A leak of a Tory WhatsApp Group of the PM's comments followed by a leak of parliamentary security footage (which surely needs staff connivance to obtain)...
The PM. He doesnt want to sack him because it sets a precedent that incompetence and/or sleaze is unacceptable, which would require a brand new cabinet. He doesnt want him to stay as everyone knows the PM called him hopeless but left him in charge of the most important cabinet role over the last 75 years.
He must want Hancock to resign.
I'm sure you are right. Resignation would be cleanest solution for Johnson. But on the other hand, how vital is Hancock in the ongoing situation and could he be replaced?
Vital, burst my sides laughing , the bellend is as much use as a one legged man at an arse kicking party.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
The FSB have cameras the size of pinheads. Which is quite appropriate in Hancock's case.
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
What a typical unnecessary comment, Malcolmg. Sir Mo Farah has been a model athlete on and off the track through a distinguished career. All sportsmen, in time, come to end and we should applaud him.
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Christopher Snowdon @cjsnowdon Judging by the number of boomer memes circulating on WhatsApp, the Hancock story has “landed” with the general public.
Well it's just the latest example of one law for us and one law for them.
First there was the G7 and Boris showing off in front the global elite - none of them bothering with the quarantine, social distancing and masks we've all been forced to put up with.
Then Boris goes swanning off to the NATO summit while the majority of people back home can't even have a few days in the sun in Magaluf
We have VIP's from FIFA flying in for EURO 2020.
And now we have moron Matt Hancock and his shenanigans. All at the same time people haven't even been able to offer comfort and reassurance to their relatives at funerals (who remembers the story of the sons that wanted to sit with their elderly mother at their fathers funeral and got into trouble)
People are sick of it. People have had enough. If Labour was a half decent opposition this government would be in very deep trouble!
Imagine Gordon Brown or Robin Cook in their Opposition days tearing into this shower of a government?
It would have been a joy to watch.
Robin Cook, the man who ditched his wife for his secretary in a departure lounge at Heathrow?
Because a Labour spin doctor made him choose, there and then.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
The FSB have cameras the size of pinheads. Which is quite appropriate in Hancock's case.
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I guess that there is a certain kind of grim satisfaction in watching the Tories tie themselves into knots defending the indefensible. However, as low grade loathsome as Hancock is, the real story is not his pathetic little fling and the abject incompetence and dishonesty that it exposes.
The real story is who released the CCTV and associated corroboration and why? It could, of course, be more of the brutal, but ultimately shallow revenge of Cummings. However it seems that the source may be elsewhere. Murdoch flexing his muscles re:GB News? Except that Rupes is distracted elsewhere (and is 90 after all) and it seems that this was not an in house sting from The Sun. More to the point BoJo has been a pretty big player in the media world and knows that he can probably face it down (albeit at a cost of buckets of shit hitting his head for a few weeks, which he figures he can brazen out as he has done so many times before).
Actually like Roger I don't think the fling itself is that pathetic - without knowing the marital circumstances it's impossible to judge the ethics, but the embrace itself looked sweetly affectionate. I do think that his previous record of condeming someone else for the same thing and insisting on rules for everyone else warrant resignation, but that's as far as I'd go.
But cui bono on the video? First, opportunity. Neither Boris nor any other politician seems likely to have access to CCTV (still less to long-distance paparazzi pictures). MI5? not really - they struggle to keep track of suspected terrorists, hard to imagine they assign people to peruse Westminster corridors. But some junior officer monitors CCTV, and that seems the first place to look. Second, motive. Might it not simply be money? I could well imagine the Sun paying £100K for it.
Ferguson wasn’t quite the same thing as he was regularly travelling across London on public transport so exposing innocent passers by as well.
He lacked the ministerial car and driver, tough at the top.
The problem Hancock(/ Johnson if he won’t sack him) has in many respects is that, as other people have pointed out, that the line about “private affair” doesn’t stack up when the Govt have over the past 15 months made everyone’s private affair public by default. And not just through guidance to act in certain ways, but actually legislated against it. Now it maybe that, just as in most cases the offence does not technically breach the law, or is anyway pretty unenforceable if it does, but that’s not really the point.
When there are clips all over the place of Hancock enthusiastically encouraging the police to get involved in even the slightest misdemeanours then people have a right to get angry.
I also haven’t been following totally closely, so I might have missed key things, but there appears to be a great deal of fudging about whether this was a one off incident rather than a long running affair. There was the statement that social distancing rules were broken “on this occasion”. But no statement about “a moment of weakness leading to a mistake in a high pressure situation and the end of one particularly stressful day”. If he could confidently say the latter then I think it would put him in a massively stronger position. But the fact that he can’t (assuming he hasn’t) is revealing. And problematic. Ferguson, for example was making regular trips to see his partner. Cummings, whilst totally cackhandedly handled, had the defence that he was looking out for his family.
But Hancock?
My assumption is it’s a long running affair
It’s why she was appointed as an unofficial/unpaid aide
And then when people asked what she was doing there was made a non-executive director at the department
So it's an Arcuri situation...
I’m not particularly worried about the unpaid aide - basically a workaround on the rules I guess but probably legitimate.
Don’t know the process for NED appointment but they seem pretty marginal sinecures so if she was doing then work (and she’s clearly qualified) then 🤷♂️
I don’t really care about the affair, I just feel very sorry for the injured parties.
However I just don’t see how he has any authority or credibility on imposing (or maintaining) restrictions in future. Hence his effectiveness is undermined.
I’d actually be favour of keeping him in place until the restrictions are lifted next month (I don’t see how he can extend them credibly, although it may make July 5 difficult because that would be a knee jerk reaction). Then reshuffle him to Siberia.
Seems that one side effect of this is that it would be near impossible not to lift restrictions on 19th now.
Hancock was the leading voice for keeping them in the mini-Cabinet that makes all the decisions, along with Gove. The latter is now out numbered presumably with Hancock sidelined and his 'vote' now just laughable.
Said the same yesterday.
The Sun has done us all a big favour.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 12h If the group chat tonight is anything to go by, I don’t think Matt Hancock is going to be able to deliver vital public health messages anytime soon and be taken seriously.
Of course he fucking can't. It's why Calderwood had to go at the start of the pandemic in Scotland.
The only reasons I can think of for Boris to keep Hancock in place are either to drag out his punishment or to troll the public. In either case, sending him out to do press conferences would he an excellent wheeze.
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
What a typical unnecessary comment, Malcolmg. Sir Mo Farah has been a model athlete on and off the track through a distinguished career. All sportsmen, in time, come to end and we should applaud him.
Glad you think so , as someone said , tough now his coach has been banned.
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
Implausibility isn’t enough to categorically rule something out - once you rule out the alternatives, the implausible becomes likely
I totally agree that it’s not Russia/China. But @moonshine wants us to prove a negative
No I don’t. This is about drawing conclusions from the limited evidence available to you and me, and drawing inferences from what has been said by some people with top level security clearance, and many others with direct access to those people.
If you don’t think it’s Russia or China (at least not the more interesting incidents), the US has confirmed yesterday it was not them and likely not a recording glitch and in at least 18 cases not aerial debris, then just what do you think it might be? “I don’t know” is for now the properly correct answer of course, and the Pentagon amusingly uses the term “catch all other bin” for this category.
But can’t you see how this is answer is simply not good enough? We must spend an appropriate portion of society’s energies and treasure to try and find out. And that portion is far far greater than what has been expended to date.
It amused m that whilst Hancock just led the latest Radio 5 Live news, this was the last item....
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I found some of the anger over the Cummings thing a bit weird as I’d want to obey the rules irrespective of how others behaved.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
Rumours that Coladangelo's brother was given some of the lucrative PPE contracts by the NHS....
always money and graft when Tories are involved.
Do you mean "grift"? I haven't seen much graft coming from the direction of this government.
Your one does also apply but I was thinking of this one "the act of getting money or advantage through the dishonest use of political power and influence"
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
A minute behind Gebreselassie's PB, of course most elite athletes, even in endurance sports, tail off in their late thirties.
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Now the under 30s haven't had much opportunity yet to get vaccinated but what's the excuse for those over 40 ? And those over 50 have been able to get vaccinated since March.
Thats not good for 40-50, they are in the tweener zone where the risk of suffering badly starts to be something to be concerned about. And, we know a proportion of first doses don't come back for their 2nd dose.
I have to say i was quite surprised the number of people who were clearly in their 40s only getting their first dose when I got my 2nd jab this week. I thought what have you been doing for the past 2-3 months while you have been eligible.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
Agreed.
However the leaking of the recording is a likely offence under a number of different laws.
Unless whistleblowing? Which is allegedly the reason it's not going to be prosecuted.
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I found some of the anger over the Cummings thing a bit weird as I’d want to obey the rules irrespective of how others behaved.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
Good point.
People claiming that they only followed covid restrictions pre vaccination because the government told them to do so are exposing themselves as either idiots and/or liars.
But Hancock wanting restrictions maintained on the already vaccinated while ignoring them himself is very hypocritical. Especially so when he isn't losing out financially from doing so.
For anyone interested in the tragic Miami building collapse, a 2018 report into the structure has been released. It shows water ingress (admittedly to be expected in a forty-year old building), and, potentially significantly, concrete cancer in columns and slabs in the lower levels.
Repairs were apparently due to begin soon. The last line: "We look forward to working with you in maintaining the structural integrity of the Champlain Towers South Condominium." (emphasis mine)
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I found some of the anger over the Cummings thing a bit weird as I’d want to obey the rules irrespective of how others behaved.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
Good point.
People claiming that they only followed covid restrictions pre vaccination because the government told them to do so are exposing themselves as either idiots and/or liars.
But Hancock wanting restrictions maintained on the already vaccinated while ignoring them himself is very hypocritical. Especially so when he isn't losing out financially from doing so.
This is why he SHOULD be going.
If there is a link to his squeeze's family getting contracts, it is why he WILL be going. My guess is by the end of the day, if that story has any legs.
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
Implausibility isn’t enough to categorically rule something out - once you rule out the alternatives, the implausible becomes likely
I totally agree that it’s not Russia/China. But @moonshine wants us to prove a negative
No I don’t. This is about drawing conclusions from the limited evidence available to you and me, and drawing inferences from what has been said by some people with top level security clearance, and many others with direct access to those people.
If you don’t think it’s Russia or China (at least not the more interesting incidents), the US has confirmed yesterday it was not them and likely not a recording glitch and in at least 18 cases not aerial debris, then just what do you think it might be? “I don’t know” is for now the properly correct answer of course, and the Pentagon amusingly uses the term “catch all other bin” for this category.
But can’t you see how this is answer is simply not good enough? We must spend an appropriate portion of society’s energies and treasure to try and find out. And that portion is far far greater than what has been expended to date.
But isn't that roughly what the report said and what you denied it said? Crudely put, there are some observations that can't be explained so the Navy needs oodles more cash to buy better instruments and make better observations.
A curious mind wonders why these observations cannot be explained and why the preeminent technological power on earth might require “scientific advances” to do so.
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Now the under 30s haven't had much opportunity yet to get vaccinated but what's the excuse for those over 40 ? And those over 50 have been able to get vaccinated since March.
Thats not good for 40-50, they are in the tweener zone where the risk of suffering badly starts to be something to be concerned about. And, we know a proportion of first doses don't come back for their 2nd dose.
I have to say i was quite surprised the number of people who were clearly in their 40s only getting their first dose when I got my 2nd jab this week. I thought what have you been doing for the past 2-3 months while you have been eligible.
The possibility of easier travel etc if you've been jabbed should provide a boost to all these groups. Happily the numbers can only improve too.
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
The two greatest distance runners of all time. This year, we’ll have a new Olympic 10k champion.
For anyone interested in the tragic Miami building collapse, a 2018 report into the structure has been released. It shows water ingress (admittedly to be expected in a forty-year old building), and, potentially significantly, concrete cancer in columns and slabs in the lower levels.
Repairs were apparently due to begin soon. The last line: "We look forward to working with you in maintaining the structural integrity of the Champlain Towers South Condominium." (emphasis mine)
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
If you work in a ministerial office, you'd expect to be told where all the cameras were as part of a security briefing, surely?
He might well have been, ages ago. And like I suggested earlier, most footage won't be watched (or at least reviewed), and he may well only have been concerned with being disturbed by people, not whether the cameras might see.
Can’t help thinking that, whilst I agree with most of what Cummings has to say about disfunctional government and whole departments needing to be replaced, the way he’s going about publishing things is dangerously close to being in breach of the Official Secrets Act.
Having a point but doing it in a needlessly disruptive (even counter productive) way, seems very on brand for Cummings.
We do need disrupters, but taking such evident joy in being a disrupter probably works against him - revolutionaries are probably more effective when others don't see it as being revolutionary.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
Agreed.
However the leaking of the recording is a likely offence under a number of different laws.
Unless whistleblowing? Which is allegedly the reason it's not going to be prosecuted.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
Agreed.
However the leaking of the recording is a likely offence under a number of different laws.
Unless whistleblowing? Which is allegedly the reason it's not going to be prosecuted.
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I found some of the anger over the Cummings thing a bit weird as I’d want to obey the rules irrespective of how others behaved.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
Good point.
People claiming that they only followed covid restrictions pre vaccination because the government told them to do so are exposing themselves as either idiots and/or liars.
But Hancock wanting restrictions maintained on the already vaccinated while ignoring them himself is very hypocritical. Especially so when he isn't losing out financially from doing so.
This is why he SHOULD be going.
If there is a link to his squeeze's family getting contracts, it is why he WILL be going. My guess is by the end of the day, if that story has any legs.
Perhaps he has a PPE factory and it was all genuine.
But if he was acting as a zero value adding middleman trying to source some rubbish from the third world ...
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I found some of the anger over the Cummings thing a bit weird as I’d want to obey the rules irrespective of how others behaved.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
Was it May 6th? I think from May 17th (?) 2 households were allowed to bubble.
I only looked briefly though - not worth more than about 30s.
Can’t help thinking that, whilst I agree with most of what Cummings has to say about disfunctional government and whole departments needing to be replaced, the way he’s going about publishing things is dangerously close to being in breach of the Official Secrets Act.
Arrests under the OSA are rare and successful prosecutions are even rarer.
The Fireplace Salesman leaked National Security Council information to The Telegraph and wasn't troubled by the OSA. In fact, Johnson restored him to the cabinet. So Cummings has absolutely nothing to worry about on that score.
Shame. Hancock sacked for breaking his own laws and Cummings locked up would be one hell of a result.
We just need to get Williamson, Patel, Gove and Jenrick in somehow...
Jenrick will be gone soon. Someone has to take the fall for the coming u-turn on planning laws.
Have they actually been formally announced (not that I need to care, Mrs Eek works for a national park so different rules apply).
The laws or the U-turn? Pretty sure they had said previously they were pushing ahead with the planning bill, but the U-turn seems to be still at the 'won't admit it' stage.
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I found some of the anger over the Cummings thing a bit weird as I’d want to obey the rules irrespective of how others behaved.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
Good point.
People claiming that they only followed covid restrictions pre vaccination because the government told them to do so are exposing themselves as either idiots and/or liars.
But Hancock wanting restrictions maintained on the already vaccinated while ignoring them himself is very hypocritical. Especially so when he isn't losing out financially from doing so.
This is why he SHOULD be going.
If there is a link to his squeeze's family getting contracts, it is why he WILL be going. My guess is by the end of the day, if that story has any legs.
Perhaps he has a PPE factory and it was all genuine.
But if he was acting as a zero value adding middleman trying to source some rubbish from the third world ...
No the relative works for a legit company who provides GP services and has done for 11 years. It quite a different story to the mate down the pub incident.
Christopher Snowdon @cjsnowdon Judging by the number of boomer memes circulating on WhatsApp, the Hancock story has “landed” with the general public.
Well it's just the latest example of one law for us and one law for them.
First there was the G7 and Boris showing off in front the global elite - none of them bothering with the quarantine, social distancing and masks we've all been forced to put up with.
Then Boris goes swanning off to the NATO summit while the majority of people back home can't even have a few days in the sun in Magaluf
We have VIP's from FIFA flying in for EURO 2020.
And now we have moron Matt Hancock and his shenanigans. All at the same time people haven't even been able to offer comfort and reassurance to their relatives at funerals (who remembers the story of the sons that wanted to sit with their elderly mother at their fathers funeral and got into trouble)
People are sick of it. People have had enough. If Labour was a half decent opposition this government would be in very deep trouble!
Imagine Gordon Brown or Robin Cook in their Opposition days tearing into this shower of a government?
It would have been a joy to watch.
Robin Cook, the man who ditched his wife for his secretary in a departure lounge at Heathrow?
Good choice, airport staff won't be happy if people cause a scene.
My wife hasn't hugged her 95 year old widowed father for 16 months, because Hancock repeatedly said that we must maintain social distance. Many others have followed his advice. Now he is exposed as a grotesque hypocritic, and well as being useless. Sadly he has no shame, something which seems to be a qualification for working for Boris.
If they've both been double vaccinated (or previously infected) then there's no reason not to.
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
I found some of the anger over the Cummings thing a bit weird as I’d want to obey the rules irrespective of how others behaved.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
Was it May 6th? I think from May 17th (?) 2 households were allowed to bubble.
I only looked briefly though - not worth more than about 30s.
I'm not sure there was unanimous informed consent across the 2 households about the bubbling though...
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Now the under 30s haven't had much opportunity yet to get vaccinated but what's the excuse for those over 40 ? And those over 50 have been able to get vaccinated since March.
Thanks 'Another Richard'
I had not noticed that before on the dash board, is it new? I thought I would add how much it has gone up in each age band over the last 24 Hours
Not really any surprise there, still going up but very incrementally above 50, slightly more so for 30-50 and fastest at the bottom.
If these rates are maintained for the next 10 days, and they may not, (or vaccination at the weekend may have a different pattern with more working age people?) then the bottom 3 groups all get to around 60% for tall the groups under 35, which is I think where it will really slow down.
Yep, they haven’t been rushing to get vaccines because their isolation and quarantine systems were working. Now they’re not working.
John Campbell was saying combination of infected people exhaust more virus and you need to be exposed to less, original mitigation approaches like social distancing is far less effective and outside transfer is now possible (although still harder than inside).
Doesn’t look good in Sydney, there’s a high chance it’s not containable at this point.
Apparently all started from a single limo driver picking up aircrew
Yet another illustration that those complaining that the government should have used the expelliarmous spell to keep Delta out of the country are living in a fantasy. The virus finds a way. Until you are vaccinated. Simples.
Christopher Snowdon @cjsnowdon Judging by the number of boomer memes circulating on WhatsApp, the Hancock story has “landed” with the general public.
Well it's just the latest example of one law for us and one law for them.
First there was the G7 and Boris showing off in front the global elite - none of them bothering with the quarantine, social distancing and masks we've all been forced to put up with.
Then Boris goes swanning off to the NATO summit while the majority of people back home can't even have a few days in the sun in Magaluf
We have VIP's from FIFA flying in for EURO 2020.
And now we have moron Matt Hancock and his shenanigans. All at the same time people haven't even been able to offer comfort and reassurance to their relatives at funerals (who remembers the story of the sons that wanted to sit with their elderly mother at their fathers funeral and got into trouble)
People are sick of it. People have had enough. If Labour was a half decent opposition this government would be in very deep trouble!
Imagine Gordon Brown or Robin Cook in their Opposition days tearing into this shower of a government?
It would have been a joy to watch.
Robin Cook, the man who ditched his wife for his secretary in a departure lounge at Heathrow?
Good choice, airport staff won't be happy if people cause a scene.
Bad Al Campbell at his finest, that one.
Called up Cook at 6pm on Saturday, saying that he was going to be on the front page of the Sunday papers with his mistress, and what was he going to do about it?
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
The two greatest distance runners of all time. This year, we’ll have a new Olympic 10k champion.
Usain Bolt 100m, 200m. Think he is the only runner male or female to do so at 3 separate Olympics at any distance? Excluding relays, walkers and field events.
Doesn’t look good in Sydney, there’s a high chance it’s not containable at this point.
Apparently all started from a single limo driver picking up aircrew
Yet another illustration that those complaining that the government should have used the expelliarmous spell to keep Delta out of the country are living in a fantasy. The virus finds a way. Until you are vaccinated. Simples.
Delta couldn't have been kept out permanently but a two week delay would have been useful.
The risk is letting in an even worse variant which has significant vaccine evasion.
Doesn’t look good in Sydney, there’s a high chance it’s not containable at this point.
Apparently all started from a single limo driver picking up aircrew
Yet another illustration that those complaining that the government should have used the expelliarmous spell to keep Delta out of the country are living in a fantasy. The virus finds a way. Until you are vaccinated. Simples.
True, although it is far worse to have multiple seeding events in different parts of the country at the same time....if you have that, more likely it finds a super spreader (event) and it really takes off before you can do any contact tracing. Which is what happened here with the travel from India.
If you can restrict it to single incidents here and there gives you a chance to squash it.
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
(...)
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
(...) And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
C'mon, there's far more comedy value here than simply scope for explaining that absence of evidence of X doesn't indicate either that X is being covered up or that the assessed probability of X should be increased.
The ODNI must have some reason for advising that "Some UAP may be technologies deployed by China, Russia, another nation, or a non-governmental entity."
What I'd like to know is what uniformity there is in the electromagnetic signatures of "the small number of cases where a UAP appeared to display unusual flight characteristics or signature management."
What wavelengths are we talking about?
Because let's not rule out the possibility that the dolphins are finally, at long last, calling time on homo "sapiens" (sic) with a resounding "All Your Base Are Belong To Us".
Then there was Nikola Tesla. I'm still laughing from when I found out it really was Donald Trump's uncle John who went to the New York hotel room that Tesla had died in and spent days examining his papers for the FBI. Which goes to show that some things that loonies say are true. What was it with NT and the pigeons? I'm not convinced by ologists' explanations of pigeons' homing abilities. Also as any fule kno, Donald Trump is pathologically terrified of sharks.
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Yes, Wales has done well - whether that's actually Drakeford or the NHS in Wales time will tell. But given the vaccine hesitancy predominantly among ethnic minorities, all three of Wales (5.2% ethnic minority), Scotland (4%) and NI (0.85%) should be ahead of England (13%) - and that they are largely level pegging,(or behind in NI's case) is a credit to NHS England.
Congrats. My max this year's been just over eleven miles. Then again, I've done at least one run every day, and am at over 1,200 miles. Although I am getting slower and slower as my body wears out ...
Why does it matter if the Labour candidate is gay? Who cares, what is wrong with people seriously
It matters quite a lot to a significant percentage of the people Labour invited into our country to improve our social diversity. People who are now British and yet in many cases don’t share British values. Yet another tranche of the electorate Labour took for granted. Biter bit.
Eh? Doesn't the Pakistani Muslim community in the North of England (which I assume you're referencing) date primarily from the post war labour shortage of the 1950s/60s and the abundance of work in the textile industry at the time, combined with long-standing laws facilitating travel within the commonwealth? After immigration law reform, especially the 1971 act, immigration from the commonwealth except for specific reasons, including to join family, has been quite restricted. I think this idea that immigration is some kind of Labour Party plot is quite far fetched. The fact that many of these communities vote Labour has as much to do with the perception that the Tories have been the racist party - and latterly the Islamophobic party - than the idea that Labour is going out of its way to represent their interests. It's encouraging that being homophobic is seen as un-British these days, but it wasn't so long ago (certainly in my lifetime) that many on the right were openly homophobic, and most of the legal protections for sexual minorities were brought in by Labour.
On immigration patterns are very complex.
There are certainly people who came over to work (say pre-1971), but then families would be sent-for. Then there has long been a practise of finding spouses (classically brides - seen sometimes as a way of proteting traditionalist values) from the home country, for cultures where arranged marriage is the norm. ie Applies to eg Bangladesh and India, as well as Pakistan, and also from the Arab world. And many other communities. You used to be able to go down streets in northern towns, and the Imam could explain how neighbours here used to be neighbours in the same village in the home country.
Plus also the overlay of economic migrants and refugees since then.
If you want to push it you could shoehorn mail-order brides into the same hankering for the old values analysis.
IME there has never been a shortage of people arguing 'traditionalist' viewpoints, whether looking to an Iranian-style setup or a back-to-the-roots-of-my-religion or even dreaming of a caliphate. Isn't that just a characteristic of all belief systems, whether this or inspiring Christian communism, or even dreams about the French Revolution or the Paris Commune?
My experience is limited to several years living in BD7 pre-Rushdie, conferences etc, various friendships, and a fairly consistent interest since.
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
The two greatest distance runners of all time. This year, we’ll have a new Olympic 10k champion.
Usain Bolt 100m, 200m. Think he is the only runner male or female to do so at 3 separate Olympics at any distance? Excluding relays, walkers and field events.
Justin Gatlin also has three 100m medals, across four Games, but he’s the only one.
Staying on top of your game for so long is incredibly difficult, but Usain Bolt was an astonishingly exceptional athlete. His 100m and 200m WRs are 12 years old now, and no-one’s got close to either of them.
Doesn’t look good in Sydney, there’s a high chance it’s not containable at this point.
Apparently all started from a single limo driver picking up aircrew
Yet another illustration that those complaining that the government should have used the expelliarmous spell to keep Delta out of the country are living in a fantasy. The virus finds a way. Until you are vaccinated. Simples.
True, although it is far worse to have multiple seeding events in different parts of the country at the same time....if you have that, more likely it finds a super spreader (event) and it really takes off before you can do any contact tracing. Which is what happened here with the travel from India.
If you can restrict it to single incidents here and there gives you a chance to squash it.
It’s pretty much unsquashable That’s the point. Only vaccines work. The government must keep pushing that message and incentivising take up by giving “rewards “ to those who do including foreign travel. It’s the only way.
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Now the under 30s haven't had much opportunity yet to get vaccinated but what's the excuse for those over 40 ? And those over 50 have been able to get vaccinated since March.
Thats not good for 40-50, they are in the tweener zone where the risk of suffering badly starts to be something to be concerned about. And, we know a proportion of first doses don't come back for their 2nd dose.
I have to say i was quite surprised the number of people who were clearly in their 40s only getting their first dose when I got my 2nd jab this week. I thought what have you been doing for the past 2-3 months while you have been eligible.
I'm amazed at those figures. I know we've had a lot of rhetoric about the Covid only killing people in their 80s, but, even so, given the scale of the impact of the pandemic for the last 18 months, I would expect a larger majority of people to be very keen to get vaccinated and end this thing.
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
The two greatest distance runners of all time. This year, we’ll have a new Olympic 10k champion.
Usain Bolt 100m, 200m. Think he is the only runner male or female to do so at 3 separate Olympics at any distance? Excluding relays, walkers and field events.
Justin Gatlin also has three 100m medals, across four Games, but he’s the only one.
Staying on top of your game for so long is incredibly difficult, but Usain Bolt was an astonishingly exceptional athlete. His 100m and 200m WRs are 12 years old now, and no-one’s got close to either of them.
I think his 200 is even more incredible than his 100 and may last another 20 years. Very long legs+ absolutely incredible leg speed were his strengths and they were even more effective over the longer distance.
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Now the under 30s haven't had much opportunity yet to get vaccinated but what's the excuse for those over 40 ? And those over 50 have been able to get vaccinated since March.
Thats not good for 40-50, they are in the tweener zone where the risk of suffering badly starts to be something to be concerned about. And, we know a proportion of first doses don't come back for their 2nd dose.
I have to say i was quite surprised the number of people who were clearly in their 40s only getting their first dose when I got my 2nd jab this week. I thought what have you been doing for the past 2-3 months while you have been eligible.
I'm amazed at those figures. I know we've had a lot of rhetoric about the Covid only killing people in their 80s, but, even so, given the scale of the impact of the pandemic for the last 18 months, I would expect a larger majority of people to be very keen to get vaccinated and end this thing.
It’s why I have been going on about this for over 2 months. Why have we been so slow in vaxxing the younger cohorts? Is it supply or is it lack of enthusiasm or is it that the government can’t be arsed? Each of these has a different policy solution and we need to choose the right one. Now. Actually a month ago. But now would still help.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
Agreed.
However the leaking of the recording is a likely offence under a number of different laws.
Unless whistleblowing? Which is allegedly the reason it's not going to be prosecuted.
Someone leaked a damaging photo taken inside a cabinet minister's office, and there's not going to be an investigation? What if next time they - or some other "they" - demand something in return for not sending some other potentially damaging photo to a foreign power? (Of course there will be an investigation. There will have to be. This is just a comment on what's been said.)
Does anyone know how many senators will be shown the classified section of the UAP Taskforce report? All of them? Or just the intelligence committee and gang of 8?
I’m astounded (I really shouldnt be) that Philip and Robert can think the report no big deal. In plain language it states that they are a risk to flight safety and may be a risk to national security. Forget the rest, just consider that. They are a real physical phenomena that is categorically a risk to flight safety.
It goes on to say that they have no evidence they are from foreign adversaries. With all the trillions spent on military hardware, electronic surveillance, human sources etc… there’s “no evidence” they are from Russia or China. Let that part sink in.
And finally that at least 18 incidents showed “unusual flight characteristics”, namely very fast acceleration with no visible signs of propulsion.
These are incidents only recorded since 2004 and only by the Navy. Neither the Air Force or CIA cooperated with the report. In essence there are 18 (!) episodes equivalent to the famous Nimitz case involving David Fravor. That’s just the Navy and just those that were formally recorded.
And to Philip’s lament that “oh no they’re asking for more money”. When figures were last reported, the task force had an annual budget of just $22m. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the US military budget to spend further investigating physical objects around US military assets, that not only display technological signatures but have been categorised as: “clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U.S. national security”?
“There’s no evidence they are from Russia and China.
Let that sink it”
Yup. It’s sunk in. It means that there’s no evidence that they’re from Russia or China. Can you categorically rule out that Russia or China have a super-dooper top secret whizz-bang programme that no one in the world apart from President Xi and girlfriend #4 (Wednesday) know about? No, you can’t. But is there any evidence that’s the case? Nope.
Because it's completely implausible. If wither Russia or China had such a thing money would be more than enough reason to
1st dose numbers have been exceeding 2nd doses for about a week. Hard to be sure how next few weeks will go but it looks promising that 9 in 10 UK adults will have had 1st dose & 2/3 both doses by 19th July, ‘terminus date’ in England
Now the under 30s haven't had much opportunity yet to get vaccinated but what's the excuse for those over 40 ? And those over 50 have been able to get vaccinated since March.
Thats not good for 40-50, they are in the tweener zone where the risk of suffering badly starts to be something to be concerned about. And, we know a proportion of first doses don't come back for their 2nd dose.
I have to say i was quite surprised the number of people who were clearly in their 40s only getting their first dose when I got my 2nd jab this week. I thought what have you been doing for the past 2-3 months while you have been eligible.
I suspect some people thought covid was finished and that it was only Delta which prompted them to get vaccinated.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
Agreed.
However the leaking of the recording is a likely offence under a number of different laws.
Unless whistleblowing? Which is allegedly the reason it's not going to be prosecuted.
Someone leaked a damaging photo taken inside a cabinet minister's office, and there's not going to be an investigation? What if next time they - or some other "they" - demand something in return for not sending some other potentially damaging photo to a foreign power? (Of course there will be an investigation. There will have to be. This is just a comment on what's been said.)
If its the PM and our own spies acting on his instructions doing the leaking, as seems the most plausible explanation to me, no investigation is needed.
Why does it matter if the Labour candidate is gay? Who cares, what is wrong with people seriously
British Muslims attitude to homosexuality is equivalent to perhaps the Victorians, according to surveys anyway, and in seats where they are a significant voting bloc, people are using the fact the Labour candidate is gay to stop them voting for her.
One has to be very careful when explaining this to avoid waking Kinabalu by setting off his finely tuned ra-cist-dar
Why not drop the softhead facetiousness and think properly about what we discussed? I answered all your questions impeccably and in a spirit of genuine desire to clarify and illuminate. It's all there at the end of the thread in question, "Trump at 25% chance". I can do no more.
So why don't you answer CHB's question
"Why does it matter if the Labour candidate is gay? Who cares, what is wrong with people seriously"
for us, in a way that doesn't skirt around the obvious truth but contains no "tells"?
Homophobia is more prevalent amongst Muslims than it is in the general population and there's a large Muslim presence in Batley. But Labour have (quite rightly) not let this stop them selecting a gay candidate. It'll cost them votes but so what. Some things are more important than votes. You shouldn't pander to outdated attitudes and bigotry whether it comes from Muslims or from white working class leavers or from wherever.
So that's that.
Now to the general and pertinent point, the point at issue. What's a tell of islamophobia as opposed to pukka by-election analysis? I've done it but I'll do it again. You have to distinguish between the following 2 things -
Somebody using Muslim homophobia to aid their analysis of the by-election. Somebody using the by-election to bang on about Muslim homophobia.
The latter is the tell, the former isn't. And the latter is a tell particularly if the "somebody" is a person who, apart from in the Muslim context, is not known for having any interest whatsoever in LGBT rights.
And you need an ear to tell the difference. To tell the tell from the not a tell.
I have such an ear. I'm not bragging, I just do. Some people are good at cooking, at sport, at playing the piano, at any of a million things. Me I'm good at detecting bigotry (especially of the urbane sort). But I don't want loads of questions on it. Don't want the responsibility or the pressure of that. In the same way people don't bug @Foxy with their personal medical concerns, so I should be left in peace on this.
Thought long and hard about whether to even reply on this thread - but hang it why not. I trust people to take the positives.
Mine's also done, and I am pleased to report that it's been both a lovely day in Cambridge and that, apart from a somewhat higher percentage of shuttered shops, and the stupid masks all over the place, things are looking surprisingly normal. I sat myself down on a bench on Parker's Piece, near to a group of athletic, shirtless young men playing volleyball (whom, of course, I scarcely noticed) and ate my lunch, very slowly, thinking that all was almost right with the world.
Now we just need to get over the July 19th hurdle and I think, thanks in no small part to Hancock's naughtiness, we're actually going to get there. I mean, I won't believe it until it actually happens, but I'm feeling a degree of optimism. The glorious day of mask burning approaches...
"There’s no way you can tell me this man fucks. He only knows how to crop dust a patch of eggs with his seed and then bury himself in warm sand for another season."
That is an excellent piece of work. Thanks for the link.
We can see that Labour are being impeded by an inexperienced and possibly fragile candidate. We can see the tensions in the Muslim community. And we can see George, smart enough to make sure his fingerprints were nowhere near it.
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
The two greatest distance runners of all time. This year, we’ll have a new Olympic 10k champion.
Usain Bolt 100m, 200m. Think he is the only runner male or female to do so at 3 separate Olympics at any distance? Excluding relays, walkers and field events.
Justin Gatlin also has three 100m medals, across four Games, but he’s the only one.
Staying on top of your game for so long is incredibly difficult, but Usain Bolt was an astonishingly exceptional athlete. His 100m and 200m WRs are 12 years old now, and no-one’s got close to either of them.
I think his 200 is even more incredible than his 100 and may last another 20 years. Very long legs+ absolutely incredible leg speed were his strengths and they were even more effective over the longer distance.
Yes, he was always a 200m runner as a junior, and moved to double up to 100m later on. He just doesn’t look like a sprinter, most of whom are short and stocky as opposed to tall and gangly.
How he managed to make his legs move so quickly is the amazing bit, but like all top athletes he’s something of a freak human being.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
There's something about these pictures that don't add up. They aren't completely steady as if someone has taken a video of a screen, but they don't really look like CCTV. Presumably they are a crop from a wider angle view?
In the video Matt Hancock checks there's nobody in the corridor before engaging, so why would he stand directly in front of a camera? The only explanation is that he didn't know it was there.
It bears all the hallmarks of a hidden camera on the ceiling - a smoke detector or the like. Which would raise a lot more questions than whether he should resign or not (he should).
The method of being caught is irrelevant to whether he should resign, though would be something else to look into, but I am a bit confused by some of this camera talk - it's not like all CCTV cameras are big, box like things, might have been a tennis ball sized black sphere stuck on the ceiling skirting or something, which is obvious once pointed out to you but which you filter out day to day, especially since people don't look up as much as we might think.
Agreed.
However the leaking of the recording is a likely offence under a number of different laws.
Unless whistleblowing? Which is allegedly the reason it's not going to be prosecuted.
Someone leaked a damaging photo taken inside a cabinet minister's office, and there's not going to be an investigation? What if next time they - or some other "they" - demand something in return for not sending some other potentially damaging photo to a foreign power? (Of course there will be an investigation. There will have to be. This is just a comment on what's been said.)
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
and call me old fashioned if you like but covid hypocrisy apart wont most people get sacked if they conduct a sexual encounter whilst at work (if caught) ? Especially a government office.
Snogging... i dont think so. If it was more than that maybe. We need someone who knows human remains general.rules...
Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will not defend his 10,000m title in Tokyo after falling short in a last-gasp shot at the qualifying time.
I think that is the end for Mr Mobot.
he has made too much cash and no drive left
Hard to expect him to perform after his coach was banned.
Or he is now 38....and can probably still beat nearly all 38 and overs. His time yesterday was pretty much identical to the 10k world record for 40+.
Sure, people can believe what they want to. Haile Gebreselassie went 30 seconds quicker than Mo at aged 39, distance running isn't a young mans game, but sure, whatever.
The two greatest distance runners of all time. This year, we’ll have a new Olympic 10k champion.
Usain Bolt 100m, 200m. Think he is the only runner male or female to do so at 3 separate Olympics at any distance? Excluding relays, walkers and field events.
Justin Gatlin also has three 100m medals, across four Games, but he’s the only one.
Staying on top of your game for so long is incredibly difficult, but Usain Bolt was an astonishingly exceptional athlete. His 100m and 200m WRs are 12 years old now, and no-one’s got close to either of them.
Gatlin can be relied upon to inject a little pace when it's needed.
So, who has access to the CCTV room at the DoH, and doesn’t like Mr Hancock?
Next question, how much more do the papers have on him?
Presumably Hancock knows what they might have on him?
I mean, if he's been getting really saucy at the office with his aide (or someone else?!) then he'll know that might also have been filmed and surely would have resigned by now?
That would be the likely conversation between the minister and the PM.
If it’s a quick snog that happened once in the office, he probably gets away with it (apart from with his wife, of course!), but if there’s more of, or more serious, footage to come, then he’s in trouble and probably doesn’t last the weekend.
and call me old fashioned if you like but covid hypocrisy apart wont most people get sacked if they conduct a sexual encounter whilst at work (if caught) ? Especially a government office.
Snogging... i dont think so. If it was more than that maybe. We need someone who knows human remains general.rules...
What, has Mr Hancock been collecting anatomical specimens too?!
Seriously, though, being on the wrong kind of job on the premises is a big no-no anywhere unless you are the boss or it's Xmas party time.
That is an excellent piece of work. Thanks for the link.
We can see that Labour are being impeded by an inexperienced and possibly fragile candidate. We can see the tensions in the Muslim community. And we can see George, smart enough to make sure his fingerprints were nowhere near it.
I didn’t realise the bloke having a go at her was from Birmingham. What a pillock.
That is an excellent piece of work. Thanks for the link.
We can see that Labour are being impeded by an inexperienced and possibly fragile candidate. We can see the tensions in the Muslim community. And we can see George, smart enough to make sure his fingerprints were nowhere near it.
If you see other footage you will see someone saying "that was brilliant - job done" as they recorded the exchange between leadbetter and the anti LGBT+ activist -
Mine's also done, and I am pleased to report that it's been both a lovely day in Cambridge and that, apart from a somewhat higher percentage of shuttered shops, and the stupid masks all over the place, things are looking surprisingly normal. I sat myself down on a bench on Parker's Piece, near to a group of athletic, shirtless young men playing volleyball (whom, of course, I scarcely noticed) and ate my lunch, very slowly, thinking that all was almost right with the world.
Now we just need to get over the July 19th hurdle and I think, thanks in no small part to Hancock's naughtiness, we're actually going to get there. I mean, I won't believe it until it actually happens, but I'm feeling a degree of optimism. The glorious day of mask burning approaches...
If you'd been driving along the A10 past Melbourn at five this morning, you'd have see a shirtless me running north. Although it would not have been a sight to engender optimism. Nausea, possibly ...
Cambridge has been really weird during lockdown. I've mostly been visiting during the early hours, and at times it's felt like a barren desert. The centre always has life, 24/7, but not during the last year. It's been getting better over the last few months, but it's still missing a certain energy. I never thought I'd miss the tourists.
I wonder why wouldn't Labour give an interview with Joe? The journalist is definitely left leaning, and i have seen him interview a whole range of people across the political spectrum and is always polite and reasonable.
Tim Montgomery not happy with Hancock and wants him to step back from government
And he commented that Hancock had said that Sturgeon should resign when she breached the rules
The irony
Don't you mean the Scottish health adviser?
Edit: oh yes, there was Ms Sturgeon's facemask lapse in a hotel bar - so that could be intended.
I thought Sturgeon should have resigned over that. Again, it’s because I think the whole “you have to have a mask on when you stand up” is utterly stupid.
It’s when politicians break their own stupid rules that really annoy me.
Rumours that Coladangelo's brother was given some of the lucrative PPE contracts by the NHS....
always money and graft when Tories are involved.
Do you mean "grift"? I haven't seen much graft coming from the direction of this government.
Your one does also apply but I was thinking of this one "the act of getting money or advantage through the dishonest use of political power and influence"
I was thinking of graft in terms of "s/he's a grafter, s/he's put in a shift". Whereas in the case of Hancock (and Johnson) it is" he's put in a shaft".
Comments
People should make their own decisions based upon their own circumstances.
But they should also take responsibility for their own decisions.
I'll add that if they weren't double vaccinated (or previously infected) then no hugging was likely good advice.
The situation with Hancock is a bit different. I know this happened in May (though I bet it’s been going on a long time before and since), but it’s at a time when the government is insisting on limiting our behaviour when it is questionable to do so. It’s even more important for the government to not be hypocrites at the moment in my opinion.
I have to say i was quite surprised the number of people who were clearly in their 40s only getting their first dose when I got my 2nd jab this week. I thought what have you been doing for the past 2-3 months while you have been eligible.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/25/no-10-wont-launch-inquiry-into-leaking-of-cctv-photo-of-matt-hancock-kissing-aide
People claiming that they only followed covid restrictions pre vaccination because the government told them to do so are exposing themselves as either idiots and/or liars.
But Hancock wanting restrictions maintained on the already vaccinated while ignoring them himself is very hypocritical. Especially so when he isn't losing out financially from doing so.
For anyone interested in the tragic Miami building collapse, a 2018 report into the structure has been released. It shows water ingress (admittedly to be expected in a forty-year old building), and, potentially significantly, concrete cancer in columns and slabs in the lower levels.
Repairs were apparently due to begin soon. The last line: "We look forward to working with you in maintaining the structural integrity of the Champlain Towers South Condominium." (emphasis mine)
That was three years ago ...
https://www.townofsurfsidefl.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/town-clerk-documents/champlain-towers-south-public-records/8777-collins-ave---structural-field-survey-report.pdf?sfvrsn=882a1194_2
More details on the building can be found here, including the detailed plans for the renovation works:
https://townofsurfsidefl.gov/departments-services/town-clerk/champlain-towers-public-records-documents
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-57621552
If there is a link to his squeeze's family getting contracts, it is why he WILL be going. My guess is by the end of the day, if that story has any legs.
Amazingly, no man has won three Olympic medals at that distance.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres_at_the_Olympics
Btw, good to see you posting again. I hope you’ve kept safe and well the last 18 months.
https://twitter.com/RP131/status/1408451923766923269
We do need disrupters, but taking such evident joy in being a disrupter probably works against him - revolutionaries are probably more effective when others don't see it as being revolutionary.
Amber list.
So is Russia:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/russia/
It would be interesting to know the ratio of media questions of
when is country X going to moved to a lower risk level : when is country Y going to be moved to a higher risk level
https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-covid-live-updates-four-sydney-lgas-in-lockdown-as-cases-continue-to-grow-across-city-victoria-on-high-alert-20210625-p584ds.html
Is that effected by any payment?
Though I guess the payment (100k+ ? - can't recall the exact qty) for the MP Expenses Disk may be a precedent.
But if he was acting as a zero value adding middleman trying to source some rubbish from the third world ...
I only looked briefly though - not worth more than about 30s.
My top tip for workers with adultery on their mind: never ever ever do it at work. Not even a chaste kiss. That's what budget hotels are for.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55274833
Perhaps we should offer to sell Australia our AZ stockpile.
£10bn and the pick of their sportsmen for the next decade would be a bargain for them.
I had not noticed that before on the dash board, is it new? I thought I would add how much it has gone up in each age band over the last 24 Hours
90+ 93.93% +0.00%
85-89 95.48% +0,00%
80-84 95.48% +0.00%
75-79 95.38% +0.01%
70-74 94.36% +0.01%
65-69 92.09% +0.01%
60-64 90.04% +0.01%
55-59 87.98% +0.02%
50-54 85.24% +0.02%
45-49 79.82% +0.06%
40-44 73.29% +0.09%
35-39 65.44% +0.21%
30-34 58.51% +0.33%
25-29 49.41% +1.09%
18-24 38.61% +1.97%
Not really any surprise there, still going up but very incrementally above 50, slightly more so for 30-50 and fastest at the bottom.
If these rates are maintained for the next 10 days, and they may not, (or vaccination at the weekend may have a different pattern with more working age people?) then the bottom 3 groups all get to around 60% for tall the groups under 35, which is I think where it will really slow down.
Then what? start on the 17 and 16 Year olds?
The virus finds a way. Until you are vaccinated. Simples.
Called up Cook at 6pm on Saturday, saying that he was going to be on the front page of the Sunday papers with his mistress, and what was he going to do about it?
The risk is letting in an even worse variant which has significant vaccine evasion.
If you can restrict it to single incidents here and there gives you a chance to squash it.
https://enormo-haddock.blogspot.com/2021/06/styria-pre-qualifying-2021.html
You'll get told Gebresalassie did quicker.
The ODNI must have some reason for advising that "Some UAP may be technologies deployed by China, Russia, another nation, or a non-governmental entity."
What I'd like to know is what uniformity there is in the electromagnetic signatures of "the small number of cases where a UAP appeared to display unusual flight characteristics or signature management."
What wavelengths are we talking about?
Because let's not rule out the possibility that the dolphins are finally, at long last, calling time on homo "sapiens" (sic) with a resounding "All Your Base Are Belong To Us".
Then there was Nikola Tesla. I'm still laughing from when I found out it really was Donald Trump's uncle John who went to the New York hotel room that Tesla had died in and spent days examining his papers for the FBI. Which goes to show that some things that loonies say are true. What was it with NT and the pigeons? I'm not convinced by ologists' explanations of pigeons' homing abilities. Also as any fule kno, Donald Trump is pathologically terrified of sharks.
There are certainly people who came over to work (say pre-1971), but then families would be sent-for. Then there has long been a practise of finding spouses (classically brides - seen sometimes as a way of proteting traditionalist values) from the home country, for cultures where arranged marriage is the norm. ie Applies to eg Bangladesh and India, as well as Pakistan, and also from the Arab world. And many other communities. You used to be able to go down streets in northern towns, and the Imam could explain how neighbours here used to be neighbours in the same village in the home country.
Plus also the overlay of economic migrants and refugees since then.
If you want to push it you could shoehorn mail-order brides into the same hankering for the old values analysis.
IME there has never been a shortage of people arguing 'traditionalist' viewpoints, whether looking to an Iranian-style setup or a back-to-the-roots-of-my-religion or even dreaming of a caliphate. Isn't that just a characteristic of all belief systems, whether this or inspiring Christian communism, or even dreams about the French Revolution or the Paris Commune?
My experience is limited to several years living in BD7 pre-Rushdie, conferences etc, various friendships, and a fairly consistent interest since.
Staying on top of your game for so long is incredibly difficult, but Usain Bolt was an astonishingly exceptional athlete. His 100m and 200m WRs are 12 years old now, and no-one’s got close to either of them.
That’s the point.
Only vaccines work. The government must keep pushing that message and incentivising take up by giving “rewards “ to those who do including foreign travel. It’s the only way.
Very long legs+ absolutely incredible leg speed were his strengths and they were even more effective over the longer distance.
they’d target a “minority who don’t want to follow the rules.”
Guess who?
Each of these has a different policy solution and we need to choose the right one. Now. Actually a month ago. But now would still help.
https://twitter.com/ToryFibs/status/1408722355631923201
And he commented that Hancock had said that Sturgeon should resign when she breached the rules
The irony
So that's that.
Now to the general and pertinent point, the point at issue. What's a tell of islamophobia as opposed to pukka by-election analysis? I've done it but I'll do it again. You have to distinguish between the following 2 things -
Somebody using Muslim homophobia to aid their analysis of the by-election.
Somebody using the by-election to bang on about Muslim homophobia.
The latter is the tell, the former isn't. And the latter is a tell particularly if the "somebody" is a person who, apart from in the Muslim context, is not known for having any interest whatsoever in LGBT rights.
And you need an ear to tell the difference. To tell the tell from the not a tell.
I have such an ear. I'm not bragging, I just do. Some people are good at cooking, at sport, at playing the piano, at any of a million things. Me I'm good at detecting bigotry (especially of the urbane sort). But I don't want loads of questions on it. Don't want the responsibility or the pressure of that. In the same way people don't bug @Foxy with their personal medical concerns, so I should be left in peace on this.
Thought long and hard about whether to even reply on this thread - but hang it why not. I trust people to take the positives.
Now we just need to get over the July 19th hurdle and I think, thanks in no small part to Hancock's naughtiness, we're actually going to get there. I mean, I won't believe it until it actually happens, but I'm feeling a degree of optimism. The glorious day of mask burning approaches...
"There’s no way you can tell me this man fucks. He only knows how to crop dust a patch of eggs with his seed and then bury himself in warm sand for another season."
We can see that Labour are being impeded by an inexperienced and possibly fragile candidate. We can see the tensions in the Muslim community. And we can see George, smart enough to make sure his fingerprints were nowhere near it.
How he managed to make his legs move so quickly is the amazing bit, but like all top athletes he’s something of a freak human being.
Well done Joe!
That guy, Shakeel Afsar is an anti lgbt loudmouth from brum. He’s been causing problems here for a few years. He’s just using batley as a platform.
Seriously, though, being on the wrong kind of job on the premises is a big no-no anywhere unless you are the boss or it's Xmas party time.
Edit: oh yes, there was Ms Sturgeon's facemask lapse in a hotel bar - so that could be intended.
https://twitter.com/Holbornlolz/status/1408477230645268480
Cambridge has been really weird during lockdown. I've mostly been visiting during the early hours, and at times it's felt like a barren desert. The centre always has life, 24/7, but not during the last year. It's been getting better over the last few months, but it's still missing a certain energy. I never thought I'd miss the tourists.
It’s when politicians break their own stupid rules that really annoy me.