"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Growth in hospital numbers in the North West is flattening nicely: it reached 411 almost two weeks ago, and is 479 today. The peak of 498 may never be exceeded.
In all honesty, I thought it had already peaked. But what has happened is that although the initial hotspots (GM, East Lancashire) are now flattening and declining, the other half of the NW (Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria, West Lancashire) are rising to meet us. So the overall NW is flat at the moment.
But what this shows is that nowhere is likely to peak worryingly high.
In which the irresistible force and the immoveable object are once again kicked down the road. (I can't make entire sense of TC's 6th point. Can anyone elucidate?)
This is an important concession by both parties.
The EU has conceded a further extension of the current exemptions.
The U.K. has conceded: a) that it was/is in the EU’s power to deny an extension b) that the extension is there to allow Northern Irish retailers to source locally or from the Republic, in preference to U.K. supply chains.
The U.K. is slowly conceding the reality of a customs/regulatory border between GB and NI, long after have conceded it legally.
The DUP are going to go stark raving bonkers over this. Tesco Ballymena will stock Irish beef and Irish milk and Irish market products and all the other stuff that you don't get in Tesco Barnsley. "WHERE IS OUR BRITISH BANGER" - thats got to be worth a march with a sash and one of those little bowler hats all by itself.
The DUP have been comprehensively and continually cucked by the U.K., or rather by Boris Johnson and the Vote Leave administration.
Well, they went through the lobbies in solidarity with Mark Francois, Steve Baker, Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell at el, in order to torpedo Theresa May's plan for avoiding a border in the Irish Sea, so they really are not in a position to blame anyone else.
Thought they were being so clever too, I bet.
All very well not wanting to leap into a sewage pit, but if the alternative is waiting as a roaring fire hits you maybe its for the best. Especially if you're helping light the match.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
I'll tell you what has changed. Homework and emails. My poor sister is inundated with emails from her daughter's primary school. Her daughter is five and has a homework book. I get that they know that what happens at home is as important if not more important, but it is incredibly stressful.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
I don’t think they’re talking about “graduation”. It’s explicitly all the extra curricular stuff that happens.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
Though The Express is still part of the same stable. Like all other newspapers, it's staving off its inevitable death by feeding its readers views back to them.
I don't think that Star readers made that infamous description of the readerships of various papers (you know, the one that ends with Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she has enormous...), but the paper is tapping into something.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
Mike ( @MikeSmithson )- surely you're almost the definition of Toff!?
I know you didn't set out to be so.
Toffs are Other People.
I am getting by. You are merely affluent. But he is a toff.
But, of course, you are right.
pb.com is Toffs betting on Politics.
And the LibDems are TWA. Toffs With Attitude.
"The rich".....always people who earn more than you and should be paying more tax.....even if you are on £100k+ a year.
Yes, I think I am the only person on PB who has ever described themselves as rich. (And said I should pay more tax). As I recall I wasn't applauded for my candour.
By most definitions I am rich, though compared to some I am not. I would like to pay more tax, but only because I would like to earn more, which will mean I will.
I have always thought it would be a fun thing to have a "voluntary tax" , which of course in a way we do and it is called The National Lottery. I therefore politely suggest to those who say they would like to pay more tax ( I struggle to believe you), imagine you are back in the 1970s and apply the tax multiples that were around then. With the surplus money you have you can buy lottery tickets with a promise that you will give any winnings to a willing beneficiary. I am happy to volunteer as that possible beneficiary should you not think of a more worthy cause.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
Though The Express is still part of the same stable. Like all other newspapers, it's staving off its inevitable death by feeding its readers views back to them.
I don't think that Star readers made that infamous description of the readerships of various papers (you know, the one that ends with Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she has enormous...), but the paper is tapping into something.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
My friend runs an executive taxi/chauffeur service (your high end cars, S class Mercs etc) he said where he makes the money these days is hiring out the limos (and other exec cars) for graduation season.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
Quite a steep rise there in numbers of patients in hospital no? 48% rise in a week looks pretty alarming to me, although hopefully it won't continue.
I prefer the 'hospitalisations' measure to the 'patients in hospital' measure because I think it gives a more accurate reflection of 'how things are'. Patients in hospital has gone up a lot because a month ago hospitalisations were basically zero. We've had a couple of weeks of hospitalisations increasing, that has brought patients into hospital but they take at least a few days to process and get released. But that will certainly level off a week or two after hospitalisations levelled off, and decline again shortly after that as hospitalisations declines.
The problem for the DUP is that they have been demanding the end of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
So indeed have the UUP.
But the UK govt has now conceded that the Northern Ireland Protocol is here to stay.
Why is that a problem? It gives unionism a long-term political raison d'être.
I suppose that could be true, but it’s a futile endeavour and therefore a road to irrelevance for unionists.
They also have no answer to the question, “What replaces the Northern Ireland protocol”?
It's only futile if you think Brexit will inevitably lead to the relative economic decline of GB. If this doesn't happen then it makes unionists more relevant than they've been for a long time.
No, it’s futile because the Unionists will not and cannot muster a majority in the Assembly to scrap the Protocol.
Has nothing to do with the success or otherwise of a Brexit.
The relative decline has already started anyway; see the IMF’s latest assessment of U.K. GDP.
The IMF is predicting that the UK will recover faster than the Eurozone. You don't know how the relative economic position will look in a few years' time. A lot of people's credibility depends on the UK being seen to fail, but there's no guarantee this will happen.
The U.K.s “faster recovery” is simply the mirror of its steeper collapse.
I am not sure whose credibility rests of the U.K.‘s failure - maybe certain EU negotiators? Suspect this is mostly a phenomenon in the mind of Brexiters.
If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state, then it will be a constant threat to the sense of inevitability of the EU project. "There is no alternative" doesn't work when people can see the alternative.
The UK is going to be a prosperous modern state, irrespective of Brexit.
But your comparison is specious. The UK in 1970 was a prosperous modern state, but it still looked like it was failing relative to the Continental economies.
Now, do I believe that we will similar again? Probably not. But it's in the hands of the British electorate now.
I thought it was obvious I was making a comparative point. If the UK is seen to be doing better, in whatever way you choose to measure, then it will be a challenge to the EU system.
"If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state"
That's a strawman argument.
If the UK grows at 1% a year, and the EU at 2.5% a year (not what I'm forecasting), then it will be a "prosperous modern state", but it won't be a threat to "the EU system" or a notable success. And nor will it be a "fascistic, declining backwater".
There's a massive fucking middle between disaster and glorious success.
If that happens for a long term then the UK would cease to be that prosperous.
Which is kind of the issue with why I voted to leave the EU. The EU has ceased to be as prosperous as it used to be and has declined in GDP per capita relative to other developed nations. I see no evidence EU states are more prosperous than comparable non-EU ones, quite the opposite in fact.
The problem is that there are so many different factors affecting prosperity - most of which are far more important than membership of a particular trade bloc.
Demographics, for example. Or whether you are a raw material importer or exporter (and the relative movement in the price of commodities). Etc.
The reality is that datasets are small (meaning that randomness is a large), and measuring the exact impact of each component is next to impossible.
Personally, I voted to leave the EU because I think governance works better when it is close to the governed; and (generally) smaller is nimbler.
From an economic perspective, I'd expect us to do better than the EU going forward. But we were doing better than the rest of the EU when we were a member too, so the question is whether we'll be able to beat the same level of outperformance we managed before.
It used to be normal for almost everyone's phone number to be freely available in the phone book. I remember looking up someone famous when I was about 10 years old and being surprised to find their number available to everyone.
The problem for the DUP is that they have been demanding the end of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
So indeed have the UUP.
But the UK govt has now conceded that the Northern Ireland Protocol is here to stay.
Why is that a problem? It gives unionism a long-term political raison d'être.
I suppose that could be true, but it’s a futile endeavour and therefore a road to irrelevance for unionists.
They also have no answer to the question, “What replaces the Northern Ireland protocol”?
It's only futile if you think Brexit will inevitably lead to the relative economic decline of GB. If this doesn't happen then it makes unionists more relevant than they've been for a long time.
No, it’s futile because the Unionists will not and cannot muster a majority in the Assembly to scrap the Protocol.
Has nothing to do with the success or otherwise of a Brexit.
The relative decline has already started anyway; see the IMF’s latest assessment of U.K. GDP.
The IMF is predicting that the UK will recover faster than the Eurozone. You don't know how the relative economic position will look in a few years' time. A lot of people's credibility depends on the UK being seen to fail, but there's no guarantee this will happen.
The U.K.s “faster recovery” is simply the mirror of its steeper collapse.
I am not sure whose credibility rests of the U.K.‘s failure - maybe certain EU negotiators? Suspect this is mostly a phenomenon in the mind of Brexiters.
If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state, then it will be a constant threat to the sense of inevitability of the EU project. "There is no alternative" doesn't work when people can see the alternative.
The UK is going to be a prosperous modern state, irrespective of Brexit.
But your comparison is specious. The UK in 1970 was a prosperous modern state, but it still looked like it was failing relative to the Continental economies.
Now, do I believe that we will similar again? Probably not. But it's in the hands of the British electorate now.
I thought it was obvious I was making a comparative point. If the UK is seen to be doing better, in whatever way you choose to measure, then it will be a challenge to the EU system.
"If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state"
That's a strawman argument.
If the UK grows at 1% a year, and the EU at 2.5% a year (not what I'm forecasting), then it will be a "prosperous modern state", but it won't be a threat to "the EU system" or a notable success. And nor will it be a "fascistic, declining backwater".
There's a massive fucking middle between disaster and glorious success.
I said "looks like", so I was obviously making a point about relative perceptions. You're just wilfully missing the point.
No, you were engaging in a bit of ridiculous hyperbole. Which is OK.
I presumed with these type of competitions that obviously the can isn't actually going to be £15k of gold, but the company gives you £15k as a prize when you find one. They are still trying to stand by its a collectors item, so worth loads.....surely their PR team would be straight away, well we will give you £15k if you want to sell it.
Health secretary Humza Yousaf confirmed in Holyrood today that the ban between Scotland and Manchester, Bolton and Salford will lift tomorrow. Yousaf claims the restrictions are being removed “due to changes in the epidemiological position for those areas.” The ban on travel between Scotland and Blackburn will remain in place, however.
Yeah because that works, putting a ban on travel from one town....
Related to the actual topic of the trred:
Why do we require quarantine for anybody to come to the UK/England?
Its all very well criticising Sturgeon for imposing limits on one place in England, but the same argument mut much more powerful could and should be used to justify opening up to just about all forin travel, there are only a handful of places with more cases/million that the UK at the moment.
Yes the caveat of we are doing more testing applies, but its not going to change things that much.
Could we get a variant even more transmissible than, if so where is that, and how much faster that Delta could it be? and this is always going to be the case.
Yes almost everyplace will have restrictions for us, and I get that, but at this stage we have very little to lose in setting the lead and opening up all travel, (possibly with a handful of exceptions but not many)
The problem for the DUP is that they have been demanding the end of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
So indeed have the UUP.
But the UK govt has now conceded that the Northern Ireland Protocol is here to stay.
Why is that a problem? It gives unionism a long-term political raison d'être.
I suppose that could be true, but it’s a futile endeavour and therefore a road to irrelevance for unionists.
They also have no answer to the question, “What replaces the Northern Ireland protocol”?
It's only futile if you think Brexit will inevitably lead to the relative economic decline of GB. If this doesn't happen then it makes unionists more relevant than they've been for a long time.
No, it’s futile because the Unionists will not and cannot muster a majority in the Assembly to scrap the Protocol.
Has nothing to do with the success or otherwise of a Brexit.
The relative decline has already started anyway; see the IMF’s latest assessment of U.K. GDP.
The IMF is predicting that the UK will recover faster than the Eurozone. You don't know how the relative economic position will look in a few years' time. A lot of people's credibility depends on the UK being seen to fail, but there's no guarantee this will happen.
The U.K.s “faster recovery” is simply the mirror of its steeper collapse.
I am not sure whose credibility rests of the U.K.‘s failure - maybe certain EU negotiators? Suspect this is mostly a phenomenon in the mind of Brexiters.
If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state, then it will be a constant threat to the sense of inevitability of the EU project. "There is no alternative" doesn't work when people can see the alternative.
The UK is going to be a prosperous modern state, irrespective of Brexit.
But your comparison is specious. The UK in 1970 was a prosperous modern state, but it still looked like it was failing relative to the Continental economies.
Now, do I believe that we will similar again? Probably not. But it's in the hands of the British electorate now.
I thought it was obvious I was making a comparative point. If the UK is seen to be doing better, in whatever way you choose to measure, then it will be a challenge to the EU system.
"If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state"
That's a strawman argument.
If the UK grows at 1% a year, and the EU at 2.5% a year (not what I'm forecasting), then it will be a "prosperous modern state", but it won't be a threat to "the EU system" or a notable success. And nor will it be a "fascistic, declining backwater".
There's a massive fucking middle between disaster and glorious success.
If that happens for a long term then the UK would cease to be that prosperous.
Which is kind of the issue with why I voted to leave the EU. The EU has ceased to be as prosperous as it used to be and has declined in GDP per capita relative to other developed nations. I see no evidence EU states are more prosperous than comparable non-EU ones, quite the opposite in fact.
The problem is that there are so many different factors affecting prosperity - most of which are far more important than membership of a particular trade bloc.
Demographics, for example. Or whether you are a raw material importer or exporter (and the relative movement in the price of commodities). Etc.
The reality is that datasets are small (meaning that randomness is a large), and measuring the exact impact of each component is next to impossible.
Personally, I voted to leave the EU because I think governance works better when it is close to the governed; and (generally) smaller is nimbler.
From an economic perspective, I'd expect us to do better than the EU going forward. But we were doing better than the rest of the EU when we were a member too, so the question is whether we'll be able to beat the same level of outperformance we managed before.
Yes I agree with all that and I think the EU and its proponents have things backwards, with an assumption that big and "unity" is strong and leads to better results.
Quite the opposite, in the bulk of the developed world smaller and nimbler is better than big and sclerotic.
The USA is held up as an example of big being strong, but the economic reality is quite the opposite. America doesn't have a big Federal government making big decisions like the Working Time Directive etc as the EU keeps ratchetting up. The EU is 50 small diverse states making their own decisions and that attitude works better.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
My friend runs an executive taxi/chauffeur service (your high end cars, S class Mercs etc) he said where he makes the money these days is hiring out the limos (and other exec cars) for graduation season.
If I ever have a child they can have their fancy graduation/prom but by gods they can pay for any fancy taxi themselves.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
My friend runs an executive taxi/chauffeur service (your high end cars, S class Mercs etc) he said where he makes the money these days is hiring out the limos (and other exec cars) for graduation season.
There's a huge Prom Party scene, too. The University Ball for teenagers.
Quite a steep rise there in numbers of patients in hospital no? 48% rise in a week looks pretty alarming to me, although hopefully it won't continue.
I prefer the 'hospitalisations' measure to the 'patients in hospital' measure because I think it gives a more accurate reflection of 'how things are'. Patients in hospital has gone up a lot because a month ago hospitalisations were basically zero. We've had a couple of weeks of hospitalisations increasing, that has brought patients into hospital but they take at least a few days to process and get released. But that will certainly level off a week or two after hospitalisations levelled off, and decline again shortly after that as hospitalisations declines.
Patients in hospital figure is for today. Hospitalisations figure is for 20 June.
The 7 day average of hospitalisations (from 17 June) is 11.7... which is up 39% (from 10 June) when it was 8.4.
I think you might be seeing what you want to see here.
Quite a steep rise there in numbers of patients in hospital no? 48% rise in a week looks pretty alarming to me, although hopefully it won't continue.
I prefer the 'hospitalisations' measure to the 'patients in hospital' measure because I think it gives a more accurate reflection of 'how things are'. Patients in hospital has gone up a lot because a month ago hospitalisations were basically zero. We've had a couple of weeks of hospitalisations increasing, that has brought patients into hospital but they take at least a few days to process and get released. But that will certainly level off a week or two after hospitalisations levelled off, and decline again shortly after that as hospitalisations declines.
Inspired by Cookie, Hospitals Admissions per case, using a 7 day lag between cases and admissions.
Edit - the case and hospitalisation rates are 7 day averaged.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
I think it's interesting that the Star is doing politics on its front page. They didn't really used to. Typical headline from ten years ago - I paraphrase, but only just and only because I can't quite remember the detail: "GET IN! It's a bank holiday weekend, it's going to be hot, and there's football on. Let's all go down the pub!" I remember being charmed that the paper was so in tune with its readership but wondering at who would pay to read that particular story. Perhaps a bit too in tune with their readership in those days. I think nowadays they're a not-to-be-totally-dismissed barometer of what the country is thinking. But I think their criticism of the government would be criticism of any government: it's not from the Mirror's 'all Tories are evil' school of headlines, it's more the eye-rolling 'they're all useless'. I certainly wouldn't read it that the Star is calling for the expertise of Sir Kier Starmer to be brought to bear on the problems the country faces. I also think - in defiance of their tradition - they've allowed their headline writers to engage in some dry-ish wit over the last couple of years. As you say, I think their primary motivation is to raise a laugh (thereby hopefully motivating you to buy the paper rather than the Sun).
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
My friend runs an executive taxi/chauffeur service (your high end cars, S class Mercs etc) he said where he makes the money these days is hiring out the limos (and other exec cars) for graduation season.
If I ever have a child they can have their fancy graduation/prom but by gods they can pay for any fancy taxi themselves.
You say that now, but the moment they enter your lives you will struggle to say no to them, particularly on the spoiling them rotten front.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
I think it's interesting that the Star is doing politics on its front page. They didn't really used to. Typical headline from ten years ago - I paraphrase, but only just and only because I can't quite remember the detail: "GET IN! It's a bank holiday weekend, it's going to be hot, and there's football on. Let's all go down the pub!" I remember being charmed that the paper was so in tune with its readership but wondering at who would pay to read that particular story. Perhaps a bit too in tune with their readership in those days. I think nowadays they're a not-to-be-totally-dismissed barometer of what the country is thinking. But I think their criticism of the government would be criticism of any government: it's not from the Mirror's 'all Tories are evil' school of headlines, it's more the eye-rolling 'they're all useless'. I certainly wouldn't read it that the Star is calling for the expertise of Sir Kier Starmer to be brought to bear on the problems the country faces. I also think - in defiance of their tradition - they've allowed their headline writers to engage in some dry-ish wit over the last couple of years. As you say, I think their primary motivation is to raise a laugh (thereby hopefully motivating you to buy the paper rather than the Sun).
Yes, its like Private Eye. Have something that makes people laugh/smile on the cover then hope they pay for the full thing.
While we scratch our heads at how GB News will ever make money, The Reach Group is even more unfathomable. They have bought up all these failing national and local newspapers. Then what?
The Mirror, The Star, The Express all lost huge % of their circulation over the past 2 years and they don't exactly have a website like the Mail, where millions of people who claim they never look at it actually spend all their lunch breaks looking at the sidebar of shame.
Quite a steep rise there in numbers of patients in hospital no? 48% rise in a week looks pretty alarming to me, although hopefully it won't continue.
I prefer the 'hospitalisations' measure to the 'patients in hospital' measure because I think it gives a more accurate reflection of 'how things are'. Patients in hospital has gone up a lot because a month ago hospitalisations were basically zero. We've had a couple of weeks of hospitalisations increasing, that has brought patients into hospital but they take at least a few days to process and get released. But that will certainly level off a week or two after hospitalisations levelled off, and decline again shortly after that as hospitalisations declines.
Inspired by Cookie, Hospitals Admissions per case, using a 7 day lag between cases and admissions.
Edit - the case and hospitalisation rates are 7 day averaged.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
I'll tell you what has changed. Homework and emails. My poor sister is inundated with emails from her daughter's primary school. Her daughter is five and has a homework book. I get that they know that what happens at home is as important if not more important, but it is incredibly stressful.
I never had homework before secondary school. Five does seem a bit young.
Quite a steep rise there in numbers of patients in hospital no? 48% rise in a week looks pretty alarming to me, although hopefully it won't continue.
I prefer the 'hospitalisations' measure to the 'patients in hospital' measure because I think it gives a more accurate reflection of 'how things are'. Patients in hospital has gone up a lot because a month ago hospitalisations were basically zero. We've had a couple of weeks of hospitalisations increasing, that has brought patients into hospital but they take at least a few days to process and get released. But that will certainly level off a week or two after hospitalisations levelled off, and decline again shortly after that as hospitalisations declines.
Inspired by Cookie, Hospitals Admissions per case, using a 7 day lag between cases and admissions.
Edit - the case and hospitalisation rates are 7 day averaged.
That's a great chart. Where's @Chris when you need him?
(Albeit that probably still understates how much less serious Covid 19 has become. If you look at average hospitalisation lengths - by backing out the in-out numbers every day - then that has also come from 11 days to under a week.)
The problem for the DUP is that they have been demanding the end of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
So indeed have the UUP.
But the UK govt has now conceded that the Northern Ireland Protocol is here to stay.
Why is that a problem? It gives unionism a long-term political raison d'être.
I suppose that could be true, but it’s a futile endeavour and therefore a road to irrelevance for unionists.
They also have no answer to the question, “What replaces the Northern Ireland protocol”?
It's only futile if you think Brexit will inevitably lead to the relative economic decline of GB. If this doesn't happen then it makes unionists more relevant than they've been for a long time.
No, it’s futile because the Unionists will not and cannot muster a majority in the Assembly to scrap the Protocol.
Has nothing to do with the success or otherwise of a Brexit.
The relative decline has already started anyway; see the IMF’s latest assessment of U.K. GDP.
The IMF is predicting that the UK will recover faster than the Eurozone. You don't know how the relative economic position will look in a few years' time. A lot of people's credibility depends on the UK being seen to fail, but there's no guarantee this will happen.
The U.K.s “faster recovery” is simply the mirror of its steeper collapse.
I am not sure whose credibility rests of the U.K.‘s failure - maybe certain EU negotiators? Suspect this is mostly a phenomenon in the mind of Brexiters.
If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state, then it will be a constant threat to the sense of inevitability of the EU project. "There is no alternative" doesn't work when people can see the alternative.
The UK is going to be a prosperous modern state, irrespective of Brexit.
But your comparison is specious. The UK in 1970 was a prosperous modern state, but it still looked like it was failing relative to the Continental economies.
Now, do I believe that we will similar again? Probably not. But it's in the hands of the British electorate now.
I thought it was obvious I was making a comparative point. If the UK is seen to be doing better, in whatever way you choose to measure, then it will be a challenge to the EU system.
"If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state"
That's a strawman argument.
If the UK grows at 1% a year, and the EU at 2.5% a year (not what I'm forecasting), then it will be a "prosperous modern state", but it won't be a threat to "the EU system" or a notable success. And nor will it be a "fascistic, declining backwater".
There's a massive fucking middle between disaster and glorious success.
I said "looks like", so I was obviously making a point about relative perceptions. You're just wilfully missing the point.
No, you were engaging in a bit of ridiculous hyperbole. Which is OK.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
PMs have always been mocked, sure. But to cut through, the form of that mockery has to have a degree of "yeah, bang to rights" about it. Think of Maggie being lampooned as more macho than the men in her Cabinet, Major as the grey Pooter, Blair as the new trendy vicar. The Star's satirical portrayal of Boris is as a clown. At some semi-conscious level, that's how significant numbers of people see him. That's not happened in recent times, and it's not good.
Also, most satirical alter egos have something positive about them. Maggie's strength, Major's plodding English decency, Blair's sense of belief that things could be better. But clowns? Clowns are stupid and frankly a bit scary.
It's a very leading indicator, but one that should cause government supporters to stop and think.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
I think it's interesting that the Star is doing politics on its front page. They didn't really used to. Typical headline from ten years ago - I paraphrase, but only just and only because I can't quite remember the detail: "GET IN! It's a bank holiday weekend, it's going to be hot, and there's football on. Let's all go down the pub!" I remember being charmed that the paper was so in tune with its readership but wondering at who would pay to read that particular story. Perhaps a bit too in tune with their readership in those days. I think nowadays they're a not-to-be-totally-dismissed barometer of what the country is thinking. But I think their criticism of the government would be criticism of any government: it's not from the Mirror's 'all Tories are evil' school of headlines, it's more the eye-rolling 'they're all useless'. I certainly wouldn't read it that the Star is calling for the expertise of Sir Kier Starmer to be brought to bear on the problems the country faces. I also think - in defiance of their tradition - they've allowed their headline writers to engage in some dry-ish wit over the last couple of years. As you say, I think their primary motivation is to raise a laugh (thereby hopefully motivating you to buy the paper rather than the Sun).
The personification of Johnson as a clown was/is in no way original, but it is relentless, and rather like The Guardian's cartoons of John Major with his pants outside his trousers and his Spitting Image puppet as a grey man it might just get into the public's broader perception, and also get under Johnson's skin. I must admit each time I see him now I hear the Circus Theme in my head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjedLeVGcfE
Mike ( @MikeSmithson )- surely you're almost the definition of Toff!?
I know you didn't set out to be so.
Toffs are Other People.
I am getting by. You are merely affluent. But he is a toff.
But, of course, you are right.
pb.com is Toffs betting on Politics.
And the LibDems are TWA. Toffs With Attitude.
"The rich".....always people who earn more than you and should be paying more tax.....even if you are on £100k+ a year.
Yes, I think I am the only person on PB who has ever described themselves as rich. (And said I should pay more tax). As I recall I wasn't applauded for my candour.
By most definitions I am rich, though compared to some I am not. I would like to pay more tax, but only because I would like to earn more, which will mean I will.
I have always thought it would be a fun thing to have a "voluntary tax" , which of course in a way we do and it is called The National Lottery. I therefore politely suggest to those who say they would like to pay more tax ( I struggle to believe you), imagine you are back in the 1970s and apply the tax multiples that were around then. With the surplus money you have you can buy lottery tickets with a promise that you will give any winnings to a willing beneficiary. I am happy to volunteer as that possible beneficiary should you not think of a more worthy cause.
There's a web page where you can donate to the HMRC.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
I'll tell you what has changed. Homework and emails. My poor sister is inundated with emails from her daughter's primary school. Her daughter is five and has a homework book. I get that they know that what happens at home is as important if not more important, but it is incredibly stressful.
I never had homework before secondary school. Five does seem a bit young.
I got homework from age 9 onwards. I seem to remember that feeling like a big deal.
Mike ( @MikeSmithson )- surely you're almost the definition of Toff!?
I know you didn't set out to be so.
Toffs are Other People.
I am getting by. You are merely affluent. But he is a toff.
But, of course, you are right.
pb.com is Toffs betting on Politics.
And the LibDems are TWA. Toffs With Attitude.
"The rich".....always people who earn more than you and should be paying more tax.....even if you are on £100k+ a year.
Yes, I think I am the only person on PB who has ever described themselves as rich. (And said I should pay more tax). As I recall I wasn't applauded for my candour.
By most definitions I am rich, though compared to some I am not. I would like to pay more tax, but only because I would like to earn more, which will mean I will.
I have always thought it would be a fun thing to have a "voluntary tax" , which of course in a way we do and it is called The National Lottery. I therefore politely suggest to those who say they would like to pay more tax ( I struggle to believe you), imagine you are back in the 1970s and apply the tax multiples that were around then. With the surplus money you have you can buy lottery tickets with a promise that you will give any winnings to a willing beneficiary. I am happy to volunteer as that possible beneficiary should you not think of a more worthy cause.
There's a web page where you can donate to the HMRC.
Unless it has gone away.
Oh really! There you go @OnlyLivingBoy . Please donate generously
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
I think it's interesting that the Star is doing politics on its front page. They didn't really used to. Typical headline from ten years ago - I paraphrase, but only just and only because I can't quite remember the detail: "GET IN! It's a bank holiday weekend, it's going to be hot, and there's football on. Let's all go down the pub!" I remember being charmed that the paper was so in tune with its readership but wondering at who would pay to read that particular story. Perhaps a bit too in tune with their readership in those days. I think nowadays they're a not-to-be-totally-dismissed barometer of what the country is thinking. But I think their criticism of the government would be criticism of any government: it's not from the Mirror's 'all Tories are evil' school of headlines, it's more the eye-rolling 'they're all useless'. I certainly wouldn't read it that the Star is calling for the expertise of Sir Kier Starmer to be brought to bear on the problems the country faces. I also think - in defiance of their tradition - they've allowed their headline writers to engage in some dry-ish wit over the last couple of years. As you say, I think their primary motivation is to raise a laugh (thereby hopefully motivating you to buy the paper rather than the Sun).
Never read it, but their front pages have been way better than most political cartoons in ridiculing the government, just recently.
Mike ( @MikeSmithson )- surely you're almost the definition of Toff!?
I know you didn't set out to be so.
Toffs are Other People.
I am getting by. You are merely affluent. But he is a toff.
But, of course, you are right.
pb.com is Toffs betting on Politics.
And the LibDems are TWA. Toffs With Attitude.
"The rich".....always people who earn more than you and should be paying more tax.....even if you are on £100k+ a year.
Yes, I think I am the only person on PB who has ever described themselves as rich. (And said I should pay more tax). As I recall I wasn't applauded for my candour.
By most definitions I am rich, though compared to some I am not. I would like to pay more tax, but only because I would like to earn more, which will mean I will.
I have always thought it would be a fun thing to have a "voluntary tax" , which of course in a way we do and it is called The National Lottery. I therefore politely suggest to those who say they would like to pay more tax ( I struggle to believe you), imagine you are back in the 1970s and apply the tax multiples that were around then. With the surplus money you have you can buy lottery tickets with a promise that you will give any winnings to a willing beneficiary. I am happy to volunteer as that possible beneficiary should you not think of a more worthy cause.
There's a web page where you can donate to the HMRC.
Unless it has gone away.
The Economist once suggested that each pound you paid in tax should actually be a lottery ticket to eliminate your income tax for that year.....
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
PMs have always been mocked, sure. But to cut through, the form of that mockery has to have a degree of "yeah, bang to rights" about it. Think of Maggie being lampooned as more macho than the men in her Cabinet, Major as the grey Pooter, Blair as the new trendy vicar. The Star's satirical portrayal of Boris is as a clown. At some semi-conscious level, that's how significant numbers of people see him. That's not happened in recent times, and it's not good.
Also, most satirical alter egos have something positive about them. Maggie's strength, Major's plodding English decency, Blair's sense of belief that things could be better. But clowns? Clowns are stupid and frankly a bit scary.
It's a very leading indicator, but one that should cause government supporters to stop and think.
And to think we took the piss out of Scott for persisting with his 'Bozo' obsession...
Routine booing of other countries' anthem isn't freedom of expression. It is knee-jerk boorish unpleasantness which reflects badly upon each and every English person in the eyes of others.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
PMs have always been mocked, sure. But to cut through, the form of that mockery has to have a degree of "yeah, bang to rights" about it. Think of Maggie being lampooned as more macho than the men in her Cabinet, Major as the grey Pooter, Blair as the new trendy vicar. The Star's satirical portrayal of Boris is as a clown. At some semi-conscious level, that's how significant numbers of people see him. That's not happened in recent times, and it's not good.
Also, most satirical alter egos have something positive about them. Maggie's strength, Major's plodding English decency, Blair's sense of belief that things could be better. But clowns? Clowns are stupid and frankly a bit scary.
It's a very leading indicator, but one that should cause government supporters to stop and think.
And to think we took the piss out of Scott for persisting with his 'Bozo' obsession...
Perhaps he's a true political visionary ? ( )
I think I might lay the claim to being (perhaps) the first on PB to refer to Mr Johnson as Bozo. I have no way of checking that dubious claim to fame.
Mike ( @MikeSmithson )- surely you're almost the definition of Toff!?
I know you didn't set out to be so.
Toffs are Other People.
I am getting by. You are merely affluent. But he is a toff.
But, of course, you are right.
pb.com is Toffs betting on Politics.
And the LibDems are TWA. Toffs With Attitude.
"The rich".....always people who earn more than you and should be paying more tax.....even if you are on £100k+ a year.
Yes, I think I am the only person on PB who has ever described themselves as rich. (And said I should pay more tax). As I recall I wasn't applauded for my candour.
By most definitions I am rich, though compared to some I am not. I would like to pay more tax, but only because I would like to earn more, which will mean I will.
I have always thought it would be a fun thing to have a "voluntary tax" , which of course in a way we do and it is called The National Lottery. I therefore politely suggest to those who say they would like to pay more tax ( I struggle to believe you), imagine you are back in the 1970s and apply the tax multiples that were around then. With the surplus money you have you can buy lottery tickets with a promise that you will give any winnings to a willing beneficiary. I am happy to volunteer as that possible beneficiary should you not think of a more worthy cause.
There's a web page where you can donate to the HMRC.
Unless it has gone away.
Oh really! There you go @OnlyLivingBoy . Please donate generously
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
I think it's interesting that the Star is doing politics on its front page. They didn't really used to. Typical headline from ten years ago - I paraphrase, but only just and only because I can't quite remember the detail: "GET IN! It's a bank holiday weekend, it's going to be hot, and there's football on. Let's all go down the pub!" I remember being charmed that the paper was so in tune with its readership but wondering at who would pay to read that particular story. Perhaps a bit too in tune with their readership in those days. I think nowadays they're a not-to-be-totally-dismissed barometer of what the country is thinking. But I think their criticism of the government would be criticism of any government: it's not from the Mirror's 'all Tories are evil' school of headlines, it's more the eye-rolling 'they're all useless'. I certainly wouldn't read it that the Star is calling for the expertise of Sir Kier Starmer to be brought to bear on the problems the country faces. I also think - in defiance of their tradition - they've allowed their headline writers to engage in some dry-ish wit over the last couple of years. As you say, I think their primary motivation is to raise a laugh (thereby hopefully motivating you to buy the paper rather than the Sun).
The personification of Johnson as a clown was/is in no way original, but it is relentless, and rather like The Guardian's cartoons of John Major with his pants outside his trousers and his Spitting Image puppet as a grey man it might just get into the public's broader perception, and also get under Johnson's skin. I must admit each time I see him now I hear the Circus Theme in my head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjedLeVGcfE
Where the press get it wrong is when they believe their farts smell of flowers. "IT WAS THE SUN WHAT WON IT" hyperbole is of the past. The impact that the red tops have in 2021 is a fraction of their power in 1992.
However, the shaping of people's opinions over time is a powerful thing. We know the role that newspapers have in shaping the boundaries of what is acceptable, and the Star have realised that their readers do care what goes on. Yes they are laughing at Boris and his government, yet you'd read Philip's posts and think that was a positive for the government. It really isn't.
Again this is not party political as I can't see how the next PM is anyone other than a Tory or how Starmer could hope to win the election. But this absolutely can build opinion against the Johnson government so the party decides he a liability. Boris the clown making people laugh is one thing, Boris the PM leading a sleazy incompetent circus us another.
The press has shaped public opinion for centuries. I accept that my journalism career was short and my journalism degree was over 20 years ago (Jesus...) but I don't think I am ready to acquiesce on this one to the Wazza Wizard with his perfect knowledge of any subject just yet.
By most definitions I am rich, though compared to some I am not. I would like to pay more tax, but only because I would like to earn more, which will mean I will.
I have always thought it would be a fun thing to have a "voluntary tax" , which of course in a way we do and it is called The National Lottery. I therefore politely suggest to those who say they would like to pay more tax ( I struggle to believe you), imagine you are back in the 1970s and apply the tax multiples that were around then. With the surplus money you have you can buy lottery tickets with a promise that you will give any winnings to a willing beneficiary. I am happy to volunteer as that possible beneficiary should you not think of a more worthy cause.
I'm reasonably well off in terms of income, and would be pleased to pay more tax, but only as part of a collective effort by democratic decision, as I did in other countries. I wouldn't pay a voluntary tax or bother with the lottery - I simply give away what I don't need. That doesn't seem to me inconsistent with favouring higher taxes in general.
The classic example is Scandinavia, where the majority view is still that it's fine to earn a lot, on the understanding that up to half goes to fund excellent public services and a really strong safety net if you fall on hard times. That has nothing to do with nationalisation (which is not part of the model) or envy of high-earners - if you earn megabucks and then pay your share, fine.
The problem for the DUP is that they have been demanding the end of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
So indeed have the UUP.
But the UK govt has now conceded that the Northern Ireland Protocol is here to stay.
Why is that a problem? It gives unionism a long-term political raison d'être.
I suppose that could be true, but it’s a futile endeavour and therefore a road to irrelevance for unionists.
They also have no answer to the question, “What replaces the Northern Ireland protocol”?
It's only futile if you think Brexit will inevitably lead to the relative economic decline of GB. If this doesn't happen then it makes unionists more relevant than they've been for a long time.
No, it’s futile because the Unionists will not and cannot muster a majority in the Assembly to scrap the Protocol.
Has nothing to do with the success or otherwise of a Brexit.
The relative decline has already started anyway; see the IMF’s latest assessment of U.K. GDP.
The IMF is predicting that the UK will recover faster than the Eurozone. You don't know how the relative economic position will look in a few years' time. A lot of people's credibility depends on the UK being seen to fail, but there's no guarantee this will happen.
The U.K.s “faster recovery” is simply the mirror of its steeper collapse.
I am not sure whose credibility rests of the U.K.‘s failure - maybe certain EU negotiators? Suspect this is mostly a phenomenon in the mind of Brexiters.
If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state, then it will be a constant threat to the sense of inevitability of the EU project. "There is no alternative" doesn't work when people can see the alternative.
The UK is going to be a prosperous modern state, irrespective of Brexit.
But your comparison is specious. The UK in 1970 was a prosperous modern state, but it still looked like it was failing relative to the Continental economies.
Now, do I believe that we will similar again? Probably not. But it's in the hands of the British electorate now.
I thought it was obvious I was making a comparative point. If the UK is seen to be doing better, in whatever way you choose to measure, then it will be a challenge to the EU system.
"If Brexit Britain fails to live up to the image that has been painted of a fascistic, declining backwater but instead looks like prosperous modern state"
That's a strawman argument.
If the UK grows at 1% a year, and the EU at 2.5% a year (not what I'm forecasting), then it will be a "prosperous modern state", but it won't be a threat to "the EU system" or a notable success. And nor will it be a "fascistic, declining backwater".
There's a massive fucking middle between disaster and glorious success.
If that happens for a long term then the UK would cease to be that prosperous.
Which is kind of the issue with why I voted to leave the EU. The EU has ceased to be as prosperous as it used to be and has declined in GDP per capita relative to other developed nations. I see no evidence EU states are more prosperous than comparable non-EU ones, quite the opposite in fact.
The problem is that there are so many different factors affecting prosperity - most of which are far more important than membership of a particular trade bloc.
Demographics, for example. Or whether you are a raw material importer or exporter (and the relative movement in the price of commodities). Etc.
The reality is that datasets are small (meaning that randomness is a large), and measuring the exact impact of each component is next to impossible.
Personally, I voted to leave the EU because I think governance works better when it is close to the governed; and (generally) smaller is nimbler.
From an economic perspective, I'd expect us to do better than the EU going forward. But we were doing better than the rest of the EU when we were a member too, so the question is whether we'll be able to beat the same level of outperformance we managed before.
No the reason we'll outperform the EU macroeconomically in the medium term, if we do, is that we've retained control of our monetary and exchange rate policy, unlike most EU member states. In limiting significantly our ability to deregulate (we have the most interventionist government in ages), we've hamstrung ourselves. So we'll have to hope that other advantages offset the EU's advantages, e.g. of economies of scale in areas where the Single Market is reasonably complete. We'll have to see how it pans out.
Those undertaking activities with significant economic benefit have always had favourable rules during this pandemic.
Remember the you can meet up with people in a restaurant if it was for this. Or travel, the plebs can't go on holiday, but business people have been able to travel basically unhindered throughout.
Given Freedom day is only 3 weeks away, I am not sure it will make a lot of difference.
I am not sure it will be full Freedom Day, with even Australia restoring lockdown in some states and LA county reimposing a mask wearing request because of the Delta variant I would imagine masks will still be required to be worn in shops and on public transport, the biggest events will still have a capacity limit and quarantine will still be required for visits to red list countries and for the non double vaccinated to amber countries even from the middle of next month.
I think this new government exemption would therefore certainly be very unpopular if executives returned from a red list country without quarantining
How can it be freedom day when it is still mooted that children will be kept from school if there is a positive test in the class. While literally hundreds of thousands of people go to sports events, the pub, etc.
What exactly does no more restrictions mean? It means restrictions the govt decides to keep. Plenty of them. Some idiot on R4 just now saying well children...long covid...can affect them....
Vanishingly small probability of a child suffering from Covid. Otherwise, given that it has ripped through schools and unis these past few weeks, we would be hearing reports of children dying by the bucketload each day. Doesn't seem to be happening.
Isn't freedom day also the end of term?
Friends and bush telegraph tells me that end of term in many instances is being curtailed a matter of weeks early as everyone self-isolates. Whole rite of passage experiences just not happening for tens of thousands of children.
End of term is a rite of passage without which we'd all be scarred?
You and @contrarian seem to have a very low opinion of the mental resilience of the average 18 year old.
End of school or uni year or of school or uni itself absolutely is a critical rite of passage.
And as for the mental resilience of the average 18-yr old, I suggest you listen to some of the news items on the radio in the UK today. Children on anti-depressants = up, children with mental distress = up, children missing on average 115 hours of face to face teaching, children simply going missing from school.
So yes, Robert and great vid on stopping illegal immigrants, btw, but absofuckinglutely yes, childrens' mental health is being fucked with.
Do you have children? Do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Literally the worst time of the entire school year was an enforced assembly while people trooped up to the front.
The bit that was fun was meeting up with your friends outside of school. Which is - ummm - completely unaffected.
(It is also worth remembering that "graduation" is a very modern concept. In the old days, you went for study leave and never came back. Which I guess explains why everyone over the age of about 50 is mentally scarred.)
Robert the instances of damage to children's mental health is being documented today as we speak on just about all news outlets. I won't google it all for you because I'm sure you will be able to do so.
And after a year or several years of school I could take or leave prize giving and speech day and what have you. I'm sure you the same and if it turned out that your May Ball was cancelled well not to worry your internship at GS was about to start. All perfectly charming.
But the last 15 months have been hell for hundreds of thousands of children perhaps not so fortunate as you or me or perhaps just as fortunate. And during this time school has often represented an oasis of normality. And people are being denied as I said a rite of passage that is part of growing up.
You're completely missing my point.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU REGARDNG THE IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON KIDS HEALTH.
I THINK YOU ARE A COMPLETE FUCKING RETARD IF YOU THINK GRADUATION CEREMONIES ARE SOME ESSENTIAL RIGHT OF PASSAGE THAT KIDS ENJOY.
High school graduation… in England?!?
It’s gone full circle now. You lot are de facto the 51st state.
Never heard of such a thing, has it really changed so much in 15 years? Now I do feel old.
My friend runs an executive taxi/chauffeur service (your high end cars, S class Mercs etc) he said where he makes the money these days is hiring out the limos (and other exec cars) for graduation season.
If I ever have a child they can have their fancy graduation/prom but by gods they can pay for any fancy taxi themselves.
You say that now, but the moment they enter your lives you will struggle to say no to them, particularly on the spoiling them rotten front.
Never bothered my father!
Besides, that's not spoiling. I'd rather given them the cash so long as it wasn't on a fancy taxi.
"Remainian trapt in Brexitannia" - Sounds like another impartial and balanced source.
The Daily Star? Since when did newspapers have to be impartial and balanced? What is most interesting about their now long-running series of front pages is that the Ooh Ah Daily Star ordinarily have no interest in politics. Their readers are more interested in Love Island.
So when they do a politics front page - and keep doing them every more biting and sarcastic - I have to assume that it cuts through to their readership. If it didn't then the editor gets told in no uncertain terms to stop pissing off the people who pay the bills and print stories they want.
Despite the Robert Buckland "we're popular no-one cares" bluster I get the feeling that dissent and open disdain is bubbling away under the surface. Not saying that is a gimme for Labour (far from it) but it won't take much for another moment of Shagger idiocy to tip people over the edge and him into the bin.
No the twitter account....another one of Scott n Paste very narrow twitter sources he downloads every day onto here.
As for the Daily Star, they are owned by the Mirror now, what should we expect?
What does the Twitter account matter? Does it allow you to pretend that isn't the front page of the Ooh Ah because you dislike who tweeted it's image?
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
Making fun of the government of the day gets laughs from people. A bit of a dog bites man story don't you think?
If you say so.
You don't think so?
I think it's interesting that the Star is doing politics on its front page. They didn't really used to. Typical headline from ten years ago - I paraphrase, but only just and only because I can't quite remember the detail: "GET IN! It's a bank holiday weekend, it's going to be hot, and there's football on. Let's all go down the pub!" I remember being charmed that the paper was so in tune with its readership but wondering at who would pay to read that particular story. Perhaps a bit too in tune with their readership in those days. I think nowadays they're a not-to-be-totally-dismissed barometer of what the country is thinking. But I think their criticism of the government would be criticism of any government: it's not from the Mirror's 'all Tories are evil' school of headlines, it's more the eye-rolling 'they're all useless'. I certainly wouldn't read it that the Star is calling for the expertise of Sir Kier Starmer to be brought to bear on the problems the country faces. I also think - in defiance of their tradition - they've allowed their headline writers to engage in some dry-ish wit over the last couple of years. As you say, I think their primary motivation is to raise a laugh (thereby hopefully motivating you to buy the paper rather than the Sun).
The personification of Johnson as a clown was/is in no way original, but it is relentless, and rather like The Guardian's cartoons of John Major with his pants outside his trousers and his Spitting Image puppet as a grey man it might just get into the public's broader perception, and also get under Johnson's skin. I must admit each time I see him now I hear the Circus Theme in my head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjedLeVGcfE
"IT WAS THE SUN WHAT WON IT" hyperbole of the past
Comments
As for ownership that doesn't matter that much. They are a business, they are going after the same don't do politics me reader they always have. And yet here they are making hay at the clown's expense. These are literally the demographic who handed them an 80 seat majority and they appear to be lapping up these (frankly brilliant who knew they had it in them) Daily Star front pages.
But what this shows is that nowhere is likely to peak worryingly high.
All very well not wanting to leap into a sewage pit, but if the alternative is waiting as a roaring fire hits you maybe its for the best. Especially if you're helping light the match.
1 Spain 4.2 23.8%
2 Italy 5.4 18.5%
3 England 6 16.7%
4 Germany 7.6 13.2%
5 Belgium 8.6 11.6%
6 Denmark 12 8.3%
7 Czechia 30 3.3%
8 Switzerland 30 3.3%
9 Sweden 55 1.8%
10 Ukraine 85 1.2%
All quoted.
We had Colin Cowdrey come and speak at one of ours, I remember.
I expect that have had Kenneth Clarke as well, and Ed Davey is on the menu.
I don't think that Star readers made that infamous description of the readerships of various papers (you know, the one that ends with Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she has enormous...), but the paper is tapping into something.
Plus I don't think there's a big screen at the Emirates, just the big digital scorecard.
I have always thought it would be a fun thing to have a "voluntary tax" , which of course in a way we do and it is called The National Lottery. I therefore politely suggest to those who say they would like to pay more tax ( I struggle to believe you), imagine you are back in the 1970s and apply the tax multiples that were around then. With the surplus money you have you can buy lottery tickets with a promise that you will give any winnings to a willing beneficiary. I am happy to volunteer as that possible beneficiary should you not think of a more worthy cause.
48% rise in a week looks pretty alarming to me, although hopefully it won't continue.
Betfair method of victory;
England penalties 12.5 (8%)
Germany penalties 10.5 (9.5%)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9737299/Lee-Hurst-reported-Twitter-inciting-violence-against-Chris-Whitty.html
Demographics, for example. Or whether you are a raw material importer or exporter (and the relative movement in the price of commodities). Etc.
The reality is that datasets are small (meaning that randomness is a large), and measuring the exact impact of each component is next to impossible.
Personally, I voted to leave the EU because I think governance works better when it is close to the governed; and (generally) smaller is nimbler.
From an economic perspective, I'd expect us to do better than the EU going forward. But we were doing better than the rest of the EU when we were a member too, so the question is whether we'll be able to beat the same level of outperformance we managed before.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/996565/Vaccine_surveillance_report_-_week_25.pdf
Change of Hospital Admissions:
Period 1 is Wave 2 - 1.2m cases in 4 weeks. Period 2 is Wave 3 - 200k cases in 4 weeks. Hospitalisation rate is reduce by approx 82%.
Dose 1 takeup profiles.
Dose 2 takeup profiles.
(May 24th is week 21)
The latter spreading that Eriksen's episode was because Eriksen had been vaccinated and it was being covered up.
Spoiler alert: Eriksen had NOT been vaccinated.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57650685
I presumed with these type of competitions that obviously the can isn't actually going to be £15k of gold, but the company gives you £15k as a prize when you find one. They are still trying to stand by its a collectors item, so worth loads.....surely their PR team would be straight away, well we will give you £15k if you want to sell it.
On a strict definition a toff should be someone with a hereditary title, on a broader definition someone who went to a British public school.
I think OGH should have said one rule for the rich rather than for toffs as not all toffs are especially rich
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57618624
Why do we require quarantine for anybody to come to the UK/England?
Its all very well criticising Sturgeon for imposing limits on one place in England, but the same argument mut much more powerful could and should be used to justify opening up to just about all forin travel, there are only a handful of places with more cases/million that the UK at the moment.
Yes the caveat of we are doing more testing applies, but its not going to change things that much.
Could we get a variant even more transmissible than, if so where is that, and how much faster that Delta could it be? and this is always going to be the case.
Yes almost everyplace will have restrictions for us, and I get that, but at this stage we have very little to lose in setting the lead and opening up all travel, (possibly with a handful of exceptions but not many)
Quite the opposite, in the bulk of the developed world smaller and nimbler is better than big and sclerotic.
The USA is held up as an example of big being strong, but the economic reality is quite the opposite. America doesn't have a big Federal government making big decisions like the Working Time Directive etc as the EU keeps ratchetting up. The EU is 50 small diverse states making their own decisions and that attitude works better.
We're at home. We should win.
Charlie Brown no more.
It's like Gypsy Wedding Surreality TV.
The 7 day average of hospitalisations (from 17 June) is 11.7... which is up 39% (from 10 June) when it was 8.4.
I think you might be seeing what you want to see here.
Edit - the case and hospitalisation rates are 7 day averaged.
I think nowadays they're a not-to-be-totally-dismissed barometer of what the country is thinking.
But I think their criticism of the government would be criticism of any government: it's not from the Mirror's 'all Tories are evil' school of headlines, it's more the eye-rolling 'they're all useless'. I certainly wouldn't read it that the Star is calling for the expertise of Sir Kier Starmer to be brought to bear on the problems the country faces.
I also think - in defiance of their tradition - they've allowed their headline writers to engage in some dry-ish wit over the last couple of years. As you say, I think their primary motivation is to raise a laugh (thereby hopefully motivating you to buy the paper rather than the Sun).
The Mirror, The Star, The Express all lost huge % of their circulation over the past 2 years and they don't exactly have a website like the Mail, where millions of people who claim they never look at it actually spend all their lunch breaks looking at the sidebar of shame.
Unfortunately, the snazzy colours have gone, but this might be clearer:
Thanks.
(Albeit that probably still understates how much less serious Covid 19 has become. If you look at average hospitalisation lengths - by backing out the in-out numbers every day - then that has also come from 11 days to under a week.)
Also, most satirical alter egos have something positive about them. Maggie's strength, Major's plodding English decency, Blair's sense of belief that things could be better. But clowns? Clowns are stupid and frankly a bit scary.
It's a very leading indicator, but one that should cause government supporters to stop and think.
Unless it has gone away.
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations?areaType=nation&areaName=England
For the, 85-89 age group, they crossed the 90% threshed on 6 feb, but have very slowly kept coming, up to 95.49% today.
Jude Bellingham had not been born when Seven Nation Army was released. He must think it's some sort of official UEFA anthem.
https://twitter.com/RorySmith/status/1409904055456051202
Currently Targeted Tory.
What's the equivalent for Lab / LD?
Perhaps he's a true political visionary ?
(
I have a good feeling.
It is knee-jerk boorish unpleasantness which reflects badly upon each and every English person in the eyes of others.
'You haven't lived until you've watched an entire match on Ceefax.'
I just got a blank stare, like 'What's Ceefax Grandad?'
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/voluntary-payments-donations-to-government
4 nil Engerlsnd
However, the shaping of people's opinions over time is a powerful thing. We know the role that newspapers have in shaping the boundaries of what is acceptable, and the Star have realised that their readers do care what goes on. Yes they are laughing at Boris and his government, yet you'd read Philip's posts and think that was a positive for the government. It really isn't.
Again this is not party political as I can't see how the next PM is anyone other than a Tory or how Starmer could hope to win the election. But this absolutely can build opinion against the Johnson government so the party decides he a liability. Boris the clown making people laugh is one thing, Boris the PM leading a sleazy incompetent circus us another.
The press has shaped public opinion for centuries. I accept that my journalism career was short and my journalism degree was over 20 years ago (Jesus...) but I don't think I am ready to acquiesce on this one to the Wazza Wizard with his perfect knowledge of any subject just yet.
Anyway, a decline in readership is pretty much all the newspapers.
The classic example is Scandinavia, where the majority view is still that it's fine to earn a lot, on the understanding that up to half goes to fund excellent public services and a really strong safety net if you fall on hard times. That has nothing to do with nationalisation (which is not part of the model) or envy of high-earners - if you earn megabucks and then pay your share, fine.
Another one hits the wall. And another one, etc.
Meanwhile there were 2 outfield England players not in the wall to mark 9 Germans.
It went beserk one year on a Saturday and he had to rush in to fix it.
He was the Complete Hampstead - used to go for a swim in the bathing pond throughout the year, then come back and shower naked in the back garden.
Top placed GB rider on GC is Welshman Geraint in 18th position.
Besides, that's not spoiling. I'd rather given them the cash so long as it wasn't on a fancy taxi.