Let us talk about the man who wanted to castrate Michael Gove – politicalbetting.com
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said supporters of Pen Farthing, a charity worker trying to evacuate animals from Afghanistan, have “taken up too much time” of the senior commanders dealing with the humanitarian crisishttps://t.co/fJIlI9ew5j
This thread says more about the author's prejudice than anything else. He has no evidence,none that Raab was incompetent.
There’s a distinction in unfair dismissal law between dismissals by reason of conduct and dismissals by reason of capability. In practice it’s often hard to correctly distinguish between the two.
This thread says more about the author's prejudice than anything else. He has no evidence,none that Raab was incompetent.
There’s a distinction in unfair dismissal law between dismissals by reason of conduct and dismissals by reason of capability. In practice it’s often hard to correctly distinguish between the two.
Surely 'capability' is a reflection (at least) on the person who employed them, rather than the worker themselves?
As has been pointed out the list of things Dominic Raab has failed to see coming includes ‘1. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan; 2. The importance of the Good Friday Agreement and its fragility post Brexit; 3. The importance of the UK’s proximity to Calais re imports/exports of goods‘, things he was specifically warned about.
If that doesn't scream incompetent then I don't know what does.
This thread says more about the author's prejudice than anything else. He has no evidence,none that Raab was incompetent.
There’s a distinction in unfair dismissal law between dismissals by reason of conduct and dismissals by reason of capability. In practice it’s often hard to correctly distinguish between the two.
Surely 'capability' is a reflection (at least) on the person who employed them, rather than the worker themselves?
It’s too broad to generalise like that. Capability also encompasses dismissals for medical reasons, people who can’t adapt to new ways of working etc.
Nooooooo.. vastly overpriced for what you get.. imho. Ok if you have a family room.. otherwise no way Josė. Be careful if you want to book P Inn ..book as early as possible, price for rooms varies almost by the second. You could in extreme circumstances be paying 29 quid for a room next door to someone who might have paid 150 for a similar room booked on the day...
This cats and dogs nonsense is not really an issue about cats and dogs but one of sentimentality and media emotion getting in the way of decisions - Happens a lot more in the social media world we live in and I hate it. Not just in government but in business and charities. Bring back logic , bring back saying "no" please!
As has been pointed out the list of things Dominic Raab has failed to see coming includes ‘1. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan; 2. The importance of the Good Friday Agreement and its fragility post Brexit; 3. The importance of the UK’s proximity to Calais re imports/exports of goods‘, things he was specifically warned about.
If that doesn't scream incompetent then I don't know what does.
I’d like to see the comments a thread header starting with “undeniably competent Dominic Raab…” attracts.
Reported that with the drawbridge now coming up, there are 150 British citizens and 500 US citizens still in the country, not to mention of course Afghans with the right of asylum who now cannot leave.
I would say the political fate of not just Biden but also Johnson will rest heavily on whose hands those poor people fall into. If it’s the Taliban, and a back room deal can be struck to get them out, fantastic. If it’s ISIS/AQ then it could get pretty grim.
For those wondering about the utility of rapid antigen tests versus PCR…
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7035e2.htm On May 25, 2021, the Marin County Department of Public Health (MCPH) was notified by an elementary school that on May 23, an unvaccinated teacher had reported receiving a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The teacher reported becoming symptomatic on May 19, but continued to work for 2 days before receiving a test on May 21. On occasion during this time, the teacher read aloud unmasked to the class despite school requirements to mask while indoors. Beginning May 23, additional cases of COVID-19 were reported among other staff members, students, parents, and siblings connected to the school. To characterize the outbreak, on May 26, MCPH initiated case investigation and contact tracing that included whole genome sequencing (WGS) of available specimens. A total of 27 cases were identified, including that of the teacher. During May 23–26, among the teacher’s 24 students, 22 students, all ineligible for vaccination because of age, received testing for SARS-CoV-2; 12 received positive test results. The attack rate in the two rows seated closest to the teacher’s desk was 80% (eight of 10) and was 28% (four of 14) in the three back rows…
Nooooooo.. vastly overpriced for what you get.. imho. Ok if you have a family room.. otherwise no way Josė. Be careful if you want to book P Inn ..book as early as possible, price for rooms varies almost by the second. You could in extreme circumstances be paying 29 quid for a room next door to someone who might have paid 150 for a similar room booked on the day...
The one in Kensington is good if you want to meet air crew
As has been pointed out the list of things Dominic Raab has failed to see coming includes ‘1. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan; 2. The importance of the Good Friday Agreement and its fragility post Brexit; 3. The importance of the UK’s proximity to Calais re imports/exports of goods‘, things he was specifically warned about.
If that doesn't scream incompetent then I don't know what does.
I’d like to see the comments a thread header starting with “undeniably competent Dominic Raab…” attracts.
As many as if I did a thread header starting with 'The famously faithful Boris Johnson'?
This cats and dogs nonsense is not really an issue about cats and dogs but one of sentimentality and media emotion getting in the way of decisions - Happens a lot more in the social media world we live in and I hate it. Not just in government but in business and charities. Bring back logic , bring back saying "no" please!
Ah, but is it the "no dogs" side guilty of sentimentality and emotion too, with false binary choices like asking how many humans should be left behind, as if all the flights were full and each cat would occupy a first class seat? I suspect the actual problem is it would divert civil servants in London from concentrating on getting people out rather than flight capacity in Afghanistan.
ETA this might be wrong but is consistent with what the Defence Secretary has said. Perhaps an extra team might be commissioned to sort out the animals.
This thread says more about the author's prejudice than anything else. He has no evidence,none that Raab was incompetent.
Raab sits atop the diplomatic corps and foreign intelligence. Who do you think should carry the can for a) failing to get the evacuation going on good time like the French did, b) leaving a stack of sensitive documents at the embassy
TSE, my hero, predicts in a header a prediction I made a few days ago. My life is complete, even if I'm completely wrong.
Same here. TSE, the villain, is clearly plagiarising our posts. The excellent header is just a longer-winded version of something I posted on Wednesday:
I wonder if Ben Wallace may resign once the immediate Afghan crisis is over? Reading between the lines, he seems fairly pissed off with Raab/FCO and with Boris (and/or Carrie), and he strikes me as if he may have a sense of honour/principle. Next Cabinet Minister out?
This thread says more about the author's prejudice than anything else. He has no evidence,none that Raab was incompetent.
Raab sits atop the diplomatic corps and foreign intelligence. Who do you think should carry the can for a) failing to get the evacuation going on good time like the French did, b) leaving a stack of sensitive documents at the embassy
To me was the speech where he seemed to not have a clue about Dover/Calais. I mean it is not difficult to spot the sea is narrow here and oh there is a tunnel.
In addition he clearly didn't understand JIT. He seemed to think it was about perishable goods.
Overnight Australia has had more than 1,100 Covid cases with more than 1,000 of those in NSW.
NZ had 81 up from their previous high of 62 in this wave. The tone has changed there in the last couple of days from "we've got this" to a "tough week ahead". Personally I think they have lost control of it. Too many people to accurately track with Delta.
TSE, my hero, predicts in a header a prediction I made a few days ago. My life is complete, even if I'm completely wrong.
Same here. TSE, the villain, is clearly plagiarising our posts. The excellent header is just a longer-winded version of something I posted on Wednesday:
I wonder if Ben Wallace may resign once the immediate Afghan crisis is over? Reading between the lines, he seems fairly pissed off with Raab/FCO and with Boris (and/or Carrie), and he strikes me as if he may have a sense of honour/principle. Next Cabinet Minister out?
I said the following on 20 August:
"On topic I wonder if Ben Wallace could be the next to go. Not because he will be fired, but resigns. He is doing a stirring effort in defending the Govt position, but he has also appeared very unhappy about what happened. I wonder if he is the sort who although he might want to resign is also someone who doesn't do so when there is a problem that needs sorting first. He seems genuinely upset by what has happened"
Opinions are divided about Wallace but he certainly made his mark on public awareness, somewhat at the expense of the PM and his wife. Past experience in this administration doesn't suggest that it will be rewarded with a promotion, and I suspect he's aware of that and is playing a longer game.
Opinions are divided about Wallace but he certainly made his mark on public awareness, somewhat at the expense of the PM and his wife. Past experience in this administration doesn't suggest that it will be rewarded with a promotion, and I suspect he's aware of that and is playing a longer game.
A defence minister who understands strategy would be novel.
He says “all the emails” like it’s irritating spam. The flippancy and joviality with which he refers to the plight of abandoned, desperate UK citizens is contemptible. These are human beings Prime Minister, in case you’ve forgotten. https://twitter.com/heidiallen75/status/1431522683225841664
This thread about vaccines from November last year puts SAGE to shame… https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1328355643300917249 So I am a bit hesitant to jump on board with the >90% efficacy results because the time scale of the phase 3 studies thus far match the time scale of the temporary plasmablast duration and the antibodies they produced...
… even if it becomes 50% to stop total symptomatic disease, it could remain 90% to stop severe disease. This, like testing and everything else is simply NOT a binary issue and also is NOT a simple issue meant for describing over Twitter....
Opinions are divided about Wallace but he certainly made his mark on public awareness, somewhat at the expense of the PM and his wife. Past experience in this administration doesn't suggest that it will be rewarded with a promotion, and I suspect he's aware of that and is playing a longer game.
I would have thought that he has risen as far as he can. He isn't really a candidate for any of the top 4 jobs, so resigning would be the end of his political career. Sacked maybe, but not resigning IMO.
He says “all the emails” like it’s irritating spam. The flippancy and joviality with which he refers to the plight of abandoned, desperate UK citizens is contemptible. These are human beings Prime Minister, in case you’ve forgotten. https://twitter.com/heidiallen75/status/1431522683225841664
Jesus
Compare Libya 2017 ("Once they've cleared up the dead bodies") and NZR. Dead and distressed darkies are intrinsically comic.
I have to laugh at the post expressing upset at the suggestion that Raab might be a thickie. He's not only politically stupid, he appears to be be arrogant in his actual stupidity. Which is why his place in cabinet was never under threat from beachgate.
Seriously though, who wants to make a stand defending *that*.
Opinions are divided about Wallace but he certainly made his mark on public awareness, somewhat at the expense of the PM and his wife. Past experience in this administration doesn't suggest that it will be rewarded with a promotion, and I suspect he's aware of that and is playing a longer game.
I would have thought that he has risen as far as he can. He isn't really a candidate for any of the top 4 jobs, so resigning would be the end of his political career. Sacked maybe, but not resigning IMO.
Boris doesn't sack and he has reason to resign, but based on my track record that probably means you are correct.
@OldKingCole latest is my gf went to the doctors and he looked down her throat/ears and said she has an infection and gave her anti biotics. But she’s been coughing all night and has just gone for a PCR test. Four negative LFTs though.
Surely the doctor would have said if she’s likely to have Covid, no?
Opinions are divided about Wallace but he certainly made his mark on public awareness, somewhat at the expense of the PM and his wife. Past experience in this administration doesn't suggest that it will be rewarded with a promotion, and I suspect he's aware of that and is playing a longer game.
I would have thought that he has risen as far as he can. He isn't really a candidate for any of the top 4 jobs, so resigning would be the end of his political career. Sacked maybe, but not resigning IMO.
Wallace might not be a candidate for one of the four great offices in normal times but when you look at the incumbents, is it that far-fetched? More importantly, when *he* looks at the incumbents. Rishi heads the pack but he only got the job in the first place because The Saj has a spine and/or Boris was tricked by Dominic Cummings.
Was it the great American lawyer, F Lee Bailey who said that as a child he was told that anyone could become President, and now he was starting to believe it?
But in any case, resigning would not help his cause, so I expect he will not do so.
@OldKingCole latest is my gf went to the doctors and he looked down her throat/ears and said she has an infection and gave her anti biotics. But she’s been coughing all night and has just gone for a PCR test. Four negative LFTs though.
Surely the doctor would have said if she’s likely to have Covid, no?
There are quite a few other respiratory viruses around, as immunity had dropped.
On the cats'n'dogs, Wallace took the only position possible for any non-deranged politician - people before pooches.
I wonder how Pen wotsit's reputation will survive.
All that rhetoric about 'plane will be filled with people where for places our staff don't take', getting into bed with Dominic Dyer, all that trolling from supporters and the rest.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
It would appear than Pen Farthing made it out with his pets, but not any of the Afghan staff
Do we really like dogs more than brown people?
As I said earlier, that is a false dichotomy. It was never that one would take the place of the other, if you think about who sits where on planes.
It really isn't. Anywhere you can fit a large dog you can fit a human. There's that plus the waste of time, money and resources, and the message we are sending to our betrayed allies.
@OldKingCole latest is my gf went to the doctors and he looked down her throat/ears and said she has an infection and gave her anti biotics. But she’s been coughing all night and has just gone for a PCR test. Four negative LFTs though.
Surely the doctor would have said if she’s likely to have Covid, no?
There are quite a few other respiratory viruses around, as immunity had dropped.
@isam - I understand why you must be worried, but the balance of probabilities here is very much with it being one of the many non-covid illnesses which are still out there. My wife had tow or three throat infections during her pregnancies. I don't know if one of the side effects of pregnancy is an increased susceptibility to that sort of thing, but it doesn't sound implausible. Still not nice for her (or you) but hopefully the antibiotics will sort her out.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
It would appear than Pen Farthing made it out with his pets, but not any of the Afghan staff
Do we really like dogs more than brown people?
As I said earlier, that is a false dichotomy. It was never that one would take the place of the other, if you think about who sits where on planes.
Leaving the Afghani staff to the Taliban's mercies is, or ought to be, a real scandal. Don't confound it with cats and dogs.
We're his Afghan staff and their families eligible for evacuation?
The weight of the evidence did suggest the man is a total arsehole but it did cross my mind that this whole saga may have been a contrivance by Farthing to get his staff out.
It would appear than Pen Farthing made it out with his pets, but not any of the Afghan staff
Do we really like dogs more than brown people?
As I said earlier, that is a false dichotomy. It was never that one would take the place of the other, if you think about who sits where on planes.
Leaving the Afghani staff to the Taliban's mercies is, or ought to be, a real scandal. Don't confound it with cats and dogs.
We're his Afghan staff and their families eligible for evacuation?
That would be a political decision.
Not sure that it would be. They presumably would need visas from the FCO consular staff and while those are politically instructed, the politicians are not picking and choosing.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
And we thought the shaved parmesan was bad. Blimey.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
Hot cross buns used to be a seasonal treat. Come to think of it, I'm not sure Creme Eggs were year-round either. Jumpers for goalposts...
It would appear than Pen Farthing made it out with his pets, but not any of the Afghan staff
Do we really like dogs more than brown people?
As I said earlier, that is a false dichotomy. It was never that one would take the place of the other, if you think about who sits where on planes.
Leaving the Afghani staff to the Taliban's mercies is, or ought to be, a real scandal. Don't confound it with cats and dogs.
We're his Afghan staff and their families eligible for evacuation?
The weight of the evidence did suggest the man is a total arsehole but it did cross my mind that this whole saga may have been a contrivance by Farthing to get his staff out.
No, he plainly is devoted to his animals, no matter how bonkers that seems.
Reported that with the drawbridge now coming up, there are 150 British citizens and 500 US citizens still in the country, not to mention of course Afghans with the right of asylum who now cannot leave.
I would say the political fate of not just Biden but also Johnson will rest heavily on whose hands those poor people fall into. If it’s the Taliban, and a back room deal can be struck to get them out, fantastic. If it’s ISIS/AQ then it could get pretty grim.
A question is how many of those people wanted to leave - there will be some who would not for whatever reason.
I'd still like to know what the limiting factor(s) in getting people out of Kabul was. Was it airlift capacity? Airfield capacity? Documentation/bureaucracy?
It would appear than Pen Farthing made it out with his pets, but not any of the Afghan staff
Do we really like dogs more than brown people?
As I said earlier, that is a false dichotomy. It was never that one would take the place of the other, if you think about who sits where on planes.
Leaving the Afghani staff to the Taliban's mercies is, or ought to be, a real scandal. Don't confound it with cats and dogs.
We're his Afghan staff and their families eligible for evacuation?
The weight of the evidence did suggest the man is a total arsehole but it did cross my mind that this whole saga may have been a contrivance by Farthing to get his staff out.
No, he plainly is devoted to his animals, no matter how bonkers that seems.
Trying to give him the benefit of the doubt here. Otherwise total tosser.
Opinions are divided about Wallace but he certainly made his mark on public awareness, somewhat at the expense of the PM and his wife. Past experience in this administration doesn't suggest that it will be rewarded with a promotion, and I suspect he's aware of that and is playing a longer game.
I would have thought that he has risen as far as he can. He isn't really a candidate for any of the top 4 jobs, so resigning would be the end of his political career. Sacked maybe, but not resigning IMO.
Boris doesn't sack and he has reason to resign, but based on my track record that probably means you are correct.
Boris has sacked ministers, but only for the crime of contradicting / showing up the boss. For example, Julian Smith.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
Last year as lockdown removed the restaurants and hotels sector we saw some amazing food being offered for a song through supermarkets and wholesalers. The back end of this year threatens the same - not because a lack of demand, but because of a lack of capacity.
The workforce crunch (500k workers!!!) means that stacks of piggy wiggy woos and other foodstock animals can't go for the chop. Which means that the usual Christmas ranges can't be produced, which will lead to a glut of non-seasonal product later in the autumn as Mr Pig and Mr Turkey has to get turned into *something* so go for the lowest effort option instead of luxury pings in blankets or that delicious Iceland 7 Bird Roast.
You may not be able to get your planned nice meats this year. But you'll be able to get piles of bangers for a song. Buy a chest freezer...
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
I've not noticed any shortages in either Waitrose on the IoW. This though is perhaps more consequential:
GPs ordered to halt all non-urgent blood tests across England until September
Incredible that you can read a whole article about this potentially life-threatening situation without a single mention of the word Brexit https://t.co/O9bgwU1pFo
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
Don't Morrisons have their own owned uk suppliers for things like fish? I seem to recall old Sir Ken Morrison was keen on controlling the supply chain.
All there to be asset stripped no doubt by the new owners.
On the cats'n'dogs, Wallace took the only position possible for any non-deranged politician - people before pooches.
I wonder how Pen wotsit's reputation will survive.
All that rhetoric about 'plane will be filled with people where for places our staff don't take', getting into bed with Dominic Dyer, all that trolling from supporters and the rest.
Pen will be fine. He's a Military Hero, and he's saving pets. In the court of British public opinion, that makes him doubly immune.
Off-topic: what is it supposed to mean when the government say that everyone aged 18+ has been offered vaccination?
What do they mean by "everyone" and "offered"? Does "everyone" mean all residents, everyone who has an NHS number, everyone who is registered with a GP, or something else? Does "offered" mean contacted personally, addressed impersonally in a publicity campaign, or one of these if a person is in one part of the population and the other if they're not?
I'm trying to get a handle on the demographics of the unvaccinated. Many (anecdotally) seem prone to believe that groups on which they're not especially keen are over-represented among the unvaccinated. Sometimes such beliefs may be accurate, but sometimes they derive in large part from prejudice.
How does being unvaccinated vary with level of formal education?
I plugged a few areas into the BBC website and came up with the following figures for the double-vaccinated: Western Isles 90%, South Norfolk 83%, North Norfolk 83%, Cardiff 81%, Highland 81%, Basingstoke 80%, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 79%, County Durham 77%, Thanet 77%, Belfast 77%, Derry City and Strabane 77%, Tunbridge Wells 76%, Windsor and Maidenhead 76%, Edinburgh 72%, Glasgow 72%, Leeds 66%, Reading 61%, Southampton 61%, Cambridge 54%, Lambeth 54%, Oxford 53%, Hackney and the City of London 52%, Kensington and Chelsea 50%.
At Cambridge, you are required to be registered with a local GP. Cambridge GPs therefore live high on the hog, as students aren't there half the year. And don't forget, the academic year finished there three months ago.
Their low percentage is therefore a consequence of students not being in Cambridge and probably getting jabbed at mummy's place.
Can that explain the size of the difference? Cambridge is at 54% double-vaccinated, against a national figure of 78%.
I'm not even sure that Anglia Ruskin which has more undergraduates than Cambridge University, albeit not all studying on the Cambridge campus, has a local GP registration rule.
Target indicator economics suggests that
1. officials in areas where vaccinations take place will rush to add them to the tally, but
2. officials in Cambridge - where presumably GPs' offices are informed when patients get vaccinated elsewhere - won't hesitate much in removing elsewhere-jabbed patients from their denominators.
That said, 2. would be counteracted by the expectation of funds, not necessarily directly SARSCoV2-themed, for the size of those denominators.
Canterbury is probably more studenty than Cambridge and is at 71%. Then there's Kensington and Chelsea at 50%.
Some are blaming the unvaccinated for a lot, so it would be interesting to know more about who they are.
No reason why not. Power steering changed the game for women bus drivers. Anti-social hours and nights away from home are perhaps the big issues now that cabs are nice places.
This thread says more about the author's prejudice than anything else. He has no evidence,none that Raab was incompetent.
There’s a distinction in unfair dismissal law between dismissals by reason of conduct and dismissals by reason of capability. In practice it’s often hard to correctly distinguish between the two.
Surely 'capability' is a reflection (at least) on the person who employed them, rather than the worker themselves?
It’s too broad to generalise like that. Capability also encompasses dismissals for medical reasons, people who can’t adapt to new ways of working etc.
One of my best sporting memories was being in a beer garden right outside the swimming arena with a huge screen while Ellie Simmonds won her gold medal in 2012. The noise from the swimming arena and in the beer garden was incredible. Everyone went berserk as she lost ground on every turn and then engaged those propeller arms.
But, somehow, this has really not grabbed me this time. Its too far away, the timing is difficult, the coverage is limited and the lack of crowds really hurts. Strangely it seems to hurt even more when the participants are not household names. I have barely watched half an hour of the Paralympics so far. I regret that but it is what it is.
That's a great article, and it's good to see more women being encouraged to take up trucking. There's no real reason they cannot do it, so I'd expect a higher percentage of women to be doing it.
One part does amuse me, though: "Missing “birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, being out here by yourself on Christmas, being out here by yourself on Mother’s Day—these are the things a lot of people aren’t prepared for,” says Ingrid Brown, the owner-operator of North Carolina-based trucking company Rollin’ B LLC."
Many people seem to forget that many men don't like having to miss birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc, etc. A friend of mine is often travelling on business, for months at a time. His wife (once a very good engineer) loves the housewife life, and good for her. But he hates the fact he misses so much of his kids' childhood. But someone needs to earn the money.
It's probably impossible for someone in long-distance trucking, especially in a country like America, to live a 'normal' home life. And there are a surprisingly large number of jobs like that, from shift work to the military. If you want to do those jobs, there are consequences.
It would appear than Pen Farthing made it out with his pets, but not any of the Afghan staff
Do we really like dogs more than brown people?
As I said earlier, that is a false dichotomy. It was never that one would take the place of the other, if you think about who sits where on planes.
It really isn't. Anywhere you can fit a large dog you can fit a human. There's that plus the waste of time, money and resources, and the message we are sending to our betrayed allies.
You can't legally load (human) passengers into the cargo hold of a commercial aircraft and the operator would lose their AOC in whichever jurisdiction it is held. It would also breach the terms of the aircraft's lease and insurance.
No commercial operator is going to take that risk for a load of Aghan scrandies.
PF is an ex-42 bootie and likes animals more than people so he's a top bloke.
One of my best sporting memories was being in a beer garden right outside the swimming arena with a huge screen while Ellie Simmonds won her gold medal in 2012. The noise from the swimming arena and in the beer garden was incredible. Everyone went berserk as she lost ground on every turn and then engaged those propeller arms.
But, somehow, this has really not grabbed me this time. Its too far away, the timing is difficult, the coverage is limited and the lack of crowds really hurts. Strangely it seems to hurt even more when the participants are not household names. I have barely watched half an hour of the Paralympics so far. I regret that but it is what it is.
You may be right. In London 2012, the Paralympics, perhaps for the first time, mattered. It became a first class citizen rather than an afterthought to the "real" games. This year, I've been staying up to watch the Paralympics but then not actually watching, just dipping in and out.
The way the Carrie image is being run! I used to think Denis Thatcher had skilled management. No "I really don't care" jacket for you then, eh, Carrie? Squillions of pounds in contracts and hundreds of British service lives lost in a totally unwinnable 20-year war that makes the Soviet effort look highly competent, and millions of refugees as a result of western invasions, but give it a few days of cuddly animal stories.
@OldKingCole latest is my gf went to the doctors and he looked down her throat/ears and said she has an infection and gave her anti biotics. But she’s been coughing all night and has just gone for a PCR test. Four negative LFTs though.
Surely the doctor would have said if she’s likely to have Covid, no?
There are quite a few other respiratory viruses around, as immunity had dropped.
@isam - I understand why you must be worried, but the balance of probabilities here is very much with it being one of the many non-covid illnesses which are still out there. My wife had tow or three throat infections during her pregnancies. I don't know if one of the side effects of pregnancy is an increased susceptibility to that sort of thing, but it doesn't sound implausible. Still not nice for her (or you) but hopefully the antibiotics will sort her out.
Yes, agree with Mr C's last sentence, and indeed hope that all goes well. Women get so much, and often contrary, information during pregnancy today. Didn't you say she's got a session with the midwife on Tuesday? Midwives are usually very good at sorting out these sorts of worries. Only, 5-6 weeks to go now, and, writing as a father of three and grandfather of seven, a new set of worries will take over!
One of my best sporting memories was being in a beer garden right outside the swimming arena with a huge screen while Ellie Simmonds won her gold medal in 2012. The noise from the swimming arena and in the beer garden was incredible. Everyone went berserk as she lost ground on every turn and then engaged those propeller arms.
But, somehow, this has really not grabbed me this time. Its too far away, the timing is difficult, the coverage is limited and the lack of crowds really hurts. Strangely it seems to hurt even more when the participants are not household names. I have barely watched half an hour of the Paralympics so far. I regret that but it is what it is.
You may be right. In London 2012, the Paralympics, perhaps for the first time, mattered. It became a first class citizen rather than an afterthought to the "real" games. This year, I've been staying up to watch the Paralympics but then not actually watching, just dipping in and out.
One of the many things that made the 2012 Olympics the best ever was the fact that even the early morning heats took place before packed stadiums with a buzzing atmosphere. It gave the participants an incredible lift and the same applied to the Paralympics after it. We are, as a nation, crazy for live sport. Other nations may have higher participation rates but I doubt anyone else matches the enthusiasm for attending.
Off-topic: what is it supposed to mean when the government say that everyone aged 18+ has been offered vaccination?
What do they mean by "everyone" and "offered"? Does "everyone" mean all residents, everyone who has an NHS number, everyone who is registered with a GP, or something else? Does "offered" mean contacted personally, addressed impersonally in a publicity campaign, or one of these if a person is in one part of the population and the other if they're not?
I'm trying to get a handle on the demographics of the unvaccinated. Many (anecdotally) seem prone to believe that groups on which they're not especially keen are over-represented among the unvaccinated. Sometimes such beliefs may be accurate, but sometimes they derive in large part from prejudice.
How does being unvaccinated vary with level of formal education?
I plugged a few areas into the BBC website and came up with the following figures for the double-vaccinated: Western Isles 90%, South Norfolk 83%, North Norfolk 83%, Cardiff 81%, Highland 81%, Basingstoke 80%, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 79%, County Durham 77%, Thanet 77%, Belfast 77%, Derry City and Strabane 77%, Tunbridge Wells 76%, Windsor and Maidenhead 76%, Edinburgh 72%, Glasgow 72%, Leeds 66%, Reading 61%, Southampton 61%, Cambridge 54%, Lambeth 54%, Oxford 53%, Hackney and the City of London 52%, Kensington and Chelsea 50%.
At Cambridge, you are required to be registered with a local GP. Cambridge GPs therefore live high on the hog, as students aren't there half the year. And don't forget, the academic year finished there three months ago.
Their low percentage is therefore a consequence of students not being in Cambridge and probably getting jabbed at mummy's place.
Can that explain the size of the difference? Cambridge is at 54% double-vaccinated, against a national figure of 78%.
I'm not even sure that Anglia Ruskin which has more undergraduates than Cambridge University, albeit not all studying on the Cambridge campus, has a local GP registration rule.
Target indicator economics suggests that
1. officials in areas where vaccinations take place will rush to add them to the tally, but
2. officials in Cambridge - where presumably GPs' offices are informed when patients get vaccinated elsewhere - won't hesitate much in removing elsewhere-jabbed patients from their denominators.
That said, 2. would be counteracted by the expectation of funds, not necessarily directly SARSCoV2-themed, for the size of those denominators.
Canterbury is probably more studenty than Cambridge and is at 71%. Then there's Kensington and Chelsea at 50%.
Some are blaming the unvaccinated for a lot, so it would be interesting to know more about who they are.
K&C especially, and Cambridge as well, must be very high on the list of areas where some residents own multiple homes, not just students living in a mix of places. You are right to ask for more context, I don't think the numbers are particularly reliable.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
Don't Morrisons have their own owned uk suppliers for things like fish? I seem to recall old Sir Ken Morrison was keen on controlling the supply chain.
All there to be asset stripped no doubt by the new owners.
They do - and they manufacturer most of their baked goods like Hot Cross Buns and Donuts (hence the low price). Had they been bought by one of the predatory bids then undoubtedly this would all have been flogged off. Their new owners? Doubt it - they're investing for the long haul and the vertical supply chain is what makes Mozzas unique.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
Don't Morrisons have their own owned uk suppliers for things like fish? I seem to recall old Sir Ken Morrison was keen on controlling the supply chain.
All there to be asset stripped no doubt by the new owners.
They do - and they manufacturer most of their baked goods like Hot Cross Buns and Donuts (hence the low price). Had they been bought by one of the predatory bids then undoubtedly this would all have been flogged off. Their new owners? Doubt it - they're investing for the long haul and the vertical supply chain is what makes Mozzas unique.
On supermarkets, yesterday I obtained fresh Razor Clams from my closest big Morrisons in Mansfield. They also seem to have a more varied selection of fish than seen previously when I have been there.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
There appears to a shortage of hot cross buns at Waitrose, none of my favourite orange flavoured ones nor the Apple flavoured ones.
Don't Morrisons have their own owned uk suppliers for things like fish? I seem to recall old Sir Ken Morrison was keen on controlling the supply chain.
All there to be asset stripped no doubt by the new owners.
They do - and they manufacturer most of their baked goods like Hot Cross Buns and Donuts (hence the low price). Had they been bought by one of the predatory bids then undoubtedly this would all have been flogged off. Their new owners? Doubt it - they're investing for the long haul and the vertical supply chain is what makes Mozzas unique.
I thought it was their undervalued property assets that the vulture capitalists were after.
I quite like Morrisons. Their fruit and veg are good.
I know Scott linked to this upthread, but it's well worth a watch - only 44 seconds of Boris and Dom at their finest. It's a brilliant pastiche of The Thick of It. The highlight is when Boris says 'Amazing!' in reference to the fact that people trying to get out of Afghanistan are still hanging around even after the terrorist attack. Government as satire.
Dogs must have contributed an awful lot to helping many people keep their spirits up, and their sanity, these past 17 months.
The vast majority of even feral dogs are commensal with humans. In Moscow some take the tube from where they live, beg, and then catch the tube back home again later in the day.
Comments
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dominic-raab-stayed-on-holiday-for-two-days-after-he-was-called-back-pxhb58rb6
As I noted last weekend.
As has been pointed out the list of things Dominic Raab has failed to see coming includes ‘1. The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan; 2. The importance of the Good Friday Agreement and its fragility post Brexit; 3. The importance of the UK’s proximity to Calais re imports/exports of goods‘, things he was specifically warned about.
If that doesn't scream incompetent then I don't know what does.
I would say the political fate of not just Biden but also Johnson will rest heavily on whose hands those poor people fall into. If it’s the Taliban, and a back room deal can be struck to get them out, fantastic. If it’s ISIS/AQ then it could get pretty grim.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7035e2.htm
On May 25, 2021, the Marin County Department of Public Health (MCPH) was notified by an elementary school that on May 23, an unvaccinated teacher had reported receiving a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The teacher reported becoming symptomatic on May 19, but continued to work for 2 days before receiving a test on May 21. On occasion during this time, the teacher read aloud unmasked to the class despite school requirements to mask while indoors. Beginning May 23, additional cases of COVID-19 were reported among other staff members, students, parents, and siblings connected to the school. To characterize the outbreak, on May 26, MCPH initiated case investigation and contact tracing that included whole genome sequencing (WGS) of available specimens. A total of 27 cases were identified, including that of the teacher. During May 23–26, among the teacher’s 24 students, 22 students, all ineligible for vaccination because of age, received testing for SARS-CoV-2; 12 received positive test results. The attack rate in the two rows seated closest to the teacher’s desk was 80% (eight of 10) and was 28% (four of 14) in the three back rows…
The show was much more graphic.
Oh, sorry, ...Theon
ETA this might be wrong but is consistent with what the Defence Secretary has said. Perhaps an extra team might be commissioned to sort out the animals.
I wonder if Ben Wallace may resign once the immediate Afghan crisis is over? Reading between the lines, he seems fairly pissed off with Raab/FCO and with Boris (and/or Carrie), and he strikes me as if he may have a sense of honour/principle. Next Cabinet Minister out?
Not really convinced by the Header.
Is there not a reshuffle due in a few months' time, and Wallace seems to be having a decent run? Why would he go now or soon?
In addition he clearly didn't understand JIT. He seemed to think it was about perishable goods.
Would never have happened with a Herdson Saturday offering.....
NZ had 81 up from their previous high of 62 in this wave. The tone has changed there in the last couple of days from "we've got this" to a "tough week ahead". Personally I think they have lost control of it. Too many people to accurately track with Delta.
"On topic I wonder if Ben Wallace could be the next to go. Not because he will be fired, but resigns. He is doing a stirring effort in defending the Govt position, but he has also appeared very unhappy about what happened. I wonder if he is the sort who although he might want to resign is also someone who doesn't do so when there is a problem that needs sorting first. He seems genuinely upset by what has happened"
Just saying....
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00475-8/fulltext
(The effect relating to vaccinated isn’t clear from the data - since there are far fewer hospitalisations.)
https://twitter.com/heidiallen75/status/1431522683225841664
https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1328355643300917249
So I am a bit hesitant to jump on board with the >90% efficacy results because the time scale of the phase 3 studies thus far match the time scale of the temporary plasmablast duration and the antibodies they produced...
… even if it becomes 50% to stop total symptomatic disease, it could remain 90% to stop severe disease. This, like testing and everything else is simply NOT a binary issue and also is NOT a simple issue meant for describing over Twitter....
Compare Libya 2017 ("Once they've cleared up the dead bodies") and NZR. Dead and distressed darkies are intrinsically comic.
Seriously though, who wants to make a stand defending *that*.
Resigning worked for him, and resigning from this shitshow will be a badge of honour in the future
Surely the doctor would have said if she’s likely to have Covid, no?
Do we really like dogs more than brown people?
Was it the great American lawyer, F Lee Bailey who said that as a child he was told that anyone could become President, and now he was starting to believe it?
But in any case, resigning would not help his cause, so I expect he will not do so.
I wonder how Pen wotsit's reputation will survive.
All that rhetoric about 'plane will be filled with people where for places our staff don't take', getting into bed with Dominic Dyer, all that trolling from supporters and the rest.
Leaving the Afghani staff to the Taliban's mercies is, or ought to be, a real scandal. Don't confound it with cats and dogs.
Never seen before, and very welcome.
My wife had tow or three throat infections during her pregnancies. I don't know if one of the side effects of pregnancy is an increased susceptibility to that sort of thing, but it doesn't sound implausible.
Still not nice for her (or you) but hopefully the antibiotics will sort her out.
I'd still like to know what the limiting factor(s) in getting people out of Kabul was. Was it airlift capacity? Airfield capacity? Documentation/bureaucracy?
On that basis, Wallace is toast.
The workforce crunch (500k workers!!!) means that stacks of piggy wiggy woos and other foodstock animals can't go for the chop. Which means that the usual Christmas ranges can't be produced, which will lead to a glut of non-seasonal product later in the autumn as Mr Pig and Mr Turkey has to get turned into *something* so go for the lowest effort option instead of luxury pings in blankets or that delicious Iceland 7 Bird Roast.
You may not be able to get your planned nice meats this year. But you'll be able to get piles of bangers for a song. Buy a chest freezer...
GPs ordered to halt all non-urgent blood tests across England until September
Incredible that you can read a whole article about this potentially life-threatening situation without a single mention of the word Brexit
https://t.co/O9bgwU1pFo
https://twitter.com/GreenPartyMolly/status/1431213618004176900?s=19
All there to be asset stripped no doubt by the new owners.
(For avoidance of doubt, this is a bad thing.)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-20/women-are-entering-a-trucking-industry-that-s-not-built-for-them
https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/paralympic-games/en/results/all-sports/medal-standings.htm
I'm not even sure that Anglia Ruskin which has more undergraduates than Cambridge University, albeit not all studying on the Cambridge campus, has a local GP registration rule.
Target indicator economics suggests that
1. officials in areas where vaccinations take place will rush to add them to the tally, but
2. officials in Cambridge - where presumably GPs' offices are informed when patients get vaccinated elsewhere - won't hesitate much in removing elsewhere-jabbed patients from their denominators.
That said, 2. would be counteracted by the expectation of funds, not necessarily directly SARSCoV2-themed, for the size of those denominators.
Canterbury is probably more studenty than Cambridge and is at 71%.
Then there's Kensington and Chelsea at 50%.
Some are blaming the unvaccinated for a lot, so it would be interesting to know more about who they are.
https://capx.co/will-supply-shortages-choke-the-economic-recovery/
Should have been Gove's father that was castrated.
But, somehow, this has really not grabbed me this time. Its too far away, the timing is difficult, the coverage is limited and the lack of crowds really hurts. Strangely it seems to hurt even more when the participants are not household names. I have barely watched half an hour of the Paralympics so far. I regret that but it is what it is.
One part does amuse me, though: "Missing “birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, being out here by yourself on Christmas, being out here by yourself on Mother’s Day—these are the things a lot of people aren’t prepared for,” says Ingrid Brown, the owner-operator of North Carolina-based trucking company Rollin’ B LLC."
Many people seem to forget that many men don't like having to miss birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc, etc. A friend of mine is often travelling on business, for months at a time. His wife (once a very good engineer) loves the housewife life, and good for her. But he hates the fact he misses so much of his kids' childhood. But someone needs to earn the money.
It's probably impossible for someone in long-distance trucking, especially in a country like America, to live a 'normal' home life. And there are a surprisingly large number of jobs like that, from shift work to the military. If you want to do those jobs, there are consequences.
No commercial operator is going to take that risk for a load of Aghan scrandies.
PF is an ex-42 bootie and likes animals more than people so he's a top bloke.
Only, 5-6 weeks to go now, and, writing as a father of three and grandfather of seven, a new set of worries will take over!
Good morning, everyone.
I quite like Morrisons. Their fruit and veg are good.
https://twitter.com/Zero_4/status/1431372211068227590
The vast majority of even feral dogs are commensal with humans. In Moscow some take the tube from where they live, beg, and then catch the tube back home again later in the day.