Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
I agree it’s a very weak story by The Times, but it’s unhelpful in the extreme, as people are wont to believe The Times. So the government needs to get in front of it.
The newspaper of broken record
I can still remember, when I was very young, The Times as a The Paper. Not the modern tabloid. Bloody Murdoch...
My father instead I read, from quite an early age, the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American & Economist.
Of those, I think the Economist has held on to quality, the most.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
I agree it’s a very weak story by The Times, but it’s unhelpful in the extreme, as people are wont to believe The Times. So the government needs to get in front of it.
The newspaper of broken record
I can still remember, when I was very young, The Times as a The Paper. Not the modern tabloid. Bloody Murdoch...
My father instead I read, from quite an early age, the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American & Economist.
Of those, I think the Economist has held on to quality, the most.
Even The Economist has gone downhill in recent years.
Andy Burnham is seen by more voters as having what it takes to be PM than Starmer, with 37% saying Burnham has what it takes to be PM to just 24% for Starmer. 59% of Labour voters also think Burnham has what it takes, 48% think Starmer does.
Rayner does even worse than Starmer with just 18% seeing her as having the qualities of a PM, Nandy is 15%.
Sadiq Khan is narrowly ahead of Starmer but behind Burnham on 29% but does worse with Labour supporters than Starmer on 46%.
Sir Keir's overall rating of -29% is close to IDS' -27% when he was also 14 months into his leadership and Michael Howard's -26% at the same period and matches the -29% Corbyn was on at this stage (though Corbyn would plunge to -60% in later years).
OT: remarkable how many twittering types are comparing the cricketer with Begum.
One tweeted something (and has since apologised for it). The other travelled a thousand miles to join a genocidal death cult. Her interview with ITV was notable for the lack of remorse.
Text on a page isn't as bad as burning people alive or actively supporting a religious movement whose hobbies include industrial scale sexual slavery, crucifying children, burning prisoners alive, and the attempted extirpation of the Yazidis.
The draw of the royal yacht was that it was royal, hence invitations were coveted, it offered something no other nation could, where heads of state could kick off their shoes with ours, and it therefore fulfilled a useful diplomatic purpose.
Even if it were 'royal' that doesn't make it unique. Mohammed Bin Salman's yacht is better than this thing is ever going to be.
MBS a has a big boat that looks like every other rich guy’s big boat - even if it’s bigger than almost all of them.
A replacement for Britannia, that looks like the proposed design, is something very different, and quite unique.
The boat has the hallmarks of the great bus designer himself: modernise a 1950s design icon and come up with something that's sort of OK, but not as good as the original was in its time, nor the best of what's available now. And costs more than it should for what you get.
They should just give the Royal Family a yacht and not attempt to justify it with trade deals or worry about sheiks with bigger boats. Monarchs have yachts.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
I agree it’s a very weak story by The Times, but it’s unhelpful in the extreme, as people are wont to believe The Times. So the government needs to get in front of it.
The newspaper of broken record
I can still remember, when I was very young, The Times as a The Paper. Not the modern tabloid. Bloody Murdoch...
My father instead I read, from quite an early age, the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American & Economist.
Of those, I think the Economist has held on to quality, the most.
Three daily papers and two magazines: who was richer, your father or your newsagent?
First it was actors can't play gay characters unless they are gay, now journalists shouldn't be introducing segments on news shows about such issues....
I think the more amusing objection is complaining about inviting "two different gay people [to talk] about trans issues […] without a single trans voice"
If he's saying that he's incapable of representing trans people's voice then maybe he shouldn't step forward to do so, so someone else can be invited instead?
The BBC should get try and get Blair White on. You'd soon hear the screeching - "No, no not that trans woman..."
I missed it this morning, but I see that Esher and Walton (Dominic Raab) is getting smaller. Much harder to tell these days with Con-LD seats, but I think it's probably bad news for Raab.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
This is what too much compliance breeds. Overweening arrogance and callousness. Ministers tweet vaccination numbers excitedly, because they are excited. Not just by the protection offered, but by the astonishing levels of compliance. Look at what we can make people do!
I note that everyone is following a quote from a "Cabinet Minister".
Is this the same reliable source that told us that the Chancellor was going to do absolutely nothing in the face of the lockdown - an hour before the Chancellor stood up to announce a tidal wave of money (furlough etc)? Or a different, reliable source?
Ah, so we can expect Number 10 to junk this story soon. That's a relief!
No - just that in modern journalism, a leaked story of this kind is sometimes completely wrong. We have had a number of them in this epidemic. Not just a different interpretation - flat wrong.
I don't place any value on the statement in question.
This is because they are aggregations of hard data, provided by dedicated professionals, who are committed to trying to get the numbers as correct as they can.
One step better than EncroChat - this time the spooks created the ‘encrypted phone network’ in the first place!
I'm always amazed at just how bad organised crime is at security.
Not just organised crime. Britain and America have been doing the same with whole countries by flogging them insecure cipher machines for the past 60 years. We've still been taken by surprise by almost every war that has broken out since but hey, who's counting?
It's a lot more complicated than that, and the Crypto AG reach didn't really extend to the top tier of hostile nations who were capable of producing their own cryptosystems.
In both the organised crime and nation state cases the main point is the same, if you are trusting others to sell you something secure you can end up in trouble. These organised crime networks keep getting caught out by crypto snake oil, but they never learn.
First it was actors can't play gay characters unless they are gay, now journalists shouldn't be introducing segments on news shows about such issues....
On an issue of less than burning importance for 99% of the population
Given it potentially affects women's rights (a bit the Trans lobby likes to ignore), it may well be an issue for slightly more than half the population.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
I agree it’s a very weak story by The Times, but it’s unhelpful in the extreme, as people are wont to believe The Times. So the government needs to get in front of it.
The newspaper of broken record
I can still remember, when I was very young, The Times as a The Paper. Not the modern tabloid. Bloody Murdoch...
My father instead I read, from quite an early age, the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American & Economist.
Of those, I think the Economist has held on to quality, the most.
Three daily papers and two magazines: who was richer, your father or your newsagent?
My father was a university lecturer - so the new agent was probably richer.
This was the 80s - if you wanted news and information, you had the papers, the weekly magazines or the TV.
OT: remarkable how many twittering types are comparing the cricketer with Begum.
One tweeted something (and has since apologised for it). The other travelled a thousand miles to join a genocidal death cult. Her interview with ITV was notable for the lack of remorse.
Text on a page isn't as bad as burning people alive or actively supporting a religious movement whose hobbies include industrial scale sexual slavery, crucifying children, burning prisoners alive, and the attempted extirpation of the Yazidis.
Treating those things as equivalent is bizarre.
Yes, a better comparison, if there is one, would be grooming. Was the 15-year-old Begum groomed in the same way as under-age girls in Rotherham and across the north?
As time ticks on and they can measure the antibody levels in more and more people over longer and longer since infection, more positive news comes out about retention of immunity.
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
Lol, I bet those most in favour of restrictions live in areas like mine (That has barely any covid); probably are retired, are double vaxxed and barely go out anyway. Tory core vote.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
I agree it’s a very weak story by The Times, but it’s unhelpful in the extreme, as people are wont to believe The Times. So the government needs to get in front of it.
The newspaper of broken record
I can still remember, when I was very young, The Times as a The Paper. Not the modern tabloid. Bloody Murdoch...
My father instead I read, from quite an early age, the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American & Economist.
Of those, I think the Economist has held on to quality, the most.
Even The Economist has gone downhill in recent years.
It’s now more obviously written by a bunch of 25-year-olds and a comprehensive style guide. It used to be more difficult to work that out.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
As time ticks on and they can measure the antibody levels in more and more people over longer and longer since infection, more positive news comes out about retention of immunity.
A month after "at least 9 months", we're at "at least 10 months" with no indication of further waning. Including in the elderly.
Bodes well.
Interesting, and indeed good news.
I have heard that there is a study in the works for antibodies from vaccination. Similar to the Edinburgh stuff, but now an extended time frame. Have you heard anything on that?
"Plan to build UK trade ship will break WTO agreement, warn experts" "But while Number 10 has announced its “intention” to build the as yet unnamed ship in the UK, this would breach an agreement that Britain signed up to only eight months ago.
Ministers failed to exclude the construction of civilian ships from the list of contracts that must be opened to global competition when it signed the WTO “government procurement agreement” (GPA) covering 48 countries last October."
"Liz Truss, trade secretary, boasted in October that the GPA would allow British companies to keep bidding for public sector contracts around the world worth £1.3tr a year. Likewise, she said, overseas groups would be able to continue to bid for UK public sector contracts, “delivering better value for UK taxpayers”.
But that could frustrate the government’s attempts to use a “Buy British” approach to building the new yacht. Item 47 of annex 4 of the UK schedule of the GPA explicitly says the procurement of “ships, boats and floating structures, except warships” must be advertised internationally and awarded without discrimination."
Flaggy McFlagface is also a significant cut in capability for the RN. It will need a whole frigate's worth of crew for which the RN are not receiving any extra funding at a time when 2 x T23 frigates are harbour queens due to... er... lack of crew.
If it is manned entirely by RN personnel surely we can class it as a warship for this purpose?
Yes it's like Boris Force One. It's a military ship with a bunch of flags as the paint job. Honestly, who exactly is going to lodge a complaint anyway? It's a tiny contract.
Mr. JohnL, that's more apt. But still hugely flawed.
Groomed girls/boys (in Rotherham terms) tend to be plied with alcohol and physically intimidated by men who are initially charming and otherwise unknown.
Begum joined ISIS after it had been top of the news for months, including (I believe I'm right in saying) coverage of their atrocities. And she chose to join it. I can't speak for others, but personally the crucifixion of children would put me off travelling a thousand miles to join a group.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
If it's not immediate then the pressure will be immense to lift restrictions before schools break up for summer holidays.
Of course the comparison with tweeting and Begum...even if some young women were groomed into joining ISIS, there is plenty of evidence that when Begun got there she wasn't some shrinking violent who was married off into effective slavery...she was an enforcer of the rules, assisted with terrorist acts etc...
As time ticks on and they can measure the antibody levels in more and more people over longer and longer since infection, more positive news comes out about retention of immunity.
A month after "at least 9 months", we're at "at least 10 months" with no indication of further waning. Including in the elderly.
Bodes well.
Given the minimal level of reinfection it must be "at least 14 months".
I'm sure we'll hear if or when significant reinfection starts happening.
Another thing where 'no news is good news' are reports of covid patients in hospital - search for "Covid patients currently in Bolton hospital" or for similar places and you get a very thin return.
Mr. JohnL, that's more apt. But still hugely flawed.
Groomed girls/boys (in Rotherham terms) tend to be plied with alcohol and physically intimidated by men who are initially charming and otherwise unknown.
Begum joined ISIS after it had been top of the news for months, including (I believe I'm right in saying) coverage of their atrocities. And she chose to join it. I can't speak for others, but personally the crucifixion of children would put me off travelling a thousand miles to join a group.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
Exactly, if we do not fully reopen by the end of the summer we will be back to seasonal lockdowns as winter flu season looms and before the virus mutates again and we need another booster jab
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
Lol, I bet those most in favour of restrictions live in areas like mine (That has barely any covid); probably are retired, are double vaxxed and barely go out anyway. Tory core vote.
Wonder what the male/female split is like on the guest limit at weddings.....
OT: remarkable how many twittering types are comparing the cricketer with Begum.
One tweeted something (and has since apologised for it). The other travelled a thousand miles to join a genocidal death cult. Her interview with ITV was notable for the lack of remorse.
Text on a page isn't as bad as burning people alive or actively supporting a religious movement whose hobbies include industrial scale sexual slavery, crucifying children, burning prisoners alive, and the attempted extirpation of the Yazidis.
Treating those things as equivalent is bizarre.
Running round shouting "Literally! Hitler!" all the time creates the belief (in the shouter) that all transgressors are literally Hitler.
On the subject of Begum - I find it interesting to hear how it's "not possible" to try her for her war crimes.
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
Certainly most want to end the restrictions on weddings then and enable unrestricted indoor meeting, a clear shift.
The public will wear capacity limits on the biggest events still and masks in public transport and shops still but no more beyond that, especially as most have now had a 2nd jab
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
If it's not immediate then the pressure will be immense to lift restrictions before schools break up for summer holidays.
I think there is a realistic possibility that we have amongst the least freedom in Europe this year despite the massive lead in vaccinations. We really are not seeing any economic and social benefit from that advantage.
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
Lol, I bet those most in favour of restrictions live in areas like mine (That has barely any covid); probably are retired, are double vaxxed and barely go out anyway. Tory core vote.
They will also ignore the restrictions they find inconvenient.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
I agree it’s a very weak story by The Times, but it’s unhelpful in the extreme, as people are wont to believe The Times. So the government needs to get in front of it.
The newspaper of broken record
I can still remember, when I was very young, The Times as a The Paper. Not the modern tabloid. Bloody Murdoch...
My father instead I read, from quite an early age, the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American & Economist.
Of those, I think the Economist has held on to quality, the most.
Even The Economist has gone downhill in recent years.
It’s now more obviously written by a bunch of 25-year-olds and a comprehensive style guide. It used to be more difficult to work that out.
I haven’t read it for years but they probably have two issues, 1. A massive US readership means kowtowing to US comprehension standards.
2. The neo-liberal economics espoused by the Economist are not really believed by many economists.
Mr. JohnL, that's more apt. But still hugely flawed.
Groomed girls/boys (in Rotherham terms) tend to be plied with alcohol and physically intimidated by men who are initially charming and otherwise unknown.
Begum joined ISIS after it had been top of the news for months, including (I believe I'm right in saying) coverage of their atrocities. And she chose to join it. I can't speak for others, but personally the crucifixion of children would put me off travelling a thousand miles to join a group.
Presumably those grooming Begum and the other schoolgirls played down the less pleasant aspects. If we accept that one set of under-age girls was groomed, and was not mature enough to consent, why not the other set?
Mr. JohnL, that's more apt. But still hugely flawed.
Groomed girls/boys (in Rotherham terms) tend to be plied with alcohol and physically intimidated by men who are initially charming and otherwise unknown.
Begum joined ISIS after it had been top of the news for months, including (I believe I'm right in saying) coverage of their atrocities. And she chose to join it. I can't speak for others, but personally the crucifixion of children would put me off travelling a thousand miles to join a group.
Yeah...500 maybe but a thousand miles?
My grandfather discovered that a friend from the French Army had joined the French police under Vichy.
He found this out when the friend in question recognised him, and arranged for him to be released as of "no interest", my grandfather (and family) having been detained for being suspected of being Jews.
The friend in question had joined on the basis of "its a job" - on discovering what was going on, he decided that participating in *that* wasn't his thing. Shortly after the incident in question, he left....
Accidentally joining is one thing. Staying is another.
Mr. JohnL, that's more apt. But still hugely flawed.
Groomed girls/boys (in Rotherham terms) tend to be plied with alcohol and physically intimidated by men who are initially charming and otherwise unknown.
Begum joined ISIS after it had been top of the news for months, including (I believe I'm right in saying) coverage of their atrocities. And she chose to join it. I can't speak for others, but personally the crucifixion of children would put me off travelling a thousand miles to join a group.
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
Lol, I bet those most in favour of restrictions live in areas like mine (That has barely any covid); probably are retired, are double vaxxed and barely go out anyway. Tory core vote.
On that basis, Boris will just keep the restrictions in place - to turn those who hate him as mad as if they were own his personal footstool....
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
If the middle aged managers can get the fresh, inexperienced graduates to deliver all working from home then that will happen. Otherwise they will need to use the office more than they like.
Most jobs I have done can easily be done from home by an experienced worker, but would be very difficult to learn without the intense contact you get in an office.
There is probably a big market opportunity for a training company around this.
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
55% of Tory voters want to end the rule of 6 indoors on June 21st and 52% of Tory voters want an end to restrictions on wedding guests from the same date.
So if restrictions on those areas remain by the end of the month expect a clear shift from Tory to ReformUK, probably the biggest shift away from the Tories since May delayed Brexit in spring 2019 which saw the move from Tory to Brexit Party https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/xoc1ldh9zg/TheTimes_Reopening_210603.pdf
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
Lol, I bet those most in favour of restrictions live in areas like mine (That has barely any covid); probably are retired, are double vaxxed and barely go out anyway. Tory core vote.
And live in large houses with a comfortable income. I also detect a delight in restricting the freedoms of others to do things they don't do themselves. A shame.
As time ticks on and they can measure the antibody levels in more and more people over longer and longer since infection, more positive news comes out about retention of immunity.
A month after "at least 9 months", we're at "at least 10 months" with no indication of further waning. Including in the elderly.
Bodes well.
Completely destroys what Cristina Pagel was warbling about in the Grauniad - she was suggesting that protection would already be fading in those second dosed three months ago. This, despite little evidence of substantial re-infection with Covid. Laughably bad, and in my view, as bad as anything Gupta said about herd immunity back in 2020.
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
The big question is what the effect on productivity is.
For those jobs where wfh reduces productivity then it will come to and end as soon as the economy slows.
Andy Burnham is seen by more voters as having what it takes to be PM than Starmer, with 37% saying Burnham has what it takes to be PM to just 24% for Starmer. 59% of Labour voters also think Burnham has what it takes, 48% think Starmer does.
Rayner does even worse than Starmer with just 18% seeing her as having the qualities of a PM, Nandy is 15%.
Sadiq Khan is narrowly ahead of Starmer but behind Burnham on 29% but does worse with Labour supporters than Starmer on 46%.
Sir Keir's overall rating of -29% is close to IDS' -27% when he was also 14 months into his leadership and Michael Howard's -26% at the same period and matches the -29% Corbyn was on at this stage (though Corbyn would plunge to -60% in later years).
There's a thing about masks that I think younger people grasp better than their elders. They are a courtesy to other people. They don't have to worry about whether you have the killer virus. You are keeping your germs to yourself.
OT re the possible parole of Colin Pitchfork, who raped and murdered two schoolgirls, and who was the first to be convicted using DNA fingerprinting. On re-watching the drama-doc Code of a Killer last night, I had forgotten Mrs Thatcher played an incidental but pivotal role. The Home Office had not wanted to pay for mass genetic profiling but someone met Denis and the money was found.
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
I spent a year in Britain in 1993 as an early teen.
The paper subscription was
The Sun - for Dad. The Mail - for Mum. The Times - for me.
This story is probably embarrassingly revealing.
When the Indie lainched in 1985 I was an 11 year old deeply pretentious Adrian Molesque wannabe intellectual and made a point of buying it and reading it on the way to school to emphasise what an intellectual free thinker I was. It paid off to an extent because it gave me an understanding of politics (even though my school didn't offer it as a subject) that allowed me to ace the question "What Constitutes a State?" 6 years later in the Oxford Entrance Exam. Would never have got in otherwise.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
This is what too much compliance breeds. Overweening arrogance and callousness. Ministers tweet vaccination numbers excitedly, because they are excited. Not just by the protection offered, but by the astonishing levels of compliance. Look at what we can make people do!
I note that everyone is following a quote from a "Cabinet Minister".
Is this the same reliable source that told us that the Chancellor was going to do absolutely nothing in the face of the lockdown - an hour before the Chancellor stood up to announce a tidal wave of money (furlough etc)? Or a different, reliable source?
Ah, so we can expect Number 10 to junk this story soon. That's a relief!
Yes, its already been junked as "too early to say" (which was always the official line) and on Monday 14 June when the announcement is actually made there'll be something to say then.
Indeed. 14th June is when a keen as mustard, agog nation will hear whether 21st June is ON or will be delayed. And a quick reminder as to how the decision will be made. There'll be 2 key questions considered:
Can it go ahead with little or no risk to the NHS? - YES/NO Is a delay in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson? - YES/NO
The combination of answers will then drive the outcome as follows:
YES/YES - Delay YES/NO - Go ahead NO/YES - Delay NO/NO - Go ahead
From this we see that it's only the 2nd question we need to answer in order to make a confident prediction.
And can we answer it? Yes, I think we can. The answer is NO. A delay (other than for trivia like a bit of masking here and there) is not in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson. There's a possible benefit to him in that it'd make him look (to some people) prudent and very very circumspect and thoughtful. But this would be outweighed by the downside. Trouble in the party. Messaging problems (since YES is the objective answer to question 1). And most importantly, loss of the long planned Joy & Relief dividend to coincide with the Summer Solstice.
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
But you can't have the younger workers being made to go in to an office, seagull supervised by "middle aged with family" management. That way lies massive resentment.
The managers are going to have to be back in the office too.
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
But you can't have the younger workers being made to go in to an office, seagull supervised by "middle aged with family" management. That way lies massive resentment.
The managers are going to have to be back in the office too.
They will be 3 days a week the rest WFH for the foreseeable
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
But you can't have the younger workers being made to go in to an office, seagull supervised by "middle aged with family" management. That way lies massive resentment.
The managers are going to have to be back in the office too.
That's what a meant. There is potential to be a schism.
I spent a year in Britain in 1993 as an early teen.
The paper subscription was
The Sun - for Dad. The Mail - for Mum. The Times - for me.
This story is probably embarrassingly revealing.
When the Indie lainched in 1985 I was an 11 year old deeply pretentious Adrian Molesque wannabe intellectual and made a point of buying it and reading it on the way to school to emphasise what an intellectual free thinker I was. It paid off to an extent because it gave me an understanding of politics (even though my school didn't offer it as a subject) that allowed me to ace the question "What Constitutes a State?" 6 years later in the Oxford Entrance Exam. Would never have got in otherwise.
Ah yes - the early Independent (when they tried to live up to the name) was very interesting.
There's a thing about masks that I think younger people grasp better than their elders. They are a courtesy to other people. They don't have to worry about whether you have the killer virus. You are keeping your germs to yourself.
This is the one restriction I don't mind staying in place, it doesn't prevent me from doing anything (Unlike say keeping nightclubs shut)
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
This is what too much compliance breeds. Overweening arrogance and callousness. Ministers tweet vaccination numbers excitedly, because they are excited. Not just by the protection offered, but by the astonishing levels of compliance. Look at what we can make people do!
I note that everyone is following a quote from a "Cabinet Minister".
Is this the same reliable source that told us that the Chancellor was going to do absolutely nothing in the face of the lockdown - an hour before the Chancellor stood up to announce a tidal wave of money (furlough etc)? Or a different, reliable source?
Ah, so we can expect Number 10 to junk this story soon. That's a relief!
Yes, its already been junked as "too early to say" (which was always the official line) and on Monday 14 June when the announcement is actually made there'll be something to say then.
Indeed. 14th June is when a keen as mustard, agog nation will hear whether 21st June is ON or will be delayed. And a quick reminder as to how the decision will be made. There'll be 2 key questions considered:
Can it go ahead with little or no risk to the NHS? - YES/NO Is a delay in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson? - YES/NO
The combination of answers will then drive the outcome as follows:
YES/YES - Delay YES/NO - Go ahead NO/YES - Delay NO/NO - Go ahead
From this we see that it's only the 2nd question we need to answer in order to make a confident prediction.
And can we answer it? Yes, I think we can. The answer is NO. A delay (other than for trivia like a bit of masking here and there) is not in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson. There's a possible benefit to him in that it'd make him look (to some people) prudent and very very circumspect and thoughtful. But this would be outweighed by the downside. Trouble in the party. Messaging problems (since YES is the objective answer to question 1). And most importantly, loss of the long planned Joy & Relief dividend to coincide with the Summer Solstice.
So my call is - ignore the Times, it's on.
Did you see the YouGov poll below though? This is the sort of shit that he'll take note of. Does the poll hint that the public don't trust the vaccines? Or is this some strange form of self-flagellation?
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
Exactly, if we do not fully reopen by the end of the summer we will be back to seasonal lockdowns as winter flu season looms and before the virus mutates again and we need another booster jab
On the bright side, there's no sign of a mutation that has evaded the vaccination enough to need the vaccine to be patched. Even the Delta/Indian one looks like it is nixed by the second dose. The virus really is a big dumb brute.
So the question is- will enough people have sufficient immunity to be able to collectively do without restrictions on June 21? The UK is doing well, but perhaps not quite as well as we might have hoped in (say) April. The Big Push never quite happened, because some of the orders didn't come through in the hoped-for way. And as someone who is currently on one dose of AZ, I'm not totally sanguine. Even though my rational scientific mind knows that I'm only being vaccinated to prevent me being used as a viral charabanc.
I spent a year in Britain in 1993 as an early teen.
The paper subscription was
The Sun - for Dad. The Mail - for Mum. The Times - for me.
This story is probably embarrassingly revealing.
I assume you're aware of the Yes Minister quote on newspaper readership? [1] Slightly confusing in your case as it suggests that both you and your dad ran the country.
One of my formative memories of childhood is when we switched from the Mail to the Telegraph (but only because the Telegraph were launching subscriptions and my mum worked out it was cheaper to get the Telegraph on subscription than the Mail on daily rate). I was of an age to appreciate the (then, at least) better journalism and lower sensationalism, while missing the numerous Mail photos of scantily clad female celebrities (and/or their daughters) next to a story about the tied of filth Channel 5 was going to unleash on the country.
At uni, I rebelled - as all right thinking youngsters do - and, when I bought a paper, bought the Guardian. Or the Independent.
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
If the middle aged managers can get the fresh, inexperienced graduates to deliver all working from home then that will happen. Otherwise they will need to use the office more than they like.
Most jobs I have done can easily be done from home by an experienced worker, but would be very difficult to learn without the intense contact you get in an office.
There is probably a big market opportunity for a training company around this.
The solution is going to be different for different companies and different market segments, but also structured around a company timetable.
So, it may be good to get a whole team together for a fortnight, for inductions, training, project kickoff (and socialising), before they go back to WFH 3 or 4 days a week - and the ‘office’ might be a meeting room at the Holiday Inn just off the motorway.
I can see a whole load of different models being tried out, before most companies can work out where to draw the line between productivity and cost. The cost of a whole tower block in the middle of the City is massive, and will be carefully looked at as part of the equation.
People who used to pay £5k for a season ticket and £20 a day for coffees and lunch, might also be amenable to a small pay adjustment. That £10k ish in trains and lunches costs £16k ish in gross salary, plus employer NI.
Has anything been done to Theresa May's constituency?
Will she be moving on?
I get the impression that she quite enjoys being a backbench MP.
Loses Ruscombe, gains Ascot and Brockhill. Very easy hold for her.
I missed that it had gained a bit to the south, though I don't think it has gained Ascot. Either way, not an issue for the Tories.
It has gained the Ascot ward, which doesn't actually contain Ascot the town or the racecourse..
LOL, never really looked at Berkshire ward names before. Most of the people in that ward live on the edge of Ascot, so I can see why it's got Ascot in the name even though it goes along way from the town.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
Daughter's response this morning to Times front page saying that further easing of restrictions may be delayed by between two weeks and a month unprintable even for this forum.
OTOH she has managed to book her 1st and 2nd vaccinations: this Sunday and August Bank Holiday.
It's like a real life version of snakes and ladders.
I spent a year in Britain in 1993 as an early teen.
The paper subscription was
The Sun - for Dad. The Mail - for Mum. The Times - for me.
This story is probably embarrassingly revealing.
When the Indie lainched in 1985 I was an 11 year old deeply pretentious Adrian Molesque wannabe intellectual and made a point of buying it and reading it on the way to school to emphasise what an intellectual free thinker I was. It paid off to an extent because it gave me an understanding of politics (even though my school didn't offer it as a subject) that allowed me to ace the question "What Constitutes a State?" 6 years later in the Oxford Entrance Exam. Would never have got in otherwise.
Ah yes - the early Independent (when they tried to live up to the name) was very interesting.
"Adults will be able to claim a free marijuana joint when they receive a Covid-19 vaccine in Washington State. The promotion, called “Joints for Jabs,” is part of the state’s push to increase vaccinations."
However, Michael Carberry, who played six Tests for England between 2010 and 2014, told 5 Live that Robinson "wouldn't be playing Test cricket" if it was up to him, adding: "I don't believe this is a problem where you can rehabilitate someone."
I presume he also believes criminals must all be locked up forever....as they also clearly can't be reformed.
In more PB is not quite reflective of public opinion news...
Certainly most want to end the restrictions on weddings then and enable unrestricted indoor meeting, a clear shift.
The public will wear capacity limits on the biggest events still and masks in public transport and shops still but no more beyond that, especially as most have now had a 2nd jab
I think we both have a personal interest in that @HYUFD
You are getting married, as is my son on the 31st July, postponed from August last year
Woking is reducing in size by around 4,000 voters, losing the Pirbright and Normandy parts of the constituency. It should still be a Tory seat on the 2019 result, but it would reduce the Tory share of the vote.
There’s also a big change for Guildford as it exchanges its rural part to the south for part of what was the Mole Valley constituency.
I now move from Mole Valley to Guildford. This should be interesting as in theory they have swapped some rock solid Tory for some rock solid Tory BUT all these Mole Valley bits are in the Guildford Borough and because of the Guildford Borough shenanigans, which particularly hit these areas the Tories have lost all their Borough seats and a key County Council seat in the heart of the area to independents.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
If it's not immediate then the pressure will be immense to lift restrictions before schools break up for summer holidays.
I think there is a realistic possibility that we have amongst the least freedom in Europe this year despite the massive lead in vaccinations. We really are not seeing any economic and social benefit from that advantage.
Again, this is spot on. All those saying we are leading the way, but are told who we are allowed to have sex with these past few months, in Europe, they had to cope with closing restaurants at 10pm.
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
If the middle aged managers can get the fresh, inexperienced graduates to deliver all working from home then that will happen. Otherwise they will need to use the office more than they like.
Most jobs I have done can easily be done from home by an experienced worker, but would be very difficult to learn without the intense contact you get in an office.
There is probably a big market opportunity for a training company around this.
The solution is going to be different for different companies and different market segments, but also structured around a company timetable.
So, it may be good to get a whole team together for a fortnight, for inductions, training, project kickoff (and socialising), before they go back to WFH 3 or 4 days a week - and the ‘office’ might be a meeting room at the Holiday Inn just off the motorway.
I can see a whole load of different models being tried out, before most companies can work out where to draw the line between productivity and cost. The cost of a whole tower block in the middle of the City is massive, and will be carefully looked at as part of the equation.
People who used to pay £5k for a season ticket and £20 a day for coffees and lunch, might also be amenable to a small pay adjustment. That £10k ish in trains and lunches costs £16k ish in gross salary, plus employer NI.
A concern I have, is that some employers will treat WFH as passing the cost of the office onto the employee.
BYO (Bring Your Own) is almost universal in mobile phone these days. Unless you are in sales, you are expected to have a mobile, and use that. Quite a few employers assume it will be a smart phone, so that you can use 2FA apps etc.
My current employer has a pretty good attitude - they paid to transport kit from the office to people's homes, so they could have good chairs, monitors etc.
Then there is the issue of space to put this all in.
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
This is what too much compliance breeds. Overweening arrogance and callousness. Ministers tweet vaccination numbers excitedly, because they are excited. Not just by the protection offered, but by the astonishing levels of compliance. Look at what we can make people do!
I note that everyone is following a quote from a "Cabinet Minister".
Is this the same reliable source that told us that the Chancellor was going to do absolutely nothing in the face of the lockdown - an hour before the Chancellor stood up to announce a tidal wave of money (furlough etc)? Or a different, reliable source?
Ah, so we can expect Number 10 to junk this story soon. That's a relief!
Yes, its already been junked as "too early to say" (which was always the official line) and on Monday 14 June when the announcement is actually made there'll be something to say then.
Indeed. 14th June is when a keen as mustard, agog nation will hear whether 21st June is ON or will be delayed. And a quick reminder as to how the decision will be made. There'll be 2 key questions considered:
Can it go ahead with little or no risk to the NHS? - YES/NO Is a delay in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson? - YES/NO
The combination of answers will then drive the outcome as follows:
YES/YES - Delay YES/NO - Go ahead NO/YES - Delay NO/NO - Go ahead
From this we see that it's only the 2nd question we need to answer in order to make a confident prediction.
And can we answer it? Yes, I think we can. The answer is NO. A delay (other than for trivia like a bit of masking here and there) is not in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson. There's a possible benefit to him in that it'd make him look (to some people) prudent and very very circumspect and thoughtful. But this would be outweighed by the downside. Trouble in the party. Messaging problems (since YES is the objective answer to question 1). And most importantly, loss of the long planned Joy & Relief dividend to coincide with the Summer Solstice.
So my call is - ignore the Times, it's on.
That's pretty much exactly my view, despite ominous noises in the Times from an unnamed Cabinet Minister whose name may or may not begin with 'Micha' and end with 'el Gove'. Keep the popular guidance on WFH and masks on public transport, then ditch as much of the rest as possible.
As of 5 June, we crossed the 100 doses per 100 mark, and therefore were 81.8% of the way to Israel's level, and on course to overtake them in less than 4 weeks...
Love these reviews always a load of NIMPS - Not in my parliamentary seat!
Agreed. My Westminster constituency is Dundee West which includes bits of Angus where I live and Perthshire where my daughter lives. So what? The object of this exercise is to ensure that my vote and your vote have roughly equal value which is not the case at the moment where a Welsh vote is worth about 20% more.
We are currently operating off a 2001 census. It is absurd. The government should do the minimum consultation to stop legal impediments and then push this through. We also need to make sure that we never end up with these kinds of delays again. It is undemocratic, much more so than some town being split in 2.
FPTP isn't particularly good as a system for fair representation, and removing 50 MPs would have been even worse for smaller parties. Of course scrapping it and going to STV or some such would be the 'fairest' idea. But this is not what we are offered. We are offered a choice between FPTP on very out of date boundaries or more up to date boundaries. Obviously the more level numbers of constituents per constituency are better than previous.
Hasn't it been set out on the basis of registered voters rather than voter population?
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
I think, if there is genuine concern among the scientists/ministers about the 21st unlocking then it will be the time to try out a bit of trust in the public.
Ditch all the legal restrictions, as expected. But ask people to be careful for a few weeks (could be the mooted couple of weeks to double-jab all over 50s, for example) particularly if not double vaccinated. Please meet outdoors when you can. Have the windows open when you can't. Perhaps advise (but don't require) masks inside. Ask people to do a rapid test before attending higher risk events (mass gatherings, weddings, nightclubs etc).
Can we have Boris on the record ASAP. As Morris and Alex have pointed out, we are doing better than even the BEST CASE Sage scenario.
Boris is on the record as saying nothing in the data to postpone the date.
Until he says otherwise I'd take anonymous briefings from "a Cabinet Minister" with an entire box of salt.
Maybe. But if so it is shocking government discipline verging on criminal.
My guess is that a quote from a "Cabinet Minister" doesn't end up on the front page of The Times by accident and without knowledge from No.10.
They are fucking with us. Fair enough, for many this is no great surprise. But for many others it is seriously damaging to their mental health, financial situation and much else.
If they now open, distress will have been caused by this headline, if they postpone, distress will be caused because they postpone.
No doubt the PB Govt Covid Appreciation Society will cheer on whatever the govt decides and how they decide it.
I've no doubt that they have discussed whether a short delay is (a) needed and (b) can be sold on the basis of the vaccination programme. George Eustace was talking about a short delay just now on R5. Personally I think they should not but I will not now be surprised if there is a delay. I think the preference may be to do away with the restrictions in one go, rather than the step 3.5 approach, and that may be how it is sold.
I think a delay is coming. Whether that is a continuation of where we are or further relaxing but the maintenance of, say, masks and wfh.
Either way I am shocked and amazed because all of PB is telling us that they should have opened up fully weeks ago.
I will be interested to see the reaction of many on here if they decide to wait a while.
Having labelled it freedom day they will have to give us something, but it wont be an end to all legal restrictions as originally proposed.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
If it's not immediate then the pressure will be immense to lift restrictions before schools break up for summer holidays.
I think there is a realistic possibility that we have amongst the least freedom in Europe this year despite the massive lead in vaccinations. We really are not seeing any economic and social benefit from that advantage.
Again, this is spot on. All those saying we are leading the way, but are told who we are allowed to have sex with these past few months, in Europe, they had to cope with closing restaurants at 10pm.
Damn, I didn't get the text about who my allowed sex partner was.
However, Michael Carberry, who played six Tests for England between 2010 and 2014, told 5 Live that Robinson "wouldn't be playing Test cricket" if it was up to him, adding: "I don't believe this is a problem where you can rehabilitate someone."
I presume he also believes criminals must all be locked up forever....as they also clearly can't be reformed.
Wasn't some Labour politician on Radio 4 around the Sarah Everard murder wanting more men locked up or something and the presenter asked them "so, Labour now thinks that 'prison works'?"
Daughter's response this morning to Times front page saying that further easing of restrictions may be delayed by between two weeks and a month unprintable even for this forum.
OTOH she has managed to book her 1st and 2nd vaccinations: this Sunday and August Bank Holiday.
It's like a real life version of snakes and ladders.
Great news about her jabs, good luck to her that all the tables go back in the pub, as scheduled on 21st.
Only Cameron and Blair have made it to be PM from LOTO within the last 42 years. Nations with lower (Outside of dictatorships) turnover in that time period - PAP (Singapore), who else ?
Edit : I checked Germany- they're at 2 (Schroder and Merkel) as well.
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
If the middle aged managers can get the fresh, inexperienced graduates to deliver all working from home then that will happen. Otherwise they will need to use the office more than they like.
Most jobs I have done can easily be done from home by an experienced worker, but would be very difficult to learn without the intense contact you get in an office.
There is probably a big market opportunity for a training company around this.
The solution is going to be different for different companies and different market segments, but also structured around a company timetable.
So, it may be good to get a whole team together for a fortnight, for inductions, training, project kickoff (and socialising), before they go back to WFH 3 or 4 days a week - and the ‘office’ might be a meeting room at the Holiday Inn just off the motorway.
I can see a whole load of different models being tried out, before most companies can work out where to draw the line between productivity and cost. The cost of a whole tower block in the middle of the City is massive, and will be carefully looked at as part of the equation.
People who used to pay £5k for a season ticket and £20 a day for coffees and lunch, might also be amenable to a small pay adjustment. That £10k ish in trains and lunches costs £16k ish in gross salary, plus employer NI.
A concern I have, is that some employers will treat WFH as passing the cost of the office onto the employee.
BYO (Bring Your Own) is almost universal in mobile phone these days. Unless you are in sales, you are expected to have a mobile, and use that. Quite a few employers assume it will be a smart phone, so that you can use 2FA apps etc.
My current employer has a pretty good attitude - they paid to transport kit from the office to people's homes, so they could have good chairs, monitors etc.
Then there is the issue of space to put this all in.
The lower quality employers....
For most companies in lockdown, that stuff was already sitting in an office unused somewhere so easy to allocate. A new or expanding company paying cash for the stuff may see where they can shift the costs to the employee.
Comments
My father instead I read, from quite an early age, the Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Scientific American & Economist.
Of those, I think the Economist has held on to quality, the most.
https://order-order.com/2021/06/08/pink-news-ceo-picks-fight-with-today-programmes-justin-webb-over-stonewall-controversy/
I started tipping regularly on F1 12 years ago.
Rayner does even worse than Starmer with just 18% seeing her as having the qualities of a PM, Nandy is 15%.
Sadiq Khan is narrowly ahead of Starmer but behind Burnham on 29% but does worse with Labour supporters than Starmer on 46%.
Sir Keir's overall rating of -29% is close to IDS' -27% when he was also 14 months into his leadership and Michael Howard's -26% at the same period and matches the -29% Corbyn was on at this stage (though Corbyn would plunge to -60% in later years).
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/exclusive-keir-starmer-ratings-plunge-same-level-jeremy-corbyn-b939308.html#r3z-addoor
One tweeted something (and has since apologised for it). The other travelled a thousand miles to join a genocidal death cult. Her interview with ITV was notable for the lack of remorse.
Text on a page isn't as bad as burning people alive or actively supporting a religious movement whose hobbies include industrial scale sexual slavery, crucifying children, burning prisoners alive, and the attempted extirpation of the Yazidis.
Treating those things as equivalent is bizarre.
They should just give the Royal Family a yacht and not attempt to justify it with trade deals or worry about sheiks with bigger boats. Monarchs have yachts.
I don't place any value on the statement in question.
I place value on the numbers that will be published at 4pm or so on https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
This is because they are aggregations of hard data, provided by dedicated professionals, who are committed to trying to get the numbers as correct as they can.
In both the organised crime and nation state cases the main point is the same, if you are trusting others to sell you something secure you can end up in trouble. These organised crime networks keep getting caught out by crypto snake oil, but they never learn.
This was the 80s - if you wanted news and information, you had the papers, the weekly magazines or the TV.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-021-00708-6
A month after "at least 9 months", we're at "at least 10 months" with no indication of further waning.
Including in the elderly.
Bodes well.
Tory core vote.
As a nation we do seem to have lost track of why we temporarily gave up our freedoms in the first place, it was to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, not to stop being ill.
If we dont go get back to normal now, the window to do so before theoretical seasonal risks will be built into models to make re-opening closer to the autumn equally dangerous will be very small indeed.
I have heard that there is a study in the works for antibodies from vaccination. Similar to the Edinburgh stuff, but now an extended time frame. Have you heard anything on that?
Groomed girls/boys (in Rotherham terms) tend to be plied with alcohol and physically intimidated by men who are initially charming and otherwise unknown.
Begum joined ISIS after it had been top of the news for months, including (I believe I'm right in saying) coverage of their atrocities. And she chose to join it. I can't speak for others, but personally the crucifixion of children would put me off travelling a thousand miles to join a group.
I'm sure we'll hear if or when significant reinfection starts happening.
Another thing where 'no news is good news' are reports of covid patients in hospital - search for "Covid patients currently in Bolton hospital" or for similar places and you get a very thin return.
On the subject of Begum - I find it interesting to hear how it's "not possible" to try her for her war crimes.
The public will wear capacity limits on the biggest events still and masks in public transport and shops still but no more beyond that, especially as most have now had a 2nd jab
I think we are going to see a bit divide here. If you are middle aged with a family, whi nornally has to commute, WFH is great.
If you are a young graduate, the past year must have been total shit. As most young grads want to make friends through work, go out and about etc.
However, not sure how that divide plays out in a big company, if you have the 20-30 years olds all wanting to be in the office and the rest wanting to do 3-4 days a week from home.
It concerns me greatly that the public think that way - though it is not at all consistent with the views of the people I know.
Edit: I note the question says "restrictions". It doesn't differentiate between guidance and law.
1. A massive US readership means kowtowing to US comprehension standards.
2. The neo-liberal economics espoused by the Economist are not really believed by many economists.
He found this out when the friend in question recognised him, and arranged for him to be released as of "no interest", my grandfather (and family) having been detained for being suspected of being Jews.
The friend in question had joined on the basis of "its a job" - on discovering what was going on, he decided that participating in *that* wasn't his thing. Shortly after the incident in question, he left....
Accidentally joining is one thing. Staying is another.
The paper subscription was
The Sun - for Dad.
The Mail - for Mum.
The Times - for me.
This story is probably embarrassingly revealing.
Will she be moving on?
I get the impression that she quite enjoys being a backbench MP.
Most jobs I have done can easily be done from home by an experienced worker, but would be very difficult to learn without the intense contact you get in an office.
There is probably a big market opportunity for a training company around this.
It doesn’t really make any difference, but it is a little weird.
So if restrictions on those areas remain by the end of the month expect a clear shift from Tory to ReformUK, probably the biggest shift away from the Tories since May delayed Brexit in spring 2019 which saw the move from Tory to Brexit Party
https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/xoc1ldh9zg/TheTimes_Reopening_210603.pdf
Laughably bad, and in my view, as bad as anything Gupta said about herd immunity back in 2020.
For those jobs where wfh reduces productivity then it will come to and end as soon as the economy slows.
Can it go ahead with little or no risk to the NHS? - YES/NO
Is a delay in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson? - YES/NO
The combination of answers will then drive the outcome as follows:
YES/YES - Delay
YES/NO - Go ahead
NO/YES - Delay
NO/NO - Go ahead
From this we see that it's only the 2nd question we need to answer in order to make a confident prediction.
And can we answer it? Yes, I think we can. The answer is NO. A delay (other than for trivia like a bit of masking here and there) is not in the personal political interests of Boris Johnson. There's a possible benefit to him in that it'd make him look (to some people) prudent and very very circumspect and thoughtful. But this would be outweighed by the downside. Trouble in the party. Messaging problems (since YES is the objective answer to question 1). And most importantly, loss of the long planned Joy & Relief dividend to coincide with the Summer Solstice.
So my call is - ignore the Times, it's on.
The managers are going to have to be back in the office too.
61-16
Sir Keir’s satisfaction ratings
39-47 so -8
Quite good Gross Positives…
Until you realise that’s with Labour voters only!
-8 with his own party 🙈
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/exclusive-keir-starmer-ratings-plunge-same-level-jeremy-corbyn-b939308.html
So the question is- will enough people have sufficient immunity to be able to collectively do without restrictions on June 21? The UK is doing well, but perhaps not quite as well as we might have hoped in (say) April. The Big Push never quite happened, because some of the orders didn't come through in the hoped-for way. And as someone who is currently on one dose of AZ, I'm not totally sanguine. Even though my rational scientific mind knows that I'm only being vaccinated to prevent me being used as a viral charabanc.
One of my formative memories of childhood is when we switched from the Mail to the Telegraph (but only because the Telegraph were launching subscriptions and my mum worked out it was cheaper to get the Telegraph on subscription than the Mail on daily rate). I was of an age to appreciate the (then, at least) better journalism and lower sensationalism, while missing the numerous Mail photos of scantily clad female celebrities (and/or their daughters) next to a story about the tied of filth Channel 5 was going to unleash on the country.
At uni, I rebelled - as all right thinking youngsters do - and, when I bought a paper, bought the Guardian. Or the Independent.
[1] https://www.quotes.net/mquote/956753
So, it may be good to get a whole team together for a fortnight, for inductions, training, project kickoff (and socialising), before they go back to WFH 3 or 4 days a week - and the ‘office’ might be a meeting room at the Holiday Inn just off the motorway.
I can see a whole load of different models being tried out, before most companies can work out where to draw the line between productivity and cost. The cost of a whole tower block in the middle of the City is massive, and will be carefully looked at as part of the equation.
People who used to pay £5k for a season ticket and £20 a day for coffees and lunch, might also be amenable to a small pay adjustment. That £10k ish in trains and lunches costs £16k ish in gross salary, plus employer NI.
Then comes Khan on 29%, Starmer on 24%, Rayner on 18%, Nandy on 15% and Gove on just 13% comes last
https://twitter.com/benatipsosmori/status/1402191268160151554?s=20
"Starmer - as bad as Corbyn, better than Foot"
OTOH she has managed to book her 1st and 2nd vaccinations: this Sunday and August Bank Holiday.
It's like a real life version of snakes and ladders.
https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1402192437657882630
I presume he also believes criminals must all be locked up forever....as they also clearly can't be reformed.
You are getting married, as is my son on the 31st July, postponed from August last year
I wonder whether @TheScreamingEagles agrees or disagrees with Ben at Ipsos MORI.
BYO (Bring Your Own) is almost universal in mobile phone these days. Unless you are in sales, you are expected to have a mobile, and use that. Quite a few employers assume it will be a smart phone, so that you can use 2FA apps etc.
My current employer has a pretty good attitude - they paid to transport kit from the office to people's homes, so they could have good chairs, monitors etc.
Then there is the issue of space to put this all in.
The lower quality employers....
As of 5 June, we crossed the 100 doses per 100 mark, and therefore were 81.8% of the way to Israel's level, and on course to overtake them in less than 4 weeks...
Ditch all the legal restrictions, as expected. But ask people to be careful for a few weeks (could be the mooted couple of weeks to double-jab all over 50s, for example) particularly if not double vaccinated. Please meet outdoors when you can. Have the windows open when you can't. Perhaps advise (but don't require) masks inside. Ask people to do a rapid test before attending higher risk events (mass gatherings, weddings, nightclubs etc).
Edit : I checked Germany- they're at 2 (Schroder and Merkel) as well.