I also think that in the media class there is a strong loathing for organised religion, Christianity especially (any overtly Christian character in TV is only a step away from being revealed as an axe-murdering pervert), and Dawkins has carved out a lucrative niche as the Christianity-haters' white haired sage of choice.
Mohamed Bouhafsi @mohamedbouhafsi · 4m UEFA is preparing a counter-attack in the Super League. UEFA is working with english investment fund to come up with new LOC that would have a starting budget of 4.5 billion € but which could go up to 7 billion.
As some said, was it all brinksmanship after all, UEFA were stuck on their stupid CL idea of 6000 teams in a league that don't play one another and the 498th placed team could still qualify for the playoffs...Are they going to basically go for say a two division "Super League", but with yearly qualification for the bottom tier?
Yearly qualification or relegation is fine - the important thing is that you don't staythere permanently because you joined at the beginning.
I am surprised the ESL didn't think of that and have a fudge which was basically we are having founding clubs in a league, and then we will form a second division, and establish ability for progression....but fudge the funding such that the founders are shareholders in the league and thus get the bigger payouts every year (which would cushion them if they did go down to tier 2 of the ESL).
Then they could say, look there is still the dream...we just happen to put our thumb on the scale such that most other clubs won't ever be able to compete.
The founders want stability in their revenue stream so no threat of relegation or non-qualification. I would imagine it was the American-owned clubs (Liverpool, Arsenal, Man U etc) who were most insistent plus Spurs. I'm sure their current PL status influenced quite a few of the clubs.
But that was the whole point of what I was saying, by being the exclusive shareholders and giving themselves a series of other advantages, that could have achieved that with very little risk, even if there was notational chance of relegation.
In the NFL, although there isn't any promotion or relegation, there is enforced period where teams will be uncompetitive and have zero chance of ever getting close to the Superbowl and all that goes along with it. Its part of the whole dog and pony show. But the owners except it because they are stakeholders in the league.
The founding fathers of the ESL could have set it up such that the chances of ever getting relegated from a two division ESL was basically impossible, continuing to receive the guaranteed mega-bucks and also claiming well the "impossible dream" of doing a Leicester is theoretically possible.
And what about Puerto Rico? That's even more deserving.
More complicated apparently, with some actual cross party stuff on that one, though that DC would guarantee 2 Dem Senators surely cannot hurt its case in terms of which gets first go.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
Surely that depends upon his criteria?
Well. It does of course. However he then isn't dismantling "religion", but the belief in God. A distinction he skates over regularly.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
You could say it's a bit snowflake-like to get offended by Richard Dawkins, even if he says something silly.
Mohamed Bouhafsi @mohamedbouhafsi · 4m UEFA is preparing a counter-attack in the Super League. UEFA is working with english investment fund to come up with new LOC that would have a starting budget of 4.5 billion € but which could go up to 7 billion.
As some said, was it all brinksmanship after all, UEFA were stuck on their stupid CL idea of 6000 teams in a league that don't play one another and the 498th placed team could still qualify for the playoffs...Are they going to basically go for say a two division "Super League", but with yearly qualification for the bottom tier?
Yearly qualification or relegation is fine - the important thing is that you don't staythere permanently because you joined at the beginning.
I am surprised the ESL didn't think of that and have a fudge which was basically we are having founding clubs in a league, and then we will form a second division, and establish ability for progression....but fudge the funding such that the founders are shareholders in the league and thus get the bigger payouts every year (which would cushion them if they did go down to tier 2 of the ESL).
Then they could say, look there is still the dream...we just happen to put our thumb on the scale such that most other clubs won't ever be able to compete.
Greed
But in a way my suggestion could make them even more money. Two divisions, even more dosho, and the founding fathers are exclusive shareholders in the enterprise of. They would be only taking a tiny risk of dropping down two tiers (its like thinking Man Utd would ever get relegated from the EPL and then the Championship, ain't going to happen), with huge potential upside.
See Leeds / Sunderland / Forest...
Manchester City too! Those are four traditionally "big clubs" [cut]
And City aren't one of them.
City were indeed in the third tier for one season – went up by the playoffs.
In City (of those days) style too. 2-0 down in the 89th minute.
Indeed, there's a great documentary on Sky about that: We're Not Really Here
Brilliant film – recommended for all football fans. See also I Believe in Miracles (on Forest's glory days).
Boys of Summer. A Teesside documentary maker goes to North Korea to track down the 1966 WC quarter final team. Utterly fascinating football documentary if you haven't seen it.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
You could say it's a bit snowflake-like to get offended by Richard Dawkins, even if he says something silly.
It's not snowflakey to be offended, it's snowflakey to assume that one has a right to go through life un-offended by anything, and have a meltdown when it happens. I think Richard Dawkin's is a very silly man, but I don't want him banned, or taken off social media or anything like that.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
I did not agree that Drakeford would lose his seat
I have said many times that Labour are the likely next Welsh Government possibly, with assistance from Plaid
Andrew RT Davies is a poor leader of the Welsh Conservatives
Drakeford 29% approval demonstrates how poor/ little known are the leaders of all the parties, with 32% not even knowing best FM
I do give Drakeford credit for supporting the union and of course Plaid seem to be down on this poll.
And it is a fact that for those living in Wales we have suffered 22 years of failure by Welsh labour in health, education, and poverty
Carwyn Jones was a far better leader than Drakeford will ever be, but I do accept that this poll may indicate Drakeford is getting some benefit from the vaccination rollout
You unmitigated gushing adoration for The Drake is getting out of hand.
Mohamed Bouhafsi @mohamedbouhafsi · 4m UEFA is preparing a counter-attack in the Super League. UEFA is working with english investment fund to come up with new LOC that would have a starting budget of 4.5 billion € but which could go up to 7 billion.
As some said, was it all brinksmanship after all, UEFA were stuck on their stupid CL idea of 6000 teams in a league that don't play one another and the 498th placed team could still qualify for the playoffs...Are they going to basically go for say a two division "Super League", but with yearly qualification for the bottom tier?
Yearly qualification or relegation is fine - the important thing is that you don't staythere permanently because you joined at the beginning.
I am surprised the ESL didn't think of that and have a fudge which was basically we are having founding clubs in a league, and then we will form a second division, and establish ability for progression....but fudge the funding such that the founders are shareholders in the league and thus get the bigger payouts every year (which would cushion them if they did go down to tier 2 of the ESL).
Then they could say, look there is still the dream...we just happen to put our thumb on the scale such that most other clubs won't ever be able to compete.
Greed
But in a way my suggestion could make them even more money. Two divisions, even more dosho, and the founding fathers are exclusive shareholders in the enterprise of. They would be only taking a tiny risk of dropping down two tiers (its like thinking Man Utd would ever get relegated from the EPL and then the Championship, ain't going to happen), with huge potential upside.
See Leeds / Sunderland / Forest...
Manchester City too! Those are four traditionally "big clubs" [cut]
And City aren't one of them.
City were indeed in the third tier for one season – went up by the playoffs.
In City (of those days) style too. 2-0 down in the 89th minute.
Indeed, there's a great documentary on Sky about that: We're Not Really Here
Brilliant film – recommended for all football fans. See also I Believe in Miracles (on Forest's glory days).
Boys of Summer. A Teesside documentary maker goes to North Korea to track down the 1966 WC quarter final team. Utterly fascinating football documentary if you haven't seen it.
That sounds brilliant. I'll look it up. Thanks.
Oops @Anabobazina. That isn't its name... It is called "The game of Their Lives".
New Zealand has said it will no longer confront China over human rights as part of the 'Five Eyes' intelligence network, reversing an earlier commitment to its allies.
Foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was 'uncomfortable' with pressuring Beijing and wanted to pursue its own relationship with its largest trading partner.
I did not agree that Drakeford would lose his seat
I have said many times that Labour are the likely next Welsh Government possibly, with assistance from Plaid
Andrew RT Davies is a poor leader of the Welsh Conservatives
Drakeford 29% approval demonstrates how poor/ little known are the leaders of all the parties, with 32% not even knowing best FM
I do give Drakeford credit for supporting the union and of course Plaid seem to be down on this poll.
And it is a fact that for those living in Wales we have suffered 22 years of failure by Welsh labour in health, education, and poverty
Carwyn Jones was a far better leader than Drakeford will ever be, but I do accept that this poll may indicate Drakeford is getting some benefit from the vaccination rollout
You unmitigated gushing adoration for The Drake is getting out of hand.
It's almost embarrassing.
I am too polite to give your comments the response it deserves
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
How’s about they talk of the four day window between the announcement and enforcement of hotel quarantine from India? With predictable results that direct flights are sold out at £2k a ticket, airlines are trying to switch bigger planes and indirect flights are also full.
Out and about in London for the first time and I am now follicly smart again following my first haircut since last July.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
Thanks for the report. When I was in London last week I was amazed to find that tube trains were still running every 2 minutes despite having so few passengers. I don't know how TFL and the government are able to afford it.
Same applies to the buses round here. Double-deckers still go through every half hour (each way), often empty or with only one passenger.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
You could say it's a bit snowflake-like to get offended by Richard Dawkins, even if he says something silly.
Not at all. I am quite happy for him to say what he wants and I don't want to ban him or even not hear him. But that doesn't change the fact that he is offensive in some ways - not least because that is exactly what he intends. He believes that people who hold vies he disagrees with deserve to be offended rather than simply disagreed with. It is a stupid and rather juvenile attitude which undermines much of the obvious (to me) sense of what he says.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
Back in the 19th century perhaps that was true. In the 21st century, religion doesn't tend to offer scientific explanations. It is fascinating how the porcupine got its quills, but whether or not that process happened in a void, or whether it was overseen by a divine creator, is a question of faith. Dawkins oeuvre no more disproves the existence of the spiritual than reading the label on a tin of pilchards.
Gosh, already? It's not a week since they opened it up to that cohort. (Though obviously there were a lot had already had it through falling into various other categories.) This particular 45-49 year old is booked in this coming Friday.
Pretty rare for a leader to be near the thick of the action, even in unstable situations, so surprised the news about the President of Chad isn't bigger news. Given what it says about the battle hardened nature of his troops, unstable transition there could go really badly! For 30 years he clung to power in Chad - a vast nation that straddles the Sahara and is surrounded by some of the continent's most protracted conflicts.
And Déby had a hand in every one of them. From Darfur, to Libya, Mali, Nigeria and the Central African Republic. His troops were among the most battle-hardened on the planet.
Not long until they open up 40-44 year old, maybe another week or ten days at the rate of 160-200k first doses per day. Would take that cohort up to 75% easily.
Mohamed Bouhafsi @mohamedbouhafsi · 4m UEFA is preparing a counter-attack in the Super League. UEFA is working with english investment fund to come up with new LOC that would have a starting budget of 4.5 billion € but which could go up to 7 billion.
As some said, was it all brinksmanship after all, UEFA were stuck on their stupid CL idea of 6000 teams in a league that don't play one another and the 498th placed team could still qualify for the playoffs...Are they going to basically go for say a two division "Super League", but with yearly qualification for the bottom tier?
Yearly qualification or relegation is fine - the important thing is that you don't staythere permanently because you joined at the beginning.
I am surprised the ESL didn't think of that and have a fudge which was basically we are having founding clubs in a league, and then we will form a second division, and establish ability for progression....but fudge the funding such that the founders are shareholders in the league and thus get the bigger payouts every year (which would cushion them if they did go down to tier 2 of the ESL).
Then they could say, look there is still the dream...we just happen to put our thumb on the scale such that most other clubs won't ever be able to compete.
Greed
But in a way my suggestion could make them even more money. Two divisions, even more dosho, and the founding fathers are exclusive shareholders in the enterprise of. They would be only taking a tiny risk of dropping down two tiers (its like thinking Man Utd would ever get relegated from the EPL and then the Championship, ain't going to happen), with huge potential upside.
See Leeds / Sunderland / Forest...
Manchester City too! Those are four traditionally "big clubs" [cut]
And City aren't one of them.
City were indeed in the third tier for one season – went up by the playoffs.
In City (of those days) style too. 2-0 down in the 89th minute.
Indeed, there's a great documentary on Sky about that: We're Not Really Here
Brilliant film – recommended for all football fans. See also I Believe in Miracles (on Forest's glory days).
Boys of Summer. A Teesside documentary maker goes to North Korea to track down the 1966 WC quarter final team. Utterly fascinating football documentary if you haven't seen it.
That sounds brilliant. I'll look it up. Thanks.
Oops @Anabobazina. That isn't its name... It is called "The game of Their Lives".
New Zealand has said it will no longer confront China over human rights as part of the 'Five Eyes' intelligence network, reversing an earlier commitment to its allies.
Foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was 'uncomfortable' with pressuring Beijing and wanted to pursue its own relationship with its largest trading partner.
I did not agree that Drakeford would lose his seat
I have said many times that Labour are the likely next Welsh Government possibly, with assistance from Plaid
Andrew RT Davies is a poor leader of the Welsh Conservatives
Drakeford 29% approval demonstrates how poor/ little known are the leaders of all the parties, with 32% not even knowing best FM
I do give Drakeford credit for supporting the union and of course Plaid seem to be down on this poll.
And it is a fact that for those living in Wales we have suffered 22 years of failure by Welsh labour in health, education, and poverty
Carwyn Jones was a far better leader than Drakeford will ever be, but I do accept that this poll may indicate Drakeford is getting some benefit from the vaccination rollout
You unmitigated gushing adoration for The Drake is getting out of hand.
It's almost embarrassing.
I am too polite to give your comments the response it deserves
And I will leave it at that
I am green with envy that you have the honour of living under his glorious and benevolent oversight.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
I did not agree that Drakeford would lose his seat
I have said many times that Labour are the likely next Welsh Government possibly, with assistance from Plaid
Andrew RT Davies is a poor leader of the Welsh Conservatives
Drakeford 29% approval demonstrates how poor/ little known are the leaders of all the parties, with 32% not even knowing best FM
I do give Drakeford credit for supporting the union and of course Plaid seem to be down on this poll.
And it is a fact that for those living in Wales we have suffered 22 years of failure by Welsh labour in health, education, and poverty
Carwyn Jones was a far better leader than Drakeford will ever be, but I do accept that this poll may indicate Drakeford is getting some benefit from the vaccination rollout
The FATE of Mark DRAKEFORD. Remember, Labour have 29 seats at the moment.
30+ Seats: Labour have never done it before. DRAKEFORD becomes a LIVING GOD.
25-29 Seats: DRAKEFORD survives. He is next Welsh FM, probably with confidence and supply from Plaid Cymru.
20-24: DRAKEFORD is in trouble. Plaid Cymru demand DRAKEFORD's head on a golden platter as their price. Labour provide the next FM, but it is not DRAKEFORD.
<20: The tipping point, the Tories are now the largest party. DRAKEFORD's bloodied corpse is found next to Ken Skates' Nespressor Machine. 'RT' ascends the throne. @Big_G_NorthWales professes undying admiration, and @MexicanPete leaves Wales for a better life in North Korea.
I did not agree that Drakeford would lose his seat
I have said many times that Labour are the likely next Welsh Government possibly, with assistance from Plaid
Andrew RT Davies is a poor leader of the Welsh Conservatives
Drakeford 29% approval demonstrates how poor/ little known are the leaders of all the parties, with 32% not even knowing best FM
I do give Drakeford credit for supporting the union and of course Plaid seem to be down on this poll.
And it is a fact that for those living in Wales we have suffered 22 years of failure by Welsh labour in health, education, and poverty
Carwyn Jones was a far better leader than Drakeford will ever be, but I do accept that this poll may indicate Drakeford is getting some benefit from the vaccination rollout
You unmitigated gushing adoration for The Drake is getting out of hand.
It's almost embarrassing.
I am too polite to give your comments the response it deserves
And I will leave it at that
It's possible to subtly declare your loyalty and devotion to The Drake without being so ostentatious about it. Less is more.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Looks like Hunky Dunky isn't making many new friends:
Contrary to the book's very first line, Duncan was not "at the centre of British politics for nearly thirty years".
Political life must have been tough for Sir Alan Duncan. Imagine being that talented, having that much political acumen, that much insight and wit, and yet your genius is just not recognised and rewarded by colleagues. Thankfully, the shackles of ministerial office cast off, we can finally gain an insight into Duncan’s innermost thoughts on both these egregious oversights and his true views on his colleagues, including such barnstorming marmalade-droppers as he doesn’t like Boris Johnson very much.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Er, you do realise that millions of people other than Sky journalists also go abroad on holiday?
Only on PB are such questions considered beyond the pale.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
Received a booklet today from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority about the election for the new West Yorkshire Mayor. It included two pages each from all the candidates. Is this the normal pattern for mayoral elections? By the way the English Democrat candidate lives in Essex - I would have thought that nomination would have been refused by the returning officer.
Received a booklet today from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority about the election for the new West Yorkshire Mayor. It included two pages each from all the candidates. Is this the normal pattern for mayoral elections? By the way the English Democrat candidate lives in Essex - I would have thought that nomination would have been refused by the returning officer.
Received a booklet today from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority about the election for the new West Yorkshire Mayor. It included two pages each from all the candidates. Is this the normal pattern for mayoral elections? By the way the English Democrat candidate lives in Essex - I would have thought that nomination would have been refused by the returning officer.
In London, it's one page per candidate (albeit we have fricking loads of them, so two pages would have turned the booklet into a novel), and as I recall we got something very similar in 2016 and 2012, at least.
Out and about in London for the first time and I am now follicly smart again following my first haircut since last July.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
Thanks for the report. When I was in London last week I was amazed to find that tube trains were still running every 2 minutes despite having so few passengers. I don't know how TFL and the government are able to afford it.
The reason for running so many trains was to enable (some) social distancing.
IIRC early in the pandemic, the services in London were cut back, leading to crowding.
For some reason --- oh, I dunno why, mebbes slight oversight, mebbes still in mourning for the faeces-encrusted figure of David Cameron -- TSE missed out the final nugget of Welsh polling.
It is the best UK PM :-
Boris: 31% Starmer: 24% None of these: 29% DK: 16%
It has 78% of Welsh Con backing Boris, but only 54% of Welsh Lab backing Starmer.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
Back in the 19th century perhaps that was true. In the 21st century, religion doesn't tend to offer scientific explanations. It is fascinating how the porcupine got its quills, but whether or not that process happened in a void, or whether it was overseen by a divine creator, is a question of faith. Dawkins oeuvre no more disproves the existence of the spiritual than reading the label on a tin of pilchards.
I believe one can find 'Christian' groups around the world and particularly in the USA who insist that account in Genesis is literally true. How they square that with the fact that it was probably originally 'told' in some early proto Semitic language before being written down in an early version of Hebrew, then translated into Greek and from there into English I'm not sure.
Out and about in London for the first time and I am now follicly smart again following my first haircut since last July.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
Thanks for the report. When I was in London last week I was amazed to find that tube trains were still running every 2 minutes despite having so few passengers. I don't know how TFL and the government are able to afford it.
The reason for running so many trains was to enable (some) social distancing.
IIRC early in the pandemic, the services in London were cut back, leading to crowding.
It was absolute madness, 'essential' workers rammed face-to-armpit in the tube.
No wonder London got hit so hard in the first wave.
Anti-virals effective against Covid would be a really major step forward.
The PM also warned of a new coronavirus wave, saying: "There will be another wave of COVID at some stage this year."
I think that's inevitable to some extent; after all, we've been in quite heavy lockdown for months, which has got the cases right down to low levels. When we relax the restrictions, there is bound to be an upsurge. Hopefully not too big an upsurge, and with small numbers of hospitalisations and deaths thanks to the vaccines.
Received a booklet today from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority about the election for the new West Yorkshire Mayor. It included two pages each from all the candidates. Is this the normal pattern for mayoral elections? By the way the English Democrat candidate lives in Essex - I would have thought that nomination would have been refused by the returning officer.
We got them too. Wor Lass also got a letter from Brabin, which had the added bonus of including a name check for our council candidate.
As usual, a red-green electoral pact has been agreed in the Rentool household. Postal votes eagerly anticipated...
Anti-virals effective against Covid would be a really major step forward.
It is good news. I suggested 'treatment packs' at home some time ago. For many the existence of significant support at home (beyond - 'take some paracetomol') would be enough to keep them out of hospitals and therefore not infecting everyone else.
Out and about in London for the first time and I am now follicly smart again following my first haircut since last July.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
Thanks for the report. When I was in London last week I was amazed to find that tube trains were still running every 2 minutes despite having so few passengers. I don't know how TFL and the government are able to afford it.
Same applies to the buses round here. Double-deckers still go through every half hour (each way), often empty or with only one passenger.
It helps with social distancing, as others have pointed out below. But the cost must be unsustainable very soon.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
Back in the 19th century perhaps that was true. In the 21st century, religion doesn't tend to offer scientific explanations. It is fascinating how the porcupine got its quills, but whether or not that process happened in a void, or whether it was overseen by a divine creator, is a question of faith. Dawkins oeuvre no more disproves the existence of the spiritual than reading the label on a tin of pilchards.
I believe one can find 'Christian' groups around the world and particularly in the USA who insist that account in Genesis is literally true. How they square that with the fact that it was probably originally 'told' in some early proto Semitic language before being written down in an early version of Hebrew, then translated into Greek and from there into English I'm not sure.
Even the term 'literally true' is quite baggy though. Before the earth existed, started rotating around the sun, a 24 hour day did not exist either, so God can't have created the heavens and the earth in that time.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
We are more concerned with seeing family again... but my wife recently said that she was desirous of a holiday, somewhere hot, to do nothing, in a way that she never had before.
I can well believe that many people are itching to get away, far away, probably at least partly due to a mistaken subconscious belief that they can leave the troubles of the pandemic behind by stepping on an airplane.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
How on earth do you know?
People want both to see their families and to go on holiday.
That they are such complex beings must be baffling to you but I assure you that seemingly unlike you, people can hold more than two thoughts in their head at any one time.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
Back in the 19th century perhaps that was true. In the 21st century, religion doesn't tend to offer scientific explanations. It is fascinating how the porcupine got its quills, but whether or not that process happened in a void, or whether it was overseen by a divine creator, is a question of faith. Dawkins oeuvre no more disproves the existence of the spiritual than reading the label on a tin of pilchards.
I believe one can find 'Christian' groups around the world and particularly in the USA who insist that account in Genesis is literally true. How they square that with the fact that it was probably originally 'told' in some early proto Semitic language before being written down in an early version of Hebrew, then translated into Greek and from there into English I'm not sure.
For some reason --- oh, I dunno why, mebbes slight oversight, mebbes still in mourning for the faeces-encrusted figure of David Cameron -- TSE missed out the final nugget of Welsh polling.
It is the best UK PM :-
Boris: 31% Starmer: 24% None of these: 29% DK: 16%
It has 78% of Welsh Con backing Boris, but only 54% of Welsh Lab backing Starmer.
Not brill for SKS.
Because I haven't looked at the polling in detail, I just went off what Britain Elects tweeted.
As far I can see they didn't tweet that.
You may have noticed I didn't comment on PB until mid afternoon, as I've been busy at work.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
How on earth do you know?
People want both to see their families and to go on holiday.
That they are such complex beings must be baffling to you but I assure you that seemingly unlike you, people can hold more than two thoughts in their head at any one time.
I admit the following is guesswork and generalising from myself. Well, myself and those I speak to - which is clearly not a representative sample. But my guess would be that of those who go on foreign holidays - which is far from universal - most have already written off this year. Whereas people are desperate to see their families and friends again, go to places which are inside, stop having to wear masks, hug, and do all the things which will make the world feel normal. Foreign holidays are a nice to have, but for most people, going abroad this year is not an essential part of getting back to normal. The amount of journalistic focus on it seems odd. Admittedly, I've only been abroad three times in the past 12 years. But I don't think that's particularly unusual.
Anti-virals effective against Covid would be a really major step forward.
The PM also warned of a new coronavirus wave, saying: "There will be another wave of COVID at some stage this year."
I think that's inevitable to some extent; after all, we've been in quite heavy lockdown for months, which has got the cases right down to low levels. When we relax the restrictions, there is bound to be an upsurge. Hopefully not too big an upsurge, and with small numbers of hospitalisations and deaths thanks to the vaccines.
I doubt it's that inevitable, not domestically at least. Importing it back from abroad is another matter.
Cases now are down to rates not seen since the beginning of September and still falling. At this rate by June they'll be in the hundreds per day, not the thousands or tens of thousands.
If there's not much in the way of virus to spread, plus the vaccines will have taken the place of restrictions preventing it from spreading much, then a new wave sparking is implausible.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
Back in the 19th century perhaps that was true. In the 21st century, religion doesn't tend to offer scientific explanations. It is fascinating how the porcupine got its quills, but whether or not that process happened in a void, or whether it was overseen by a divine creator, is a question of faith. Dawkins oeuvre no more disproves the existence of the spiritual than reading the label on a tin of pilchards.
I believe one can find 'Christian' groups around the world and particularly in the USA who insist that account in Genesis is literally true. How they square that with the fact that it was probably originally 'told' in some early proto Semitic language before being written down in an early version of Hebrew, then translated into Greek and from there into English I'm not sure.
Oh, that's easy. A lot of them actually believe that the translators of the Authorized Version were divinely inspired, and not only that the English-language AV is legitimately the word of God, but only the AV is: i.e. all the Hebrew, Greek, Latin etc versions are not!
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
How on earth do you know?
People want both to see their families and to go on holiday.
That they are such complex beings must be baffling to you but I assure you that seemingly unlike you, people can hold more than two thoughts in their head at any one time.
I admit the following is guesswork and generalising from myself. Well, myself and those I speak to - which is clearly not a representative sample. But my guess would be that of those who go on foreign holidays - which is far from universal - most have already written off this year. Whereas people are desperate to see their families and friends again, go to places which are inside, stop having to wear masks, hug, and do all the things which will make the world feel normal. Foreign holidays are a nice to have, but for most people, going abroad this year is not an essential part of getting back to normal. The amount of journalistic focus on it seems odd. Admittedly, I've only been abroad three times in the past 12 years. But I don't think that's particularly unusual.
I used to travel weekly (to the extent that the Lounge in Schiphol would reserve a table for me) with 3-4 foreign holidays a year
They can wait - all I want is to see friends and not have to wear a mask.
Yes I do want a change of scene but visits to London and elsewhere will fix that.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
We are more concerned with seeing family again... but my wife recently said that she was desirous of a holiday, somewhere hot, to do nothing, in a way that she never had before.
I can well believe that many people are itching to get away, far away, probably at least partly due to a mistaken subconscious belief that they can leave the troubles of the pandemic behind by stepping on an airplane.
Sandpit moves in different circles to me. As you say, many people are itching to get away. We are nowhere near normal when barred leave the country. As soon as we can get away we are off.
Anti-virals effective against Covid would be a really major step forward.
The PM also warned of a new coronavirus wave, saying: "There will be another wave of COVID at some stage this year."
I think that's inevitable to some extent; after all, we've been in quite heavy lockdown for months, which has got the cases right down to low levels. When we relax the restrictions, there is bound to be an upsurge. Hopefully not too big an upsurge, and with small numbers of hospitalisations and deaths thanks to the vaccines.
I doubt it's that inevitable, not domestically at least. Importing it back from abroad is another matter.
Cases now are down to rates not seen since the beginning of September and still falling. At this rate by June they'll be in the hundreds per day, not the thousands or tens of thousands.
If there's not much in the way of virus to spread, plus the vaccines will have taken the place of restrictions preventing it from spreading much, then a new wave sparking is implausible.
Lots of people are still not vaccinated, and they cluster together (youngsters partying with youngsters, specific ethnic minorities etc). Once the virus gets into those sub-groups, it will inevitably spread within them, even if the vaccines prevent it spreading too much further. However, hopefully these will be mostly mild cases.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
How on earth do you know?
People want both to see their families and to go on holiday.
That they are such complex beings must be baffling to you but I assure you that seemingly unlike you, people can hold more than two thoughts in their head at any one time.
I admit the following is guesswork and generalising from myself. Well, myself and those I speak to - which is clearly not a representative sample. But my guess would be that of those who go on foreign holidays - which is far from universal - most have already written off this year. Whereas people are desperate to see their families and friends again, go to places which are inside, stop having to wear masks, hug, and do all the things which will make the world feel normal. Foreign holidays are a nice to have, but for most people, going abroad this year is not an essential part of getting back to normal. The amount of journalistic focus on it seems odd. Admittedly, I've only been abroad three times in the past 12 years. But I don't think that's particularly unusual.
I used to travel weekly (to the extent that the Lounge in Schiphol would reserve a table for me) with 3-4 foreign holidays a year
They can wait - all I want is to see friends and not have to wear a mask.
Yes I do want a change of scene but visits to London and elsewhere will fix that.
Which is all fine (and my hols are all booked for England too) but it doesn’t make the questions invalid, which was the original implication.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
Back in the 19th century perhaps that was true. In the 21st century, religion doesn't tend to offer scientific explanations. It is fascinating how the porcupine got its quills, but whether or not that process happened in a void, or whether it was overseen by a divine creator, is a question of faith. Dawkins oeuvre no more disproves the existence of the spiritual than reading the label on a tin of pilchards.
I believe one can find 'Christian' groups around the world and particularly in the USA who insist that account in Genesis is literally true. How they square that with the fact that it was probably originally 'told' in some early proto Semitic language before being written down in an early version of Hebrew, then translated into Greek and from there into English I'm not sure.
Oh, that's easy. A lot of them actually believe that the translators of the Authorized Version were divinely inspired, and not only that the English-language AV is legitimately the word of God, but only the AV is: i.e. all the Hebrew, Greek, Latin etc versions are not!
That get out clause would allow you to write a lot of stuff that wasn't a 100% literal translation - no wonder they like it.
Anyone been to Jersey? What's it like - best parts to stay - what's the capital like - should we base there - etc?
Any help much appreciated.
As half a Guernseyman I scratch my head as to why you'd want to go
The north is rural and hillier, south built up and flatter. Gorey is the picture postcard with the castle on all the posters. Through gritted teeth I admit that St Brelade's Bay is the best beach in the Channel islands.
If you hire a car it doesn't much matter where you stay but my preference would be to avoid St Helier. Either go for a nice hotel with a coastal view or either Gorey or St Aubin if you want to have somewhere to walk to for a meal/drink in the evenings. Haven't been for a while so i won't give any recommendations on exactly where to stay
Jersey is the most "foreign" we can manage that counts as a domestic flight.
Seems an opportunity to go. I'd also like to go to Scotland but my wife seems think its rife with midges and too effing cold.
There is a glamping place associated with Darwin zoo go I'm checking that out. Also checking out a country hotel in the middle of the island.
It’s an island with Cornish style coast and scenery all around. Who would go there and stay in the middle?
There are lots of accommodations in the middle. With a hire car can access anywhere from there.
FPT on Richard Dawkins: his problem is his consistency - he's an evidence-based individual with a nose for bullshit and calls it out (not always diplomatically) wherever he finds it. He's correctly detected that Wokeism is simply yet another religion - albeit a secular one.
Personally? I'm rooting for him. I'm tired of being told I have to believe in things that simply aren't true, and I think many other people are as well.
My take on Dawkins is that he is in general a prejudiced bullshitter who thinks his prejudice is based on evidence.
On this question, though, he is correct.
I must admit that, although as an atheist I should be a fan of Dawkins, his manner and his desire to belittle people because of their beliefs (rather than just attacking those belief systems) means I find him pretty offensive.
Yes. He's irritating. He also cherry picks. He declares Buddhism not to be a religion because it doesn't fit his criticisms of religions. Which ain't very scientific.
There's also a very strange 'reigion-like' cult of personality built up around him, with spotty little herberts sending him in drawings of him they've done etc. It's all very odd. He's the epitome of the 'expert' we've 'had enough of' imo - nothing wrong with an expert in their field, but you wouldn't take a poorly dog to a mechanic, so why ask a biologist to opine on religion?
Er, he's one of the most eminent evolutionary biologists in the world. Given that religion teaches creationism, it's just possible that Professor Dawkins might have one or two counterarguments that are worth listening to.
Back in the 19th century perhaps that was true. In the 21st century, religion doesn't tend to offer scientific explanations. It is fascinating how the porcupine got its quills, but whether or not that process happened in a void, or whether it was overseen by a divine creator, is a question of faith. Dawkins oeuvre no more disproves the existence of the spiritual than reading the label on a tin of pilchards.
I believe one can find 'Christian' groups around the world and particularly in the USA who insist that account in Genesis is literally true. How they square that with the fact that it was probably originally 'told' in some early proto Semitic language before being written down in an early version of Hebrew, then translated into Greek and from there into English I'm not sure.
Oh, that's easy. A lot of them actually believe that the translators of the Authorized Version were divinely inspired, and not only that the English-language AV is legitimately the word of God, but only the AV is: i.e. all the Hebrew, Greek, Latin etc versions are not!
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
How on earth do you know?
People want both to see their families and to go on holiday.
That they are such complex beings must be baffling to you but I assure you that seemingly unlike you, people can hold more than two thoughts in their head at any one time.
There's questions on holidays every single press conference.
There's not on being able to see families which is still illegal indoors.
And Sky News are off talking about summer holidays again....
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Because the public expect the journalists to think primarily about things that affect their audience, rather than obsess about things which occupy their own minds?
Millions upon millions of Brits look forward to their summer holidays each year.
Tens of millions more are concerned by whether and when they can see their families.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
We are more concerned with seeing family again... but my wife recently said that she was desirous of a holiday, somewhere hot, to do nothing, in a way that she never had before.
I can well believe that many people are itching to get away, far away, probably at least partly due to a mistaken subconscious belief that they can leave the troubles of the pandemic behind by stepping on an airplane.
Sandpit moves in different circles to me. As you say, many people are itching to get away. We are nowhere near normal when barred leave the country. As soon as we can get away we are off.
I’m one of few guys on this forum who wants to spend the summer in the UK!
I’ve a nephew I’ve never met, and haven’t seen my septuagenarian parents in two years.
I’m happy to quarantine, and annoyed as hell that the debate on travel is been driven by journalists who want to go away for a break as they always do, and risk bringing some crap resistant virus back to the U.K as a result.
Anti-virals effective against Covid would be a really major step forward.
The PM also warned of a new coronavirus wave, saying: "There will be another wave of COVID at some stage this year."
I think that's inevitable to some extent; after all, we've been in quite heavy lockdown for months, which has got the cases right down to low levels. When we relax the restrictions, there is bound to be an upsurge. Hopefully not too big an upsurge, and with small numbers of hospitalisations and deaths thanks to the vaccines.
I doubt it's that inevitable, not domestically at least. Importing it back from abroad is another matter.
Cases now are down to rates not seen since the beginning of September and still falling. At this rate by June they'll be in the hundreds per day, not the thousands or tens of thousands.
If there's not much in the way of virus to spread, plus the vaccines will have taken the place of restrictions preventing it from spreading much, then a new wave sparking is implausible.
Lots of people are still not vaccinated, and they cluster together (youngsters partying with youngsters, specific ethnic minorities etc). Once the virus gets into those sub-groups, it will inevitably spread within them, even if the vaccines prevent it spreading too much further. However, hopefully these will be mostly mild cases.
Actually there's significant levels of antibodies in all adult age groups now because not only have a fifth of youngsters been vaccinated, the "youngsters partying with youngsters" were more likely to get naturally acquired immunity over the past year anyway. A majority of the country now have antibodies already and its only continuing to climb.
Ouch, as the young people would say about five years ago "you got served". Kemi is rock solid... Parents migrated to the UK from west africa as professionals, very successful wave of highly skilled migration. Never underestimate the contempt that the more conservative, educated and traditional values holding west africans have for those who's family originate from the Caribbean and for those with a list of excuses.
Madrid court bans UEFA, FIFA from taking steps against European Super League:
The ESL guys seem well organised, and as much as I don’t like what they’re doing, it’s probably going to happen. It’s way more than a negotiating tool with UEFA, and the clubs involved are now all in with the new league.
Ouch, as the young people would say about five years ago "you got served". Kemi is rock solid... Parents migrated to the UK from west africa as professionals, very successful wave of highly skilled migration. Never underestimate the contempt that the more conservative, educated and traditional values holding west africans have for those who's family originate from the Caribbean and for those with a list of excuses.
Kemi is awesome on this stuff, she deserves a medal for the sh!t she’s getting.
Comments
I am with those who support much of what Dawkins says on religion, but not the manner in which he does it sometimes. I have great respect of the deeply (i.e. genuinely) religious.
https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/comment/98787897#Comment_98787897
But I have my doubts.
Observations - travelled over to south west London and the tubes and trains on the way there (mid morning) very quiet, Why South West Trains are running 12-car trains to Basingstoke (I presume it's for 12 people with a carriage each) off peak is a complete mystery.
Kingston at lunchtime - busy along the river but a number of restaurants which could use outside space still closed. My favourite cafe can't have tables out the front any more because of the cycle lanes put in by the Council. My second favourite cafe had no such issues and the full English remained as good as ever. I wouldn't say the place was "buzzing" - the office workers are missing and missed but there's a lot of planned redevelopment in the town.
Coming back mid-afternoon, noticeably busier at Waterloo at 3pm and on the Jubilee and District. Some of it school children but mostly, I presume, early starters coming back. Mask wearing compliance starting to fall - in the part of the Jubilee carriage I was in coming back, 10 people sitting, 7 wore masks.
At East Ham, with no staff and the gates left open, fare evasion is endemic - I'm no supporter of Sadiq's and he and TfL have just allowed fare evasion to go unchecked. I've heard no commitment from any of the other candidates to tighten up on this but the whole TfL operating model is in huge trouble (I'm sure the same is true of South Western Railway and their long empty trains).
I'd like to hear the Government engaging in some thinking on this apart from pointless exhortations to go back to the office - that ship has sailed. Throwing money at transport operators to run empty trains up and down the lines seems the height of absurdity - we need to be thinking seriously about how public transport will operate in the post-Covid world (better services at the weekends and perhaps a shift of when and how maintenance is carried out) but that's obviously far too difficult for this lot who might end up with an "unpopular" idea (the horror !!).
In the NFL, although there isn't any promotion or relegation, there is enforced period where teams will be uncompetitive and have zero chance of ever getting close to the Superbowl and all that goes along with it. Its part of the whole dog and pony show. But the owners except it because they are stakeholders in the league.
The founding fathers of the ESL could have set it up such that the chances of ever getting relegated from a two division ESL was basically impossible, continuing to receive the guaranteed mega-bucks and also claiming well the "impossible dream" of doing a Leicester is theoretically possible.
However he then isn't dismantling "religion", but the belief in God.
A distinction he skates over regularly.
You unmitigated gushing adoration for The Drake is getting out of hand.
It's almost embarrassing.
One day I might get mine...one day....
It is called "The game of Their Lives".
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_of_Their_Lives_(2002_film)
And I will leave it at that
It's perfectly reasonable for them to do so. Why shouldn't they ask those questions?
Impressive considering 2nd jabs are the priority.
This particular 45-49 year old is booked in this coming Friday.
For 30 years he clung to power in Chad - a vast nation that straddles the Sahara and is surrounded by some of the continent's most protracted conflicts.
And Déby had a hand in every one of them. From Darfur, to Libya, Mali, Nigeria and the Central African Republic. His troops were among the most battle-hardened on the planet.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56815708
"its largest trading partner."
No different to Germany supporting Nordstream etc
30+ Seats: Labour have never done it before. DRAKEFORD becomes a LIVING GOD.
25-29 Seats: DRAKEFORD survives. He is next Welsh FM, probably with confidence and supply from Plaid Cymru.
20-24: DRAKEFORD is in trouble. Plaid Cymru demand DRAKEFORD's head on a golden platter as their price. Labour provide the next FM, but it is not DRAKEFORD.
<20: The tipping point, the Tories are now the largest party. DRAKEFORD's bloodied corpse is found next to Ken Skates' Nespressor Machine. 'RT' ascends the throne. @Big_G_NorthWales professes undying admiration, and @MexicanPete leaves Wales for a better life in North Korea.
My guess at the moment would be something like
Lab: 23, Con:18, PC:15, Abolish 3, LD:1
Contrary to the book's very first line, Duncan was not "at the centre of British politics for nearly thirty years".
Political life must have been tough for Sir Alan Duncan. Imagine being that talented, having that much political acumen, that much insight and wit, and yet your genius is just not recognised and rewarded by colleagues. Thankfully, the shackles of ministerial office cast off, we can finally gain an insight into Duncan’s innermost thoughts on both these egregious oversights and his true views on his colleagues, including such barnstorming marmalade-droppers as he doesn’t like Boris Johnson very much.
https://macemagazine.com/alan-duncan-diaries-peter-cardwell/
Only on PB are such questions considered beyond the pale.
Holidays abroad are simply not a priority for anyone other than journalists, who simply can’t believe their long summer in Tuscany or Nice might be threatened by something as simple as those areas being riddled with a pandemic virus.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/streaming-is-killing-british-music-industry-boris-johnson-told-dvt6tgkfc
COVID-19: Britons who test positive for coronavirus could be sent antiviral tablets to take at home
The PM launches a taskforce to identify the most promising new antiviral medicines - with an aim of rolling them out this autumn.
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-britons-who-test-positive-for-coronavirus-could-be-sent-antiviral-tablets-to-take-at-home-12281366
Anti-virals effective against Covid would be a really major step forward.
IIRC early in the pandemic, the services in London were cut back, leading to crowding.
For some reason --- oh, I dunno why, mebbes slight oversight, mebbes still in mourning for the faeces-encrusted figure of David Cameron -- TSE missed out the final nugget of Welsh polling.
It is the best UK PM :-
Boris: 31%
Starmer: 24%
None of these: 29%
DK: 16%
It has 78% of Welsh Con backing Boris, but only 54% of Welsh Lab backing Starmer.
Not brill for SKS.
How they square that with the fact that it was probably originally 'told' in some early proto Semitic language before being written down in an early version of Hebrew, then translated into Greek and from there into English I'm not sure.
No wonder London got hit so hard in the first wave.
As usual, a red-green electoral pact has been agreed in the Rentool household. Postal votes eagerly anticipated...
I can well believe that many people are itching to get away, far away, probably at least partly due to a mistaken subconscious belief that they can leave the troubles of the pandemic behind by stepping on an airplane.
People want both to see their families and to go on holiday.
That they are such complex beings must be baffling to you but I assure you that seemingly unlike you, people can hold more than two thoughts in their head at any one time.
As far I can see they didn't tweet that.
You may have noticed I didn't comment on PB until mid afternoon, as I've been busy at work.
So once again, you're talking shite, literally.
Whereas people are desperate to see their families and friends again, go to places which are inside, stop having to wear masks, hug, and do all the things which will make the world feel normal.
Foreign holidays are a nice to have, but for most people, going abroad this year is not an essential part of getting back to normal. The amount of journalistic focus on it seems odd.
Admittedly, I've only been abroad three times in the past 12 years. But I don't think that's particularly unusual.
Cases now are down to rates not seen since the beginning of September and still falling. At this rate by June they'll be in the hundreds per day, not the thousands or tens of thousands.
If there's not much in the way of virus to spread, plus the vaccines will have taken the place of restrictions preventing it from spreading much, then a new wave sparking is implausible.
BUNDESTAGSWAHL | Sonntagsfrage Forsa/RTL/n-tv
GRÜNE: 28% (+5)
Union: 21% (-6)
SPD: 13% (-2)
FDP: 12% (+3)
AfD: 11%
LINKE: 7% (-1)
Sonstige: 8% (+1)
https://twitter.com/Wahlen_DE/status/1384546624811278336
Pretty dramatic if it's confirmed by other polls.
They can wait - all I want is to see friends and not have to wear a mask.
Yes I do want a change of scene but visits to London and elsewhere will fix that.
https://twitter.com/LadPolitics/status/1384550406399930368
If so, make yourselves known, I can speak Latin, but I need your help before I potentially do some bad things to the Latin language.
AV is the word of God.
*The Union as in The United Kingdom.
There's not on being able to see families which is still illegal indoors.
There's not on a myriad of other issues.
I’ve a nephew I’ve never met, and haven’t seen my septuagenarian parents in two years.
I’m happy to quarantine, and annoyed as hell that the debate on travel is been driven by journalists who want to go away for a break as they always do, and risk bringing some crap resistant virus back to the U.K as a result.
I told my son to get the publicans to insist on being told under what law they are imposing this.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9491069/Biden-called-George-Floyds-brother-Philonise-Derek-Chauvin-jury-sent-Minneapolis.html
Biden says the evidence is 'overwhelming' in Derek Chauvin's trial and is 'praying for the right verdict'
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1384535304921620480
Madrid court bans UEFA, FIFA from taking steps against European Super League:
Ouch, as the young people would say about five years ago "you got served". Kemi is rock solid... Parents migrated to the UK from west africa as professionals, very successful wave of highly skilled migration. Never underestimate the contempt that the more conservative, educated and traditional values holding west africans have for those who's family originate from the Caribbean and for those with a list of excuses.
But in America people commenting on court cases isn't as verboten as it is here. Plus the jury are currently sequestered so shouldn't hear this.