Let's play my favourite game: if Keir Starmer had said "let the bodies pile" high, how many PB Tories would be out in force?
All of them
CHB, do you seriously think - seriously - that Johnson said "let the bodies pile high" in the context of multiples of Covid deaths. Seriously?
Can you not imagine it said by Johnson as a casual throw away remark, with no malice aforethought? I can.
Now that the fat useless sack of jizz is out there denying it a significant number of people are going to think he did say it. To an extent, it doesn't really matter if he said it or not now.
Ha. Yes, I could give you some similar stories back. I think there's a case for statutory auditing being public sector and controlled by budget and goals not profit motive. A bunch of people who do that and only that and have one objective. Check out the accounts and the key controls. I know the arguments the other way - closeness to the business makes you more astute, public sector leads to sleepy sclerosis, you wouldn't get quality people, corruption is possible - but the upside (removing the conflict of interest and restoring genuine rigour and independence to the audit) is considerable.
Perhaps the best way woud be to remember what an audit is for, who it is for and make it work that way. An audit is for the shareholders (ONLY) to confirm the accounts are not materially misstated. [1]
But because the UK has legislated to make all companies have audits (at least until the year 2000) combined with that report going on public record and the whole point of it has been lost.
Remove the legal requirement for companies to have an audit. Entirely. From Tesco PLC to Tiny corner shop Limited. Then, if the shareholders want an audit make it their responsibility to file at Companies House a request by 51% of shareholders for the audit. That way the auditors, when appointed (though by whom?) know they are genuinely doing the job because a shareholder wants it, not because they are legally required to do it.
Will this work? No idea, but its probably better than the current 'arrangements' where the Big 4 are never out the pages of Accountancy in the Disciplinaries section, but the fine of £100,000 they just shrug off (whilst adding to the bill) and keep doing what they're doing.
[1] Except not really - Caparo Industries v Dickman got rid of that pesky requirement too.
That's an interesting idea. And maybe beef up the personal risk side of things, so directors and senior bods at companies who are fraudulent and/or negligent get sanctioned more often and more heavily.
It's a value added job, anyway, audit, if done properly. I moved onto what you'd call 'hardcore City' and regardless of remuneration I never found any of that sense (of doing something worthwhile) there.
The first solo accounts I did was a firm of printers in the East End. Went there for a week, wrote up the books from the records, did an ETB, then the full accounts. Once all balanced, I summarized back into their general ledger and neatly ruled it off. All pen and paper and calc. No computers. They were delighted with me. So fast. So efficient. I remember closing that big fat general ledger as I left, can still hear in my head the satisfying thud it made, and picture myself walking out the door in my smart suit, just 23 years old, exchanging smiles and a cheery wave with all these old cockney printer guys.
Best moment of my life to that point. And indeed to this point.
Let's play my favourite game: if Keir Starmer had said "let the bodies pile" high, how many PB Tories would be out in force?
All of them
CHB, do you seriously think - seriously - that Johnson said "let the bodies pile high" in the context of multiples of Covid deaths. Seriously?
Can you not imagine it said by Johnson as a casual throw away remark, with no malice aforethought? I can.
With no malice aforethought, sure. Florid language in a different context, sure. But suggesting that Johnson is prepared to let bodies of Covid dead pile high is absurd. And that is what is being suggested, either outrightly or implicitly, by some people who are already Johnson-haters and have an axe to grind.
I'm not a CP voter and not a fan of Johnson but I would never allege anything like this. I, like others, have questioned the government's relentless focus on authoritarian measures to reduce deaths as the only consideration - believing that other issues such as civil liberties and rights and economic factors and the less obvious loss of utility caused by lockdowns have not been sufficiently priced-in to the pandemic response.
Because they are a shower of misogynistic, demented, corrupt and deeply unpleasant fools who use innocent people as tools in their internal battles with total disregard to their welfare or because Boris said something that could have been misinterpreted more than 3 years ago now, take your pick. And if you pick the latter have a good look at yourselves.
It's not an either/or because the level of culpability is a complete mismatch. Johnson was sloppy, and it should haunt him that he was, but it's nonsense to blame anyone but the Iranian regime for Nazanin's ordeal. Same with the debt issue. We do owe them money, I gather, and that's relevant, but it doesn't shift the direct blame for the outrage.
It it was some toffee nosed git the money would have been repaid long ago.
Boris Johnson asked, did you say you would let "bodies pile high in their thousands"? PM: "No, but I think the important thing that people want us to get on and do as a government is to make sure that the lockdowns work, and they have." https://twitter.com/HugoGye/status/1386645111245885444
The silence from the Boris fanbois on PB this lunchtime is deafening.
Come on chaps, which is it? "Boris will be Boris", or "it's just satire".
It is possible that he said it. We know that he is good at selecting colourful phrases. If he did it is likely that it has been stripped of context.
We all know that the choice to restrict liberty in the face of a public health challenge is a difficult one. It is good that the PM is very reluctant to do so.
I believe he triggered the lockdown as soon as he believed the preponderance of evidence supported that decision. He may have got it wrong.
But it’s your view on that decision and not on any particular phrase that matters.
Assuming it was said, and as we speak there is no concrete proof to confirm he did say what is quoted, I think it would be his crass commentary under the circumstances of 150,000 dead citizens that might cause offence.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
Let's play my favourite game: if Keir Starmer had said "let the bodies pile" high, how many PB Tories would be out in force?
All of them
CHB, do you seriously think - seriously - that Johnson said "let the bodies pile high" in the context of multiples of Covid deaths. Seriously?
Can you not imagine it said by Johnson as a casual throw away remark, with no malice aforethought? I can.
With no malice aforethought, sure. Florid language in a different context, sure. But suggesting that Johnson is prepared to let bodies of Covid dead pile high is absurd. And that is what is being suggested, either outrightly or implicitly, by some people who are already Johnson-haters and have an axe to grind.
I'm not a CP voter and not a fan of Johnson but I would never allege anything like this. I, like others, have questioned the government's relentless focus on authoritarian measures to reduce deaths as the only consideration - believing that other issues such as civil liberties and rights and economic factors and the less obvious loss of utility caused by lockdowns have not been sufficiently priced-in to the pandemic response.
I don't know. He's all about presentation, is Mr Johnson, and he can't complain if his presentation is seen as, erm, falling short of his usual standards.
"Prime Minister Boris Johnson did make remarks suggesting that "bodies could pile high" during a heated discussion about lockdown in Downing Street in the autumn, the BBC has been told."
Is very strangely worded.
As originally reported, the quote was to the effect that the PM would prefer the bodies piling high to a third (second) lockdown, but the BBC's phrasing is entirely neutral.
I wonder whether there is a weakness in brand Boris and the cult of personality. A tweet, from a Daily Mail journalist, referred to earlier said:
Boris Johnson's biographer Andrew Gimson says the PM 'may well have' made 'tasteless' remark about allowing dead bodies to pile up but believes it will 'strengthen his reputation as a man who talks as a man in the pub would'
Now I suspect they may be right. But the rhetoric is always about men/blokes - 'Boris is a bit of a lad, he's one of us'. It strikes me that this neglects that half of the population that aren't blokes, and are somewhat more immune to his laddish charms. I would guess women will fall out with Boris more quickly than men.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
Its consistent with the pattern over the past few months, they give the backend a cheeky quiet update a day or two before they make it official that a certain age group can book.
I suppose it raises the questions of just how many excess deaths are acceptable, which is the balance they've been trying to make all along. Of course no one would accept lockdowns to prevent just one death. But where is that line drawn?
Can some tory kremlinologist explain at whose behest the Daily Mail is sticking the hoof into Johnson over bodygate?
The editor...he hates Boris.
During the whole COVID crisis, I would say the Mail have been one of the fiercest critics of the government. I mean no consistency to their criticism, including even on the same day they have had articles bemoaning the government been too slow to lockdown, while also moaning its unfair to lock us down.
Because they are a shower of misogynistic, demented, corrupt and deeply unpleasant fools who use innocent people as tools in their internal battles with total disregard to their welfare or because Boris said something that could have been misinterpreted more than 3 years ago now, take your pick. And if you pick the latter have a good look at yourselves.
If it was Boris then is this why the Prime Minister launched the dead cat attack on Dominic Cummings? Is this the bad news to be buried? Tbh I'd assumed it was to distract from his PMQs pledge to release contract emails.
Let's play my favourite game: if Keir Starmer had said "let the bodies pile" high, how many PB Tories would be out in force?
All of them
CHB, do you seriously think - seriously - that Johnson said "let the bodies pile high" in the context of multiples of Covid deaths. Seriously?
Can you not imagine it said by Johnson as a casual throw away remark, with no malice aforethought? I can.
With no malice aforethought, sure. Florid language in a different context, sure. But suggesting that Johnson is prepared to let bodies of Covid dead pile high is absurd. And that is what is being suggested, either outrightly or implicitly, by some people who are already Johnson-haters and have an axe to grind.
I'm not a CP voter and not a fan of Johnson but I would never allege anything like this. I, like others, have questioned the government's relentless focus on authoritarian measures to reduce deaths as the only consideration - believing that other issues such as civil liberties and rights and economic factors and the less obvious loss of utility caused by lockdowns have not been sufficiently priced-in to the pandemic response.
As has so often been the issue with Johnson, it is the unfortunate use of language that might, in this instance, get him into hot water. I would assume Johnson, like the rest of us, had no desire to see 150,000 UK citizens die in the pandemic, however the rest of us might, in general, be more careful than Mr Johnson with what we say.
The best thing about Disney+ is that it's got the first nine seasons of The Simpsons. The worst thing about it is it's got all the other seasons of The Simpsons.
"Prime Minister Boris Johnson did make remarks suggesting that "bodies could pile high" during a heated discussion about lockdown in Downing Street in the autumn, the BBC has been told."
Is very strangely worded.
As originally reported, the quote was to the effect that the PM would prefer the bodies piling high to a third (second) lockdown, but the BBC's phrasing is entirely neutral.
Boris has now denied the ‘bodies’ remark, flatly. If there is proof that he DID say it - and it would have to be convincing video or audio - then he’s surely finished as PM
Why?
It would not be the first time he has lied on camera
A total lie which is then absolutely proved to be a lie, in this context, would be a resigning matter. It’s so clear. On the one hand you’ve got the PM saying ‘this remark never passed my lips’ and on the other hand, oops, here is a video of him saying it? About thousands of dead Britons?!
However he’s probably confident that no one recorded it, so it’s just “he said she said”, and he will survive
Why would he need to resign? None of them feel the need to resign. Like all great political endings he will be resigned as Thatcher was.
It will be a 70:30 fudge.
Those who think he said it will have proof he said it; those who think he didn't (lookin' at you here, Phil) will spend hours and hours on PB saying he didn't because bollocks.
*sigh* I inherited an EDF energy business account. An absolute bunch of wazzocks generating nonsense bills. On the phone to sort them out. "OK sir, you need to raise a dispute, email this address with the problem". So I do so. And then get an email back in what can generously described as broken English from an Indian contact centre saying they can't help, please raise a dispute.
*sigh* I inherited an EDF energy business account. An absolute bunch of wazzocks generating nonsense bills. On the phone to sort them out. "OK sir, you need to raise a dispute, email this address with the problem". So I do so. And then get an email back in what can generously described as broken English from an Indian contact centre saying they can't help, please raise a dispute.
Erm, yeah.
Just reply with "I would like to raise a dispute."
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I'm not 44 until the end of August and it wasn't working this morning for me. There has been another update over lunch to enable 43+. I think it was actually unlocked for 44+ sometime last week.
Netflix still rules the streaming universe. As of the end of March, it had 207.6 million total paying subscribers, with about 67 million in the United States, the company noted in an earnings report on Tuesday. But its main competitors — Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and AppleTV+, as well as the old-guard streamers Amazon Prime Video and Hulu — have cut into Netflix's share of viewers' attention... according to the data firm Parrot Analytics, which has developed a metric to rate not only the number of viewers for given shows, but their likelihood of attracting subscribers to a streaming service.
There problem with Disney+ is that it's, er, a bit rubbish. Unless you are a weirdo Adult Fan of Superheros, there's the Mandalorian and that's about it. I have it because it's currently free to me but I'd never pay for it.
Not at all clear while it receives such adulation on here.
Because in the US, it isn't just superheroes and baby Yodas, its a package of Disney+ + Hulu (including live TV channels) + ESPN. That's why they are winning. One package, you get kids, sports, grown up telly and the major traditional channels all in one much cheaper than the alternatives. Oh and they now have the best streaming tech.
I'm not in the US though, so why should I care about ESPN and a pile of American sports? As for the streaming tech, I haven't noticed any difference between that and its competitors. In fact, it's worse for me as unlike Netflix and Prime it isn't integrated into my cable box.
It's pretty rubbish TBH.
Apart from now they have incorporated Star which is regular films and programs from their Fox purchase. Currently watching Alias which is a JJ Abrams mission impossible style TV series. Also have stuff like 24, Lost and films like some of the Die Hard films
Can some tory kremlinologist explain at whose behest the Daily Mail is sticking the hoof into Johnson over bodygate?
This isn't new, and I think it is due to their new editor.
I don't think the new guy has quite the feel for the Daily Mail readership that Paul Dacre had. He obviously thinks Middle England would be appalled by such flippancy and poor taste; on the contrary, they probably find Boris's disdain for accepted manners rather exhilarating.
A total lie which is then absolutely proved to be a lie, in this context, would be a resigning matter.
Again, why?
It would not be the first time, and he is still in post.
Why is this lie so much worse than all of the rest in his career?
You know he's an habitual liar, and still voted for him.
It's not me he would lose, it's large chunks of Middle Britain. The words are pretty toxic
He knows this, which is why he has denied it, I guess. But of course the denial ups the ante, further. Turning this into a potential resignation issue if he is shown to be lying.
Personally, I can well believe he said it, and I'm not that bothered. A moment of anger. Meh
That's it. A statement along the lines of "Yes, I said it in a pressured meeting. I'm not proud of it, but I am proud of the UK's brilliant vaccination programme." would have killed it dead.
So why not say that? My theory is that there are two Borises. The actual one, full of human foibles. And the Platonic Ideal, sent by God to save his nation. Actual Boris says this sort of stuff, but Idealised Boris simply can't.
And the gap between the two is a traumatic place for Boris to live. Hence the lies and avoiding difficult questions.
At some point, it will destroy his Premiership. I just don't know when.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
Its consistent with the pattern over the past few months, they give the backend a cheeky quiet update a day or two before they make it official that a certain age group can book.
At the moment it's probably just a few hours - and there are probably two releases involved:-
1) does the backend rules so 43 year olds can now register 2) updates the actual pages so that it says 43 year olds can now register
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Netflix still rules the streaming universe. As of the end of March, it had 207.6 million total paying subscribers, with about 67 million in the United States, the company noted in an earnings report on Tuesday. But its main competitors — Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and AppleTV+, as well as the old-guard streamers Amazon Prime Video and Hulu — have cut into Netflix's share of viewers' attention... according to the data firm Parrot Analytics, which has developed a metric to rate not only the number of viewers for given shows, but their likelihood of attracting subscribers to a streaming service.
There problem with Disney+ is that it's, er, a bit rubbish. Unless you are a weirdo Adult Fan of Superheros, there's the Mandalorian and that's about it. I have it because it's currently free to me but I'd never pay for it.
Not at all clear while it receives such adulation on here.
Lol if you think there's an essential difference between the Mandalorian and a superhero show.
There probably isn't. I watched a couple of Mandalorian episodes because I was recommended it and thought it well-crafted. The rest of the offerings left me completely cold. So I have a free subscription that's almost entirely unused – yet almost daily on PB I'm told how great it is.
It isn't.
We've got Netflix and iplayer (and the other domestic free catchup, in principle, if we ever find anything on there). That's it. And we've got a massive backlog of recommended shows that we haven't got round to watching. How do people find the time?
I'd be willing to pay for a fairly universal film streaming service - say pretty much everything the same time it's available on DVD, but otherwise Netflix/iplayer is more than enough.
We've got two young children and we do also read books, so I guess that eats into our TV viewing capacity, but still...
Very wise – both iPlayer and Netflix are vastly superior to Disney+ endlessly ramped for no reason on PB.
*sigh* I inherited an EDF energy business account. An absolute bunch of wazzocks generating nonsense bills. On the phone to sort them out. "OK sir, you need to raise a dispute, email this address with the problem". So I do so. And then get an email back in what can generously described as broken English from an Indian contact centre saying they can't help, please raise a dispute.
Erm, yeah.
My story - as we're going confessions here...
My mother had water on the brain. What is that you ask - like I did? It looks and feels like dementia but is a build up of (guess what) water on the brain. It can be treated and was.
(Leaving aside the completely fucking useless NHS which consistently and I believe nearly criminally neglectfully misdiagnosed her for ages (my sister stayed up all night on wiki, diagnosed her correctly, and we presented this to the docs who then had to agree). Oh and after which I was forced to stand in the middle of an Addenbrooke's ward shouting at the consultant that I would be calling the police shortly but I digress.)
In the middle of it all, my mother's home was flooded. I called Direct Line. Sorry we need to speak to the policy holder. Policy holder is catatonic. Sorry there's nothing we can do.
Lots and lots of shouting and a very lucky moment of clarity from my mother later they swung into gear. But at one stage we were in a position that nothing could be done because of my mother's condition.
Lessons: had my mother not had a moment of clarity Direct Line would have not had any redress through them (in the end they were fantastic); and if you haven't already done so (and I hadn't), do a Lasting Power of Attorney for all your aged relatives!
Well that was fun. Went looking for my Battle of Ipsus blog just to remind myself of it and see how wrong/right I was, and got redirected to a dubious place. Currently virus scanning.
“For any human being to be so glib and crass about human life is profoundly shocking”
Opines the woman who has cut support for rehabilitation in the country with Europe's worst drug death rate.....
But has wee Nippy been dismissive about those lost lives? The issue is, if the rumours are to be believed, Johnson's perceived casual dismissal of 150,000 Covid deaths.
*sigh* I inherited an EDF energy business account. An absolute bunch of wazzocks generating nonsense bills. On the phone to sort them out. "OK sir, you need to raise a dispute, email this address with the problem". So I do so. And then get an email back in what can generously described as broken English from an Indian contact centre saying they can't help, please raise a dispute.
Erm, yeah.
Just reply with "I would like to raise a dispute."
I did! Am now on chat with someone else in India. It isn't just the slight (6x) overread caused their start estimate being comical, its that the purported end dates are wrong. They claim these are sent by my new provider. I pointed out that (a) my new provider has the correct numbers on their account and (b) one of their end numbers for 6th April is higher than the number is today. So no, these weren't sent by the new provider.
I can't keep up with the woke stuff....the BBC describe Chloe Zhao as the first woman of colour to win best director.
Since when have people from China been described as people of colour? Or am I missing something?
About a year. People of color now means anyone who is the tiniest bit non-white (but not Jews, obvs)
The phrase “of color” has about 2 years of life left, I reckon. After that it will be seen as grossly offensive, and it will follow BAME into the lexical bin
I was genuinely presuming I didn't know something about her background, that she is actually of mixed race or something. I have honestly never heard people from Asia being described as such.
Do the wokies not realise that labelling every non-white person as such sounds very much like "othering" that genuine racists / racist countries practice e.g South Africa back in the day, describing all none 100% white European as the coloureds.
It's rather more to do with the fact that the Oscars have basically ignored anything that wasn't either from the US or the UK for most of their history.
The BBC, struggling as it does to represent the broad span of British culture, is always going to come across as muddled. It's neither woke nor reactionary - just a muddled compromise between the two.
The more notable thing about a director out of China winning the Oscar is that Chinese media has deliberately ignored it, as she is not politically acceptable to them.
No, the phrase ‘of color’ is now applied to virtually all non-whites in the USA, and this ridiculous usage is spreading to the UK. It’s nothing to do with the BBC being ‘muddled’
‘Chloé Zhao on Sunday became the first woman of color, the first Chinese woman and the second woman ever to win the Oscar for directing, capping off an impressive run of honors for her work on the drama “Nomadland.”’
As I said, this patronising and tortured locution will disappear quite soon; see the history of the almost identical expression ‘colored person’, which is now deemed so offensive it can get you fired
I remember Beneditch Cumberbatch getting into all sorts of trouble using it and an outraged mob raining anger on him on Twitter. It’s a term many of my generation would use and without malice and without aiming to cause offence. The term BAME is going the same way.
A friend of mine - absent minded liberal type - recently and accidentally used the phrase ‘coloured person’ rather than ‘person of colour’ in a professional Zoom call. He froze immediately, well aware that if it got picked up his career was over. His trade is super woke and full of cancellations, and he had rivals on the Zoom call.
No one noticed. He’s fine.
But how absurd that we have reached this stage of paranoia. Like Victorians shrouding piano legs in case they seem arousing
Tell me about it. Not to try and top you, but a friend of mine told me the other day about this guy at his office who got himself so wound up about oppressive wokery that he wouldn't even use the words "black" or "white" or "colour" for anything under any circumstances. Scared of the sack if he did, he told my mate. Might be misinterpreted, he said. Whole thing got a bit torrid, apparently, with this bloke becoming more and more skittish, forced (through no fault of his own) into ever more tortuous linguistic contortions to stay safe and avoid saying the potentially treacherous words. Irony is, it ruined his productivity and he got the sack! Still out of work now, poor bastard. You couldn't make it up.
“For any human being to be so glib and crass about human life is profoundly shocking”
Opines the woman who has cut support for rehabilitation in the country with Europe's worst drug death rate.....
But has wee Nippy been dismissive about those lost lives? The issue is, if the rumours are to be believed, Johnson's perceived casual dismissal of 150,000 Covid deaths.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I'm not 44 until the end of August and it wasn't working this morning for me. There has been another update over lunch to enable 43+. I think it was actually unlocked for 44+ sometime last week.
I am 44. Received my "please book your jab" text from the NHS this morning. However, "The NHS" is "NHS England" who apparently despite sending my records up to Scotland also still think I live in England. No way to book appointments north of the wall, they send you a letter with an appointment.
AstraZeneca regrets the European Commission’s decision to take legal action over the supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Following an unprecedented year of scientific discovery, very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges, our company is about to deliver almost 50m doses to European countries by the end of April, in line with our forecast. AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible.
We appreciate the work done by political leaders and healthcare professionals across the Member States that has made the rollout of vaccination campaigns in Europe possible, and we are committed to helping as much as we can. Vaccines are difficult to manufacture, as evidenced by the supply challenges several companies are facing in Europe and around the world. We are making progress addressing the technical challenges and our output is improving, but the production cycle of a vaccine is very long which means these improvements take time to result in increased finished vaccine doses.
Much work is ahead of us in the EU and elsewhere, as we continue to deal with the terrible pandemic and the roll out of vaccination programmes. AstraZeneca has an important role to play, and our intent remains to do that fairly and equitably at no profit during the pandemic in the EU and around the world.
The EU has supported the COVAX facility for equitable distribution of vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. AstraZeneca is currently the leading supplier to more than 100 countries through COVAX providing 97% of its supply to date. Each dose has been made with vaccine serum originating from outside the EU.
We look forward to working constructively with the EU Commission to vaccinate as many people as possible. Many thousands of our employees working around the clock have been driven by a passion to help the world at no profit; they remain firmly committed to delivering our vaccine to the people of Europe and around the world.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I'm not 44 until the end of August and it wasn't working this morning for me. There has been another update over lunch to enable 43+. I think it was actually unlocked for 44+ sometime last week.
So I'm not quite 40 yet, and am still being told to go away and try again later by the national booking website, but received an invite from my GP to the GP based Vaccine centre (so no choice of location) - booked in for first dose on Wednesday. I can only assume that the GP's in this part of South London are front-running their patient books effectively to try and capture as many 'keen to be done' as possible before the national site is opened up to them. Either way - not complaining!
"John Lewis furniture nightmare", as well as being first on the outermost stage at Reading, is politically far worse. Millions of Tory voters think they've achieved when they can afford John Lewis. The PM thinks it is horrendously oiky.
John Lewis furniture isn't that great and very expensive for what it is.
Farrow and Ball paint is not great and very expensive indeed for what it is.
"John Lewis furniture nightmare", as well as being first on the outermost stage at Reading, is politically far worse. Millions of Tory voters think they've achieved when they can afford John Lewis. The PM thinks it is horrendously oiky.
John Lewis furniture isn't that great and very expensive for what it is.
Farrow and Ball paint is not great and very expensive indeed for what it is.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I'm not 44 until the end of August and it wasn't working this morning for me. There has been another update over lunch to enable 43+. I think it was actually unlocked for 44+ sometime last week.
So I'm not quite 40 yet, and am still being told to go away and try again later by the national booking website, but received an invite from my GP to the GP based Vaccine centre (so no choice of location) - booked in for first dose on Wednesday. I can only assume that the GP's in this part of South London are front-running their patient books effectively to try and capture as many 'keen to be done' as possible before the national site is opened up to them. Either way - not complaining!
London GPs seem to have been consistently ahead of the national picture, in the sense of offering jabs to younger cohorts than GPs elsewhere or the national website. However, this might simply reflect lower take-up amongst the higher-priority groups at each stage.
“For any human being to be so glib and crass about human life is profoundly shocking”
Opines the woman who has cut support for rehabilitation in the country with Europe's worst drug death rate.....
But has wee Nippy been dismissive about those lost lives? The issue is, if the rumours are to be believed, Johnson's perceived casual dismissal of 150,000 Covid deaths.
That wasn't what he was dismissing, was it?
No it wasn't. Read my earlier posts. The issue in general terms is the language, and how using such language in this context can be construed as excessively casual.
As it stands Johnson has denied saying anything of the sort. So for the moment, nothing to worry about.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
"John Lewis furniture nightmare", as well as being first on the outermost stage at Reading, is politically far worse. Millions of Tory voters think they've achieved when they can afford John Lewis. The PM thinks it is horrendously oiky.
John Lewis furniture isn't that great and very expensive for what it is.
Farrow and Ball paint is not great and very expensive indeed for what it is.
Boris has now denied the ‘bodies’ remark, flatly. If there is proof that he DID say it - and it would have to be convincing video or audio - then he’s surely finished as PM
Why?
It would not be the first time he has lied on camera
A total lie which is then absolutely proved to be a lie, in this context, would be a resigning matter. It’s so clear. On the one hand you’ve got the PM saying ‘this remark never passed my lips’ and on the other hand, oops, here is a video of him saying it? About thousands of dead Britons?!
However he’s probably confident that no one recorded it, so it’s just “he said she said”, and he will survive
Why would he need to resign? None of them feel the need to resign. Like all great political endings he will be resigned as Thatcher was.
It will be a 70:30 fudge.
Those who think he said it will have proof he said it; those who think he didn't (lookin' at you here, Phil) will spend hours and hours on PB saying he didn't because bollocks.
I have no idea whether he did or did not say it. He's said he didn't and without proof to the contrary that seems fair enough.
But even if it had been said, in the way described, I would think it understandable. People get exasperated at times and absolutely protecting civil liberties and avoiding lockdown if at all possible is important.
My criticism is that they're lifting lockdown too late, not started it too early. Stripping civil liberties should be a last resort not a first one. And if that means more people die due to a pandemic, but the NHS isn't at risk of collapse, then so be it.
Far, far too many people act as if deaths alone are the only metric and our civil liberties are immaterial. Do you disagree with that @TOPPING ?
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I'm not 44 until the end of August and it wasn't working this morning for me. There has been another update over lunch to enable 43+. I think it was actually unlocked for 44+ sometime last week.
So I'm not quite 40 yet, and am still being told to go away and try again later by the national booking website, but received an invite from my GP to the GP based Vaccine centre (so no choice of location) - booked in for first dose on Wednesday. I can only assume that the GP's in this part of South London are front-running their patient books effectively to try and capture as many 'keen to be done' as possible before the national site is opened up to them. Either way - not complaining!
London GPs seem to have been consistently ahead of the national picture, in the sense of offering jabs to younger cohorts than GPs elsewhere or the national website. However, this might simply reflect lower take-up amongst the higher-priority groups at each stage.
Or the fact that the proportion of old people in Greater London is rather lower than elsewhere - so they are able to get to the youngsters more quickly.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
Didn’t this forum used to embed ?
The embedding of Twitter tweets was removed as it created issues for readers.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I wish it would allow me to book my second appointment. Every time I try the centre I've been directed to it says there are no appointments available, presumably because they are waiting for those Pfizer doses.
Still, glad younger cohorts are starting to get vaccinated.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I'm not 44 until the end of August and it wasn't working this morning for me. There has been another update over lunch to enable 43+. I think it was actually unlocked for 44+ sometime last week.
So I'm not quite 40 yet, and am still being told to go away and try again later by the national booking website, but received an invite from my GP to the GP based Vaccine centre (so no choice of location) - booked in for first dose on Wednesday. I can only assume that the GP's in this part of South London are front-running their patient books effectively to try and capture as many 'keen to be done' as possible before the national site is opened up to them. Either way - not complaining!
London GPs seem to have been consistently ahead of the national picture, in the sense of offering jabs to younger cohorts than GPs elsewhere or the national website. However, this might simply reflect lower take-up amongst the higher-priority groups at each stage.
The fact that only 63% of black people over 50 have decided to have the vaccine might explain why they're moving on to younger age groups.
AstraZeneca regrets the European Commission’s decision to take legal action over the supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Following an unprecedented year of scientific discovery, very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges, our company is about to deliver almost 50m doses to European countries by the end of April, in line with our forecast. AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible.
We appreciate the work done by political leaders and healthcare professionals across the Member States that has made the rollout of vaccination campaigns in Europe possible, and we are committed to helping as much as we can. Vaccines are difficult to manufacture, as evidenced by the supply challenges several companies are facing in Europe and around the world. We are making progress addressing the technical challenges and our output is improving, but the production cycle of a vaccine is very long which means these improvements take time to result in increased finished vaccine doses.
Much work is ahead of us in the EU and elsewhere, as we continue to deal with the terrible pandemic and the roll out of vaccination programmes. AstraZeneca has an important role to play, and our intent remains to do that fairly and equitably at no profit during the pandemic in the EU and around the world.
The EU has supported the COVAX facility for equitable distribution of vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. AstraZeneca is currently the leading supplier to more than 100 countries through COVAX providing 97% of its supply to date. Each dose has been made with vaccine serum originating from outside the EU.
We look forward to working constructively with the EU Commission to vaccinate as many people as possible. Many thousands of our employees working around the clock have been driven by a passion to help the world at no profit; they remain firmly committed to delivering our vaccine to the people of Europe and around the world.
AstraZeneca regrets the European Commission’s decision to take legal action over the supply of COVID-19 vaccines......
The EU has supported the COVAX facility for equitable distribution of vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. AstraZeneca is currently the leading supplier to more than 100 countries through COVAX providing 97% of its supply to date. Each dose has been made with vaccine serum originating from outside the EU.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
On the contrary, it's wonderful and doesn't pollute every thread with twatter spam from nobodies with blue ticks.
Boris has now denied the ‘bodies’ remark, flatly. If there is proof that he DID say it - and it would have to be convincing video or audio - then he’s surely finished as PM
Why?
It would not be the first time he has lied on camera
A total lie which is then absolutely proved to be a lie, in this context, would be a resigning matter. It’s so clear. On the one hand you’ve got the PM saying ‘this remark never passed my lips’ and on the other hand, oops, here is a video of him saying it? About thousands of dead Britons?!
However he’s probably confident that no one recorded it, so it’s just “he said she said”, and he will survive
Why would he need to resign? None of them feel the need to resign. Like all great political endings he will be resigned as Thatcher was.
It will be a 70:30 fudge.
Those who think he said it will have proof he said it; those who think he didn't (lookin' at you here, Phil) will spend hours and hours on PB saying he didn't because bollocks.
I have no idea whether he did or did not say it. He's said he didn't and without proof to the contrary that seems fair enough.
But even if it had been said, in the way described, I would think it understandable. People get exasperated at times and absolutely protecting civil liberties and avoiding lockdown if at all possible is important.
My criticism is that they're lifting lockdown too late, not started it too early. Stripping civil liberties should be a last resort not a first one. And if that means more people die due to a pandemic, but the NHS isn't at risk of collapse, then so be it.
Far, far too many people act as if deaths alone are the only metric and our civil liberties are immaterial. Do you disagree with that @TOPPING ?
I think my many, many posts on the subject of that last would be ample indication of what I think.
I think it's possible to have two concurrent approaches.
1. Deal with the pandemic; and 2. Ensure you don't rub in the dirt the noses of the families of those who have died with a throwaway glib remark.
As you are keen on whatabouts. What about if some squaddie had been zapped by the Taliban in Afghan and Boris was overheard to say so what it's only one soldier's death vs the overall campaign?
"John Lewis furniture nightmare", as well as being first on the outermost stage at Reading, is politically far worse. Millions of Tory voters think they've achieved when they can afford John Lewis. The PM thinks it is horrendously oiky.
John Lewis furniture isn't that great and very expensive for what it is.
Farrow and Ball paint is not great and very expensive indeed for what it is.
What is a good brand of paint?
Dulux or Little Greene. I have also used Zoffany on occasion. Edward Bulmer can be nice too.
I have mostly used wallpaper in my new home. In the most vivid and eye-catching colours and patterns. Not a hint of magnolia or beige anywhere!
"John Lewis furniture nightmare", as well as being first on the outermost stage at Reading, is politically far worse. Millions of Tory voters think they've achieved when they can afford John Lewis. The PM thinks it is horrendously oiky.
John Lewis furniture isn't that great and very expensive for what it is.
Farrow and Ball paint is not great and very expensive indeed for what it is.
Great names for the colours, though!
I don't much like the colours to be honest. Look good in photos but disappointing in reality.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
On the contrary, it's wonderful and doesn't pollute every thread with twatter spam from nobodies with blue ticks.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
It is a massive improvement. Using this forum on an iPad or phone has suddenly become easy and quick, without the crashes and lags and perpetual reloading we used to get. When you refresh the page it actually stays on the post you were reading, rather than jumping all over the place as the Twitter pictures loaded like it used to.
And it has encouraged those few posters who used regularly to spam endless tweets, often from obscure nobodies that we really didn’t need to see, to put a bit more thought into their contributions and actually type some words, rather than simply clicking on cut and paste.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
On the contrary, it's wonderful and doesn't pollute every thread with twatter spam from nobodies with blue ticks.
You're on the wrong side of this one, Max.
Those embedded tweets punctuated the discussions well and were very helpful. Whoever posted them.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
It is a massive improvement. Using this forum on an iPad or phone has suddenly become easy and quick, without the crashes and lags and perpetual reloading we used to get. When you refresh the page it actually stays on the post you were reading, rather than jumping all over the place as the Twitter pictures loaded like it used to.
And it has encouraged those few posters who used regularly to spam endless tweets, often from obscure nobodies that we really didn’t need to see, to put a bit more thought into their contributions and actually type some words, rather than simply clicking on cut and paste.
Not denying it makes browsing easier, just saying it isn't ideal as it now involves a lot of clicking/tapping.
"John Lewis furniture nightmare", as well as being first on the outermost stage at Reading, is politically far worse. Millions of Tory voters think they've achieved when they can afford John Lewis. The PM thinks it is horrendously oiky.
John Lewis furniture isn't that great and very expensive for what it is.
Farrow and Ball paint is not great and very expensive indeed for what it is.
What is a good brand of paint?
Dulux or Little Greene. I have also used Zoffany on occasion. Edward Bulmer can be nice too.
I have mostly used wallpaper in my new home. In the most vivid and eye-catching colours and patterns. Not a hint of magnolia or beige anywhere!
"John Lewis furniture nightmare", as well as being first on the outermost stage at Reading, is politically far worse. Millions of Tory voters think they've achieved when they can afford John Lewis. The PM thinks it is horrendously oiky.
John Lewis furniture isn't that great and very expensive for what it is.
Farrow and Ball paint is not great and very expensive indeed for what it is.
Great names for the colours, though!
I don't much like the colours to be honest. Look good in photos but disappointing in reality.
The F&B colours are superb. Dulux is technically better paint, easier to apply and longer lasting. But the F&B finish is more attractive, if you are prepared to put the work in with all the coats, and then stay away from the walls and only use the middle of each room once it is done.
It'll be financial fuckery like the flat that finishes him because the RW types don't have money and hate people who do.
If we assume, for a moment, that BoZo is indeed felled by Cummings (Oh, the irony) but there is no election, so Gove takes over. I wonder how quickly he would redecorate the flat...
You mean, to get rid of the blood all over the walls? He might be proud of it....
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
It is a massive improvement. Using this forum on an iPad or phone has suddenly become easy and quick, without the crashes and lags and perpetual reloading we used to get. When you refresh the page it actually stays on the post you were reading, rather than jumping all over the place as the Twitter pictures loaded like it used to.
And it has encouraged those few posters who used regularly to spam endless tweets, often from obscure nobodies that we really didn’t need to see, to put a bit more thought into their contributions and actually type some words, rather than simply clicking on cut and paste.
Not denying it makes browsing easier, just saying it isn't ideal as it now involves a lot of clicking/tapping.
That decision is up to the reader. If it’s worth seeing, it is worth a click (which is a lot less hassle than the problems the old approach used to create). If it isn’t worth seeing you are better off not seeing it.
Boris has now denied the ‘bodies’ remark, flatly. If there is proof that he DID say it - and it would have to be convincing video or audio - then he’s surely finished as PM
Why?
It would not be the first time he has lied on camera
A total lie which is then absolutely proved to be a lie, in this context, would be a resigning matter. It’s so clear. On the one hand you’ve got the PM saying ‘this remark never passed my lips’ and on the other hand, oops, here is a video of him saying it? About thousands of dead Britons?!
However he’s probably confident that no one recorded it, so it’s just “he said she said”, and he will survive
Why would he need to resign? None of them feel the need to resign. Like all great political endings he will be resigned as Thatcher was.
It will be a 70:30 fudge.
Those who think he said it will have proof he said it; those who think he didn't (lookin' at you here, Phil) will spend hours and hours on PB saying he didn't because bollocks.
I have no idea whether he did or did not say it. He's said he didn't and without proof to the contrary that seems fair enough.
But even if it had been said, in the way described, I would think it understandable. People get exasperated at times and absolutely protecting civil liberties and avoiding lockdown if at all possible is important.
My criticism is that they're lifting lockdown too late, not started it too early. Stripping civil liberties should be a last resort not a first one. And if that means more people die due to a pandemic, but the NHS isn't at risk of collapse, then so be it.
Far, far too many people act as if deaths alone are the only metric and our civil liberties are immaterial. Do you disagree with that @TOPPING ?
I think my many, many posts on the subject of that last would be ample indication of what I think.
I think it's possible to have two concurrent approaches.
1. Deal with the pandemic; and 2. Ensure you don't rub in the dirt the noses of the families of those who have died with a throwaway glib remark.
As you are keen on whatabouts. What about if some squaddie had been zapped by the Taliban in Afghan and Boris was overheard to say so what it's only one soldier's death vs the overall campaign?
If he said on the media something so glib that would be rubbing it in people's nose. Saying it in your private office with no cameras, I expect every PM gets stressed and frustrated sometimes. People used to talk about Nokia's thrown about under a prior PM.
I doubt he said it but if he did it's embarrassing but I don't care that someone gets exasperated.
The fact is he did do another lockdown anyway. That he didn't want to was surely already known by everyone and it is right he shouldn't want to too.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
On the contrary, it's wonderful and doesn't pollute every thread with twatter spam from nobodies with blue ticks.
Agreed, the site is infinitely better without the embedding, both from a functionality standpoint (it now actually works) and a content one. No longer do we have to hear from Dave Keating every two minutes.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
It is a massive improvement. Using this forum on an iPad or phone has suddenly become easy and quick, without the crashes and lags and perpetual reloading we used to get. When you refresh the page it actually stays on the post you were reading, rather than jumping all over the place as the Twitter pictures loaded like it used to.
And it has encouraged those few posters who used regularly to spam endless tweets, often from obscure nobodies that we really didn’t need to see, to put a bit more thought into their contributions and actually type some words, rather than simply clicking on cut and paste.
Not denying it makes browsing easier, just saying it isn't ideal as it now involves a lot of clicking/tapping.
That decision is up to the reader. If it’s worth seeing, it is worth a click (which is a lot less hassle than the problems the old approach used to create). If it isn’t worth seeing you are better off not seeing it.
A few hours ago I was bemoaning the fact I was 2 months too young to get my Covid jab booked in as they had only opened up to 44yo. I had been checking the booking system a few times per day over the last week in anticipation of it opening up to 40+.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
I believe it is those 44 before July.
I wish it would allow me to book my second appointment. Every time I try the centre I've been directed to it says there are no appointments available, presumably because they are waiting for those Pfizer doses.
Still, glad younger cohorts are starting to get vaccinated.
We have mentioned before that you aren’t on the national booking system if you got your first dose through a local Gp practice or pharmacy. You have to go back through the provider of the first dose to get the second.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
It is a massive improvement. Using this forum on an iPad or phone has suddenly become easy and quick, without the crashes and lags and perpetual reloading we used to get. When you refresh the page it actually stays on the post you were reading, rather than jumping all over the place as the Twitter pictures loaded like it used to.
And it has encouraged those few posters who used regularly to spam endless tweets, often from obscure nobodies that we really didn’t need to see, to put a bit more thought into their contributions and actually type some words, rather than simply clicking on cut and paste.
Not denying it makes browsing easier, just saying it isn't ideal as it now involves a lot of clicking/tapping.
That decision is up to the reader. If it’s worth seeing, it is worth a click (which is a lot less hassle than the problems the old approach used to create). If it isn’t worth seeing you are better off not seeing it.
A bit of a quantum element to that. How do I know it is worth seeing without clicking on it?
I can't keep up with the woke stuff....the BBC describe Chloe Zhao as the first woman of colour to win best director.
Since when have people from China been described as people of colour? Or am I missing something?
About a year. People of color now means anyone who is the tiniest bit non-white (but not Jews, obvs)
The phrase “of color” has about 2 years of life left, I reckon. After that it will be seen as grossly offensive, and it will follow BAME into the lexical bin
Don't know why you guys obsess so much about this stuff. It's in your top 3 topics for sure and Francis is forever wittering on about it. And not to pick on him because quite a few others do too.
"So what do we call a mixed race Afro-Tibetan these days? Same as last week? I've totally lost track ... bla bla."
It's really naff. Just let it go and chill. It's not a big deal. And in any case the new game in town - and it's from your side of the fence - is that to talk about race is a sign of racism. So all you need to do is comply with your own mantra.
And yet you get so exercised by this trivial matter when we bring it up. Odd
You get (very) exercised by what you see as the toxic absurdity of woke. I get (a tad) exercised by what I see as the facetious braindead dickery of antiwoke. That's the long and short of it.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
On the contrary, it's wonderful and doesn't pollute every thread with twatter spam from nobodies with blue ticks.
Agreed, the site is infinitely better without the embedding, both from a functionality standpoint (it now actually works) and a content one. No longer do we have to hear from Dave Keating every two minutes.
I think that's because he finally stopped posting dodgy graphs and statistics, rather than anything PB has done.
Can some tory kremlinologist explain at whose behest the Daily Mail is sticking the hoof into Johnson over bodygate?
Well The Daily Mail is the employer of one Mrs Sarah Vine who also happens to be wife of Michael Gove.
Now there's this theory that it really boils the piss of day late Dacre and Viscount Rothmere that a Telegraph man became PM, so he wants him gone, but if it is Gove as next PM then a Telegraph man is replaced by a man from The Times, which will cause much more piss boiling at the Mail but it makes one of their top columnists the wife of the PM so that is a bonus.
I also heard that Mrs Vine and Mr Gove's relationship may not be as strong as it used to be, another person told me that it is just lockdown fatigue and the fact Gove's been busy with Brexit and the plague but they are fine.
Sounds like the PM will make a late declaration to Electoral Commission. He can charm his way out of culpability on things that would skewer lesser politicians but it’d be remarkable if he is forced to admit he hid a £58k donation in breach of the rules without any consequence. https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
Scott n paste strikes again !
I had actually though the text was his own referring to the content of the tweet. This lack of embedding isn't ideal.
On the contrary, it's wonderful and doesn't pollute every thread with twatter spam from nobodies with blue ticks.
Agreed, the site is infinitely better without the embedding, both from a functionality standpoint (it now actually works) and a content one. No longer do we have to hear from Dave Keating every two minutes.
You know how tempting it is to go and post a Comedy Dave tweet now....
Can some tory kremlinologist explain at whose behest the Daily Mail is sticking the hoof into Johnson over bodygate?
Well The Daily Mail is the employer of one Mrs Sarah Vine who also happens to be wife of Michael Gove.
Now there's this theory that it really boils the piss of day late Dacre and Viscount Rothmere that a Telegraph man became PM, so he wants him gone, but if it is Gove as next PM then a Telegraph man is replaced by a man from The Times, which will cause much more piss boiling at the Mail but it makes one of their top columnists the wife of the PM so that is a bonus.
I also heard that Mrs Vine and Mr Gove's relationship may not be as strong as it used to be, another person told me that it is just lockdown fatigue and the fact Gove's been busy with Brexit and the plague but they are fine.
What has Dacre got to do with editorial line of Daily Mail these days?
It is absolutely obviously that the new tougher line is due to the Pro-Remain editor, who was always much more critical of Boris / Tories / Brexit when he edited the MoS. MoS vs Daily Mail was like reading the Sun vs the Mirror take on things.
Comments
It's a value added job, anyway, audit, if done properly. I moved onto what you'd call 'hardcore City' and regardless of remuneration I never found any of that sense (of doing something worthwhile) there.
The first solo accounts I did was a firm of printers in the East End. Went there for a week, wrote up the books from the records, did an ETB, then the full accounts. Once all balanced, I summarized back into their general ledger and neatly ruled it off. All pen and paper and calc. No computers. They were delighted with me. So fast. So efficient. I remember closing that big fat general ledger as I left, can still hear in my head the satisfying thud it made, and picture myself walking out the door in my smart suit, just 23 years old, exchanging smiles and a cheery wave with all these old cockney printer guys.
Best moment of my life to that point. And indeed to this point.
I'm not a CP voter and not a fan of Johnson but I would never allege anything like this. I, like others, have questioned the government's relentless focus on authoritarian measures to reduce deaths as the only consideration - believing that other issues such as civil liberties and rights and economic factors and the less obvious loss of utility caused by lockdowns have not been sufficiently priced-in to the pandemic response.
I decided to have another check at lunch today. I really wasn't expecting anything and it let me book my appointment for tomorrow! So the system seems to be open at least for 43yo now. I know someone else who is 41 and it wasn't working for her. They are slowly releasing 1 year at a time with the announcements following well after the system actually unlocking.
If you are 43, then give it a go!
Sir Geoffrey did it in the front imo.
"Prime Minister Boris Johnson did make remarks suggesting that "bodies could pile high" during a heated discussion about lockdown in Downing Street in the autumn, the BBC has been told."
Is very strangely worded.
As originally reported, the quote was to the effect that the PM would prefer the bodies piling high to a third (second) lockdown, but the BBC's phrasing is entirely neutral.
Boris Johnson's biographer Andrew Gimson says the PM 'may well have' made 'tasteless' remark about allowing dead bodies to pile up but believes it will 'strengthen his reputation as a man who talks as a man in the pub would'
Now I suspect they may be right. But the rhetoric is always about men/blokes - 'Boris is a bit of a lad, he's one of us'. It strikes me that this neglects that half of the population that aren't blokes, and are somewhat more immune to his laddish charms. I would guess women will fall out with Boris more quickly than men.
During the whole COVID crisis, I would say the Mail have been one of the fiercest critics of the government. I mean no consistency to their criticism, including even on the same day they have had articles bemoaning the government been too slow to lockdown, while also moaning its unfair to lock us down.
Those who think he said it will have proof he said it; those who think he didn't (lookin' at you here, Phil) will spend hours and hours on PB saying he didn't because bollocks.
Erm, yeah.
Tory Party advisor, Rafe Hubris, phoning Boris Johnson over his 'let the bodies pile up in their thousands', comment leaked by Dominic Cummings. https://twitter.com/JoshBerryComedy/status/1386624827612663808/video/1
https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/statements/2021/statement-on-eu-legal-action.html
So why not say that? My theory is that there are two Borises. The actual one, full of human foibles. And the Platonic Ideal, sent by God to save his nation. Actual Boris says this sort of stuff, but Idealised Boris simply can't.
And the gap between the two is a traumatic place for Boris to live. Hence the lies and avoiding difficult questions.
At some point, it will destroy his Premiership. I just don't know when.
1) does the backend rules so 43 year olds can now register
2) updates the actual pages so that it says 43 year olds can now register
https://twitter.com/theobertram/status/1386666166299545600
My mother had water on the brain. What is that you ask - like I did? It looks and feels like dementia but is a build up of (guess what) water on the brain. It can be treated and was.
(Leaving aside the completely fucking useless NHS which consistently and I believe nearly criminally neglectfully misdiagnosed her for ages (my sister stayed up all night on wiki, diagnosed her correctly, and we presented this to the docs who then had to agree). Oh and after which I was forced to stand in the middle of an Addenbrooke's ward shouting at the consultant that I would be calling the police shortly but I digress.)
In the middle of it all, my mother's home was flooded. I called Direct Line. Sorry we need to speak to the policy holder. Policy holder is catatonic. Sorry there's nothing we can do.
Lots and lots of shouting and a very lucky moment of clarity from my mother later they swung into gear. But at one stage we were in a position that nothing could be done because of my mother's condition.
Lessons: had my mother not had a moment of clarity Direct Line would have not had any redress through them (in the end they were fantastic); and if you haven't already done so (and I hadn't), do a Lasting Power of Attorney for all your aged relatives!
Following an unprecedented year of scientific discovery, very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges, our company is about to deliver almost 50m doses to European countries by the end of April, in line with our forecast. AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible.
We appreciate the work done by political leaders and healthcare professionals across the Member States that has made the rollout of vaccination campaigns in Europe possible, and we are committed to helping as much as we can. Vaccines are difficult to manufacture, as evidenced by the supply challenges several companies are facing in Europe and around the world. We are making progress addressing the technical challenges and our output is improving, but the production cycle of a vaccine is very long which means these improvements take time to result in increased finished vaccine doses.
Much work is ahead of us in the EU and elsewhere, as we continue to deal with the terrible pandemic and the roll out of vaccination programmes. AstraZeneca has an important role to play, and our intent remains to do that fairly and equitably at no profit during the pandemic in the EU and around the world.
The EU has supported the COVAX facility for equitable distribution of vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. AstraZeneca is currently the leading supplier to more than 100 countries through COVAX providing 97% of its supply to date. Each dose has been made with vaccine serum originating from outside the EU.
We look forward to working constructively with the EU Commission to vaccinate as many people as possible. Many thousands of our employees working around the clock have been driven by a passion to help the world at no profit; they remain firmly committed to delivering our vaccine to the people of Europe and around the world.
@HillelNeuer
No joke: UN elects Iranian regime to top women's rights body.
Electing Ayatollah Khamenei's Islamic Republic of Iran to protect women’s rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief."
https://twitter.com/HillelNeuer/status/1384953403114205185
396,254 new vaccinations registered in 🇬🇧 yesterday
🏴 61,586 1st doses / 227,159 2nd doses
🏴 9,163 / 75,524
🏴 8,790 / 2,485
NI 6,708 / 4,839
https://twitter.com/HugoGye/status/1386667376117223425
As it stands Johnson has denied saying anything of the sort. So for the moment, nothing to worry about.
But even if it had been said, in the way described, I would think it understandable. People get exasperated at times and absolutely protecting civil liberties and avoiding lockdown if at all possible is important.
My criticism is that they're lifting lockdown too late, not started it too early. Stripping civil liberties should be a last resort not a first one. And if that means more people die due to a pandemic, but the NHS isn't at risk of collapse, then so be it.
Far, far too many people act as if deaths alone are the only metric and our civil liberties are immaterial. Do you disagree with that @TOPPING ?
Still, glad younger cohorts are starting to get vaccinated.
https://inews.co.uk/news/health/nhs-chiefs-urge-black-britons-to-come-forward-for-covid-jab-in-last-big-push-to-boost-uptake-971593
@SKyriakidesEU
Our priority is to ensure #COVID19 vaccine deliveries take place to protect the health of Flag of European Union.
This is why
@EU_Commission
has decided jointly with all Member States to bring legal proceedings against #AstraZeneca.
Every vaccine dose counts. Every vaccine dose saves lives."
https://twitter.com/SKyriakidesEU/status/1386646730876366850
I think it's possible to have two concurrent approaches.
1. Deal with the pandemic; and
2. Ensure you don't rub in the dirt the noses of the families of those who have died with a throwaway glib remark.
As you are keen on whatabouts. What about if some squaddie had been zapped by the Taliban in Afghan and Boris was overheard to say so what it's only one soldier's death vs the overall campaign?
I have mostly used wallpaper in my new home. In the most vivid and eye-catching colours and patterns. Not a hint of magnolia or beige anywhere! I don't much like the colours to be honest. Look good in photos but disappointing in reality.
Lesser mortals would have made the mistake of locking down early enough to save tens of thousands of lives. Not Good Old Boris.
Probably achieved tommorow.
And it has encouraged those few posters who used regularly to spam endless tweets, often from obscure nobodies that we really didn’t need to see, to put a bit more thought into their contributions and actually type some words, rather than simply clicking on cut and paste.
Those embedded tweets punctuated the discussions well and were very helpful. Whoever posted them.
Believe both Scotland and Wales are reporting for two days in one so numbers a little misleadingly high.
I doubt he said it but if he did it's embarrassing but I don't care that someone gets exasperated.
The fact is he did do another lockdown anyway. That he didn't want to was surely already known by everyone and it is right he shouldn't want to too.
26-04-2021 8,790 2,485
25-04-2021 10,479 16,636
24-04-2021 15,833 16,876
23-04-2021 14,818 17,882
Now there's this theory that it really boils the piss of day late Dacre and Viscount Rothmere that a Telegraph man became PM, so he wants him gone, but if it is Gove as next PM then a Telegraph man is replaced by a man from The Times, which will cause much more piss boiling at the Mail but it makes one of their top columnists the wife of the PM so that is a bonus.
I also heard that Mrs Vine and Mr Gove's relationship may not be as strong as it used to be, another person told me that it is just lockdown fatigue and the fact Gove's been busy with Brexit and the plague but they are fine.
That will make the story go away!
It is absolutely obviously that the new tougher line is due to the Pro-Remain editor, who was always much more critical of Boris / Tories / Brexit when he edited the MoS. MoS vs Daily Mail was like reading the Sun vs the Mirror take on things.