I stopped smoking on my 60th. Apart from marrying both my current and late wives, it is the best thing I have ever done. It would have been better not to have started...but there we are. The odd person gets away with smoking ,but for the vast majority it causes untold medical problems and in the end kills them long before their time.
EVER so many years ago it was suggested to me that not smoking before 11 am would make it easier to give up if I ever wanted to. There were, at the time, just beginning to be suggestions that it was very bad for one. I took the advice, and, a few years later first of all reduced, then stopped happily. That advice was 63 years ago, when I was a student.
I went through phases of smoking. I got sore throats and shortness of breath. Giving up completely was an enormous health improvement.
I play football and some of the guys smoke before and after the match, I just cannot understand that: it must be that it affects people in different ways.
In the end it is just a habit and it is hard to see any positives to it, but if people want to do it then they should be able to. There are lots of things that we are all doing that aren't particularly healthy.
The English translation painted on the blue bridge parapet at the M32 exit of the M4 (westbound) cheered me for months until the council cleaned it up. No t that I am condoning wilful bad behaviour.
‘Ollie’s learned a hard lesson,’ said the England captain. It’s unacceptable what he’s done. He’s fronted up to the dressing-room and the world, and shown remorse,
No wonder some people now have an approach of never apologising for anything. 10 years ago, you lose your job, you rebuild your career, you play for England, it comes back up again, you say sorry, and they throw you under the bus.
I dug around to find Ollie’s “offensive” tweets. They’re nothing more than scatological juvenilia.
If Ollie can be cancelled, anyone can.
Quite. The ECB are being spiteful and craven in equal measure.
I would quibble with that. It is far more craven than spiteful. The need to be seen to be doing something is one of the worst weaknesses of any power structure.
I stopped smoking on my 60th. Apart from marrying both my current and late wives, it is the best thing I have ever done. It would have been better not to have started...but there we are. The odd person gets away with smoking ,but for the vast majority it causes untold medical problems and in the end kills them long before their time.
EVER so many years ago it was suggested to me that not smoking before 11 am would make it easier to give up if I ever wanted to. There were, at the time, just beginning to be suggestions that it was very bad for one. I took the advice, and, a few years later first of all reduced, then stopped happily. That advice was 63 years ago, when I was a student.
I went through phases of smoking. I got sore throats and shortness of breath. Giving up completely was an enormous health improvement.
I play football and some of the guys smoke before and after the match, I just cannot understand that: it must be that it affects people in different ways.
In the end it is just a habit and it is hard to see any positives to it, but if people want to do it then they should be able to. There are lots of things that we are all doing that aren't particularly healthy.
In my day people smoked before and after such exercises, and too, it was very much a social thing, too. Offer a cigarette, later the offer would reciprocate. And, often a companionable smoke after love-making.
As I say, that was around 60 years ago, when anti-smoking was still 'tarred' with the fact that Hitler had been a non-smoker, and had been, apparently very much opposed to it. Just a residual memory, by then, of course.
‘Ollie’s learned a hard lesson,’ said the England captain. It’s unacceptable what he’s done. He’s fronted up to the dressing-room and the world, and shown remorse,
No wonder some people now have an approach of never apologising for anything. 10 years ago, you lose your job, you rebuild your career, you play for England, it comes back up again, you say sorry, and they throw you under the bus.
I dug around to find Ollie’s “offensive” tweets. They’re nothing more than scatological juvenilia.
If Ollie can be cancelled, anyone can.
Quite. The ECB are being spiteful and craven in equal measure.
I would quibble with that. It is far more craven than spiteful. The need to be seen to be doing something is one of the worst weaknesses of any power structure.
I agree; don't think they needed to any one than bounce him around a bit..... silly boy, should have known better, etc etc. Unless there's good evidence that his apology is only skin-deep!
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
That’s fair enough. I’m fairly relaxed about Covid generally, but see where you are coming from. I’ve already been in a few times because I’m bored at home every day. As it is, my second jab is this week so I’ll be inoculated by 21 June in any case - realise that’s not the case for younger people.
The pfizer gap can be as little as 3 weeks if supply allows. That's important.
On topic, Labour says it could support the government if it keeps some restrictions beyond June 21st.
Leaving the way clear for ReformUK to be the only main party committed to keeping June 21st as 'Freedom Day' if Boris retains some restrictions beyond that date
What on earth is wrong with the Labour Party? Boris and Co keep leaving the goal open with the ball gently rolling unattended past the penalty spot, so up rushes KS and gracefully boots it hard into the stand somewhere near the corner. Again and again.
The government has squandered almost all of the lead the vaccines gave us - cheered on by the fools in the Labour Party. If they took a stance that we should unlock faster, they might actually have found a popular cause that's worth getting excited about, and also finally manage hold the government to account on something. Instead they are taking about wallpaper and wondering why their poll ratings are slightly further underwater the Titanic. Morons the lot of them.
In any choice between state control and freedom the LP will always side with the former. So it doesn't surprise me at all. I can't think of any decision-point (from loads in this pandemic) when the LP has chosen the latter.
It is the LibDems who should come out all guns blazing for the latter.
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
No, not at all. You have to wait to receive your appointment - though under-30s are on a separate system where they have to register first, and then they receive their appointment by text/email rather than by post. If you can't make your allocated appointment then I think you're allowed to phone up to change it, but I don't know how easy that is to do.
So let me get this straight, under-30s can make electronic appointments but over-40s must await a letter through the post? Are you sure? That seems like an utterly bonkers system.
I got my second blue letter on Friday. Inevitably, the appointment I received for my second jab is when I am in court so having got the letter I am now allowed to go online to make an appointment at a time that suits. Which I will do today.
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
No, not at all. You have to wait to receive your appointment - though under-30s are on a separate system where they have to register first, and then they receive their appointment by text/email rather than by post. If you can't make your allocated appointment then I think you're allowed to phone up to change it, but I don't know how easy that is to do.
So let me get this straight, under-30s can make electronic appointments but over-40s must await a letter through the post? Are you sure? That seems like an utterly bonkers system.
I got my second blue letter on Friday. Inevitably, the appointment I received for my second jab is when I am in court so having got the letter I am now allowed to go online to make an appointment at a time that suits. Which I will do today.
It's a shame these blue letters aren't red, white and blue?
My point re: Yellen, Sunak and internet tax agreement is not who should be credited, but instead tendency of national media to focus on their own nationals.
No-one should have got the amount of credit that was being dished out when it is merely an idea being advanced.
Credit comes when they have a clear legislative path to implementing it in enough countries, including the US, start doing that. This proposal won't happen in the next five years, if ever.
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
No, not at all. You have to wait to receive your appointment - though under-30s are on a separate system where they have to register first, and then they receive their appointment by text/email rather than by post. If you can't make your allocated appointment then I think you're allowed to phone up to change it, but I don't know how easy that is to do.
So let me get this straight, under-30s can make electronic appointments but over-40s must await a letter through the post? Are you sure? That seems like an utterly bonkers system.
I got my second blue letter on Friday. Inevitably, the appointment I received for my second jab is when I am in court so having got the letter I am now allowed to go online to make an appointment at a time that suits. Which I will do today.
It's a shame these blue letters aren't red, white and blue?
Its nice though that Nicola wants to pay homage to the colour of the party responsible for acquiring the vaccines for her.
FYI, and not sure if this has been shared, but an interesting piece on the Covid / Wuhan story. I know many on here will disagree with the politics but worth reading what they think is happening with regards to the sudden turn on the Wuhan lab being the source of the outbreak:
My first letter received was a redirect from NHS England - I hadn't booked my test! A quick phone call to local NHS up here and they said that England still had me down there for a jab despite sending my records to my new local surgery.
I have no problem with the letter. Its like a polling card - a nice reminder to go and do it AND means that you can't "accidentally" forget. We've also had a lot of talk on here from people who said "I'd drop everything for a jab" - the letter isn't quite drop everything but it is informing you of something important that will improve your life.
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
No, not at all. You have to wait to receive your appointment - though under-30s are on a separate system where they have to register first, and then they receive their appointment by text/email rather than by post. If you can't make your allocated appointment then I think you're allowed to phone up to change it, but I don't know how easy that is to do.
So let me get this straight, under-30s can make electronic appointments but over-40s must await a letter through the post? Are you sure? That seems like an utterly bonkers system.
I got my second blue letter on Friday. Inevitably, the appointment I received for my second jab is when I am in court so having got the letter I am now allowed to go online to make an appointment at a time that suits. Which I will do today.
It's a shame these blue letters aren't red, white and blue?
It's just a bizarre and ineffective system. When you look at the current bursts of infection in Scotland they tend to be in areas where vaccination take up has been slow. Quelle suprise. Anything and everything that accelerates vaccination should be being done and this absurd system should have been abandoned, indeed never started. Government efforts should be focused on the less than enthusiastic.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
30 Tory rebels now committed to vote with the opposition and against the government on overseas aid cuts and more have privately promised support, making a government defeat likely now
A clever government operation would have found some fudge before getting to this stage. The obvious being that a load of money spent on vaccinations around the world is all counted as part of the aid budget and / or condition that no reduction but a load ring fenced money for supporting vaccine roll outs.
Kind of, but the government arent doing this because they care whether the percentage is 0.5 or 0.7 but because they know it plays well with their voters to cut it. If it had been 0.9 then 0.7 would now be fine, if it had been 0.5 then it might have had to come down to 0.4.
Not sure the government mind the rebellion at all as long as they overcome it, which they will do even if it is close. It is just re-enforcing Brexiteer views of a strong UK first govt willing to take on the establishment.
This is pretty significant, if you're following the Source of Covid story
One of the main virologists defending the "natural origins" thesis is K G Anderson
Weirdly enough, he mentioned a possible "engineered" aspect to the virus to Anthony Fauci, in a FOIA'd email back in January 2020. Four days later he was on board with natural zoonosis, 100%, with no obvious data interim to change his mind. Why?
Who knows. But ever since he has been furiously denouncing "lab leak" and presenting concepts for "wet market" - or whatever
Until this week. For the last few hours he has been deleting tweets en masse, and now he has deleted his entire account, as citizen journalists probe what he has said
It's a cover up. It came from the lab. Enough
"Kristian G. Anderson in a January 31, 2020 email to Anthony Fauci:
“…Eddie, Bob, Mike and myself all find the genome inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory.”
The hypocrisy of these people is simply stunning."
I don't think that we will ever know the origin, as there is no objective source of information that is credible to the world. Even when there is, it is hard to prove causation eg ebola, HIV or BSE. Some things are just unknowable.
Personally, I would like to see Chinese wet markets closed down. They are an offence against animals, and particularly against threatened species. If the Chinese were serious then they should do that.
Close the wet markets, AND prohibit "gain of function" research
I shan't bore PBers understandably obsessed with the recent polling in Bodmin West, and a possible shift of Mebyon Kernow to fifth place to fourth, BUT the latest news on Lab Leak suggest Anthony Fauci might go to jail
Why might he go to jail?
The evidence now is this:
1. Fauci funded gain of function research in Wuhan on bat coronaviruses (he admits this), he gave it directly to Daszak who has explicitly said Wuhan was manufacturing new, more virulent SARS-like viruses
2. Fauci did this without telling Trump (because Obama had banned it, as dangerous)
3. When the news of the virus broke, Fauci was told: in an email: this virus was very possibly engineered, in Wuhan (via "gain of function")
4. Fauci convened, over the next weekend, everyone he knew, to come out with a different story: it had to be natural zoonosis, not the lab (personally inverting the evidence of his scientists).
Now, it is possible Fauci believed this, but he had no new evidence to suddenly say this, other than his desire to get a different narrative "out there"
5. Fauci thereafter contradicted Trump, and Fauci said "lab leak" was clownish, even as the evidence of lab-leak remained, and then surged
6. Fauci in the last week suddenly changes his mind. Lab leak is possible
He PAID for the gain-of-function research, Fauci is culpable for Covid, and he knows it
Your conclusion isn’t warranted by the evidence. Nonetheless there appears to be a prima facie case that he was doing an end run around the “pause” by funding Daszak who then subcontracted to Wuhan. If sustained that’s a scandal and he should be sacked but not clear it would be an imprisonable offence
Feeling a bit more philosophical about the bets failing. Both a bit unlucky but that sort of thing evens out in the end. And Sakhir last year was a cluster of good fortune.
Reposted FPT (where I eventually realised I was the only one left):
Apologies for raising the W-word on what appears to have otherwise been an evening free from the war-on-Woke but this article from Friday's Guardian got me thinking and is, I feel, well worth a read.
The paradox it highlights is that Britain is a fundamentally conservative country, usually run by Conservative govenments, and yet over the past 70 years social attitudes have tranformed dramatically in a most un-conservative direction. Maybe it doesn't really matter what hue of government we elect?
Remember the modern Tories combine followers of Burke (“change to conserve”) and fans of Macauley (“reform to preserve”). It’s not really surprising - they are very good at navigating the long flow
Yes, I think you are right there.
What's interesting to me is what is driving 'the long flow'?
The fundamental enlightenment view that people are individuals with their own autonomy. There’s no fundamental philosophical difference between the ability to have a direct relationship with God without the Catholic Church intermediating and the right to self-determination on who you want to shack up with
Reposted FPT (where I eventually realised I was the only one left):
Apologies for raising the W-word on what appears to have otherwise been an evening free from the war-on-Woke but this article from Friday's Guardian got me thinking and is, I feel, well worth a read.
The paradox it highlights is that Britain is a fundamentally conservative country, usually run by Conservative govenments, and yet over the past 70 years social attitudes have tranformed dramatically in a most un-conservative direction. Maybe it doesn't really matter what hue of government we elect?
Remember the modern Tories combine followers of Burke (“change to conserve”) and fans of Macauley (“reform to preserve”). It’s not really surprising - they are very good at navigating the long flow
From on here, you'd think modern Tories combined the worst of Burke and Hare.....
Kids need their calcium and we won’t give them free school milk anymore thanks to Thatcher
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Boris could single handedly vaccinate the whole developing world and the NYT would only credit the pilot that flew him around.
Being a pretty regular reader of NYT have thought - and still do think -that their alleged rampant Anglophobia is a myth - a symptom of of neo-Little Englander angst.
For one thing, they actually report on the doings of your obscure off-shore island, which is more that 99.46% of the rest of US media. Indeed, they have the general reputation on THIS side of the Atlantic (and the Pacific) of being Brit-lovers!
Douglas Murray nails the Gray Grey Lady quite well here:
The trend has been going on since 2016, when the NYT seemed to have decided that the Brexit vote led the way for the election of Donald Trump. Since then the paper’s desire to attack Britain has appeared insatiable. A fact that leads the paper’s readers to be woefully ill-informed about this country. I for one have been fairly regularly struck by the number of otherwise intelligent and subtle Americans I know who seem to think that Boris Johnson is (at best) president Trump’s evil twin and (at worst) a demagogic populist on a par with the great dictators. Invariably the cause is the NYT.
No, I do NOT recognize myself.
What I am seeing, is Tory angst at ANY critique of Brexit or the Blessed Boris. Along with a strong dose of old-fashioned Brit condescension. Which is a hearty perennial, not the least here on PB.
I think you mean a hardy perennial.
Actually, the NYT... attitude towards the UK started with the election of that noted Brexiter. David Cameron.
It had something to do, I think with the fact that their in house economics expert Paul Krugman was a Gordon Brown worshipper.
To rejection of Brown was added the Coalition government policy of fiscal restraint. Rather than the stimulus that Obama (the NYT was 100% behind Obama on this) wanted.
So the UK was portrayed as an opposite to the America of Obama,
Articles started showing up that portrayed the UK with a collapsed economy, a howling wasteland, where the dead walked. My American relatives, when they visited were trying to square the circle of what they'd read vs the facts of an economy that was growing at a fair pace.
Strangest was how they dealt with the... issue that Cameron and Obama obviously got on well together.
Brexit drove them even further down that line - and the Boris=Trump thing was a natural progression, to NYT.
But it definitely started with Cameron.
As an extra, the "man in the street" quotes from people in the UK started to use US idiom in their language.....
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
I'd be shocked if second doses weren't all done by the middle to end of July. Whatever placeholder date you've currently got will definitely be brought forwards otherwise we'll have doses sitting in fridges.
Well, I'm in Scotland, so I don't have a placeholder date, I have to wait for another blue envelope, but they told my wife on Saturday to expect to wait 12 weeks for dose two, so we'll see.
Since my first dose was AZ, I think the earliest I could have my second dose for it to be fully effective would be towards the end of July. 8 weeks as a minimum?
The point being that there will be plenty of people wanting an extension to the WFH guidance beyond June 21st who don't want that to be the permanent state of affairs.
Scotland are calling people for vaccinations through the post???
Surely you can just go online and book an appointment?
No, not at all. You have to wait to receive your appointment - though under-30s are on a separate system where they have to register first, and then they receive their appointment by text/email rather than by post. If you can't make your allocated appointment then I think you're allowed to phone up to change it, but I don't know how easy that is to do.
That seems mad. The system here is so simple. Get a text, go to the booking system, enter your NHS number and then book the most convenient appointment location and time available.
Normally when I disagree with someone, or something, I can at least see the chain of logic they have followed and the reasons that they have, even though I disagree with the relative importance that they've placed on different factors for making their choice. But I simply cannot explain what the supposed advantages of the Scottish system are, and have heard many stories of the problems it has caused.
I thought the advantage was that it allowed them to send out blue envelopes?
Or has that finished now?
I got my blue letter last Tuesday for my second AZ jab which will be on Wednesday 9th. My son also got a blue letter for his first jab - the numpty moved out of mine about 8 years ago but hasn't registered with his new local doctor yet.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
The main map does a good job of trying to make something out of some very boring data.
The 'attachment to country' data shows a pretty consistent response, wherever you ask, with only a handful of relatively predictable exceptions such as Catalonia, the Basque country and Transylvania. It is notable - and encouraging - that 'attachment to Europe' is relatively high in much of former Eastern Europe (as well as Ireland). The 'attachment to region' data looks potentially the most interesting, but depends upon how people interpret 'region', as you say.
You're probably right on the UK (I think my island might score higher, if people saw it as a region), and the same finding appears the case in the Catalonia, where attachment to country is low presumably because people take this to be Spain, yet attachment to region is also low, presumably because they object to taking Catalonia as a region?
This is pretty significant, if you're following the Source of Covid story
One of the main virologists defending the "natural origins" thesis is K G Anderson
Weirdly enough, he mentioned a possible "engineered" aspect to the virus to Anthony Fauci, in a FOIA'd email back in January 2020. Four days later he was on board with natural zoonosis, 100%, with no obvious data interim to change his mind. Why?
Who knows. But ever since he has been furiously denouncing "lab leak" and presenting concepts for "wet market" - or whatever
Until this week. For the last few hours he has been deleting tweets en masse, and now he has deleted his entire account, as citizen journalists probe what he has said
It's a cover up. It came from the lab. Enough
"Kristian G. Anderson in a January 31, 2020 email to Anthony Fauci:
“…Eddie, Bob, Mike and myself all find the genome inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory.”
The hypocrisy of these people is simply stunning."
I don't think that we will ever know the origin, as there is no objective source of information that is credible to the world. Even when there is, it is hard to prove causation eg ebola, HIV or BSE. Some things are just unknowable.
Personally, I would like to see Chinese wet markets closed down. They are an offence against animals, and particularly against threatened species. If the Chinese were serious then they should do that.
Close the wet markets, AND prohibit "gain of function" research
I shan't bore PBers understandably obsessed with the recent polling in Bodmin West, and a possible shift of Mebyon Kernow to fifth place to fourth, BUT the latest news on Lab Leak suggest Anthony Fauci might go to jail
Why might he go to jail?
The evidence now is this:
1. Fauci funded gain of function research in Wuhan on bat coronaviruses (he admits this), he gave it directly to Daszak who has explicitly said Wuhan was manufacturing new, more virulent SARS-like viruses
2. Fauci did this without telling Trump (because Obama had banned it, as dangerous)
3. When the news of the virus broke, Fauci was told: in an email: this virus was very possibly engineered, in Wuhan (via "gain of function")
4. Fauci convened, over the next weekend, everyone he knew, to come out with a different story: it had to be natural zoonosis, not the lab (personally inverting the evidence of his scientists).
Now, it is possible Fauci believed this, but he had no new evidence to suddenly say this, other than his desire to get a different narrative "out there"
5. Fauci thereafter contradicted Trump, and Fauci said "lab leak" was clownish, even as the evidence of lab-leak remained, and then surged
6. Fauci in the last week suddenly changes his mind. Lab leak is possible
He PAID for the gain-of-function research, Fauci is culpable for Covid, and he knows it
Glad to see PB catching up with LS and related sites after 15 months of this utter shit-show. WHO/pharma corruption in the H1N1 outbreak was documented in a 2010 report, which was received but never acted on.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
That’s fair enough. I’m fairly relaxed about Covid generally, but see where you are coming from. I’ve already been in a few times because I’m bored at home every day. As it is, my second jab is this week so I’ll be inoculated by 21 June in any case - realise that’s not the case for younger people.
The pfizer gap can be as little as 3 weeks if supply allows. That's important.
Looking into it further, my health board did 11170 vaccinations in the week ending 28th May. That'd have been the UK equivalent of about 750k/day solidly for a week and if there were no supply, demand or timing between doses constraints would be a pace that allows Bassetlaw to have 100% of adults done with both doses by July 18th.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Thank the Gods that David King is not the current Chief Science Officer.
We would be in lockdown for the rest of our lives.
On topic, Labour says it could support the government if it keeps some restrictions beyond June 21st.
Leaving the way clear for ReformUK to be the only main party committed to keeping June 21st as 'Freedom Day' if Boris retains some restrictions beyond that date
What on earth is wrong with the Labour Party? Boris and Co keep leaving the goal open with the ball gently rolling unattended past the penalty spot, so up rushes KS and gracefully boots it hard into the stand somewhere near the corner. Again and again.
The government has squandered almost all of the lead the vaccines gave us - cheered on by the fools in the Labour Party. If they took a stance that we should unlock faster, they might actually have found a popular cause that's worth getting excited about, and also finally manage hold the government to account on something. Instead they are taking about wallpaper and wondering why their poll ratings are slightly further underwater the Titanic. Morons the lot of them.
In any choice between state control and freedom the LP will always side with the former. So it doesn't surprise me at all. I can't think of any decision-point (from loads in this pandemic) when the LP has chosen the latter.
It is the LibDems who should come out all guns blazing for the latter.
I think perhaps the strategy (if there is one) from Labour is to “learn” the lessons of the pre- Brexit May period. On the basis that their best option then would have been to support the Govt and vote for May’s deal, thereby exposing splits in the Conservatives.
They don’t want to be seen to be pressuring the Govt to ease restrictions because that reduces the potential for criticism if it goes wrong. They also think that the blame for extending restrictions can be pinned on the Govt (international travel etc).
And they think that the Govt continuing restrictions on the back of Labour support will get Tory backbencher a very riled up, could even trigger a leadership challenge.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Thank the Gods that David King is not the current Chief Science Officer.
We would be in lockdown for the rest of our lives.
He has a pathological hatred of this government and he heads independent sage who have a zero covid mantra and that was evidenced by his comment this morning for lockdowns to continue until covid is eliminated !!!!!
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
You’re right, 5 out of the 10 Sky News viewers might switch, including your good self of course.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
Snowflakes on either side do seem to love being triggered. It sells eyeballs and hence advertising to make them angrier.
NYT ($) Yellen Won a Global Tax Deal. Now Comes the Hard Part. The Treasury secretary worked with finance ministers from the G7 to win support for a global minimum tax. But selling the idea to Republican lawmakers will not be easy.
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen secured a landmark international tax agreement over the weekend, one that has eluded the United States for nearly a decade. But with a narrowly divided Congress and resistance from Republicans and business groups mounting, closing the deal at home may be an even bigger challenge.
The Biden administration is counting on more than $3 trillion in tax increases on corporations and wealthy Americans to help pay for its ambitious jobs and infrastructure proposals. Republicans have expressed opposition to any rise in taxes and have warned that President Biden’s big spending plans are fueling inflation and will deter business investment. Business groups have complained that higher taxes pose a threat to the economic recovery and will put American companies at a competitive disadvantage.
Persuading members of the Group of 7 advanced economies to agree on Saturday to a global minimum tax of at least 15 percent was intended to help the Biden administration win support for its U.S. tax increases. If enacted, the global minimum tax would require that companies pay at least a 15 percent tax on income, regardless of where they are based, making it less advantageous to relocate operations to countries with lower tax rates. . . .
SSI2- Strange, zero mention of Rushi Sunak in this story. Did Janice Yellen get much (or any) mention in UK stories about the deal?
Not saying that UK CoE was NOT an important player. Just maybe NOT as important as some on PB were saying? OR is this NYT story just Americans taking credit where it's not due?
Rishi didn’t push for this - it’s a US objective. But he weighed in behind it in return for US support on digital taxes.
But mainly it’s media playing to their home audience (although the Uk media prefers to give credit to those nice Democrats vs the evul Toooories)
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
You’re right, 5 out of the 10 Sky News viewers might switch, including your good self of course.
If Sky lose half their viewers then they need to address why
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Thank the Gods that David King is not the current Chief Science Officer.
We would be in lockdown for the rest of our lives.
He has a pathological hatred of this government and he heads independent sage who have a zero covid mantra and that was evidenced by his comment this morning for lockdowns to continue until covid is eliminated !!!!!
It is disingenuous now for them to continue to claim they are independent SAGE. Increasingly they look like "zero covid" SAGE from those comments. They should be more open about their real aims and objectives.
And can someone explain how Susan Michie can be both on SAGE and also a member of the so-called group that is independent of SAGE? It's a nonsense.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Thank the Gods that David King is not the current Chief Science Officer.
We would be in lockdown for the rest of our lives.
He has a pathological hatred of this government and he heads independent sage who have a zero covid mantra and that was evidenced by his comment this morning for lockdowns to continue until covid is eliminated !!!!!
It is disingenuous now for them to continue to claim they are independent SAGE. Increasingly they look like "zero covid" SAGE from those comments. They should be more open about their real aims and objectives.
And can someone explain how Susan Michie can be both on SAGE and also a member of the so-called group that is independent of SAGE? It's a nonsense.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
You’re right, 5 out of the 10 Sky News viewers might switch, including your good self of course.
If Sky lose half their viewers then they need to address why
I'm curious whether Kay Burley's absence affected viewing figures in the morning program.
I found it much more informative without her than it was with her. Having interviews where people can actually speak rather than being shouted at every few seconds by someone who loves the sound of her own voice was an improvement.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
I think obviously the country is the UK, but the region is surely England/Scotland/Wales/NI?
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
I think obviously the country is the UK, but the region is surely England/Scotland/Wales/NI?
Does anyone in England think of England as a region?
Either Counties, or North West/South East etc are typically used as regions, never England.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
The latter point is true, but it seems a little suspicious to me that GB News has been set up just as the government is trying to strong arm someone as head of OfCom who wants to get rid of the impartial rules i.e Dacre.
The committee set up to recommend OfCom chair has been disbanded iirc because they came up with the wrong answer as far as Johnson was concerned.
Having said that I think while Andrew Neil is running the show it will be fine. We will see. But long term I think there could be a 'Fox News' problem.
This is pretty significant, if you're following the Source of Covid story
One of the main virologists defending the "natural origins" thesis is K G Anderson
Weirdly enough, he mentioned a possible "engineered" aspect to the virus to Anthony Fauci, in a FOIA'd email back in January 2020. Four days later he was on board with natural zoonosis, 100%, with no obvious data interim to change his mind. Why?
Who knows. But ever since he has been furiously denouncing "lab leak" and presenting concepts for "wet market" - or whatever
Until this week. For the last few hours he has been deleting tweets en masse, and now he has deleted his entire account, as citizen journalists probe what he has said
It's a cover up. It came from the lab. Enough
"Kristian G. Anderson in a January 31, 2020 email to Anthony Fauci:
“…Eddie, Bob, Mike and myself all find the genome inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory.”
The hypocrisy of these people is simply stunning."
I don't think that we will ever know the origin, as there is no objective source of information that is credible to the world. Even when there is, it is hard to prove causation eg ebola, HIV or BSE. Some things are just unknowable.
Personally, I would like to see Chinese wet markets closed down. They are an offence against animals, and particularly against threatened species. If the Chinese were serious then they should do that.
Close the wet markets, AND prohibit "gain of function" research
I shan't bore PBers understandably obsessed with the recent polling in Bodmin West, and a possible shift of Mebyon Kernow to fifth place to fourth, BUT the latest news on Lab Leak suggest Anthony Fauci might go to jail
Why might he go to jail?
The evidence now is this:
1. Fauci funded gain of function research in Wuhan on bat coronaviruses (he admits this), he gave it directly to Daszak who has explicitly said Wuhan was manufacturing new, more virulent SARS-like viruses
2. Fauci did this without telling Trump (because Obama had banned it, as dangerous)
3. When the news of the virus broke, Fauci was told: in an email: this virus was very possibly engineered, in Wuhan (via "gain of function")
4. Fauci convened, over the next weekend, everyone he knew, to come out with a different story: it had to be natural zoonosis, not the lab (personally inverting the evidence of his scientists).
Now, it is possible Fauci believed this, but he had no new evidence to suddenly say this, other than his desire to get a different narrative "out there"
5. Fauci thereafter contradicted Trump, and Fauci said "lab leak" was clownish, even as the evidence of lab-leak remained, and then surged
6. Fauci in the last week suddenly changes his mind. Lab leak is possible
He PAID for the gain-of-function research, Fauci is culpable for Covid, and he knows it
Glad to see PB catching up with LS and related sites after 15 months of this utter shit-show. WHO/pharma corruption in the H1N1 outbreak was documented in a 2010 report, which was received but never acted on.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
You’re right, 5 out of the 10 Sky News viewers might switch, including your good self of course.
If Sky lose half their viewers then they need to address why
I'm curious whether Kay Burley's absence affected viewing figures in the morning program.
I found it much more informative without her than it was with her. Having interviews where people can actually speak rather than being shouted at every few seconds by someone who loves the sound of her own voice was an improvement.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
I think obviously the country is the UK, but the region is surely England/Scotland/Wales/NI?
Does anyone in England think of England as a region?
Either Counties, or North West/South East etc are typically used as regions, never England.
It is the first subnational division of the country, which is surely what the survey is trying to find out. Of course you can Balkanise England further, as Labour were desperate to do in the 2000s. But the survey would then be a little redundant, as very very few will identify with "North West" compared to England or UK. The question of English vs UK identity, however, is a live and important one.
(Although I'm surprised that they haven't gone for the Lander as the subnational regions in Germany).
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
The latter point is true, but it seems a little suspicious to me that GB News has been set up just as the government is trying to strong arm someone as head of OfCom who wants to get rid of the impartial rules i.e Dacre.
The committee set up to recommend OfCom chair has been disbanded iirc because they came up with the wrong answer as far as Johnson was concerned.
Having said that I think while Andrew Neil is running the show it will be fine. We will see. But long term I think there could be a 'Fox News' problem.
Andrew Neil does not court favour with anyone and I agree that he will be key to the success
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
GB News is there to make money. The best newspaper in the country is the Daily Mail who make a killing from whipping up the angry. GB News aren't going to be treading an inoffensive neutral line as there's no money to be made doing that.
The news industry is an industry - as in it needs to make money. That means the most successful are the ones that have the most views for their advertisers and that almost always means being the pied piper and whistling a welcome and familiar tune.
The solution isn't to neuter news outlets from doing so, it is simply to allow an open playing field where different tunes can be whistled so that everyone gets the news they want. Fux News is embarrassingly bad but its what many people want. Other news outlets are available in the US market, the same is about to be true here. Good.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
I think obviously the country is the UK, but the region is surely England/Scotland/Wales/NI?
Does anyone in England think of England as a region?
Either Counties, or North West/South East etc are typically used as regions, never England.
It is the first subnational division of the country, which is surely what the survey is trying to find out. Of course you can Balkanise England further, as Labour were desperate to do in the 2000s. But the survey would then be a little redundant, as very very few will identify with "North West" compared to England or UK. The question of English vs UK identity, however, is a live and important one.
(Although I'm surprised that they haven't gone for the Lander as the subnational regions in Germany).
The question of English vs UK identity is a real one, as is Scots vs UK, but that's a question of national identities. England and Scotland are recognised as nations within a nation, not regions.
If you asked me to identify my region I would say North West. If you said that North West wasn't an option then I'd think Cheshire, Lancashire etc would be what people would say instead.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
I expect Big G to go full QAnon conspiracy-monger.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
GB News is there to make money. The best newspaper in the country is the Daily Mail who make a killing from whipping up the angry. GB News aren't going to be treading an inoffensive neutral line as there's no money to be made doing that.
The news industry is an industry - as in it needs to make money. That means the most successful are the ones that have the most views for their advertisers and that almost always means being the pied piper and whistling a welcome and familiar tune.
The solution isn't to neuter news outlets from doing so, it is simply to allow an open playing field where different tunes can be whistled so that everyone gets the news they want. Fux News is embarrassingly bad but its what many people want. Other news outlets are available in the US market, the same is about to be true here. Good.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
I think obviously the country is the UK, but the region is surely England/Scotland/Wales/NI?
Nobody will ever know as, apart from pulling out of Eurostat as part of Brexit, the U.K. has also decided not to produce compatible data in its own reporting.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
I’m amused that @Theuniondivvie is implicitly accepting that Scotland is a region of the UK not a country in its own right
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
The latter point is true, but it seems a little suspicious to me that GB News has been set up just as the government is trying to strong arm someone as head of OfCom who wants to get rid of the impartial rules i.e Dacre.
The committee set up to recommend OfCom chair has been disbanded iirc because they came up with the wrong answer as far as Johnson was concerned.
Having said that I think while Andrew Neil is running the show it will be fine. We will see. But long term I think there could be a 'Fox News' problem.
Andrew Neil is one of the many many people on right and left who have been driven bonkers by Twitter.
He’s no longer a very credible commentator (let alone network chief).
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
I expect Big G to go full QAnon conspiracy-monger.
I have no idea who you are talking about to be honest
I shall just continue to try to be a left of centre conservative supporter
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
The latter point is true, but it seems a little suspicious to me that GB News has been set up just as the government is trying to strong arm someone as head of OfCom who wants to get rid of the impartial rules i.e Dacre.
The committee set up to recommend OfCom chair has been disbanded iirc because they came up with the wrong answer as far as Johnson was concerned.
Having said that I think while Andrew Neil is running the show it will be fine. We will see. But long term I think there could be a 'Fox News' problem.
Andrew Neil is one of the many many people on right and left who have been driven bonkers by Twitter.
He’s no longer a very credible commentator (let alone network chief).
Being driven bonkers as you say by twitter makes someone no longer a credible commentator seems a strange analysis
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
GB News is there to make money. The best newspaper in the country is the Daily Mail who make a killing from whipping up the angry. GB News aren't going to be treading an inoffensive neutral line as there's no money to be made doing that.
The news industry is an industry - as in it needs to make money. That means the most successful are the ones that have the most views for their advertisers and that almost always means being the pied piper and whistling a welcome and familiar tune.
The solution isn't to neuter news outlets from doing so, it is simply to allow an open playing field where different tunes can be whistled so that everyone gets the news they want. Fux News is embarrassingly bad but its what many people want. Other news outlets are available in the US market, the same is about to be true here. Good.
Except that it turns out that an open playing field for “news” outlets is debilitating to the public sphere.
We retain regulation on news broadcasting for very good reason.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
The latter point is true, but it seems a little suspicious to me that GB News has been set up just as the government is trying to strong arm someone as head of OfCom who wants to get rid of the impartial rules i.e Dacre.
The committee set up to recommend OfCom chair has been disbanded iirc because they came up with the wrong answer as far as Johnson was concerned.
Having said that I think while Andrew Neil is running the show it will be fine. We will see. But long term I think there could be a 'Fox News' problem.
Andrew Neil is one of the many many people on right and left who have been driven bonkers by Twitter.
He’s no longer a very credible commentator (let alone network chief).
Being driven bonkers as you say by twitter makes someone no longer a credible commentator seems a strange analysis
He’s on Twitter every day making non-credible commentaries.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
I expect Big G to go full QAnon conspiracy-monger.
I have no idea who you are talking about to be honest
I shall just continue to try to be a left of centre conservative supporter
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
The main map does a good job of trying to make something out of some very boring data.
The 'attachment to country' data shows a pretty consistent response, wherever you ask, with only a handful of relatively predictable exceptions such as Catalonia, the Basque country and Transylvania. It is notable - and encouraging - that 'attachment to Europe' is relatively high in much of former Eastern Europe (as well as Ireland). The 'attachment to region' data looks potentially the most interesting, but depends upon how people interpret 'region', as you say.
You're probably right on the UK (I think my island might score higher, if people saw it as a region), and the same finding appears the case in the Catalonia, where attachment to country is low presumably because people take this to be Spain, yet attachment to region is also low, presumably because they object to taking Catalonia as a region?
Isn’t it just that people in Madrid equate Castile (region) = Spain while people in Barcelona differentiate between the brave Catalans and the Spanish invader?
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
Not sure that question would work here. "The country" would be coded as the UK and "the region" coded as the particular county lived in. Not sure many would place county above country. Cornwall maybe?
I think obviously the country is the UK, but the region is surely England/Scotland/Wales/NI?
Does anyone in England think of England as a region?
Either Counties, or North West/South East etc are typically used as regions, never England.
It is the first subnational division of the country, which is surely what the survey is trying to find out. Of course you can Balkanise England further, as Labour were desperate to do in the 2000s. But the survey would then be a little redundant, as very very few will identify with "North West" compared to England or UK. The question of English vs UK identity, however, is a live and important one.
(Although I'm surprised that they haven't gone for the Lander as the subnational regions in Germany).
The question of English vs UK identity is a real one, as is Scots vs UK, but that's a question of national identities. England and Scotland are recognised as nations within a nation, not regions.
The question is about "country" not nation, which is a much vaguer term. The UK is a country, like the United States, Canada or Australia, recognised as such by foreign countries (see e.g. https://www.state.gov/independent-states-in-the-world/ or here https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/states.htm) and the United Nations (https://www.worldometers.info/united-nations/). Our four members are the first subnational regions, like states in America or Australia or provinces in Canada. England isn't a country in any generally accepted sense - the OED defines a country as "an area of land that has its own government" and England doesn't even have that.
Feeling a bit more philosophical about the bets failing. Both a bit unlucky but that sort of thing evens out in the end. And Sakhir last year was a cluster of good fortune.
Catching up and watching the race again this morning, I still don’t understand why they put out the red flag with two laps to go, they should have simply let it continue to finish behind the safety car. Good for the “show” I guess, and Lewis’s mistake (brakes in the wrong mode, accidentally pressed a button) means his first non-points finish since Spain 2013(!) keeps the championship open. Pleased I didn’t bet on this one, a very chaotic race at the end. Also good to see two drivers walk away from potentially terrifying accidents.
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
Britain's own Fox News! Just what we need for balanced reporting -not!
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
To be fair that cannot be assumed when not one programme has been broadcast
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
The latter point is true, but it seems a little suspicious to me that GB News has been set up just as the government is trying to strong arm someone as head of OfCom who wants to get rid of the impartial rules i.e Dacre.
The committee set up to recommend OfCom chair has been disbanded iirc because they came up with the wrong answer as far as Johnson was concerned.
Having said that I think while Andrew Neil is running the show it will be fine. We will see. But long term I think there could be a 'Fox News' problem.
Andrew Neil is one of the many many people on right and left who have been driven bonkers by Twitter.
He’s no longer a very credible commentator (let alone network chief).
Being driven bonkers as you say by twitter makes someone no longer a credible commentator seems a strange analysis
He’s on Twitter every day making non-credible commentaries.
To be honest I do not engage on twitter though I do follow some tweets
David Cameron's comments on twitter was one of he most succinct things he has said
"Scientific modelling has been crude and unreliable at predicting the pandemic, NHS leaders have said, as they warned against using it to decide whether to release restrictions on June 21."
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
Good morning
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
You’re right, 5 out of the 10 Sky News viewers might switch, including your good self of course.
If Sky lose half their viewers then they need to address why
I'm curious whether Kay Burley's absence affected viewing figures in the morning program.
I found it much more informative without her than it was with her. Having interviews where people can actually speak rather than being shouted at every few seconds by someone who loves the sound of her own voice was an improvement.
She is not the star she thinks she is
A rolling news should be about the news, not the presenter. Hope that every minister interviewed by her, reminds the audience of her misdemeanour.
There'll be a significant proportion of the population with their fingers crossed hoping that the government extends the advice to WFH where possible.
Interestingly though the proportion of people who want to WFH permanently is in a minority and has actually fallen since the pandemic began, at least according to the surveys I have seen. Most people favour a mix.
I favour a mix, but I also favour not being asked to go back to the office until two weeks after my second dose - which could mean working from home until the start of September.
That’s fair enough. I’m fairly relaxed about Covid generally, but see where you are coming from. I’ve already been in a few times because I’m bored at home every day. As it is, my second jab is this week so I’ll be inoculated by 21 June in any case - realise that’s not the case for younger people.
The pfizer gap can be as little as 3 weeks if supply allows. That's important.
Looking into it further, my health board did 11170 vaccinations in the week ending 28th May. That'd have been the UK equivalent of about 750k/day solidly for a week and if there were no supply, demand or timing between doses constraints would be a pace that allows Bassetlaw to have 100% of adults done with both doses by July 18th.
Bassetlaw already has a minimal rate of infection plus there are zero covid patients in Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals.
Politically, there's risk/reward here either way: 1. Open as planned, we beat (at least most of) Europe on getting life back to normal. No significant third wave, no more lockdowns: all hail Boris 2. Open as planned. Significant third wave, lockodnw later in the year: Boris the bungler with blood on his hands, people will look again at the earlier cock-ups too 3. Delay opening, we fall behind (bits of) Europe and they don't have a significant third wave and it's clear we were too cautious: Boris in hock to the mad scientists, vaccine bounce disappears as it all looks a bit pointless if we didn't unlock any quicker 4 Delay opening, we fall behind (bits of Europe) but those bits of Europe have a big third wave and lock down again late summer/autumn while a short delay here means no more lockdowns: Boris called this one right, good job
Opening as planned has both the biggest upside and biggest downside, politically. I still think we can open now if we agree (and it's made clear to the country) that the lockdowns were to prevent NHS collapse - if that's not a real risk (it seems unlikely) then we open up. Now does Johnson have the cajones for it?
I think the before Christmas situation is a bit different - Johnson eventually took the route of lockdown, but well after most scientists were warning about imminent doom (increasing cases, with increasing hospitalisations and very little immunity in the population - different to now!) and even then it was only a partial lockdown of the country.
Mr. Sandpit, Red Bull said they had zero warning of any problem so they were worried about multiple failures.
I think I read on Twitter that it's now thought debris caused both incidents.
I predicted lots of the race right (Leclerc's tyre-chewing giving Gasly the chance) but the timing of the safety car (first one) compromised Gasly. Little bit unlucky, but there we are.
Agreed on the title race. Though worth noting Perez's fantastic performance has turned a tiny lead for Red Bull into a reasonably 26 point margin. Bottas looked like a man ready to retire.
This is pretty significant, if you're following the Source of Covid story
One of the main virologists defending the "natural origins" thesis is K G Anderson
Weirdly enough, he mentioned a possible "engineered" aspect to the virus to Anthony Fauci, in a FOIA'd email back in January 2020. Four days later he was on board with natural zoonosis, 100%, with no obvious data interim to change his mind. Why?
Who knows. But ever since he has been furiously denouncing "lab leak" and presenting concepts for "wet market" - or whatever
Until this week. For the last few hours he has been deleting tweets en masse, and now he has deleted his entire account, as citizen journalists probe what he has said
It's a cover up. It came from the lab. Enough
"Kristian G. Anderson in a January 31, 2020 email to Anthony Fauci:
“…Eddie, Bob, Mike and myself all find the genome inconsistent with expectations from evolutionary theory.”
The hypocrisy of these people is simply stunning."
I don't think that we will ever know the origin, as there is no objective source of information that is credible to the world. Even when there is, it is hard to prove causation eg ebola, HIV or BSE. Some things are just unknowable.
Personally, I would like to see Chinese wet markets closed down. They are an offence against animals, and particularly against threatened species. If the Chinese were serious then they should do that.
Close the wet markets, AND prohibit "gain of function" research
I shan't bore PBers understandably obsessed with the recent polling in Bodmin West, and a possible shift of Mebyon Kernow to fifth place to fourth, BUT the latest news on Lab Leak suggest Anthony Fauci might go to jail
Why might he go to jail?
The evidence now is this:
1. Fauci funded gain of function research in Wuhan on bat coronaviruses (he admits this), he gave it directly to Daszak who has explicitly said Wuhan was manufacturing new, more virulent SARS-like viruses
2. Fauci did this without telling Trump (because Obama had banned it, as dangerous)
3. When the news of the virus broke, Fauci was told: in an email: this virus was very possibly engineered, in Wuhan (via "gain of function")
4. Fauci convened, over the next weekend, everyone he knew, to come out with a different story: it had to be natural zoonosis, not the lab (personally inverting the evidence of his scientists).
Now, it is possible Fauci believed this, but he had no new evidence to suddenly say this, other than his desire to get a different narrative "out there"
5. Fauci thereafter contradicted Trump, and Fauci said "lab leak" was clownish, even as the evidence of lab-leak remained, and then surged
6. Fauci in the last week suddenly changes his mind. Lab leak is possible
He PAID for the gain-of-function research, Fauci is culpable for Covid, and he knows it
Glad to see PB catching up with LS and related sites after 15 months of this utter shit-show. WHO/pharma corruption in the H1N1 outbreak was documented in a 2010 report, which was received but never acted on.
Mr. Sandpit, Red Bull said they had zero warning of any problem so they were worried about multiple failures.
I think I read on Twitter that it's now thought debris caused both incidents.
I predicted lots of the race right (Leclerc's tyre-chewing giving Gasly the chance) but the timing of the safety car (first one) compromised Gasly. Little bit unlucky, but there we are.
Agreed on the title race. Though worth noting Perez's fantastic performance has turned a tiny lead for Red Bull into a reasonably 26 point margin. Bottas looked like a man ready to retire.
They noticed damage to one of Lewis’s tyres too, when they changed it at the red flag. What was unusual was the location of Stroll’s accident closed the pit lane until the cars had bunched up, otherwise they’d have all come in at that point I think. Seb did well faith the strategy, leading on the hards and moving to the softs at his stop for some pace in the later stages.
Feel quite sorry for Valtteri, they split the setup strategy and he ended up with the high-downforce option, he didn’t have the top speed needed to make progress. He’s not having a great season, but hasn’t really done anything wrong.
Shame we can no longer see what the people of the region of England feel about the matter.
The regional boundaries shown on this map are “NUTS” regions so it wouldn’t have seen been at an England level but at govt office regional level (SE, Yorks & Humbs etc) that this poll would have been taken had we remained. While the UK was a member of the EU, Eurostat used English regions, rather than England, to demarcate first level Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) regions ("NUTS 1 regions") within the European Union.
So there would have been no question on attachment to “English” regional identity, instead attachment to a region of England such as the South West. Conversely the Scots and Welsh would be asked about their attachment to Scotland/Wales v U.K. and EU because, and this is perhaps boon for all the comedians on here, Scotland and Wales were “NUTS” regions in and of themselves while England was subdivided. It’d wager that on that basis Scotland would have shown brown (Scotland over the U.K. and EU) while the regions of England blue (the U.K. over the individual region and the EU) and no part of the U.K. would have shown red.
Control of GIUK is far too strategic important for that to be a good outcome
NATO controls it now and NATO will control it after Scotland becomes independent through either an air policing mission or, less likely, the Scottish Defence Force or whatever it's called.
Iceland gets to be a full member of NATO and have all the benefits accruing therefrom despite not having any armed forces. A similar accommodation will be made with Scotland due the strategic value of the GIUK gap.
GB News is there to make money. The best newspaper in the country is the Daily Mail who make a killing from whipping up the angry. GB News aren't going to be treading an inoffensive neutral line as there's no money to be made doing that.
The news industry is an industry - as in it needs to make money. That means the most successful are the ones that have the most views for their advertisers and that almost always means being the pied piper and whistling a welcome and familiar tune.
The solution isn't to neuter news outlets from doing so, it is simply to allow an open playing field where different tunes can be whistled so that everyone gets the news they want. Fux News is embarrassingly bad but its what many people want. Other news outlets are available in the US market, the same is about to be true here. Good.
Fair comment
I agree with RP's analysis of the current situation, but not with the solution. There are two snags. There's the leftist one that if you have a contest of broadcasters putting one-sided views, the right-wing one will win because it has more money (so they'll pay £xxx to employ popular non-political stars to draw people over). That's one reason that the right-wing press tends to do better.
But a more important one is the cohesion of democratic dialogue. We've seen what polarised broadcast media do in the States. People opt for channels that say what they like to hear, and dismiss alternative versions of truth as simply lies. Trump really won the election. All capitalist businesses are corrupt. The middle ground disappears. You need broadcasters who attempt to be neutral or at least to give alternative views a hearing. Otherwise we end up with 50% of the country watching GBNews and 40% watching C4 News, and nobody believing anything the others think.
Comments
Or if you discover that was done by a Rangers fan would it be bad?
I play football and some of the guys smoke before and after the match, I just cannot understand that: it must be that it affects people in different ways.
In the end it is just a habit and it is hard to see any positives to it, but if people want to do it then they should be able to. There are lots of things that we are all doing that aren't particularly healthy.
https://twitter.com/LiamThorpECHO/status/1401779211505967106?s=20
As I say, that was around 60 years ago, when anti-smoking was still 'tarred' with the fact that Hitler had been a non-smoker, and had been, apparently very much opposed to it.
Just a residual memory, by then, of course.
Unless there's good evidence that his apology is only skin-deep!
It is the LibDems who should come out all guns blazing for the latter.
Credit comes when they have a clear legislative path to implementing it in enough countries, including the US, start doing that. This proposal won't happen in the next five years, if ever.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/06/the_end_of_the_wuhan_scamarama.html
I have no problem with the letter. Its like a polling card - a nice reminder to go and do it AND means that you can't "accidentally" forget. We've also had a lot of talk on here from people who said "I'd drop everything for a jab" - the letter isn't quite drop everything but it is informing you of something important that will improve your life.
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-and-opinion/justice-is-not-about-victims-versus-offenders/5108741.article
Not sure the government mind the rebellion at all as long as they overcome it, which they will do even if it is close. It is just re-enforcing Brexiteer views of a strong UK first govt willing to take on the establishment.
It was a joke about TUD getting a fit of vapours if he sees a video of Rangers fans.
Mr. Stocky, Yorkshire for some.
Ff1: post-race ramble:
https://enormo-haddock.blogspot.com/2021/06/azerbaijan-post-race-analysis-2021.html
Feeling a bit more philosophical about the bets failing. Both a bit unlucky but that sort of thing evens out in the end. And Sakhir last year was a cluster of good fortune.
Your Alternative für UK government seems pretty certain about which is your country.
https://twitter.com/ScotNational/status/1401777692047986689?s=20
Telegraph.
Hallelujah! Fantastic news. Has the light finally started to be seen on SAGE modelling fiasco?
It had something to do, I think with the fact that their in house economics expert Paul Krugman was a Gordon Brown worshipper.
To rejection of Brown was added the Coalition government policy of fiscal restraint. Rather than the stimulus that Obama (the NYT was 100% behind Obama on this) wanted.
So the UK was portrayed as an opposite to the America of Obama,
Articles started showing up that portrayed the UK with a collapsed economy, a howling wasteland, where the dead walked. My American relatives, when they visited were trying to square the circle of what they'd read vs the facts of an economy that was growing at a fair pace.
Strangest was how they dealt with the... issue that Cameron and Obama obviously got on well together.
Brexit drove them even further down that line - and the Boris=Trump thing was a natural progression, to NYT.
But it definitely started with Cameron.
As an extra, the "man in the street" quotes from people in the UK started to use US idiom in their language.....
My son also got a blue letter for his first jab - the numpty moved out of mine about 8 years ago but hasn't registered with his new local doctor yet.
The 'attachment to country' data shows a pretty consistent response, wherever you ask, with only a handful of relatively predictable exceptions such as Catalonia, the Basque country and Transylvania. It is notable - and encouraging - that 'attachment to Europe' is relatively high in much of former Eastern Europe (as well as Ireland). The 'attachment to region' data looks potentially the most interesting, but depends upon how people interpret 'region', as you say.
You're probably right on the UK (I think my island might score higher, if people saw it as a region), and the same finding appears the case in the Catalonia, where attachment to country is low presumably because people take this to be Spain, yet attachment to region is also low, presumably because they object to taking Catalonia as a region?
Kay Burley is back on Sky and the first subject was lifting lockdown, what an irony
She then has three guests, Lisa Nandy, Gordon Brown and David King of the so called Independent Sage
All attacking HMG and David King, on one long rant demanding lockdowns until covid is eradicated from the country
Not one was challenged by Burley
GBNews starts next Sunday and I expect their breakfast programme next Monday will see many defection from Burley and Sky
We would be in lockdown for the rest of our lives.
I want my country to be England, but since the Scots are too frit to bugger off, it remains the United Kingdom.
They don’t want to be seen to be pressuring the Govt to ease restrictions because that reduces the potential for criticism if it goes wrong. They also think that the blame for extending restrictions can be pinned on the Govt (international travel etc).
And they think that the Govt continuing restrictions on the back of Labour support will get Tory backbencher a very riled up, could even trigger a leadership challenge.
Watching GB News will make the angry, angrier, just like Fox.
Petty vandalism is mostly harmless if its non racially political, I just appreciate they were more creative than most.
But mainly it’s media playing to their home audience (although the Uk media prefers to give credit to those nice Democrats vs the evul Toooories)
I do recognise it is an accusation from the left, but time will tell and it has to comply with the same regulations BBC and Sky come under
Might be a load of rubbish. It'd have to work hard to be worse than Sky now (or the last time I watched it, anyway).
And can someone explain how Susan Michie can be both on SAGE and also a member of the so-called group that is independent of SAGE? It's a nonsense.
I found it much more informative without her than it was with her. Having interviews where people can actually speak rather than being shouted at every few seconds by someone who loves the sound of her own voice was an improvement.
And remember I support Rishi
Either Counties, or North West/South East etc are typically used as regions, never England.
The committee set up to recommend OfCom chair has been disbanded iirc because they came up with the wrong answer as far as Johnson was concerned.
Having said that I think while Andrew Neil is running the show it will be fine. We will see. But long term I think there could be a 'Fox News' problem.
(Although I'm surprised that they haven't gone for the Lander as the subnational regions in Germany).
The news industry is an industry - as in it needs to make money. That means the most successful are the ones that have the most views for their advertisers and that almost always means being the pied piper and whistling a welcome and familiar tune.
The solution isn't to neuter news outlets from doing so, it is simply to allow an open playing field where different tunes can be whistled so that everyone gets the news they want. Fux News is embarrassingly bad but its what many people want. Other news outlets are available in the US market, the same is about to be true here. Good.
If you asked me to identify my region I would say North West. If you said that North West wasn't an option then I'd think Cheshire, Lancashire etc would be what people would say instead.
Wonder why.
He’s no longer a very credible commentator (let alone network chief).
I shall just continue to try to be a left of centre conservative supporter
We retain regulation on news broadcasting for very good reason.
David Cameron's comments on twitter was one of he most succinct things he has said
https://twitter.com/spectator/status/1401586298914230275?s=21
1. Open as planned, we beat (at least most of) Europe on getting life back to normal. No significant third wave, no more lockdowns: all hail Boris
2. Open as planned. Significant third wave, lockodnw later in the year: Boris the bungler with blood on his hands, people will look again at the earlier cock-ups too
3. Delay opening, we fall behind (bits of) Europe and they don't have a significant third wave and it's clear we were too cautious: Boris in hock to the mad scientists, vaccine bounce disappears as it all looks a bit pointless if we didn't unlock any quicker
4 Delay opening, we fall behind (bits of Europe) but those bits of Europe have a big third wave and lock down again late summer/autumn while a short delay here means no more lockdowns: Boris called this one right, good job
Opening as planned has both the biggest upside and biggest downside, politically. I still think we can open now if we agree (and it's made clear to the country) that the lockdowns were to prevent NHS collapse - if that's not a real risk (it seems unlikely) then we open up. Now does Johnson have the cajones for it?
I think the before Christmas situation is a bit different - Johnson eventually took the route of lockdown, but well after most scientists were warning about imminent doom (increasing cases, with increasing hospitalisations and very little immunity in the population - different to now!) and even then it was only a partial lockdown of the country.
I think I read on Twitter that it's now thought debris caused both incidents.
I predicted lots of the race right (Leclerc's tyre-chewing giving Gasly the chance) but the timing of the safety car (first one) compromised Gasly. Little bit unlucky, but there we are.
Agreed on the title race. Though worth noting Perez's fantastic performance has turned a tiny lead for Red Bull into a reasonably 26 point margin. Bottas looked like a man ready to retire.
Fox News makes money.
Pretty much every other news channel loses money. Most of the losses are hidden as part of larger organisations, or there are deep pocketed sponsors.
Viewership of cable/satellite news is in precipitous decline. And the UK market simply isn't very big.
GB News has raised £60m (including - it is said - £10m from a old friend of mine).
But running a 24 hour news organisation is not inexpensive.
I give in nine months before they announce that they will be shutting up shop.
Feel quite sorry for Valtteri, they split the setup strategy and he ended up with the high-downforce option, he didn’t have the top speed needed to make progress. He’s not having a great season, but hasn’t really done anything wrong.
So there would have been no question on attachment to “English” regional identity, instead attachment to a region of England such as the South West. Conversely the Scots and Welsh would be asked about their attachment to Scotland/Wales v U.K. and EU because, and this is perhaps boon for all the comedians on here, Scotland and Wales were “NUTS” regions in and of themselves while England was subdivided. It’d wager that on that basis Scotland would have shown brown (Scotland over the U.K. and EU) while the regions of England blue (the U.K. over the individual region and the EU) and no part of the U.K. would have shown red.
Iceland gets to be a full member of NATO and have all the benefits accruing therefrom despite not having any armed forces. A similar accommodation will be made with Scotland due the strategic value of the GIUK gap.
But a more important one is the cohesion of democratic dialogue. We've seen what polarised broadcast media do in the States. People opt for channels that say what they like to hear, and dismiss alternative versions of truth as simply lies. Trump really won the election. All capitalist businesses are corrupt. The middle ground disappears. You need broadcasters who attempt to be neutral or at least to give alternative views a hearing. Otherwise we end up with 50% of the country watching GBNews and 40% watching C4 News, and nobody believing anything the others think.