@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
The way the Conservatives have hung leaseholders out to dry over the cladding scandal is a national disgrace.
There are people who bought 25% of a flat under a shared ownership scheme with deposits as little as 35k who are now expected to pony up twice that to fix defects they weren't responsible for while the developers who caused them get off scot free. For a flat they "own" quarter of yet are responsible for 100% of the bills.
1.3 million flats in the UK are currently unmortgageable, people's lives are on hold, and MPs have voted five times now not to protect leaseholders from costs that will likely bankrupt them.
While I'm not directly affected by any of this I know people who are and I was close to buying a property that is affected by all of this - so it's a bit of a "there but for the grace of god go I" thing for me.
In the shared ownership case you quote, who owns the other 75% and why do they not share the liability if the owner is to be liable?
Is it a matter of a questionable categorisation as "maintenance" and the person who lives there signed up to pay maintenance?
Thanks
When you sign up to a leasehold you sign up to 100% of the costs of maintaining that building, even if you only own a percentage of the building.
But the truth is you never actually own _any_ of the building. You merely lease it from the freeholder for a set amount of time - effectively you are a long term tenant with the ability to sell your lease on to someone else.
The freeholder owns the building. This is where it gets complicated. The original developer of the building often sells off the freehold to an investor, who may not be based in the Uk and ownership can be obscured through a series of shell companies. Making it difficult if not outright impossible to force the freeholder to pay the costs of rectifying the defects. Hence the reason why the government is so keen to pass costs on to leaseholders.
Remember, leaseholders own nothing other than a scrap of paper that entitles them to rent a property for a set number of years.
Even without the cladding scandal, you are beholden to the freeholder for how much repairs, service charges etc cost - mismanagement and corruption are rife and leaseholders have little option but to accept all costs the freeholder chooses to pass on to them.
The advice is obviously to never buy leasehold, however for people who can only own a flat (or who live in London, where freeholds are rare and prohibitively expensive), there isn't much choice if you wan to "own" property rather than rent on an assured shorthold tenancy.
We've discussed the cladding scandal at length in this thread, but it's worth pointing out that leasehold as a system exists in England only and the rest of the world thinks it's bonkers.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
You’d be surprised. There are some nice parts in the seat.
Is there anywhere with literally no nice parts? A relative of mine lives in one of the grimmest villages I've ever seen, but theres still some nice bits a mile up the road.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
You’d be surprised. There are some nice parts in the seat.
Is there anywhere with literally no nice parts? A relative of mine lives in one of the grimmest villages I've ever seen, but theres still some nice bits a mile up the road.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
You’d be surprised. There are some nice parts in the seat.
Is there anywhere with literally no nice parts? A relative of mine lives in one of the grimmest villages I've ever seen, but theres still some nice bits a mile up the road.
I had intended to not vote Tory today. Thought I'd give the Lib Dems a look, given their opposition to abandoning parliamentary scrutiny over lockdown. But Jeez, they make it difficult. Layla Moran now appears to be siding with he French over Jersey. Is there any chance of these people taking a pro-British stance on something?
Don't be silly. Only in this country is there a significant part of the political and media establishment who thoroughly despise their own country and anything it does or says, irrespective of merit. It's almost unique.
I despise my country. However, I despise the French even more.
I'm fond of my country, and various others where I've lived. But I think apparent hostility is mostly reaction against the more excessive forms of nationalism. If someone tells me that British is always best, I'll make a derisive noise. But doesn't mean we're not sometimes best, or usually good.
That's very good to hear and a sensible approach. Labour's problem is that many of their followers and members fail to even consider Britain is good at anything, and that we are the cause, either now or historically, of all the worlds problems - and only by continual self-flagellation and abject remorse with the destruction of everything that we are and were can we go forward. Which is crap. We are good at things, and in some things we are certainly the best. We aren't good or the best at everything - but then again nor is any other country or organisation.
And yet - a large proportion of the left especially take the default position that we're just shit at everything and there is nothing at all good about our country. Which is why, well, red wall.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
You’d be surprised. There are some nice parts in the seat.
Is there anywhere with literally no nice parts? A relative of mine lives in one of the grimmest villages I've ever seen, but theres still some nice bits a mile up the road.
Middlesbrough, large tracts of the West Midlands.
The relative in question is not far from Middlesbrough in fairness
Back from voting. Two of my votes were for Conservative candidates. I did so quite explicitly as a one-off 'thank you' to Boris for his Government's vaccine rollout. They are saving lives, it's brilliant and I wanted to express my gratitude.
They have no guarantee that I would vote for them again.
I split my votes -supported the local hard working councillor - someone who works that hard needs to be supported
Back from voting. Two of my votes were for Conservative candidates. I did so quite explicitly as a one-off 'thank you' to Boris for his Government's vaccine rollout. They are saving lives, it's brilliant and I wanted to express my gratitude.
They have no guarantee that I would vote for them again.
Do you think that Johnson needs any encouragement to take unto himself ever-greater dictatorial powers?
Every vote for the Conservatives takes us closer to the moment when people revolt - and I am not in favour of revolutions.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
You’d be surprised. There are some nice parts in the seat.
Is there anywhere with literally no nice parts? A relative of mine lives in one of the grimmest villages I've ever seen, but theres still some nice bits a mile up the road.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
You’d be surprised. There are some nice parts in the seat.
Is there anywhere with literally no nice parts? A relative of mine lives in one of the grimmest villages I've ever seen, but theres still some nice bits a mile up the road.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
You’d be surprised. There are some nice parts in the seat.
Is there anywhere with literally no nice parts? A relative of mine lives in one of the grimmest villages I've ever seen, but theres still some nice bits a mile up the road.
Middlesbrough, large tracts of the West Midlands.
The relative in question is not far from Middlesbrough in fairness
There are some parts of Middlesbrough which are moderately affluent - Nunthorpe, for example - and many really very nice areas immediately outside of its borders.
Not sure we can, any more, assume that turnouts from the affluent bits = good news for the Tories though. Maybe.
If I had to live in any seat, which seat would I least want it to be? Possibly West Bromwich East. Even here though, I think you could find some nice bits.
On topic, becoming homeowners is what begets Tory voters, it is roughly the moment the majority of younger voters stop being lefties and become (fiscal) Conservatives.
Even house prices ooop North are becoming disconnected from salaries.
Citation needed. There's plenty of evidence that voting Conservative correlates with age, and buying houses correlates with age, but is the latter the reason for the former? I don't think we know. Are elderly tenants or young owners very different from their peers?
I suspect something related but more subtle is at work. As people get older they become more resistant to change that might affect any aspects of the lives that they've built up - they are very unlikely to say "Oh, let's try a mad gamble", as people with little to lose might do. That's why it works with older people when the media scare them enough, and why Biden with a leftish programme could beat Trump, as Trump was definitely scarier even if you quite liked him and thought Biden was a bit doddery.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
I'm not so sure that the government will be caught out. There was a decline in home ownership levels after 2007, but it seems to have bottomed out in 2015. Construction output has risen by 30% since 2013, and quite a lot of new builds have come through.
The premise, however, that high levels of home ownership correlate with high levels of Conservative support is entirely correct.
Some concrete numbers from Waverley (Surrey, mixed Con/LD/Residents councillors, Lab making a more serious effort than before but not expecting a gain). 26.6% of the electorate have ordered PVs, and 59.7% of those have actually voted (more will arrive today, but should be close to the final figure), so 16% of all voters have voted before today. Voting today is described as "steady with occasional queues". Guess at final figure: 35-40%? No party is making a serious telling effort, though a few candidates are hanging around smiling hopefully at voters.
Some concrete numbers from Waverley (Surrey, mixed Con/LD/Residents councillors, Lab making a more serious effort than before but not expecting a gain). 26.6% of the electorate have ordered PVs, and 59.7% of those have actually voted (more will arrive today, but should be close to the final figure), so 16% of all voters have voted before today. Voting today is described as "steady with occasional queues". Guess at final figure: 35-40%? No party is making a serious telling effort, though a few candidates are hanging around smiling hopefully at voters.
I think you underestimate the number that will come in on the day, given that any polling station can now take them in. The key takeaway from your data is that possibly around half of all the votes will have been cast by post, which is likely to be a record.
Had a lunchtime report from two polling stations on just this point - the number of PVs handed in was 0 and 1 respectively.
But I'm sure you're right that the proportion of votes cast by post will be a record. Perhaps eventually it will be like Switzerland, where 90% vote by post and campaigning accordingly stops a couple of days before the election. They see voting by hand as antiquated as writing a handwritten business letter - sure, you can do it, by why take the trouble?
I’m against postal voting generally.
Going out to vote is a collective act of civic responsibility; one of the few opportunities we have to exercise public citizenship.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
Good on France and the UK for providing something newsworthy but petty to displace the brisk voting and dogs outside polling stations.
When I just voted it was actually busier than I expected and there was a dog outside!
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I didn't bring a pencil. I just used the one provided as normal.
There aren't any in the booths - and they are asking for people to take their own
Odd. My polling station had pencils on string in the booths as normal.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
Mine had loads of seperate one, After I used it it went into a seperate box. I can't remember if the polling staff were masked or not (Think they were)
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
Speaking during a tour of northern France in Charleville-Mezieres, the president said: "It's right that we honour the marshals who led France to victory (in WW1)."
And referring to Pétain, Mr Macron said: "He was a great soldier", although he had made "disastrous choices" during the Nazi occupation of France.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
Can someone other than Leon summarise the UK/France fish war of 2021? I haven't really paid any attention to it.
The previous treaty (which took 11 years to negotiate between Jersey & France) had a requirement that annually French authorities would submit to Jersey details of their catch. In 20 years they never did.
The current treaty - negotiated between the UK & EU (neither France nor Jersey directly involved) requires that French fishermen can go on catching the same amount of fish as they have historically. Because the treaty was agreed so late there has been a 4 month grace period free for all where the French have caught as much as they like - two years worth of scollops in 4 months for example. They also stopped Jersey fishermen landing their catches in France. To get a licence to carry on fishing, French fishermen have to submit details of their historical catches - which many of them have not, either because they didn't understand the requirement, or because they simply never kept the record, or deliberately low-balled their claimed catch. So when the licences were issued on Friday - reflecting their reported historical catches - many of them were completely snookered.
In the French Parliament a minister observed that as France supplies power to Jersey they have some leverage, to which one Whitehall source remarked "at least the Nazi's kept the lights on". Jersey can keep its own lights on in any case. Macron professed "surprise" which suggests either he or his officials didn't understand what the EU had signed on their behalf.
French fishermen announced a blockade of St Helier - so Boris offered to send two boats to keep an eye on things, which Jersey gratefully accepted.
About 80 boats arrived off St Helier this morning - some sailed in, then sailed out again, delaying a departure, but not stopping it. The RN hung back by about a mile. Two French Navy boats stayed just outside territorial waters. The French fishermen are returning to port, having had their demo.
Looking ahead - if they haven't kept records of what they've caught - or have lied about how much they did catch they are still in trouble.
This is classic "Brexit Red Tape" - just the boot is on the other foot and they don't like it.
Back from voting. Two of my votes were for Conservative candidates. I did so quite explicitly as a one-off 'thank you' to Boris for his Government's vaccine rollout. They are saving lives, it's brilliant and I wanted to express my gratitude.
They have no guarantee that I would vote for them again.
People are so fickle. Boris saved your life, so you are going to vote for him just once?
And then you are going to vote for someone else, and in the next pandemic the government will leave people to die in the gutter. And serve them right too, if they didn't vote Tory.
Voting was dead. I was the sole voter in my corner of Hackney.
There were pencils.
I staged my own “mini act of defiance” by voting maskless.
The actual story is that I scooped up what I thought was a face mask as I left the house. But as I approached the polling station, I pulled out what was - on close inspection - one of my wife’s socks...
Good on France and the UK for providing something newsworthy but petty to displace the brisk voting and dogs outside polling stations.
When I just voted it was actually busier than I expected and there was a dog outside!
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I didn't bring a pencil. I just used the one provided as normal.
There aren't any in the booths - and they are asking for people to take their own
Odd. My polling station had pencils on string in the booths as normal.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
There is some risk, from recent review papers - and not much time between users. So ...
Mine was giving out pencils on request, but then not re-using them. No idea what they're planning to do with a massive box of pencils that have only been used to make four small crosses.
Can someone other than Leon summarise the UK/France fish war of 2021? I haven't really paid any attention to it.
The previous treaty (which took 11 years to negotiate between Jersey & France) had a requirement that annually French authorities would submit to Jersey details of their catch. In 20 years they never did.
The current treaty - negotiated between the UK & EU (neither France nor Jersey directly involved) requires that French fishermen can go on catching the same amount of fish as they have historically. Because the treaty was agreed so late there has been a 4 month grace period free for all where the French have caught as much as they like - two years worth of scollops in 4 months for example. They also stopped Jersey fishermen landing their catches in France. To get a licence to carry on fishing, French fishermen have to submit details of their historical catches - which many of them have not, either because they didn't understand the requirement, or because they simply never kept the record, or deliberately low-balled their claimed catch. So when the licences were issued on Friday - reflecting their reported historical catches - many of them were completely snookered.
In the French Parliament a minister observed that as France supplies power to Jersey they have some leverage, to which one Whitehall source remarked "at least the Nazi's kept the lights on". Jersey can keep its own lights on in any case. Macron professed "surprise" which suggests either he or his officials didn't understand what the EU had signed on their behalf.
French fishermen announced a blockade of St Helier - so Boris offered to send two boats to keep an eye on things, which Jersey gratefully accepted.
About 80 boats arrived off St Helier this morning - some sailed in, then sailed out again, delaying a departure, but not stopping it. The RN hung back by about a mile. Two French Navy boats stayed just outside territorial waters. The French fishermen are returning to port, having had their demo.
Looking ahead - if they haven't kept records of what they've caught - or have lied about how much they did catch they are still in trouble.
This is classic "Brexit Red Tape" - just the boot is on the other foot and they don't like it.
Good on France and the UK for providing something newsworthy but petty to displace the brisk voting and dogs outside polling stations.
When I just voted it was actually busier than I expected and there was a dog outside!
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I didn't bring a pencil. I just used the one provided as normal.
There aren't any in the booths - and they are asking for people to take their own
Odd. My polling station had pencils on string in the booths as normal.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
There is some risk, from recent review papers - and not much time between users. So ...
Mine was giving out pencils on request, but then not re-using them. No idea what they're planning to do with a massive box of pencils that have only been used to make four small crosses.
Good on France and the UK for providing something newsworthy but petty to displace the brisk voting and dogs outside polling stations.
When I just voted it was actually busier than I expected and there was a dog outside!
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I didn't bring a pencil. I just used the one provided as normal.
There aren't any in the booths - and they are asking for people to take their own
Odd. My polling station had pencils on string in the booths as normal.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
There is some risk, from recent review papers - and not much time between users. So ...
Mine was giving out pencils on request, but then not re-using them. No idea what they're planning to do with a massive box of pencils that have only been used to make four small crosses.
I thought fomite transmission is now thought to be minimal.
For all those on tenterhooks to see who will be the glorious victor in the race to become the inaugural West Yorkshire Mayor, please note that the count won't take place until Sunday. My mate's doing the count for Leeds' locals tomorrow and Saturday then the mayoral one on Sunday, all in Leeds' lovely first direct arena.
I'm sure that for many of you, it's going to be a long, frustrating wait.
Good on France and the UK for providing something newsworthy but petty to displace the brisk voting and dogs outside polling stations.
When I just voted it was actually busier than I expected and there was a dog outside!
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I didn't bring a pencil. I just used the one provided as normal.
There aren't any in the booths - and they are asking for people to take their own
Odd. My polling station had pencils on string in the booths as normal.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
There is some risk, from recent review papers - and not much time between users. So ...
Mine was giving out pencils on request, but then not re-using them. No idea what they're planning to do with a massive box of pencils that have only been used to make four small crosses.
Just voted. Voting was "steady", not sure how that differs from "brisk".
Mine had boxes of pencils that you could take, followed by a box to put used pencils into. Not many in the used pencil box, so I'm guessing they're taking them back, sanitising them and then re-using them? Or something like that?
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
They need to be told, in no uncertain terms, by young London based labour activists that they are flag shaggers. Perhaps give them a copy of Steve Bells amusing cartoon. That will show them the error of their ways.
As someone fairly close to the coal face on this thread, there's a LOT going on to get first time buyers in to new homes. First of all wherever I drive around our local towns and villages, there are housing estates galore going up, Tring, Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard and thousands on the new M1 junction behind Houghton Regis for example.
Then there's the LISA and HTB ISA, the rebirth of 95% LTV mortgages (and lots of 90%) plus new initiatives like Nationwide's Helping Hand criteria just launched where income multiples of circa 5.5x are now possible for long term fixes for FTBs. I've client's children who've not been able to get on the ladder due to affordability constraints but having mustered a bit of a deposit but who now can with these things happening. It's very exciting for them (and for me!) to have good news now.
Only a small snippet but that's my perspective.
So much life wished away to buy a new build clone. This obsession with getting on the market no matter the cost will stagnate the young. You can't have a dynamic economy if your peoples lives are dedicated to propping up Taylor Wimpey's balance sheet. 5.5x multiples, fucking madness. What next signing up your unborn for another 25 years of servitude to Barratt. The fuckers in government have already been floating the use of what limited DC pensions we have to prop up the sick economy we will inherit.
If Barratt and Taylor Wimpey didn't exist we'd be looking at 10x multiples not 5.5x ones.
Really good trolling. The house builders have helped keep prices down, fucking brilliant. Coming up next Persimmon have a vested interest in building affordable housing.
let 10x multiples happen, make housing truly unaffordable to the majority. We'll just be skipping another 15 years of conservative policy to end up with it anyway. And maybe a few suckers will have avoided the ponzi scheme.
Its time investing in productive assets was made government policy. We could all fund a chip industry at least it will fucking make something and we will be less beholden to the house builders.
What the hell are you on about? Increasing income multiples on offer by mortgage providers makes housing more affordable, not less.
Affordable for a moment though? The longer the loan the more the interest compounds and the greater the effect on the buyer.
At what point does ratcheting up multiples become unsustainable? What percentage of young peoples lives does it become politically unacceptable to ask them to borrow beyond. Will we be borrowing till we take what limited pension we have and are then reliant on our children to pay of the damn thing?
Every time a 'help to buy scheme' drops the prices go up. Each scheme IMO helps the few able to buy at the time and distorts the market for anyone coming after.
Spot on.
"Help to buy" is actually "free money for people selling their homes".
Can someone other than Leon summarise the UK/France fish war of 2021? I haven't really paid any attention to it.
The previous treaty (which took 11 years to negotiate between Jersey & France) had a requirement that annually French authorities would submit to Jersey details of their catch. In 20 years they never did.
The current treaty - negotiated between the UK & EU (neither France nor Jersey directly involved) requires that French fishermen can go on catching the same amount of fish as they have historically. Because the treaty was agreed so late there has been a 4 month grace period free for all where the French have caught as much as they like - two years worth of scollops in 4 months for example. They also stopped Jersey fishermen landing their catches in France. To get a licence to carry on fishing, French fishermen have to submit details of their historical catches - which many of them have not, either because they didn't understand the requirement, or because they simply never kept the record, or deliberately low-balled their claimed catch. So when the licences were issued on Friday - reflecting their reported historical catches - many of them were completely snookered.
In the French Parliament a minister observed that as France supplies power to Jersey they have some leverage, to which one Whitehall source remarked "at least the Nazi's kept the lights on". Jersey can keep its own lights on in any case. Macron professed "surprise" which suggests either he or his officials didn't understand what the EU had signed on their behalf.
French fishermen announced a blockade of St Helier - so Boris offered to send two boats to keep an eye on things, which Jersey gratefully accepted.
About 80 boats arrived off St Helier this morning - some sailed in, then sailed out again, delaying a departure, but not stopping it. The RN hung back by about a mile. Two French Navy boats stayed just outside territorial waters. The French fishermen are returning to port, having had their demo.
Looking ahead - if they haven't kept records of what they've caught - or have lied about how much they did catch they are still in trouble.
This is classic "Brexit Red Tape" - just the boot is on the other foot and they don't like it.
OMG! Foreigners are such bastards, aren't they?
What in that detailed, well-informed and balanced account of the issues invites that response?
Can someone other than Leon summarise the UK/France fish war of 2021? I haven't really paid any attention to it.
The previous treaty (which took 11 years to negotiate between Jersey & France) had a requirement that annually French authorities would submit to Jersey details of their catch. In 20 years they never did.
The current treaty - negotiated between the UK & EU (neither France nor Jersey directly involved) requires that French fishermen can go on catching the same amount of fish as they have historically. Because the treaty was agreed so late there has been a 4 month grace period free for all where the French have caught as much as they like - two years worth of scollops in 4 months for example. They also stopped Jersey fishermen landing their catches in France. To get a licence to carry on fishing, French fishermen have to submit details of their historical catches - which many of them have not, either because they didn't understand the requirement, or because they simply never kept the record, or deliberately low-balled their claimed catch. So when the licences were issued on Friday - reflecting their reported historical catches - many of them were completely snookered.
In the French Parliament a minister observed that as France supplies power to Jersey they have some leverage, to which one Whitehall source remarked "at least the Nazi's kept the lights on". Jersey can keep its own lights on in any case. Macron professed "surprise" which suggests either he or his officials didn't understand what the EU had signed on their behalf.
French fishermen announced a blockade of St Helier - so Boris offered to send two boats to keep an eye on things, which Jersey gratefully accepted.
About 80 boats arrived off St Helier this morning - some sailed in, then sailed out again, delaying a departure, but not stopping it. The RN hung back by about a mile. Two French Navy boats stayed just outside territorial waters. The French fishermen are returning to port, having had their demo.
Looking ahead - if they haven't kept records of what they've caught - or have lied about how much they did catch they are still in trouble.
This is classic "Brexit Red Tape" - just the boot is on the other foot and they don't like it.
OMG! Foreigners are such bastards, aren't they?
What in that detailed, well-informed and balanced account of the issues invites that response?
Can someone other than Leon summarise the UK/France fish war of 2021? I haven't really paid any attention to it.
The previous treaty (which took 11 years to negotiate between Jersey & France) had a requirement that annually French authorities would submit to Jersey details of their catch. In 20 years they never did.
The current treaty - negotiated between the UK & EU (neither France nor Jersey directly involved) requires that French fishermen can go on catching the same amount of fish as they have historically. Because the treaty was agreed so late there has been a 4 month grace period free for all where the French have caught as much as they like - two years worth of scollops in 4 months for example. They also stopped Jersey fishermen landing their catches in France. To get a licence to carry on fishing, French fishermen have to submit details of their historical catches - which many of them have not, either because they didn't understand the requirement, or because they simply never kept the record, or deliberately low-balled their claimed catch. So when the licences were issued on Friday - reflecting their reported historical catches - many of them were completely snookered.
In the French Parliament a minister observed that as France supplies power to Jersey they have some leverage, to which one Whitehall source remarked "at least the Nazi's kept the lights on". Jersey can keep its own lights on in any case. Macron professed "surprise" which suggests either he or his officials didn't understand what the EU had signed on their behalf.
French fishermen announced a blockade of St Helier - so Boris offered to send two boats to keep an eye on things, which Jersey gratefully accepted.
About 80 boats arrived off St Helier this morning - some sailed in, then sailed out again, delaying a departure, but not stopping it. The RN hung back by about a mile. Two French Navy boats stayed just outside territorial waters. The French fishermen are returning to port, having had their demo.
Looking ahead - if they haven't kept records of what they've caught - or have lied about how much they did catch they are still in trouble.
This is classic "Brexit Red Tape" - just the boot is on the other foot and they don't like it.
On topic, becoming homeowners is what begets Tory voters, it is roughly the moment the majority of younger voters stop being lefties and become (fiscal) Conservatives.
Even house prices ooop North are becoming disconnected from salaries.
Citation needed. There's plenty of evidence that voting Conservative correlates with age, and buying houses correlates with age, but is the latter the reason for the former? I don't think we know. Are elderly tenants or young owners very different from their peers?
I suspect something related but more subtle is at work. As people get older they become more resistant to change that might affect any aspects of the lives that they've built up - they are very unlikely to say "Oh, let's try a mad gamble", as people with little to lose might do. That's why it works with older people when the media scare them enough, and why Biden with a leftish programme could beat Trump, as Trump was definitely scarier even if you quite liked him and thought Biden was a bit doddery.
Nick, sorry it is a theory that has been privately and publicly espoused by Tories like George Osborne and others.
It isn't just the definitive pivot point but a major pivot point.
It means you're earning enough to worry about just how much of your salary gets taxed at 40% and also it also coincides for many with becoming parents, so things like education and health become issues for the younger voter to consider in a way they haven't done so before.
You also start paying attention to things like interest rates as well.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
They need to have the puss taken out of them unrelentingly by blue ticks and left wing activists on social media. That will show them the error of their ways.
Voting was dead. I was the sole voter in my corner of Hackney.
There were pencils.
I staged my own “mini act of defiance” by voting maskless.
The actual story is that I scooped up what I thought was a face mask as I left the house. But as I approached the polling station, I pulled out what was - on close inspection - one of my wife’s socks...
I was once very embarrassed at the start of a lake district walk when my walking socks turned out to be a pair of gloves... Luckily a colleague had a spare pair...
Really disappointed in Boris Johnson that he didn't name the naval task force 'Operation Mers-el-Kébir.'
Should have called it "Operation Gain Hartlepool".
'Operation hang the monkey'
Spank the monkey more like..
So, big night and (I'm guessing) a nervous one. Per the betting it's on a knife edge whether the SNP can get an overall majority on their own.
Aye, pretty much 50-50 on a maj I think. General reports from all sides of comparatively busy turnout which is 'supposed' to suit indy side, but who knows.. Applied for a postal vote this time since things were so uncertain 4 months ago, but delivered it to the polling station by hand. Again, reasonably busy for a rainy afternoon.
Good on France and the UK for providing something newsworthy but petty to displace the brisk voting and dogs outside polling stations.
When I just voted it was actually busier than I expected and there was a dog outside!
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I didn't bring a pencil. I just used the one provided as normal.
There aren't any in the booths - and they are asking for people to take their own
Odd. My polling station had pencils on string in the booths as normal.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
There is some risk, from recent review papers - and not much time between users. So ...
Mine was giving out pencils on request, but then not re-using them. No idea what they're planning to do with a massive box of pencils that have only been used to make four small crosses.
I thought fomite transmission is now thought to be minimal.
It is but advice has not really been updated to match the science. I suspect (a) its not doing harm (like all the hand washing and sanitizing) (b) helps convey the 'still a pandemic' message and (c) plans were made many months ago and not changed.
@kateferguson4: Hearing that voter turnout is high in some parts of Hartlepool - particularly the more affluent parts of the town. Which would be good news for the Tories
Probably not true in the Red Wall. Probably true in Woking.
It is the LDs the rich vote for in the South, not Labour, certainly at local level where the LDs are Nimbys and appeal to the upper middle class who like their views of and walks in open fields and are already home owners.
In the North and Midlands home owners on above average incomes vote Tory.
Only really in a few wealthy parts of Woke London like Hampstead and Islington and a few university cities like Bristol and Cambridge and Brighton and Cardiff do the rich vote Labour
Given Boris has just won a thumping victory over the French by lunchtime, do I now have to go out and vote Tory?
No, our naval forces haven't forced France to honour the Treaty of Troyes.
Why does you have Petain as your avatar?
A reminder that you can go from hero to zero very easily and the fact that you're often remembered for your failures not the successes.
You could have had Dave (pbuh).
A picture of Dave (pbuh) would trigger PB's snowflakes.
I cycled past Dave (pbuh)'s polling station this morning. Voting was not brisk... it was dead as the proverbial. The homemade jam stand alongside had a nice big LibDem diamond on show, though.
Just been invited for my first jab (I'm 39). Text invitation, I hadn't been trying my luck on the booking site, mainly due to not getting around to it. Local vaccination centre about a mile away.
Sister in law (37) been invited for hers too. Both North Yorks
Edit: Does this mean I now have to dash out and vote Conservative?
Just been invited for my first jab (I'm 39). Text invitation, I hadn't been trying my luck on the booking site, mainly due to not getting around to it. Local vaccination centre about a mile away.
Sister in law (37) been invited for hers too. Both North Yorks
Edit: Does this mean I now have to dash out and vote Conservative?
There's Hartlepool, but that's about 4am I think which if that's the only thing doesn't seem worth staying up for.
Harlow, Chelmsford, Uttlesford, Derby, Dudley, Rochdale, Oldham, Wolverhampton, Northumberland, Nuneaton, Southend, Thurrock and Wolverhampton and a handful of other councils are counting tonight, the vast majority though are only verifying tonight and counting tomorrow.
Good on France and the UK for providing something newsworthy but petty to displace the brisk voting and dogs outside polling stations.
When I just voted it was actually busier than I expected and there was a dog outside!
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I didn't bring a pencil. I just used the one provided as normal.
There aren't any in the booths - and they are asking for people to take their own
Odd. My polling station had pencils on string in the booths as normal.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
There is some risk, from recent review papers - and not much time between users. So ...
Mine was giving out pencils on request, but then not re-using them. No idea what they're planning to do with a massive box of pencils that have only been used to make four small crosses.
Just voted. Voting was "steady", not sure how that differs from "brisk".
Mine had boxes of pencils that you could take, followed by a box to put used pencils into. Not many in the used pencil box, so I'm guessing they're taking them back, sanitising them and then re-using them? Or something like that?
Gave 2nd preference for PCC to the Lib Dems.
Yep, same pencil arrangement here. Take one, use it to mark your ballot, then place it in the box set aside for this purpose. Absolutely no reason to try and stand out by doing anything different to that.
Comments
However, if the leaseholder only bought 25% then somebody owns the other 75% of the lease.
Why are they not responsible for 75%?
And yet - a large proportion of the left especially take the default position that we're just shit at everything and there is nothing at all good about our country. Which is why, well, red wall.
Every vote for the Conservatives takes us closer to the moment when people revolt - and I am not in favour of revolutions.
https://bit.ly/33ikWJN
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.5648206,-1.2409606,3a,75y,129.75h,78.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scZJVeayqj3IFoAyte7GRZg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Not sure we can, any more, assume that turnouts from the affluent bits = good news for the Tories though. Maybe.
If I had to live in any seat, which seat would I least want it to be? Possibly West Bromwich East. Even here though, I think you could find some nice bits.
This was just episode one.
It is not yet as piratical as the last one - scallops in 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8lC2vnXJtY
PS - people - don't forget a pen / pencil in addition to your mask when you go
I suspect something related but more subtle is at work. As people get older they become more resistant to change that might affect any aspects of the lives that they've built up - they are very unlikely to say "Oh, let's try a mad gamble", as people with little to lose might do. That's why it works with older people when the media scare them enough, and why Biden with a leftish programme could beat Trump, as Trump was definitely scarier even if you quite liked him and thought Biden was a bit doddery.
Why are people obsessing over this anyway? We know that COVID isn't really transmitted by touch.
Going out to vote is a collective act of civic responsibility; one of the few opportunities we have to exercise public citizenship.
I appreciate this ship has sailed; it’s a shame.
https://order-order.com/2021/05/06/exclusive-scott-trust-commissioned-report-into-slavery-links-covered-up-by-guardian/
(And the boats aren't decrepit, just feeble popgun barges.)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46129990
Speaking during a tour of northern France in Charleville-Mezieres, the president said: "It's right that we honour the marshals who led France to victory (in WW1)."
And referring to Pétain, Mr Macron said: "He was a great soldier", although he had made "disastrous choices" during the Nazi occupation of France.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/britain-accuses-france-of-showing-small-dick-energy-in-petty-navy-standoff-over-fish
I have a sense Macron will LOATHE this
Any predictions from the Scots and Scots-watchers?
@Alistair ?
The current treaty - negotiated between the UK & EU (neither France nor Jersey directly involved) requires that French fishermen can go on catching the same amount of fish as they have historically. Because the treaty was agreed so late there has been a 4 month grace period free for all where the French have caught as much as they like - two years worth of scollops in 4 months for example. They also stopped Jersey fishermen landing their catches in France. To get a licence to carry on fishing, French fishermen have to submit details of their historical catches - which many of them have not, either because they didn't understand the requirement, or because they simply never kept the record, or deliberately low-balled their claimed catch. So when the licences were issued on Friday - reflecting their reported historical catches - many of them were completely snookered.
In the French Parliament a minister observed that as France supplies power to Jersey they have some leverage, to which one Whitehall source remarked "at least the Nazi's kept the lights on". Jersey can keep its own lights on in any case.
Macron professed "surprise" which suggests either he or his officials didn't understand what the EU had signed on their behalf.
French fishermen announced a blockade of St Helier - so Boris offered to send two boats to keep an eye on things, which Jersey gratefully accepted.
About 80 boats arrived off St Helier this morning - some sailed in, then sailed out again, delaying a departure, but not stopping it. The RN hung back by about a mile. Two French Navy boats stayed just outside territorial waters. The French fishermen are returning to port, having had their demo.
Looking ahead - if they haven't kept records of what they've caught - or have lied about how much they did catch they are still in trouble.
This is classic "Brexit Red Tape" - just the boot is on the other foot and they don't like it.
And then you are going to vote for someone else, and in the next pandemic the government will leave people to die in the gutter. And serve them right too, if they didn't vote Tory.
Voting was dead. I was the sole voter in my corner of Hackney.
There were pencils.
I staged my own “mini act of defiance” by voting maskless.
The actual story is that I scooped up what I thought was a face mask as I left the house.
But as I approached the polling station, I pulled out what was - on close inspection - one of my wife’s socks...
I'm sure that for many of you, it's going to be a long, frustrating wait.
Mine had boxes of pencils that you could take, followed by a box to put used pencils into. Not many in the used pencil box, so I'm guessing they're taking them back, sanitising them and then re-using them? Or something like that?
Gave 2nd preference for PCC to the Lib Dems.
"Help to buy" is actually "free money for people selling their homes".
BBC News - IBM 2nm chip breakthrough claims more power with less energy
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-57009930
What an embarrassing episode for all concerned.
It isn't just the definitive pivot point but a major pivot point.
It means you're earning enough to worry about just how much of your salary gets taxed at 40% and also it also coincides for many with becoming parents, so things like education and health become issues for the younger voter to consider in a way they haven't done so before.
You also start paying attention to things like interest rates as well.
Vidkun Quisling wasn't a hero to the Norwegian people for the decades in the way Maréchal Pétain was.
Applied for a postal vote this time since things were so uncertain 4 months ago, but delivered it to the polling station by hand. Again, reasonably busy for a rainy afternoon.
In the North and Midlands home owners on above average incomes vote Tory.
Only really in a few wealthy parts of Woke London like Hampstead and Islington and a few university cities like Bristol and Cambridge and Brighton and Cardiff do the rich vote Labour
Nominating myself as official adjudicator of the Battle of Jersey:
United Kingdom 1 - 0 France
Poor first half by France, followed by a poor second half. Really channelling that Macron “small dick energy”.
https://twitter.com/EuRollout/status/1390296746463428614?s=20
There's Hartlepool, but that's about 4am I think which if that's the only thing doesn't seem worth staying up for.
Sister in law (37) been invited for hers too. Both North Yorks
Edit: Does this mean I now have to dash out and vote Conservative?
The Mayor of Doncaster result will be tonight too