I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
I once asked the other half
'What makes a suicide bomber tick?'
She told me she hated me for making laughing at racist jokes.
"For making laughing"
I can't blame autocorrect for that as I'm on the laptop.
I'll blame tiredness, fixed it now.
How is that joke "racist"?
You're laughing at suicide bombers, who slaughter dozens of people in an insane act of hatred, and self-destructive nihilism. I can't think of many people worthier of mockery.
There are plenty of non-Muslim suicide bombers, btw. The technique was invented by anarchists, the Japanese turned it into a military policy, the Tamil Tigers were keen
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
Did they block off the street for their PR purposes, or is that just the new normal level of general public activity?
Much of central London is similar, still
I get the sense provincial PBers do not understand the calamity that has befallen our great cities, London especially. This is one reason I am hesitant about declaring a Roaring Twenties type Covid-aftermath (tho I yearn for it)
London and the other cities motor the UK economy. If they are fucked, we are fucked, no matter how many beer gardens we book and fill
I'm off work next week and have decided to take a trip up to Glasgow, seeing as how I've not been there for more than a year (despite studying there or working there all my adulthood up until covid). I'm interested to see how much life there is.
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
Lol @ right wingers getting triggered by Starmer in JL
It was just a bit of fun
Made me smile, anyway.
And the politics are all wrong
Maybe his advisors need to understand faking an interest in something is not a good look
You have to wonder about his advisors. I mean sending him to Bath and getting into that argument with the nutter from the pub, then trying to go into his pub.
I mean a) what was he doing in the centre of Bath, no Labour votes there and b) his advisors clearly hadn't checked this guy out properly nor managed the situation well. You don't get into debates with those kind of people, you placate them with some non-answer and say people speak to one of my team, at which point they jump in with a clipboard and a load of pointless questions.
We discussed this at the time. The pubkeeper has told the Labour team that he was a lifelong supporter and Keir was welcome. Short of getting private investigators in, what were they supposed to have done? And Bath does have Labour voters (not to mention 5 Labour councillors) - it's important to show it's a national party.
But...I agree with you on what to do when someone unexpectedly kicks off.
There's an old Mitchell and Webb sketch which is (from memory) basically a load of toothbrush marketing executives sitting around a table trying to work out their next product and saying "if we can get them to brush their tongues, we can get them to do anything!".
At some point if the covid restrictions don't drop away as promised, the parallels will start to get a bit uncomfortable.
To be honest almost no-one I know is paying a blind bit of notice to the rules anymore. Hugs, 'quick cups of tea' that last a few hours and sunday lunches are happening everywhere.
It isn't even taboo anymore.
I suspect plenty of people, particularly the vaccinated, are going to treat the 17th of May lifting of restrictions like the lifting of the restrictions of June 21st.
"Obesity 'a major factor' in risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID A study looking at seven million UK people finds the impact of a high BMI on the severity of COVID is worse at younger ages.
I like that she has had to make her way in life and has succeeded. I cannot however imagine that someone with such a visceral hatred of conservatives can hope to win over the voters she would need. Blair didnt hate moderate conservatives, he persuaded them that he was really just like them, and they voted for him in their droves.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
Did they block off the street for their PR purposes, or is that just the new normal level of general public activity?
Much of central London is similar, still
I get the sense provincial PBers do not understand the calamity that has befallen our great cities, London especially. This is one reason I am hesitant about declaring a Roaring Twenties type Covid-aftermath (tho I yearn for it)
London and the other cities motor the UK economy. If they are fucked, we are fucked, no matter how many beer gardens we book and fill
I'm off work next week and have decided to take a trip up to Glasgow, seeing as how I've not been there for more than a year (despite studying there or working there all my adulthood up until covid). I'm interested to see how much life there is.
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
I'm going into central London tomorrow - Park Lane - to get a new car. It will be the first time in many weeks.
Apart from Soho, and a couple of other hot-spots, I understand it is all, still, quite deserted. Which is depressing
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
I once asked the other half
'What makes a suicide bomber tick?'
She told me she hated me for making laughing at racist jokes.
"For making laughing"
I can't blame autocorrect for that as I'm on the laptop.
I'll blame tiredness, fixed it now.
How is that joke "racist"?
You're laughing at suicide bombers, who slaughter dozens of people in an insane act of hatred, and self-destructive nihilism. I can't think of many people worthier of mockery.
There are plenty of non-Muslim suicide bombers, btw. The technique was invented by anarchists, the Japanese turned it into a military policy, the Tamil Tigers were keen
The likeliest combination is Donaldson as Westminster DUP leader and Poots as FM and NI Assembly leader.
Poots is a hardliner who would be picked to win back voters lost to TUV
The problem with Poots, as I understand it, is that he is a knuckle-dragging religious loon who is out of kilter with most Unionists.
I am not at all an expert.
But as far as I can tell, most Unionists, even the militant ones, are not actually also Presbyterian zealots.
The religious nutter wing (ie most of them) of the DUP is increasingly estranged from ordinary Unionism.
Lucidtalk published data today showing the DUP has leaked 27% of its 2017 Assembly vote to the TUV but only 10% to the UUP and just 4% to the Alliance.
So it is hardliners in the TUV the DUP needs to win back and Poots hardline on fighting the Irish Sea border will be key to that, they will not be that bothered by his religious views provided he fights against the NI Protocol
Isn't the danger that you bring back the TUV vote, but then you lose a bunch to the Alliance and the UUP?
Only in the way that the danger of picking Boris to succeed May was you may bring back the Brexit Party vote but lose a bunch to the LDs.
In net terms the Tories regained far more from the Brexit Party than they lost to the LDs. The latest NI poll had the DUP on 19%, SF on 24% and TUV on 10%, the DUP cannot afford not to risk taking a harder line on the NI Protocol to win back TUV voters if they are going to give themselves a chance of regaining first place from SF
That's a terrible comparison.
52% of the electorate were Brexiteers, by virtually uniting Brexiteers behind him Boris was able to effectively unite almost all of the majority of the nation. That's how he got over 47% of the electorate in England.
The DUP hardcores + TUV do not make up 52% of the country. Or 47%. It isn't the same thing at all, they're far more behind a rock and a hard place.
"Obesity 'a major factor' in risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID A study looking at seven million UK people finds the impact of a high BMI on the severity of COVID is worse at younger ages.
"Obesity 'a major factor' in risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID A study looking at seven million UK people finds the impact of a high BMI on the severity of COVID is worse at younger ages.
I don’t remember you saying that about Jeremy Corbyn, and he had much worse numbers against a weaker albeit much better PM.
Are you actually claiming Theresa May is a "much better PM" than Boris?
On what metric? What on earth did she do that makes her "much better"? She spent tortuous post-Brexit years agreeing to everything the EU wanted, so she could bring home a Brexit deal which was so shit she couldn't get it through parliament. This was a result of her own initial howling errors, when she imposed red lines at the start which painted her into a terrible corner. All her own fault. She achieved nothing else in office.
As an election-winning politician she is *much better* than Boris in the same way that Worksop is "much better" than Paris, ie this is a view so eccentric only one person in the entire world believes it, and it's not even her, it's you.
Even she knows she is shit at elections, she nearly lost to JEREMY CORBYN
"much better"
lol
She worked far harder, and had a very strong sense of duty (still does) but her people skills were abominable, which is why she proved to be such a poor negotiator, man-manager and political leader amongst the electorate at large. The Home Office was about her level.
Interestingly, Boris is almost the precise opposite.
Johnson is certainly a better campaigner, but negotiator and man-manager?
Johnson negotiated the excreable NI protocol, which Tories now seem to hate.
When it comes to man-management, he put Dom Cummings at the centre of his government.
It's all in the eye of the beholder I guess.
He was largely stuck with the NI protocol when he took over, and he did far better negotiating over the TCA than I thought he would.
Again, he's made some bad picks (he started off too ideologically Vote Leave, and stuck with Cummings for too long) but I now think he's got a half decent team.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
Did they block off the street for their PR purposes, or is that just the new normal level of general public activity?
Much of central London is similar, still
I get the sense provincial PBers do not understand the calamity that has befallen our great cities, London especially. This is one reason I am hesitant about declaring a Roaring Twenties type Covid-aftermath (tho I yearn for it)
London and the other cities motor the UK economy. If they are fucked, we are fucked, no matter how many beer gardens we book and fill
I'm off work next week and have decided to take a trip up to Glasgow, seeing as how I've not been there for more than a year (despite studying there or working there all my adulthood up until covid). I'm interested to see how much life there is.
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
I'm going into central London tomorrow - Park Lane - to get a new car. It will be the first time in many weeks.
Apart from Soho, and a couple of other hot-spots, I understand it is all, still, quite deserted. Which is depressing
It won't be going back. I used to live on Fleet St and on the weekends it was completely deserted. Now I work round the corner and we're only ever going to go back 2 days a week - as far as I can tell that's pretty typical so it's going to be much calmer in future.
"Obesity 'a major factor' in risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID A study looking at seven million UK people finds the impact of a high BMI on the severity of COVID is worse at younger ages.
I believe that. All the youngsters that I saw on ICU were quite obese.
Out of interest are we talking heavy or properly obese? I’m overweight, and probably just touch a bmi of 30 so would be called obese, but I have a stocky frame (ex prop etc).
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
That's nothing. I made my wife watch 1984 last night, with John Hurt, Suzanna Hamilton and Richard Burton (plus Rab C. Nesbitt, strangely) and she said it was the most disturbing, dark and deeply depressing thing she's ever seen.
Afterwards, however, she conceded it was thought-provoking and rather profound.
Black Mirror is all of those things I can't recommend it highly enough.
No proper gigs, no crowded pubs, masks forever, Covid marshalls, weird distanced restaurants, vaxports are back, on and on
FUCK THIS SHIT. Really. Fuck it
Boris said it would all be gone by June 21, and that's why we should stick by the looooooong roadmap. The British public have done their bit, and gone along with it. Superbly, in the main. If the British government now turns around and says "Oh we were lying, life will stay eerie and shit forever", then I will never vote for the Tories again
This is all Gove IMO. He needs to be shown the door asap, he's untrustworthy and will betray anyone if he thinks it will help him become PM. Even though he would be the most unpopular PM since Eden and would lose to anyone Labour put up.
I find it hard to believe Gove is this stupid. He will never be PM. Tory MPS can see a vote-loser. Gove must know this. He said it himself: I don't have the face for it
Lady Macbeth whispers in his ear about it every so often. Charles can probably expand but I'm told she's extremely jealous of the Cameron and Boris clans and believes that her husband is why both finally made it to the top spot and is very bitter that Michael hasn't been able to ascend despite ample opportunity.
I genuinely don't understand the point you are making, however
(the fault is mine not yours)
Are you saying Gove is leaking this kind of true or invented stuff to make Boris look bad (if it is invented who invented it?), or he is actually PLANNING continued restrictions (how? when?) or...... something else?
Ultimately to damage Boris. Look at the newspaper going in hard against him in this idiotic wallpaper crap. Now he's piling in on lockdown forever because he knows it's an extremely unpopular policy with the Tory party, all of this damages Boris and makes him spend political capital to fight. It's stupid becuase Gove would never get to the final two and the members all hate him too.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
She has an amazing backstory, Rayner. I did not know any of this
"Rayner was born on 28 March 1980 in Stockport, Greater Manchester.[2] She attended Avondale School in Stockport, leaving the school aged 16 after becoming pregnant, and did not obtain any qualifications.[3][4] She later studied part-time at Stockport College, learning British Sign Language, and qualifying as a social care worker.[2]
"After leaving college, Rayner worked for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council as a care worker for a number of years"
Good for her. Apparently her mother could not read or write
If Labour are to return to power, it should be with a provincial white woman like this. I can imagine voting for her, when I am feeling a bit soft-hearted.
However, she also has the tiniest waist in British politics, which is a health concern
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
Agreed. Not a fan of Jess as leader though.
Think Dr Rosena is the one to watch.
Your choice L4%K was mullered on 5 live this morning
Rachel Burdon told her "we've heard enough you have nothing to say come back when" she had a policy on Social Care after 5 mins of vacuous crap from L4%K
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
Did they block off the street for their PR purposes, or is that just the new normal level of general public activity?
Much of central London is similar, still
I get the sense provincial PBers do not understand the calamity that has befallen our great cities, London especially. This is one reason I am hesitant about declaring a Roaring Twenties type Covid-aftermath (tho I yearn for it)
London and the other cities motor the UK economy. If they are fucked, we are fucked, no matter how many beer gardens we book and fill
I'm off work next week and have decided to take a trip up to Glasgow, seeing as how I've not been there for more than a year (despite studying there or working there all my adulthood up until covid). I'm interested to see how much life there is.
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
I'm going into central London tomorrow - Park Lane - to get a new car. It will be the first time in many weeks.
Apart from Soho, and a couple of other hot-spots, I understand it is all, still, quite deserted. Which is depressing
It won't be going back. I used to live on Fleet St and on the weekends it was completely deserted. Now I work round the corner and we're only ever going to go back 2 days a week - as far as I can tell that's pretty typical so it's going to be much calmer in future.
People will get tired of working from home within 12 to 18 months. Problem is companies may have sold most of their premises by then.
To be fair to Edwin Poots he is a progressive liberal compared to his father.
Steeped in traditional Paisleyite politics, Mr Poots's father Charlie was a close associate of the former first minister and a founding member of the DUP.
He died earlier this year aged 90 at the height of the first coronavirus lockdown.
Charlie Poots was also outspoken, stating at the height of the Troubles in 1975 that he would cut off vital services to Catholic areas if he was in charge.
“I would cut off all supplies, including water and electricity, to Catholic areas. And I would stop Catholics from getting social security.
“It is the only way to deal with enemies of the state and to stamp out the present troubles.”
I was invited to see Mr Poots for my previous charity a few years ago. He listened in complete silence, barely suppressing a yawn and said "Thank you for coming". Made Gordon Brown seem like a chatterbox.
And yet exports aren't down macroeconomically. So its just you and die hard Remoaners pissing into the wind.
Exports to the EU fell 15% on ONS figures and 32% on Eurostat figures between Dec and Feb and similar yoy, while world and European trade is doing fine right now.
Which is what you would expect when you insert significant and specific trade barriers, which are known to be problematic.
But maybe not a "macroeconomic fall" in exports (no idea what that means). So perhaps you are right.
Incidentally, the UK seems to have changed the way it measures exports to the EU in December, while the EU didn't. The numbers do match on imports, which the UK didn't change. It looks the UK figures aren't apples to apples.
Comparing YoY is disingenuous because as rcs says there's a pandemic going on right now. Comparing Dec to Feb is disingenuous because as rcs says there was stockpiling going on in Dec which is now unwinding.
But if you compare exports with most of the pandemic (besides the final couple of months, when there was stockpiling) the exports have gone back up to the same levels they were most of the pandemic. If you compare imports however they are lower than they were throughout all of the pandemic, besides the initial lockdown.
But again as rcs said, because of the pandemic its going to take a while to see the big picture.
"Obesity 'a major factor' in risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID A study looking at seven million UK people finds the impact of a high BMI on the severity of COVID is worse at younger ages.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
Did they block off the street for their PR purposes, or is that just the new normal level of general public activity?
Much of central London is similar, still
I get the sense provincial PBers do not understand the calamity that has befallen our great cities, London especially. This is one reason I am hesitant about declaring a Roaring Twenties type Covid-aftermath (tho I yearn for it)
London and the other cities motor the UK economy. If they are fucked, we are fucked, no matter how many beer gardens we book and fill
I'm off work next week and have decided to take a trip up to Glasgow, seeing as how I've not been there for more than a year (despite studying there or working there all my adulthood up until covid). I'm interested to see how much life there is.
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
I'm going into central London tomorrow - Park Lane - to get a new car. It will be the first time in many weeks.
Apart from Soho, and a couple of other hot-spots, I understand it is all, still, quite deserted. Which is depressing
It won't be going back. I used to live on Fleet St and on the weekends it was completely deserted. Now I work round the corner and we're only ever going to go back 2 days a week - as far as I can tell that's pretty typical so it's going to be much calmer in future.
People will get tired of working from home within 12 to 18 months. Problem is companies may have sold most of their premises by then.
It's been 12 months so far and every colleague survey I've seen says the opposite.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Been down the pub again tonight. Very inventive what this particular place did with its beer garden. A lovely tent/sail/marquee thing with gas burners plus a futurist bubble pod for posh dinners.
Pretty busy, walked in, scanned the NHS QR voluntarily because nobody asked. Nobody wearing masks other than the waiting staff. A mix of scruffy cyclists like me, a bunch of beer drinking geezers and some dressed-up girls having al fresco birthday drinks. A very pleasant experience.
Barman told me they’ll keep the set up beyond 17 May: have expanded their garden on to the pavements and the council have turned a blind eye. Meanwhile, everyone loves the smart tent.
Could have been a bit warmer, but one can’t control the weather.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
Did they block off the street for their PR purposes, or is that just the new normal level of general public activity?
Much of central London is similar, still
I get the sense provincial PBers do not understand the calamity that has befallen our great cities, London especially. This is one reason I am hesitant about declaring a Roaring Twenties type Covid-aftermath (tho I yearn for it)
London and the other cities motor the UK economy. If they are fucked, we are fucked, no matter how many beer gardens we book and fill
I'm off work next week and have decided to take a trip up to Glasgow, seeing as how I've not been there for more than a year (despite studying there or working there all my adulthood up until covid). I'm interested to see how much life there is.
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
I'm going into central London tomorrow - Park Lane - to get a new car. It will be the first time in many weeks.
Apart from Soho, and a couple of other hot-spots, I understand it is all, still, quite deserted. Which is depressing
It won't be going back. I used to live on Fleet St and on the weekends it was completely deserted. Now I work round the corner and we're only ever going to go back 2 days a week - as far as I can tell that's pretty typical so it's going to be much calmer in future.
Where did you live on Fleet st? My old stomping ground
There's an old Mitchell and Webb sketch which is (from memory) basically a load of toothbrush marketing executives sitting around a table trying to work out their next product and saying "if we can get them to brush their tongues, we can get them to do anything!".
At some point if the covid restrictions don't drop away as promised, the parallels will start to get a bit uncomfortable.
To be honest almost no-one I know is paying a blind bit of notice to the rules anymore. Hugs, 'quick cups of tea' that last a few hours and sunday lunches are happening everywhere.
It isn't even taboo anymore.
I suspect plenty of people, particularly the vaccinated, are going to treat the 17th of May lifting of restrictions like the lifting of the restrictions of June 21st.
Well yes, because there’s not much difference in practical terms. A little known element of the 17 May easement is that the Rule of Six is lifted outdoors. Not far from normality...
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
That's nothing. I made my wife watch 1984 last night, with John Hurt, Suzanna Hamilton and Richard Burton (plus Rab C. Nesbitt, strangely) and she said it was the most disturbing, dark and deeply depressing thing she's ever seen.
Afterwards, however, she conceded it was thought-provoking and rather profound.
Black Mirror is all of those things I can't recommend it highly enough.
True, but Orwell got there first, and oh so brilliantly.
"Obesity 'a major factor' in risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID A study looking at seven million UK people finds the impact of a high BMI on the severity of COVID is worse at younger ages.
I believe that. All the youngsters that I saw on ICU were quite obese.
Out of interest are we talking heavy or properly obese? I’m overweight, and probably just touch a bmi of 30 so would be called obese, but I have a stocky frame (ex prop etc).
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
Did they block off the street for their PR purposes, or is that just the new normal level of general public activity?
Much of central London is similar, still
I get the sense provincial PBers do not understand the calamity that has befallen our great cities, London especially. This is one reason I am hesitant about declaring a Roaring Twenties type Covid-aftermath (tho I yearn for it)
London and the other cities motor the UK economy. If they are fucked, we are fucked, no matter how many beer gardens we book and fill
I'm off work next week and have decided to take a trip up to Glasgow, seeing as how I've not been there for more than a year (despite studying there or working there all my adulthood up until covid). I'm interested to see how much life there is.
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
I'm going into central London tomorrow - Park Lane - to get a new car. It will be the first time in many weeks.
Apart from Soho, and a couple of other hot-spots, I understand it is all, still, quite deserted. Which is depressing
It won't be going back. I used to live on Fleet St and on the weekends it was completely deserted. Now I work round the corner and we're only ever going to go back 2 days a week - as far as I can tell that's pretty typical so it's going to be much calmer in future.
Where did you live on Fleet st? My old stomping ground
New Bridge street technically, was in a top floor flat on ludgate circus for 18 months - woken up by the bells of St Brides which were more or less head height for me.
There's an old Mitchell and Webb sketch which is (from memory) basically a load of toothbrush marketing executives sitting around a table trying to work out their next product and saying "if we can get them to brush their tongues, we can get them to do anything!".
At some point if the covid restrictions don't drop away as promised, the parallels will start to get a bit uncomfortable.
To be honest almost no-one I know is paying a blind bit of notice to the rules anymore. Hugs, 'quick cups of tea' that last a few hours and sunday lunches are happening everywhere.
It isn't even taboo anymore.
I suspect plenty of people, particularly the vaccinated, are going to treat the 17th of May lifting of restrictions like the lifting of the restrictions of June 21st.
Agree. The more the govt decides to continue restrictive measures the more I will flout them.
Have been invited to a birthday party for 14 people on May 14th.
France has opened up vaccinations to any adults obese (BMI 30+) following several days of pressure to widen the criteria with all the unused slots. I’m just under that limit after months of dieting this winter so it’s somewhat frustrating. I’ve decided to book an appointment for a week from now and gain a kilo in the meantime to put me over (I’m 30 so could be waiting months otherwise).
I know the story is that France has loads of unused appointments, but if you look at "proportion of doses received that have been administered", then they are ahead of almost every other EU country:
Rcvd Administered % used France 22,335 19,644 88% Germany 29,645 25,489 86% Poland 12,901 10,986 85% Sweden 3,632 3,017 83% Italy 22,795 18,722 82% Netherlands 6,357 5,176 81%
Which is exactly the opposite of what you'd expect if they were struggling to find people to vaccinate.
France is also above the EU average for vaccinations (26.7% at least one dose vs 26.5%). The real laggards are Latvia and Greece.
Edit to add: all the numbers are in thousands. So, 22,335 means 22.335 million
As a general comment, I don't think % of deliveries administered is a particularly useful figure for determining whether a vaccination programme is successful. There could be valid distribution reasons why the figure was higher or lower. eg time to get from distribution centre to vaccination point, stickiness of deliveries, holding back second doses, the way deliveries may be recorded in advance while vaccinations are recorded in arrears.
The better measure I think is whether the % figure is trending down, indicating supply overtaking demand, which I think is happening in the US now.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
She has an amazing backstory, Rayner. I did not know any of this
"Rayner was born on 28 March 1980 in Stockport, Greater Manchester.[2] She attended Avondale School in Stockport, leaving the school aged 16 after becoming pregnant, and did not obtain any qualifications.[3][4] She later studied part-time at Stockport College, learning British Sign Language, and qualifying as a social care worker.[2]
"After leaving college, Rayner worked for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council as a care worker for a number of years"
Good for her. Apparently her mother could not read or write
If Labour are to return to power, it should be with a provincial white woman like this. I can imagine voting for her, when I am feeling a bit soft-hearted.
However, she also has the tiniest waist in British politics, which is a health concern
I recall when she was attacked by Allison Pearson for being shadow Education Sec without GCSEs, she was defended in a quite beautifully moving and devastating way by Nick Bowles - of all people.
No proper gigs, no crowded pubs, masks forever, Covid marshalls, weird distanced restaurants, vaxports are back, on and on
FUCK THIS SHIT. Really. Fuck it
Boris said it would all be gone by June 21, and that's why we should stick by the looooooong roadmap. The British public have done their bit, and gone along with it. Superbly, in the main. If the British government now turns around and says "Oh we were lying, life will stay eerie and shit forever", then I will never vote for the Tories again
This is all Gove IMO. He needs to be shown the door asap, he's untrustworthy and will betray anyone if he thinks it will help him become PM. Even though he would be the most unpopular PM since Eden and would lose to anyone Labour put up.
I find it hard to believe Gove is this stupid. He will never be PM. Tory MPS can see a vote-loser. Gove must know this. He said it himself: I don't have the face for it
Lady Macbeth whispers in his ear about it every so often. Charles can probably expand but I'm told she's extremely jealous of the Cameron and Boris clans and believes that her husband is why both finally made it to the top spot and is very bitter that Michael hasn't been able to ascend despite ample opportunity.
I genuinely don't understand the point you are making, however
(the fault is mine not yours)
Are you saying Gove is leaking this kind of true or invented stuff to make Boris look bad (if it is invented who invented it?), or he is actually PLANNING continued restrictions (how? when?) or...... something else?
Ultimately to damage Boris. Look at the newspaper going in hard against him in this idiotic wallpaper crap. Now he's piling in on lockdown forever because he knows it's an extremely unpopular policy with the Tory party, all of this damages Boris and makes him spend political capital to fight. It's stupid becuase Gove would never get to the final two and the members all hate him too.
Ah, ta.That was my supposition
He's a nutter if it is the case, tho I do have some sympathy for his wife, who gets appalling abuse on social media. It is vile misogynist crap - I see Rayner gets the same. This is not a political point
I sometimes think the world would be 100% better if we could disinvent social media. Brings out the beast in people. I do sincerely believe Governments should tax Facebook and Twitter until they hurt, as they are polluters of our discourse, just as diesel cars or coal-burning power stations pollute our air
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
Agreed. Not a fan of Jess as leader though.
Think Dr Rosena is the one to watch.
Your choice L4%K was mullered on 5 live this morning
Rachel Burdon told her "we've heard enough you have nothing to say come back when" she had a policy on Social Care after 5 mins of vacuous crap from L4%K
Comment via the vanilla forums and on the middle to right hand side above the comment box there's a picture icon, click on that and it gives you a couple of options of embedding pics, either from a saved picture or a URL, although not all URL based pics come through.
Just don't got OTT on the number of pics you embed.
Any PBers willing to help out with this barrel scraping? Pity the chi chi travel writer isn't still around - 'they said my dear friend's flint dildos were shite!!'.
I am not a Labour supporter, far from it, but I am desperately keen that we should have a strong leader of the opposition; it vital for a successful democracy. I live in the Bedfordshire NE constituency, (a Tory fiefdom) but I have met the Labour MP for Bedford (the neighbouring constituency) Mohammad Yasin on a number of occasions. He is bright, articulate, and diligent. He has played a blinder locally persuading the local ethnic minorities to follow the rules on Covid and to get vaccinated. He has an interesting 'backstory' and retained his seat last time against the national swing. I have tried to get odds on him to place a bet as the next Labour leader, but can't find anyone with his name on the list. But regardless of party loyalties, watch out for him. Labour, and the country could do far worse.
It's been 12 months so far and every colleague survey I've seen says the opposite.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Yes, this old kite flying "everyone will go back to the office" nonsense.
My company is giving up its offices and will hire space as and when needed - there's plenty of meeting rooms of all shapes and sizes for hire out there.
No one is saying the office in general is dead - simply the antiquated notion of banks of desks and workers treated like battery hens. The future is collaborative space, networking, hybrid meetings and the like. Some will doubtless moan and gripe about the lack of social activity and the like but it's the future and very soon it's going to be the present.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
She has an amazing backstory, Rayner. I did not know any of this
"Rayner was born on 28 March 1980 in Stockport, Greater Manchester.[2] She attended Avondale School in Stockport, leaving the school aged 16 after becoming pregnant, and did not obtain any qualifications.[3][4] She later studied part-time at Stockport College, learning British Sign Language, and qualifying as a social care worker.[2]
"After leaving college, Rayner worked for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council as a care worker for a number of years"
Good for her. Apparently her mother could not read or write
If Labour are to return to power, it should be with a provincial white woman like this. I can imagine voting for her, when I am feeling a bit soft-hearted.
However, she also has the tiniest waist in British politics, which is a health concern
I recall when she was attacked by Allison Pearson for being shadow Education Sec without GCSEs, she was defended in a quite beautifully moving and devastating way by Nick Bowles - of all people.
I don't particularly like Allison Pearson, even when I agree with her.
Comment via the vanilla forums and on the middle to right hand side above the comment box there's a picture icon, click on that and it gives you a couple of options of embedding pics, either from a saved picture or a URL, although not all URL based pics come through.
Just don't got OTT on the number of pics you embed.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
Agreed. Not a fan of Jess as leader though.
Think Dr Rosena is the one to watch.
Your choice L4%K was mullered on 5 live this morning
Rachel Burdon told her "we've heard enough you have nothing to say come back when" she had a policy on Social Care after 5 mins of vacuous crap from L4%K
I like Rosena, but she can be a bit erratic. Rayner is pretty consistently sound, stepping around all the booby traps of front line political life. Sure she will have the Home County matrons clutching their pearls, but I think she would stand the best chance of recovering the Purple Wall. I think she is far more acceptable to the left, but has deftly moved into the post Corbyn era. Most importantly, she will get the vote out and motivated, and squeeze the Greens.
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
That's nothing. I made my wife watch 1984 last night, with John Hurt, Suzanna Hamilton and Richard Burton (plus Rab C. Nesbitt, strangely) and she said it was the most disturbing, dark and deeply depressing thing she's ever seen.
Afterwards, however, she conceded it was thought-provoking and rather profound.
Black Mirror is all of those things I can't recommend it highly enough.
True, but Orwell got there first, and oh so brilliantly.
The variety and resonance of the episodes are amazing. And I have read all of Orwell. Nothing as casually disturbing imo.
To be honest almost no-one I know is paying a blind bit of notice to the rules anymore. Hugs, 'quick cups of tea' that last a few hours and sunday lunches are happening everywhere.
It isn't even taboo anymore.
And with barely over a hundred people admitted to hospital with Covid each day, it shouldn’t be taboo, it should be legal again.
It's interesting - what's the point of a law if no one is prepared to enforce it?
No proper gigs, no crowded pubs, masks forever, Covid marshalls, weird distanced restaurants, vaxports are back, on and on
FUCK THIS SHIT. Really. Fuck it
Boris said it would all be gone by June 21, and that's why we should stick by the looooooong roadmap. The British public have done their bit, and gone along with it. Superbly, in the main. If the British government now turns around and says "Oh we were lying, life will stay eerie and shit forever", then I will never vote for the Tories again
This is all Gove IMO. He needs to be shown the door asap, he's untrustworthy and will betray anyone if he thinks it will help him become PM. Even though he would be the most unpopular PM since Eden and would lose to anyone Labour put up.
I find it hard to believe Gove is this stupid. He will never be PM. Tory MPS can see a vote-loser. Gove must know this. He said it himself: I don't have the face for it
Lady Macbeth whispers in his ear about it every so often. Charles can probably expand but I'm told she's extremely jealous of the Cameron and Boris clans and believes that her husband is why both finally made it to the top spot and is very bitter that Michael hasn't been able to ascend despite ample opportunity.
I genuinely don't understand the point you are making, however
(the fault is mine not yours)
Are you saying Gove is leaking this kind of true or invented stuff to make Boris look bad (if it is invented who invented it?), or he is actually PLANNING continued restrictions (how? when?) or...... something else?
Ultimately to damage Boris. Look at the newspaper going in hard against him in this idiotic wallpaper crap. Now he's piling in on lockdown forever because he knows it's an extremely unpopular policy with the Tory party, all of this damages Boris and makes him spend political capital to fight. It's stupid becuase Gove would never get to the final two and the members all hate him too.
Ah, ta.That was my supposition
He's a nutter if it is the case, tho I do have some sympathy for his wife, who gets appalling abuse on social media. It is vile misogynist crap - I see Rayner gets the same. This is not a political point
I sometimes think the world would be 100% better if we could disinvent social media. Brings out the beast in people. I do sincerely believe Governments should tax Facebook and Twitter until they hurt, as they are polluters of our discourse, just as diesel cars or coal-burning power stations pollute our air
Comment via the vanilla forums and on the middle to right hand side above the comment box there's a picture icon, click on that and it gives you a couple of options of embedding pics, either from a saved picture or a URL, although not all URL based pics come through.
Just don't got OTT on the number of pics you embed.
It's been 12 months so far and every colleague survey I've seen says the opposite.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Yes, this old kite flying "everyone will go back to the office" nonsense.
My company is giving up its offices and will hire space as and when needed - there's plenty of meeting rooms of all shapes and sizes for hire out there.
No one is saying the office in general is dead - simply the antiquated notion of banks of desks and workers treated like battery hens. The future is collaborative space, networking, hybrid meetings and the like. Some will doubtless moan and gripe about the lack of social activity and the like but it's the future and very soon it's going to be the present.
Hybrid working is where we’ll end up. The 9-5 is dead, as is permanent homeworking for most people. Good. A mixture is best.
It's been 12 months so far and every colleague survey I've seen says the opposite.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Yes, this old kite flying "everyone will go back to the office" nonsense.
My company is giving up its offices and will hire space as and when needed - there's plenty of meeting rooms of all shapes and sizes for hire out there.
No one is saying the office in general is dead - simply the antiquated notion of banks of desks and workers treated like battery hens. The future is collaborative space, networking, hybrid meetings and the like. Some will doubtless moan and gripe about the lack of social activity and the like but it's the future and very soon it's going to be the present.
We're going to be hybrid.
Most people are expected to be in the office a day or two a week. Hot desks, good meeting rooms, great video conferencing equipment.
We'll probably also organise 4-5 get togethers each year in a hotel or equivalent.
Comment via the vanilla forums and on the middle to right hand side above the comment box there's a picture icon, click on that and it gives you a couple of options of embedding pics, either from a saved picture or a URL, although not all URL based pics come through.
Just don't got OTT on the number of pics you embed.
Let's have a go
I worry about Angela Rayner, on health grounds, as she has the tiniest waist in British politics...
It's been 12 months so far and every colleague survey I've seen says the opposite.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Yes, this old kite flying "everyone will go back to the office" nonsense.
My company is giving up its offices and will hire space as and when needed - there's plenty of meeting rooms of all shapes and sizes for hire out there.
No one is saying the office in general is dead - simply the antiquated notion of banks of desks and workers treated like battery hens. The future is collaborative space, networking, hybrid meetings and the like. Some will doubtless moan and gripe about the lack of social activity and the like but it's the future and very soon it's going to be the present.
Hybrid working is where we’ll end up. The 9-5 is dead, as is permanent homeworking for most people. Good. A mixture is best.
At the end of the day, most people don't like their boss peering over their shoulders and office politics even less.
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
It is, nonetheless, a brilliant joke. Subverting expectations and exploding taboos in two perfect lines
When I first saw it on a TV show the crowd was in shocked silence for about 3 seconds, then they roared with intense laughter
Got to be used in the right context tho. After someone has just been off-colour about the Holocaust you put on your appalled face - then go for it
I lived in this country for a year when I was 14/15.
One evening, on late night TV, I discovered Jerry Sadowitz.
Oh my god. I nearly died laughing.
Whatever happened to him?
I once almost sold him a bowler hat, didn't fit unfortunately, would have been a proud moment. I'd even have give him a discount ffs! He's fantastic live.
I remember seeing a whole batch of those in the bargain book bin at Smith's at Lakeside one day.
10p per copy but not getting any takers even at that price.
I remember the harrowing day the great SeanT left us, refusing to continue his scintillating commentary despite many pleas from the Smithsons. It was like the felling of a mighty redwood in California. No, it was worse, it was like the snuffing out of a giant star, Betelgeuse extinguished: in our lifetimes
I readily confess, I wept. I was just a lurker, but I sobbed like a babe in arms
Anyway, that day he left, I remember him admitting that his book, that one there, has sold a million copies worldwide, so he probably won't mind a few bargain book bins in the Lakes
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
That's nothing. I made my wife watch 1984 last night, with John Hurt, Suzanna Hamilton and Richard Burton (plus Rab C. Nesbitt, strangely) and she said it was the most disturbing, dark and deeply depressing thing she's ever seen.
Afterwards, however, she conceded it was thought-provoking and rather profound.
Black Mirror is all of those things I can't recommend it highly enough.
True, but Orwell got there first, and oh so brilliantly.
The variety and resonance of the episodes are amazing. And I have read all of Orwell. Nothing as casually disturbing imo.
You've probably already read it but 'We' by Yevgeny Zamyatin was something of an influence on Orwell. Penguin have a pretty good English translation.
And yet exports aren't down macroeconomically. So its just you and die hard Remoaners pissing into the wind.
Exports to the EU fell 15% on ONS figures and 32% on Eurostat figures between Dec and Feb and similar yoy, while world and European trade is doing fine right now.
Which is what you would expect when you insert significant and specific trade barriers, which are known to be problematic.
But maybe not a "macroeconomic fall" in exports (no idea what that means). So perhaps you are right.
Incidentally, the UK seems to have changed the way it measures exports to the EU in December, while the EU didn't. The numbers do match on imports, which the UK didn't change. It looks the UK figures aren't apples to apples.
Comparing YoY is disingenuous because as rcs says there's a pandemic going on right now. Comparing Dec to Feb is disingenuous because as rcs says there was stockpiling going on in Dec which is now unwinding.
But if you compare exports with most of the pandemic (besides the final couple of months, when there was stockpiling) the exports have gone back up to the same levels they were most of the pandemic. If you compare imports however they are lower than they were throughout all of the pandemic, besides the initial lockdown.
But again as rcs said, because of the pandemic its going to take a while to see the big picture.
Nevertheless trade is doing fine right now, either down a bit or up a bit everywhere. Worldwide, trade into the EU and trade between EU countries. If it is the pandemic it is specifically hitting EU and UK trade, coincidentally at the point when they introduced trade barriers that are known to be problematic.
France has opened up vaccinations to any adults obese (BMI 30+) following several days of pressure to widen the criteria with all the unused slots. I’m just under that limit after months of dieting this winter so it’s somewhat frustrating. I’ve decided to book an appointment for a week from now and gain a kilo in the meantime to put me over (I’m 30 so could be waiting months otherwise).
I know the story is that France has loads of unused appointments, but if you look at "proportion of doses received that have been administered", then they are ahead of almost every other EU country:
Rcvd Administered % used France 22,335 19,644 88% Germany 29,645 25,489 86% Poland 12,901 10,986 85% Sweden 3,632 3,017 83% Italy 22,795 18,722 82% Netherlands 6,357 5,176 81%
Which is exactly the opposite of what you'd expect if they were struggling to find people to vaccinate.
France is also above the EU average for vaccinations (26.7% at least one dose vs 26.5%). The real laggards are Latvia and Greece.
Edit to add: all the numbers are in thousands. So, 22,335 means 22.335 million
As a general comment, I don't think % of deliveries administered is a particularly useful figure for determining whether a vaccination programme is successful. There could be valid distribution reasons why the figure was higher or lower. eg time to get from distribution centre to vaccination point, stickiness of deliveries, holding back second doses, the way deliveries may be recorded in advance while vaccinations are recorded in arrears.
The better measure I think is whether the % figure is trending down, indicating supply overtaking demand, which I think is happening in the US now.
In the US, the percentage unused has been pretty accurate at foretelling a slowdown. Mississippi and Alabama (for example) have only used a little over 60% of the doses they've recieved.
Somehow Angela appears to have accessorized Manchester.
I quite like Angela, she was on Marr on Sunday and just looked like she was taking the piss out of Marr/Boris/The Establishment the whole time. She has a cheeky smile.
Can’t imagine her as leader: too northern and working class and probably a bit brassy for metro liberals down here. But she seems like a good laugh. Passes the pub test with flying colours.
I have warmed to her. I think Labour probably would be doing better with one of the women in charge: either her, Nandy or Phillips.
Agreed. Not a fan of Jess as leader though.
Think Dr Rosena is the one to watch.
Your choice L4%K was mullered on 5 live this morning
Rachel Burdon told her "we've heard enough you have nothing to say come back when" she had a policy on Social Care after 5 mins of vacuous crap from L4%K
I like Rosena, but she can be a bit erratic. Rayner is pretty consistently sound, stepping around all the booby traps of front line political life. Sure she will have the Home County matrons clutching their pearls, but I think she would stand the best chance of recovering the Purple Wall. I think she is far more acceptable to the left, but has deftly moved into the post Corbyn era. Most importantly, she will get the vote out and motivated, and squeeze the Greens.
I remember seeing a whole batch of those in the bargain book bin at Smith's at Lakeside one day.
10p per copy but not getting any takers even at that price.
I remember the harrowing day the great SeanT left us, refusing to continue his scintillating commentary despite many pleas from the Smithsons. It was like the felling of a mighty redwood in California. No, it was worse, it was like the snuffing out of a giant star, Betelgeuse extinguished: in our lifetimes
I readily confess, I wept. I was just a lurker, but I sobbed like a babe in arms
Anyway, that day he left, I remember him admitting that his book, that one there, has sold a million copies worldwide, so he probably won't mind a few bargain book bins in the Lakes
The Phil Collins Secret was truly amazing, a literary masterpiece.
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
It is, nonetheless, a brilliant joke. Subverting expectations and exploding taboos in two perfect lines
When I first saw it on a TV show the crowd was in shocked silence for about 3 seconds, then they roared with intense laughter
Got to be used in the right context tho. After someone has just been off-colour about the Holocaust you put on your appalled face - then go for it
I lived in this country for a year when I was 14/15.
One evening, on late night TV, I discovered Jerry Sadowitz.
Oh my god. I nearly died laughing.
Whatever happened to him?
I once almost sold him a bowler hat, didn't fit unfortunately, would have been a proud moment. I'd even have give him a discount ffs! He's fantastic live.
I saw him live at the Criterion theatre. Agreed: fantastic, one of the great comedians of the age, but under-rated because he is so contentious
I recall him making most of the audience very uncomfortable, but also very amused, with his material, and this was in the free-wheeling 90s, when "cancel culture" and Critical Race Theory were just nightmares from the distant future
It's been 12 months so far and every colleague survey I've seen says the opposite.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Yes, this old kite flying "everyone will go back to the office" nonsense.
My company is giving up its offices and will hire space as and when needed - there's plenty of meeting rooms of all shapes and sizes for hire out there.
No one is saying the office in general is dead - simply the antiquated notion of banks of desks and workers treated like battery hens. The future is collaborative space, networking, hybrid meetings and the like. Some will doubtless moan and gripe about the lack of social activity and the like but it's the future and very soon it's going to be the present.
Hybrid working is where we’ll end up. The 9-5 is dead, as is permanent homeworking for most people. Good. A mixture is best.
At the end of the day, most people don't like their boss peering over their shoulders and office politics even less.
Indeed. I think people have realised that a) people can be trusted to work in their own space and b) being co-located is vastly superior to Zoom for collaboration. Ergo, a hybrid model is best - office for collaboration and ideation, home for solitary work.
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
That's nothing. I made my wife watch 1984 last night, with John Hurt, Suzanna Hamilton and Richard Burton (plus Rab C. Nesbitt, strangely) and she said it was the most disturbing, dark and deeply depressing thing she's ever seen.
Afterwards, however, she conceded it was thought-provoking and rather profound.
Black Mirror is all of those things I can't recommend it highly enough.
True, but Orwell got there first, and oh so brilliantly.
The variety and resonance of the episodes are amazing. And I have read all of Orwell. Nothing as casually disturbing imo.
You've probably already read it but 'We' by Yevgeny Zamyatin was something of an influence on Orwell. Penguin have a pretty good English translation.
Seconded, it is a very interesting book and quite ahead of its time.
I remember the harrowing day the great SeanT left us, refusing to continue his scintillating commentary despite many pleas from the Smithsons. It was like the felling of a mighty redwood in California. No, it was worse, it was like the snuffing out of a giant star, Betelgeuse extinguished: in our lifetimes
I readily confess, I wept. I was just a lurker, but I sobbed like a babe in arms
Anyway, that day he left, I remember him admitting that his book, that one there, has sold a million copies worldwide, so he probably won't mind a few bargain book bins in the Lakes
To be honest, his best days were well behind him.
When he was first on PB, in the mid 2000s, he was genuinely witty and ascerbic with more than a touch of dry humour and it was a pleasure to get a verbal mauling from him but over time he became just another anti-Left bore, more a provocateur ever more desperate to get a response from the gullible than an interesting observer of the political and cultural warp and weft.
I don't know why he changed = perhaps the fame and the fortune, perhaps the zeitgeist, who can say? I can only hope he's enjoying life now though I will admit he seemed to have had plenty of life in his time.
On the few days I’ve been into the office over the last year, I’ve got far less actual ‘work’ done but had infinitely better conversations (and better drinks). How we manage it is the key: but hybrid is the way forward.
It's been 12 months so far and every colleague survey I've seen says the opposite.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Yes, this old kite flying "everyone will go back to the office" nonsense.
My company is giving up its offices and will hire space as and when needed - there's plenty of meeting rooms of all shapes and sizes for hire out there.
No one is saying the office in general is dead - simply the antiquated notion of banks of desks and workers treated like battery hens. The future is collaborative space, networking, hybrid meetings and the like. Some will doubtless moan and gripe about the lack of social activity and the like but it's the future and very soon it's going to be the present.
We're going to be hybrid.
Most people are expected to be in the office a day or two a week. Hot desks, good meeting rooms, great video conferencing equipment.
We'll probably also organise 4-5 get togethers each year in a hotel or equivalent.
FFS all my pleasure at being a self employed flint knapper - hah, I don't have to go to an office, get to work you commuting peons - is going to be ruined. Plus the no-longer-office-drones will still get sick pay, pension, holiday leave, company car, and an Xmas party, whereas I get none of these
This is quite a serious point. People become self employed precisely so they can work from home, they forsake all these benefits for the freedoms. If EVERYONE can work from home, why be self employed, and lose out on all the perks of a proper job? It will be much less tempting
We are making hasty decisions which will transform the economy, in huge ways. Maybe it is unstoppable. It is certainly unnerving
I remember the harrowing day the great SeanT left us, refusing to continue his scintillating commentary despite many pleas from the Smithsons. It was like the felling of a mighty redwood in California. No, it was worse, it was like the snuffing out of a giant star, Betelgeuse extinguished: in our lifetimes
I readily confess, I wept. I was just a lurker, but I sobbed like a babe in arms
Anyway, that day he left, I remember him admitting that his book, that one there, has sold a million copies worldwide, so he probably won't mind a few bargain book bins in the Lakes
To be honest, his best days were well behind him.
When he was first on PB, in the mid 2000s, he was genuinely witty and ascerbic with more than a touch of dry humour and it was a pleasure to get a verbal mauling from him but over time he became just another anti-Left bore, more a provocateur ever more desperate to get a response from the gullible than an interesting observer of the political and cultural warp and weft.
I don't know why he changed = perhaps the fame and the fortune, perhaps the zeitgeist, who can say? I can only hope he's enjoying life now though I will admit he seemed to have had plenty of life in his time.
Yes, I agree, it was time for him to go, even if the sight of his departure was, to many of us, like Churchill's funeral: one sensed the metaphorical cranes of Docklands lowered to honour him, as the floating bier of his timeless wit, the catafalque of his own reverberating oratory, passed inevitably down the rolling Thames, and on, ever on, onwards beyond Gallions Reach
We shall not see the like again, not in our evemore thrifty years on earth
Been down the pub again tonight. Very inventive what this particular place did with its beer garden. A lovely tent/sail/marquee thing with gas burners plus a futurist bubble pod for posh dinners.
Pretty busy, walked in, scanned the NHS QR voluntarily because nobody asked. Nobody wearing masks other than the waiting staff. A mix of scruffy cyclists like me, a bunch of beer drinking geezers and some dressed-up girls having al fresco birthday drinks. A very pleasant experience.
Barman told me they’ll keep the set up beyond 17 May: have expanded their garden on to the pavements and the council have turned a blind eye. Meanwhile, everyone loves the smart tent.
Could have been a bit warmer, but one can’t control the weather.
8/10.
I counted 5 hardy individuals sat outside our local this evening, wrapped up in their big coats.
Lol @ right wingers getting triggered by Starmer in JL
It was just a bit of fun
Made me smile, anyway.
And the politics are all wrong
Maybe his advisors need to understand faking an interest in something is not a good look
You have to wonder about his advisors. I mean sending him to Bath and getting into that argument with the nutter from the pub, then trying to go into his pub.
I mean a) what was he doing in the centre of Bath, no Labour votes there and b) his advisors clearly hadn't checked this guy out properly nor managed the situation well. You don't get into debates with those kind of people, you placate them with some non-answer and say people speak to one of my team, at which point they jump in with a clipboard and a load of pointless questions.
We discussed this at the time. The pubkeeper has told the Labour team that he was a lifelong supporter and Keir was welcome. Short of getting private investigators in, what were they supposed to have done? And Bath does have Labour voters (not to mention 5 Labour councillors) - it's important to show it's a national party.
But...I agree with you on what to do when someone unexpectedly kicks off.
Quick check of social media is normally sensible. I believe this guy wasn't quiet about his anti-lockdown ranting and raving. I said central Bath, no Labour there. The 5 Labour councillors are from surrounding areas of Bath. Bath itself is yellow peril central. I doubt he will have gained a single vote walking around the town centre.
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
It is, nonetheless, a brilliant joke. Subverting expectations and exploding taboos in two perfect lines
When I first saw it on a TV show the crowd was in shocked silence for about 3 seconds, then they roared with intense laughter
Got to be used in the right context tho. After someone has just been off-colour about the Holocaust you put on your appalled face - then go for it
I lived in this country for a year when I was 14/15.
One evening, on late night TV, I discovered Jerry Sadowitz.
Oh my god. I nearly died laughing.
Whatever happened to him?
I once almost sold him a bowler hat, didn't fit unfortunately, would have been a proud moment. I'd even have give him a discount ffs! He's fantastic live.
I completely missed the major revelation in this comment
Been down the pub again tonight. Very inventive what this particular place did with its beer garden. A lovely tent/sail/marquee thing with gas burners plus a futurist bubble pod for posh dinners.
Pretty busy, walked in, scanned the NHS QR voluntarily because nobody asked. Nobody wearing masks other than the waiting staff. A mix of scruffy cyclists like me, a bunch of beer drinking geezers and some dressed-up girls having al fresco birthday drinks. A very pleasant experience.
Barman told me they’ll keep the set up beyond 17 May: have expanded their garden on to the pavements and the council have turned a blind eye. Meanwhile, everyone loves the smart tent.
Could have been a bit warmer, but one can’t control the weather.
8/10.
I counted 5 hardy individuals sat outside our local this evening, wrapped up in their big coats.
Not exactly al fresco weather today.
Similar amount outside my local,when I went out on my bike about 5PM
Your choice L4%K was mullered on 5 live this morning
Rachel Burdon told her "we've heard enough you have nothing to say come back when" she had a policy on Social Care after 5 mins of vacuous crap from L4%K
That was quite a listen, she obviously thought "I get 5 minutes to attack the goverment and Boris" but ended up getting slaughtered by Rachel Burden who is not normally a tough interviewer.
France has opened up vaccinations to any adults obese (BMI 30+) following several days of pressure to widen the criteria with all the unused slots. I’m just under that limit after months of dieting this winter so it’s somewhat frustrating. I’ve decided to book an appointment for a week from now and gain a kilo in the meantime to put me over (I’m 30 so could be waiting months otherwise).
I know the story is that France has loads of unused appointments, but if you look at "proportion of doses received that have been administered", then they are ahead of almost every other EU country:
Rcvd Administered % used France 22,335 19,644 88% Germany 29,645 25,489 86% Poland 12,901 10,986 85% Sweden 3,632 3,017 83% Italy 22,795 18,722 82% Netherlands 6,357 5,176 81%
Which is exactly the opposite of what you'd expect if they were struggling to find people to vaccinate.
France is also above the EU average for vaccinations (26.7% at least one dose vs 26.5%). The real laggards are Latvia and Greece.
Edit to add: all the numbers are in thousands. So, 22,335 means 22.335 million
As a general comment, I don't think % of deliveries administered is a particularly useful figure for determining whether a vaccination programme is successful. There could be valid distribution reasons why the figure was higher or lower. eg time to get from distribution centre to vaccination point, stickiness of deliveries, holding back second doses, the way deliveries may be recorded in advance while vaccinations are recorded in arrears.
The better measure I think is whether the % figure is trending down, indicating supply overtaking demand, which I think is happening in the US now.
In the US, the percentage unused has been pretty accurate at foretelling a slowdown. Mississippi and Alabama (for example) have only used a little over 60% of the doses they've recieved.
Hmm, yes. % vaccinated seems to be a good indicator of which states vote Republican and which Democrat
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
It is, nonetheless, a brilliant joke. Subverting expectations and exploding taboos in two perfect lines
When I first saw it on a TV show the crowd was in shocked silence for about 3 seconds, then they roared with intense laughter
Got to be used in the right context tho. After someone has just been off-colour about the Holocaust you put on your appalled face - then go for it
I lived in this country for a year when I was 14/15.
One evening, on late night TV, I discovered Jerry Sadowitz.
Oh my god. I nearly died laughing.
Whatever happened to him?
I once almost sold him a bowler hat, didn't fit unfortunately, would have been a proud moment. I'd even have give him a discount ffs! He's fantastic live.
I completely missed the major revelation in this comment
You used to sell..... hats?!
Bowler hats no less.
Perhaps @Theuniondivvie has a store frequented by Orange men, with a nice range of sashes.
That sounds about right, it has exactly his spartan, two line delivery, punch punch. Manning was Russian-Jewish, of course
The article also has this excellent off-colour joke from Jimmy Carr
'Carr has a much better joke about gypsies, or rather about prejudice against Romany culture. "When people say: 'These travelling people, we've got to move them on,' I say: 'Isn't that playing into their hands?' '
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
It is, nonetheless, a brilliant joke. Subverting expectations and exploding taboos in two perfect lines
When I first saw it on a TV show the crowd was in shocked silence for about 3 seconds, then they roared with intense laughter
Got to be used in the right context tho. After someone has just been off-colour about the Holocaust you put on your appalled face - then go for it
I lived in this country for a year when I was 14/15.
One evening, on late night TV, I discovered Jerry Sadowitz.
Oh my god. I nearly died laughing.
Whatever happened to him?
I once almost sold him a bowler hat, didn't fit unfortunately, would have been a proud moment. I'd even have give him a discount ffs! He's fantastic live.
I completely missed the major revelation in this comment
You used to sell..... hats?!
Had a wee vintage clothes shop in more youthful if penurious times.
I remember seeing a whole batch of those in the bargain book bin at Smith's at Lakeside one day.
10p per copy but not getting any takers even at that price.
I remember the harrowing day the great SeanT left us, refusing to continue his scintillating commentary despite many pleas from the Smithsons. It was like the felling of a mighty redwood in California. No, it was worse, it was like the snuffing out of a giant star, Betelgeuse extinguished: in our lifetimes
I readily confess, I wept. I was just a lurker, but I sobbed like a babe in arms
Anyway, that day he left, I remember him admitting that his book, that one there, has sold a million copies worldwide, so he probably won't mind a few bargain book bins in the Lakes
I told my wife the "my grandfather died in Auschwitz" joke last night.
She was not impressed.
It is, nonetheless, a brilliant joke. Subverting expectations and exploding taboos in two perfect lines
When I first saw it on a TV show the crowd was in shocked silence for about 3 seconds, then they roared with intense laughter
Got to be used in the right context tho. After someone has just been off-colour about the Holocaust you put on your appalled face - then go for it
I lived in this country for a year when I was 14/15.
One evening, on late night TV, I discovered Jerry Sadowitz.
Oh my god. I nearly died laughing.
Whatever happened to him?
I once almost sold him a bowler hat, didn't fit unfortunately, would have been a proud moment. I'd even have give him a discount ffs! He's fantastic live.
I completely missed the major revelation in this comment
You used to sell..... hats?!
Bowler hats no less.
Perhaps @Theuniondivvie has a store frequented by Orange men, with a nice range of sashes.
That would be exquisite. A lifetime of underpaid millinery serving horrible Protestant bigots, would indeed create an elderly but articulate Scottish Nationalist
Comments
You're laughing at suicide bombers, who slaughter dozens of people in an insane act of hatred, and self-destructive nihilism. I can't think of many people worthier of mockery.
There are plenty of non-Muslim suicide bombers, btw. The technique was invented by anarchists, the Japanese turned it into a military policy, the Tamil Tigers were keen
I've been told it's pretty bleak, albeit that was just before the Scotland travel restrictions and then subsequent re-opening of shops. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to find.
But...I agree with you on what to do when someone unexpectedly kicks off.
A study looking at seven million UK people finds the impact of a high BMI on the severity of COVID is worse at younger ages.
Philip Whiteside, international news reporter"
https://news.sky.com/story/obesity-a-major-factor-in-risk-of-hospitalisation-and-death-from-covid-study-12290433
Apart from Soho, and a couple of other hot-spots, I understand it is all, still, quite deserted. Which is depressing
Think Dr Rosena is the one to watch.
For me it isn't, for some it is.
52% of the electorate were Brexiteers, by virtually uniting Brexiteers behind him Boris was able to effectively unite almost all of the majority of the nation. That's how he got over 47% of the electorate in England.
The DUP hardcores + TUV do not make up 52% of the country. Or 47%. It isn't the same thing at all, they're far more behind a rock and a hard place.
He was largely stuck with the NI protocol when he took over, and he did far better negotiating over the TCA than I thought he would.
Again, he's made some bad picks (he started off too ideologically Vote Leave, and stuck with Cummings for too long) but I now think he's got a half decent team.
Truss, Dowden and Gove are all first class
"Rayner was born on 28 March 1980 in Stockport, Greater Manchester.[2] She attended Avondale School in Stockport, leaving the school aged 16 after becoming pregnant, and did not obtain any qualifications.[3][4] She later studied part-time at Stockport College, learning British Sign Language, and qualifying as a social care worker.[2]
"After leaving college, Rayner worked for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council as a care worker for a number of years"
Good for her. Apparently her mother could not read or write
If Labour are to return to power, it should be with a provincial white woman like this. I can imagine voting for her, when I am feeling a bit soft-hearted.
However, she also has the tiniest waist in British politics, which is a health concern
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Rayner#/media/File:Angela_Rayner,_2020_Labour_Party_deputy_leadership_election_hustings,_Bristol.jpg
Rachel Burdon told her "we've heard enough you have nothing to say come back when" she had a policy on Social Care after 5 mins of vacuous crap from L4%K
Comparing Dec to Feb is disingenuous because as rcs says there was stockpiling going on in Dec which is now unwinding.
But if you compare exports with most of the pandemic (besides the final couple of months, when there was stockpiling) the exports have gone back up to the same levels they were most of the pandemic.
If you compare imports however they are lower than they were throughout all of the pandemic, besides the initial lockdown.
But again as rcs said, because of the pandemic its going to take a while to see the big picture.
But no reason it wouldn't reverse if people really demanded it - the office space is good for nothing but offices, or residential conversion after a lengthy planning process, so there'll be plenty of spare capacity for any business that wants it.
Been down the pub again tonight. Very inventive what this particular place did with its beer garden. A lovely tent/sail/marquee thing with gas burners plus a futurist bubble pod for posh dinners.
Pretty busy, walked in, scanned the NHS QR voluntarily because nobody asked. Nobody wearing masks other than the waiting staff. A mix of scruffy cyclists like me, a bunch of beer drinking geezers and some dressed-up girls having al fresco birthday drinks. A very pleasant experience.
Barman told me they’ll keep the set up beyond 17 May: have expanded their garden on to the pavements and the council have turned a blind eye. Meanwhile, everyone loves the smart tent.
Could have been a bit warmer, but one can’t control the weather.
8/10.
5'5". Tiny.
I have a photo off ickell SKS with Toby Perkins
Have been invited to a birthday party for 14 people on May 14th.
The better measure I think is whether the % figure is trending down, indicating supply overtaking demand, which I think is happening in the US now.
He's a nutter if it is the case, tho I do have some sympathy for his wife, who gets appalling abuse on social media. It is vile misogynist crap - I see Rayner gets the same. This is not a political point
I sometimes think the world would be 100% better if we could disinvent social media. Brings out the beast in people. I do sincerely believe Governments should tax Facebook and Twitter until they hurt, as they are polluters of our discourse, just as diesel cars or coal-burning power stations pollute our air
Just don't got OTT on the number of pics you embed.
https://twitter.com/Lucy_Aspden/status/1387786513572892673?s=20
Replace the square brackets with triangular brackets.
picturelink is the link to the picture. Keep the quotation marks and everything else.
I live in the Bedfordshire NE constituency, (a Tory fiefdom) but I have met the Labour MP for Bedford (the neighbouring constituency) Mohammad Yasin on a number of occasions. He is bright, articulate, and diligent. He has played a blinder locally persuading the local ethnic minorities to follow the rules on Covid and to get vaccinated. He has an interesting 'backstory' and retained his seat last time against the national swing.
I have tried to get odds on him to place a bet as the next Labour leader, but can't find anyone with his name on the list.
But regardless of party loyalties, watch out for him. Labour, and the country could do far worse.
My company is giving up its offices and will hire space as and when needed - there's plenty of meeting rooms of all shapes and sizes for hire out there.
No one is saying the office in general is dead - simply the antiquated notion of banks of desks and workers treated like battery hens. The future is collaborative space, networking, hybrid meetings and the like. Some will doubtless moan and gripe about the lack of social activity and the like but it's the future and very soon it's going to be the present.
You type
img src="image name"
inside these angled brackets < and >
You find the "image name" by right-clicking your picture on the internet, looking for "copy image location" and paste into PB.
Most people are expected to be in the office a day or two a week. Hot desks, good meeting rooms, great video conferencing equipment.
We'll probably also organise 4-5 get togethers each year in a hotel or equivalent.
10p per copy but not getting any takers even at that price.
I worry about Angela Rayner, on health grounds, as she has the tiniest waist in British politics...
and...
I readily confess, I wept. I was just a lurker, but I sobbed like a babe in arms
Anyway, that day he left, I remember him admitting that his book, that one there, has sold a million copies worldwide, so he probably won't mind a few bargain book bins in the Lakes
I recall him making most of the audience very uncomfortable, but also very amused, with his material, and this was in the free-wheeling 90s, when "cancel culture" and Critical Race Theory were just nightmares from the distant future
When he was first on PB, in the mid 2000s, he was genuinely witty and ascerbic with more than a touch of dry humour and it was a pleasure to get a verbal mauling from him but over time he became just another anti-Left bore, more a provocateur ever more desperate to get a response from the gullible than an interesting observer of the political and cultural warp and weft.
I don't know why he changed = perhaps the fame and the fortune, perhaps the zeitgeist, who can say? I can only hope he's enjoying life now though I will admit he seemed to have had plenty of life in his time.
This is quite a serious point. People become self employed precisely so they can work from home, they forsake all these benefits for the freedoms. If EVERYONE can work from home, why be self employed, and lose out on all the perks of a proper job? It will be much less tempting
We are making hasty decisions which will transform the economy, in huge ways. Maybe it is unstoppable. It is certainly unnerving
Probably best that I don't provide details.
We shall not see the like again, not in our evemore thrifty years on earth
Not exactly al fresco weather today.
You used to sell..... hats?!
Perhaps @Theuniondivvie has a store frequented by Orange men, with a nice range of sashes.
The grandfather-Auschwitz joke is ultimately attributed to.... Bernard Manning
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3634157/Say-no-to-gallows-humour.html
That sounds about right, it has exactly his spartan, two line delivery, punch punch. Manning was Russian-Jewish, of course
The article also has this excellent off-colour joke from Jimmy Carr
'Carr has a much better joke about gypsies, or rather about prejudice against Romany culture. "When people say: 'These travelling people, we've got to move them on,' I say: 'Isn't that playing into their hands?' '
"In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work...
BBC News - Bafta suspends Noel Clarke over harassment claims
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56937479