My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
Bored witless in London....how is that possible?
She's 15, and, despite all my best advice, refuses to drink underage or take illegal drugs
But she is at least bisexual or transgender, right?
She is of an age where I do not inquire, unless she wants to go public. As yet, she does not
Does she have a different name that she uses with her friends, that she doesn't use with you?
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish on Scotland during Mike's holiday.
I hope you have a nice sturdy tin helmet ready to protect yourself from ballistic turnips.
The morning thread requires no tin helmet or body armour.
I suspect the one about an independent Scotland, the currency, and the role of the Bank of England may attract turnips.
And the odd Swede as well.
Doesn’t sound as though he will be attracted to it. Repelled, more like.
Still got the makings of a good scotch broth.
Turnips for lamb stew - swedes for the broth (or potato soup, with shank of lamb), I think.
My mum would use turnip or swede for her Scotch broth along with plenty of carrot and a bit of boiling beef. Whatever was available, really.
For some reason my family didn't often have that broth - it was far more often potato and carrot soup with a shank of lamb and large chunks of swede cooked in it and served as the second course with bread.
always turnips, none of your piddling little swedes
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish about Scotland during Mike's holiday.
Before the F1 excitement I spent a glorious three hours walking down Fraserburgh beach, through Cairnbulg where the east coast becomes the north coast, then down the beach to St Combs before returning along the old railway line back to the Broch. 10 miles of glorious sunshine, almost entirely deserted beaches, zero midges.
Perhaps there needs to be a thread about why the English tourists all go to Loch Lomond, Skye and the NC500. Aberdeenshire is glorious, more so by not being full of meandering tourists in oversized camper vans.
It's a beautiful and relatively unappreciated stretch of coast IMO - a bit like the Lleyn peninsular in Wales. Tourists flock like Lemmings to certain places, leaving other spectacular areas nearby relatively empty.
I once stayed in lighthouse cottages at Rattray Head. Inside, there was a collection of poetry by a local poet, along with a dictionary of the local Buchan dialect, to help you understand it.
Now that was a mental lighthouse. Your cottage is remote enough down 4x4 only tracks. Then it's a meandering walk through the dunes onto that glorious beach. With a low tide only causeway to access the lighthouse in the sea.
This part of Aberdeenshire has such contrasts. It's almost continuous east coach beach and dunes from Aberdeen to Peterhead then onwards to Fraserburgh. Then the north coast is craggy cliffs with villages clinging to the clifftops or nestled between the shoreline and the cliff face. Sweeping farm land in this corner, with the Grampians inland.
If any PBers are in the North East (no, not that one @Gallowgate) I recommend the walk from Gardenstown (pronounced Gamerie) to Crovie (pronounced Crivvie).
Yes. Along the shoreline. Around the rockface that skews out at 45°. Through Crovie with the houses nestled on a ledge between the sea and the cliff that there's no room for a road. Then up the long flight of steps and up the 1 in 3/4 road to the viewpoint. Then return along the clifftop path before following the hairpins on the road as Gardenstown village stacks up the steep slope to the sea.
Or if you have more time, keep walking from Crovie to the RSPB sanctuary at Troup Head, past the gannets (all of them) clinging to the sheer rock faces and then back via the viewpoint above Crovie and back to Gardenstown.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
I'm finding LA difficult for a business that's increasingly all over the US. And it's on a terrible time zone for communications with the UK. My wife also hates driving in Los Angeles, and would rather be somewhere more walkable.
So, we're looking around the US for somewhere:
(1) With acceptable weather (which counts Boston and Chicago out) (2) With good public transport, and where one doesn't have to jump in the car *all* *the* *time*. (3) That has really good transport links (both to the UK and across the US) (4) That is on EST or CET (5) That has decent restaurants, museums, etc.
Any thoughts? We're thinking of the DC area, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Asheville, NC. Honestly, it would suit you down to the ground. Don’t think twice, just go there. Thank me later.
Sounds lovely, but its transport links are pretty rubbish.
Worrying about transport links is so pre-covid!
Go take a break there; you’ll be converted. Say hi to the great folks at the Mast General Store, for me.
My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
Cycle somewhere, perhaps to Scotland. She may want one or two friends to accompany her.
Well, it depends on what she likes. If she wants scenery, space, sea and bird watching and travelling round, it would be great. If she wants theatres and clubbing, not so much.
But Caithness is, in my view, well worth seeing, and Carnyx has put in many things I didn’t know about that make it sound even better.
Don’t know anything about the other one so can’t say anything useful.
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish on Scotland during Mike's holiday.
I hope you have a nice sturdy tin helmet ready to protect yourself from ballistic turnips.
The morning thread requires no tin helmet or body armour.
I suspect the one about an independent Scotland, the currency, and the role of the Bank of England may attract turnips.
I hope someone has warned HYFUD to make sure his laptop is fully charged and his tank has plenty of fuel.
I am out most of tomorrow, though given this Tory government will refuse an indyref2 for the rest of its time in power all Scottish independence threads are entirely hypothetical if and until we get a Labour government reliant on SNP confidence and supply
So you won’t be commenting on any of @TSE’s Scottish posts? P.S. enjoy your day tomorrow. We’re having family for lunch, so won’t be on here much tomorrow, either.
Have a good day too, if TSE really wanted lots of comments on his Scottish post it would probably have been better not to post it on the Sunday of an August Bank Holiday weekend
Although not a holiday in Scotland.
Is for me , I take both English and Scottish bank holidays.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
In the wake of the US retreat from Kabul, the angry, nationalistic Beijing ‘Global Times’ newspaper carries a ferocious warning to Pres Biden over Taiwan: ‘Whoever dares to cross China’s red line on the Taiwan question is seeking its own death.’ After Kabul, no more Mr Nice Guy. 3:11 PM · Aug 28, 2021"
I don't think that China will risk trying to subjugate Taiwan. There's so little to gain and so much to lose.
They can easily acquire a little bit of Afghanistan, and that'll give them more potential mineral wealth.
Taiwan isn’t about money it’s about controlling entry to the South China Sea & the Chinese heartlands
It's a tough nut for the Chinese to crack, mind.
Because they can't use nuclear weapons on a "rebellious province", and Chinese state TV is all about how the Taiwanese people love the PRC.
So, they have to invade, without taking massive casualties, across a pretty wide stretch of water, against an extremely well armed opponent.
And it's going to get harder as the Taiwanese are in the process of building eight nuclear powered attack submarines.
The only way to do it, IMHO, is for them to blockade the island, only allowing Chinese ships in-and-out, and demanding they submit. But even that's tough - it'd take a long time to force the Taiwanese into submission, and there's the risk that the Taiwanese start sinking Chinese ships. And if you do, you're essentially in an all out war situation.
I'm sure China could do it. They are a nuclear powered superpower, after all. But it'd be extremely expensive in terms of money, prestige and lives.
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
Well, it depends on what she likes. If she wants scenery, space, sea and bird watching and travelling round, it would be great. If she wants theatres and clubbing, not so much.
But Caithness is, in my view, well worth seeing, and Carnyx has put in many things I didn’t know about that make it sound even better.
Don’t know anything about the other one so can’t say anything useful.
I think that's fair enough. If she likes castles then that walk I recommended has two, but Orkney also has its mindblowing archaeology, above all megaliths (Brogar: Stenness: Maeshowe and the nearby communal complex beign dug up are utterly superb).
Cumbrae is a small island and can be a bit limiting as small islands tend to be; Bute would have more options if you're in that area. John O'Groats for the grandeur and choices, and being able to say you've been.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
Isn't that the one up from Harlech BR to the Castle? (Had a delightful stay in the restaurant and b&B opposite the castle many years ago ... exploring the Tal-y-Llyn railway and the slate quarries above it, ditto the Ffestiniog ...)
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish on Scotland during Mike's holiday.
I hope you have a nice sturdy tin helmet ready to protect yourself from ballistic turnips.
The morning thread requires no tin helmet or body armour.
I suspect the one about an independent Scotland, the currency, and the role of the Bank of England may attract turnips.
I hope someone has warned HYFUD to make sure his laptop is fully charged and his tank has plenty of fuel.
I am out most of tomorrow, though given this Tory government will refuse an indyref2 for the rest of its time in power all Scottish independence threads are entirely hypothetical if and until we get a Labour government reliant on SNP confidence and supply
So you won’t be commenting on any of @TSE’s Scottish posts? P.S. enjoy your day tomorrow. We’re having family for lunch, so won’t be on here much tomorrow, either.
Have a good day too, if TSE really wanted lots of comments on his Scottish post it would probably have been better not to post it on the Sunday of an August Bank Holiday weekend
Although not a holiday in Scotland.
Is for me , I take both English and Scottish bank holidays.
I'm finding LA difficult for a business that's increasingly all over the US. And it's on a terrible time zone for communications with the UK. My wife also hates driving in Los Angeles, and would rather be somewhere more walkable.
So, we're looking around the US for somewhere:
(1) With acceptable weather (which counts Boston and Chicago out) (2) With good public transport, and where one doesn't have to jump in the car *all* *the* *time*. (3) That has really good transport links (both to the UK and across the US) (4) That is on EST or CET (5) That has decent restaurants, museums, etc.
Any thoughts? We're thinking of the DC area, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure there’s anywhere that meets all your wants: weather is going to be the hardest as pretty much all the NE from DC upwards has hot humid summers and cold, sometimes severe, winters. South of DC in EST-land you’re still going to get nasty summers plus more exposure to hurricanes etc, plus the further South you go, the more of a cultural wasteland it becomes, unless you like country and western…
I mean, I personally love NYC, but it is full-on, and the Subway is efficient but a rolling biohazard, and I suspect if it was on your radar you’d’ve mentioned it.
How about Philadelphia? Yeah, it has hot humid summers, but the winters aren't usually too bad. Has great culture with the UPenn museums, the Art Museum (better than the Met in NYC IMO), Independence Hall. Buzzing music scene. Center City is super-walkable except in high summer. Great (if expensive) housing stock with the classic row houses. SEPTA (public transport) is pretty decent by American standards though not of NYC/Chicago calibre, plus you’d be close to DC and NYC by Acela high-speed train. Oh and the food scene is banging: best on the East Coast that I’ve experienced, although due to PA’s bizarre liquour laws most places are BYOB.
Now, parts of Philly are indeed pretty grim, especially North Philly and Kensington, but even West Philly around the Penn campus is super-gentrified, and the area around South Street is pretty decent and has great restos. Center City itself is super safe but expensive.
It also has direct flights to the UK.
And the Rocky steps. Good universities.
Yeah, but when you get to top of the Rocky Steps, do not turn round and go back down. The Philly Art Museum is a gem.
In the wake of the US retreat from Kabul, the angry, nationalistic Beijing ‘Global Times’ newspaper carries a ferocious warning to Pres Biden over Taiwan: ‘Whoever dares to cross China’s red line on the Taiwan question is seeking its own death.’ After Kabul, no more Mr Nice Guy. 3:11 PM · Aug 28, 2021"
I don't think that China will risk trying to subjugate Taiwan. There's so little to gain and so much to lose.
They can easily acquire a little bit of Afghanistan, and that'll give them more potential mineral wealth.
Taiwan isn’t about money it’s about controlling entry to the South China Sea & the Chinese heartlands
It's a tough nut for the Chinese to crack, mind.
Because they can't use nuclear weapons on a "rebellious province", and Chinese state TV is all about how the Taiwanese people love the PRC.
So, they have to invade, without taking massive casualties, across a pretty wide stretch of water, against an extremely well armed opponent.
And it's going to get harder as the Taiwanese are in the process of building eight nuclear powered attack submarines.
The only way to do it, IMHO, is for them to blockade the island, only allowing Chinese ships in-and-out, and demanding they submit. But even that's tough - it'd take a long time to force the Taiwanese into submission, and there's the risk that the Taiwanese start sinking Chinese ships. And if you do, you're essentially in an all out war situation.
I'm sure China could do it. They are a nuclear powered superpower, after all. But it'd be extremely expensive in terms of money, prestige and lives.
I do hope the existing two WW2 vintage submarines get preserved.
OTOH Mr Quentin is said to be "worried it's ruined his chances of becoming an MP.”
If that was chief amongst his worries, the story that the MOD had bungled Pen's staff's paperwork is very believable. Which I'd perhaps why Farthing wood be passed off.
I'm finding LA difficult for a business that's increasingly all over the US. And it's on a terrible time zone for communications with the UK. My wife also hates driving in Los Angeles, and would rather be somewhere more walkable.
So, we're looking around the US for somewhere:
(1) With acceptable weather (which counts Boston and Chicago out) (2) With good public transport, and where one doesn't have to jump in the car *all* *the* *time*. (3) That has really good transport links (both to the UK and across the US) (4) That is on EST or CET (5) That has decent restaurants, museums, etc.
Any thoughts? We're thinking of the DC area, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure there’s anywhere that meets all your wants: weather is going to be the hardest as pretty much all the NE from DC upwards has hot humid summers and cold, sometimes severe, winters. South of DC in EST-land you’re still going to get nasty summers plus more exposure to hurricanes etc, plus the further South you go, the more of a cultural wasteland it becomes, unless you like country and western…
I mean, I personally love NYC, but it is full-on, and the Subway is efficient but a rolling biohazard, and I suspect if it was on your radar you’d’ve mentioned it.
How about Philadelphia? Yeah, it has hot humid summers, but the winters aren't usually too bad. Has great culture with the UPenn museums, the Art Museum (better than the Met in NYC IMO), Independence Hall. Buzzing music scene. Center City is super-walkable except in high summer. Great (if expensive) housing stock with the classic row houses. SEPTA (public transport) is pretty decent by American standards though not of NYC/Chicago calibre, plus you’d be close to DC and NYC by Acela high-speed train. Oh and the food scene is banging: best on the East Coast that I’ve experienced, although due to PA’s bizarre liquour laws most places are BYOB.
Now, parts of Philly are indeed pretty grim, especially North Philly and Kensington, but even West Philly around the Penn campus is super-gentrified, and the area around South Street is pretty decent and has great restos. Center City itself is super safe but expensive.
It also has direct flights to the UK.
And the Rocky steps. Good universities.
Yeah, but when you get to top of the Rocky Steps, do not turn round and go back down. The Philly Art Museum is a gem.
I actually saw the Tutankhamen exhibition there in 2004.
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish on Scotland during Mike's holiday.
I hope you have a nice sturdy tin helmet ready to protect yourself from ballistic turnips.
The morning thread requires no tin helmet or body armour.
I suspect the one about an independent Scotland, the currency, and the role of the Bank of England may attract turnips.
I hope someone has warned HYFUD to make sure his laptop is fully charged and his tank has plenty of fuel.
I am out most of tomorrow, though given this Tory government will refuse an indyref2 for the rest of its time in power all Scottish independence threads are entirely hypothetical if and until we get a Labour government reliant on SNP confidence and supply
So you won’t be commenting on any of @TSE’s Scottish posts? P.S. enjoy your day tomorrow. We’re having family for lunch, so won’t be on here much tomorrow, either.
Have a good day too, if TSE really wanted lots of comments on his Scottish post it would probably have been better not to post it on the Sunday of an August Bank Holiday weekend
Maybe that’s why he’s posting it on the Sunday of an August Bank Holiday!
In the wake of the US retreat from Kabul, the angry, nationalistic Beijing ‘Global Times’ newspaper carries a ferocious warning to Pres Biden over Taiwan: ‘Whoever dares to cross China’s red line on the Taiwan question is seeking its own death.’ After Kabul, no more Mr Nice Guy. 3:11 PM · Aug 28, 2021"
I don't think that China will risk trying to subjugate Taiwan. There's so little to gain and so much to lose.
They can easily acquire a little bit of Afghanistan, and that'll give them more potential mineral wealth.
Taiwan isn’t about money it’s about controlling entry to the South China Sea & the Chinese heartlands
It's a tough nut for the Chinese to crack, mind.
Because they can't use nuclear weapons on a "rebellious province", and Chinese state TV is all about how the Taiwanese people love the PRC.
So, they have to invade, without taking massive casualties, across a pretty wide stretch of water, against an extremely well armed opponent.
And it's going to get harder as the Taiwanese are in the process of building eight nuclear powered attack submarines.
The only way to do it, IMHO, is for them to blockade the island, only allowing Chinese ships in-and-out, and demanding they submit. But even that's tough - it'd take a long time to force the Taiwanese into submission, and there's the risk that the Taiwanese start sinking Chinese ships. And if you do, you're essentially in an all out war situation.
I'm sure China could do it. They are a nuclear powered superpower, after all. But it'd be extremely expensive in terms of money, prestige and lives.
I do hope the existing two WW2 vintage submarines get preserved.
Are they not of the fairly common USN type? IIRC there is one at Seattle for instance. But I'm all for preserving old warships!
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
Do bear in mind that Caithness is in a liberal democrat constituency, and it may not be fair to a 15 year old to take her to one of those.
The victorious Afghan government is being remarkably helpy towards the evacuating ex-invaders at the end of the 20-year war: there has been no "General Jodl in the tent" moment for the internet age; no railway carriage signature; no public questioning of prisoners as occurred after the Bay of Pigs, let alone a brutal surge in the popular punishment of collaborators. Let's hope there is now a lasting peace.
My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
Bored witless in London....how is that possible?
She's 15, and, despite all my best advice, refuses to drink underage or take illegal drugs
My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
Bored witless in London....how is that possible?
She's 15, and, despite all my best advice, refuses to drink underage or take illegal drugs
My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
If you want someone to keep an eye on her, I can see Great Cumbrae from my window. It’s not got much for a 15 year old. It’s more a holiday destination for young children. Much as it grieves me, I would recommend John O’Groats. If, however, you choose Great Cumbrae, i.e. Millport, I can thoroughly recommend Nostalgin. If you go to John O’Groats, Rock Rose from Dunnet is also highly recommended.
My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
Bored witless in London....how is that possible?
She's 15, and, despite all my best advice, refuses to drink underage or take illegal drugs
Are you sure you are related?
I refuse to believe this man has a non-imaginary daughter
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
Do bear in mind that Caithness is in a liberal democrat constituency, and it may not be fair to a 15 year old to take her to one of those.
It's different up there. Thet vote LD because Gladstone was so good to the crofters as a result of instituting the Napier Commission*. Nothing more, erm, peculiar than that.
*Seriously. Also cos the Free Kirk and the Liberals were so closely linked in the mid-C19 as well, in terms of opposition to the Established Kirk and the lairds.
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Cumbrae, as in Millport? You just rock up to the ferry and queue with the best of them. It's a 10 minute crossing, if that. But Millport is a day trip, not much more than that.
The fact that there's no booking or priority for locals is a bone of contention.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
Caithness is quite something - wide open flagstone Old Red Sandstone cliffs and huge skies. I liked Wick - a Telford harbour much loved by Lowry. There is a fine coastal walk around the headland north and westabout from the harbour to Ackergill tower and then back along the River Wick with sand martins and marsh/reed birds, though that may depend on time of year). That is admittedly some miles south of JoG. The walk to Thurso looks promising.
Practical point: accessible by train, if by rather a long trundle even beyond Inverness (and do book: the trains are not large, though I think they have obtained some 125s for the ones to Inverness).
Astonishing divide in the new Mainstreet Canada numbers.
The Conservatives lead the Liberals by 37% to 29% overall, by a huge 59% to 22% in Alberta and 61% to 12% in the Prairies and by 42% to 20% in BC (with the NDP on 27%).
Yet because the Liberals still lead the Conservatives by 35.4% to 34.1% in marginal rich Ontario and by 29.9% to 25.4% in Quebec (with the BQ on 26.5%) and by 37.8% to 28.5% in the Atlantic states it is possible the Liberals could still win most seats despite being 8% behind in the national popular vote.
The Liberals won only 15 of 104 seats in the West last time. So they don't have a lot to lose there. Ontario will, as ever, be key. They will surely lose many, many there on those figures. An improved NDP showing can hand the Tories many ridings without them having to increase their own vote.
In the wake of the US retreat from Kabul, the angry, nationalistic Beijing ‘Global Times’ newspaper carries a ferocious warning to Pres Biden over Taiwan: ‘Whoever dares to cross China’s red line on the Taiwan question is seeking its own death.’ After Kabul, no more Mr Nice Guy. 3:11 PM · Aug 28, 2021"
I don't think that China will risk trying to subjugate Taiwan. There's so little to gain and so much to lose.
They can easily acquire a little bit of Afghanistan, and that'll give them more potential mineral wealth.
Taiwan isn’t about money it’s about controlling entry to the South China Sea & the Chinese heartlands
It's a tough nut for the Chinese to crack, mind.
Because they can't use nuclear weapons on a "rebellious province", and Chinese state TV is all about how the Taiwanese people love the PRC.
So, they have to invade, without taking massive casualties, across a pretty wide stretch of water, against an extremely well armed opponent.
And it's going to get harder as the Taiwanese are in the process of building eight nuclear powered attack submarines.
The only way to do it, IMHO, is for them to blockade the island, only allowing Chinese ships in-and-out, and demanding they submit. But even that's tough - it'd take a long time to force the Taiwanese into submission, and there's the risk that the Taiwanese start sinking Chinese ships. And if you do, you're essentially in an all out war situation.
I'm sure China could do it. They are a nuclear powered superpower, after all. But it'd be extremely expensive in terms of money, prestige and lives.
Blockade Taiwan and the world pretty soon runs out of computer components. Or has that changed recently? And, at some point, you have to physically occupy the space. Which, unlike Tibet or Xinjiang contains a highly educated, technologically advanced, well connected to the outside world, armed and well-trained population who've all done 2 years military service, in some of the least occupier friendly territory imaginable. And are used to having their wishes taken into account. Look at the trouble Hong Kong has given them with only the first three factors in play. And the HK people accept they are Chinese. Possibly a majority of Taiwanese don't even identify as such. With a Red Army that isn't battle hardened, has been propagandised to be expecting to be welcomed with flowers, and a domestic population utterly unprepared for casualties.
I'm also sure they could do it. But I'm also sure there's a reason they haven't tried.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish about Scotland during Mike's holiday.
Before the F1 excitement I spent a glorious three hours walking down Fraserburgh beach, through Cairnbulg where the east coast becomes the north coast, then down the beach to St Combs before returning along the old railway line back to the Broch. 10 miles of glorious sunshine, almost entirely deserted beaches, zero midges.
Perhaps there needs to be a thread about why the English tourists all go to Loch Lomond, Skye and the NC500. Aberdeenshire is glorious, more so by not being full of meandering tourists in oversized camper vans.
It's a beautiful and relatively unappreciated stretch of coast IMO - a bit like the Lleyn peninsular in Wales. Tourists flock like Lemmings to certain places, leaving other spectacular areas nearby relatively empty.
I once stayed in lighthouse cottages at Rattray Head. Inside, there was a collection of poetry by a local poet, along with a dictionary of the local Buchan dialect, to help you understand it.
Now that was a mental lighthouse. Your cottage is remote enough down 4x4 only tracks. Then it's a meandering walk through the dunes onto that glorious beach. With a low tide only causeway to access the lighthouse in the sea.
This part of Aberdeenshire has such contrasts. It's almost continuous east coach beach and dunes from Aberdeen to Peterhead then onwards to Fraserburgh. Then the north coast is craggy cliffs with villages clinging to the clifftops or nestled between the shoreline and the cliff face. Sweeping farm land in this corner, with the Grampians inland.
If any PBers are in the North East (no, not that one @Gallowgate) I recommend the walk from Gardenstown (pronounced Gamerie) to Crovie (pronounced Crivvie).
Yes. Along the shoreline. Around the rockface that skews out at 45°. Through Crovie with the houses nestled on a ledge between the sea and the cliff that there's no room for a road. Then up the long flight of steps and up the 1 in 3/4 road to the viewpoint. Then return along the clifftop path before following the hairpins on the road as Gardenstown village stacks up the steep slope to the sea.
Or if you have more time, keep walking from Crovie to the RSPB sanctuary at Troup Head, past the gannets (all of them) clinging to the sheer rock faces and then back via the viewpoint above Crovie and back to Gardenstown.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
I'm still in shock - after all these years I've been to a place you haven't.
Went to John O'Groats 25 years ago - it certainly lacks the scenic majesty of Land's End with its granite cliffs etc. I had coffee in the octagonal building named after one Jan de Groot (yes, it's named after a Dutchman) who built the original back in the 15th century.
For a better "view" head a few miles west to Dunnet Head - the vista back west down the north coast of Scotland is spectacular and would be more so were it not for Dounreay power station.
When global warming renders the Med uninhabitable, the northern Scottish coast will be the place for seaside holidays - buy some land or a property there - in 100 years it'll be as popular as the Costa Del Sol.
Scrabster is a delightful little port and from there you can get a ferry to Stromness on Orkney - the ferry passes the legendary Old Man of Hoy.
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish about Scotland during Mike's holiday.
Before the F1 excitement I spent a glorious three hours walking down Fraserburgh beach, through Cairnbulg where the east coast becomes the north coast, then down the beach to St Combs before returning along the old railway line back to the Broch. 10 miles of glorious sunshine, almost entirely deserted beaches, zero midges.
Perhaps there needs to be a thread about why the English tourists all go to Loch Lomond, Skye and the NC500. Aberdeenshire is glorious, more so by not being full of meandering tourists in oversized camper vans.
It's a beautiful and relatively unappreciated stretch of coast IMO - a bit like the Lleyn peninsular in Wales. Tourists flock like Lemmings to certain places, leaving other spectacular areas nearby relatively empty.
I once stayed in lighthouse cottages at Rattray Head. Inside, there was a collection of poetry by a local poet, along with a dictionary of the local Buchan dialect, to help you understand it.
Now that was a mental lighthouse. Your cottage is remote enough down 4x4 only tracks. Then it's a meandering walk through the dunes onto that glorious beach. With a low tide only causeway to access the lighthouse in the sea.
This part of Aberdeenshire has such contrasts. It's almost continuous east coach beach and dunes from Aberdeen to Peterhead then onwards to Fraserburgh. Then the north coast is craggy cliffs with villages clinging to the clifftops or nestled between the shoreline and the cliff face. Sweeping farm land in this corner, with the Grampians inland.
My family came from Aberdeenshire. Very much inland from what you describe. I doubt they knew the sea.
A dark and difficult place. There was little looking back.
Has Mike gone on holiday?
Where to?
There's a fabulous blog about offgrid in Scotland called "Life at the End of the Road".
Wow, thanks for that. I see he lives at the end of Calum's Road - which I read a book about a few years back.
(For other readers: the only road on the Isle of Raasay ended a few miles from its northern tip. Because of this, crofts to the north slowly depopulated. To try and stem this, Calum Macleoad started building a road by hand in the 1960s. Twenty years later, he had completed a two-mile track which was eventually adopted by he council and paved. An amazing story of perseverance and toil.)
The victorious Afghan government is being remarkably helpy towards the evacuating ex-invaders at the end of the 20-year war: there has been no "General Jodl in the tent" moment for the internet age; no railway carriage signature; no public questioning of prisoners as occurred after the Bay of Pigs, let alone a brutal surge in the popular punishment of collaborators. Let's hope there is now a lasting peace.
It is not the Taliban who are the main problem, it is jihadi militants just as it was pre invasion in 2001.
It was IS terrorists who launched the attack on Kabul airport last week, not the Taliban
My older daughter, 15, is bored witless in London and wants an adventure before school begins, and she really wants to go to Scotland
There's very little available, but I've found two possibles. One is a sweet holiday let on Great Cumbrae island, in the Firth of Clyde, the other is a madder holiday let in John o Groats
The first is easier to do and sounds charming, in a quaint way, the second is harder but might broaden her mind. The big desolate landscapes of the north east tip of Scotland (which I have never seen)
Thoughts?
Caithness is quite something - wide open flagstone Old Red Sandstone cliffs and huge skies. I liked Wick - a Telford harbour much loved by Lowry. There is a fine coastal walk around the headland north and westabout from the harbour to Ackergill tower and then back along the River Wick with sand martins and marsh/reed birds, though that may depend on time of year). That is admittedly some miles south of JoG. The walk to Thurso looks promising.
Practical point: accessible by train, if by rather a long trundle even beyond Inverness (and do book: the trains are not large, though I think they have obtained some 125s for the ones to Inverness).
I'm finding LA difficult for a business that's increasingly all over the US. And it's on a terrible time zone for communications with the UK. My wife also hates driving in Los Angeles, and would rather be somewhere more walkable.
So, we're looking around the US for somewhere:
(1) With acceptable weather (which counts Boston and Chicago out) (2) With good public transport, and where one doesn't have to jump in the car *all* *the* *time*. (3) That has really good transport links (both to the UK and across the US) (4) That is on EST or CET (5) That has decent restaurants, museums, etc.
Any thoughts? We're thinking of the DC area, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure there’s anywhere that meets all your wants: weather is going to be the hardest as pretty much all the NE from DC upwards has hot humid summers and cold, sometimes severe, winters. South of DC in EST-land you’re still going to get nasty summers plus more exposure to hurricanes etc, plus the further South you go, the more of a cultural wasteland it becomes, unless you like country and western…
I mean, I personally love NYC, but it is full-on, and the Subway is efficient but a rolling biohazard, and I suspect if it was on your radar you’d’ve mentioned it.
How about Philadelphia? Yeah, it has hot humid summers, but the winters aren't usually too bad. Has great culture with the UPenn museums, the Art Museum (better than the Met in NYC IMO), Independence Hall. Buzzing music scene. Center City is super-walkable except in high summer. Great (if expensive) housing stock with the classic row houses. SEPTA (public transport) is pretty decent by American standards though not of NYC/Chicago calibre, plus you’d be close to DC and NYC by Acela high-speed train. Oh and the food scene is banging: best on the East Coast that I’ve experienced, although due to PA’s bizarre liquour laws most places are BYOB.
Now, parts of Philly are indeed pretty grim, especially North Philly and Kensington, but even West Philly around the Penn campus is super-gentrified, and the area around South Street is pretty decent and has great restos. Center City itself is super safe but expensive.
@rcs1000 how about Austin? I appreciate you might not like Abbott but it probably fits a lot of your criteria.
I'm finding LA difficult for a business that's increasingly all over the US. And it's on a terrible time zone for communications with the UK. My wife also hates driving in Los Angeles, and would rather be somewhere more walkable.
So, we're looking around the US for somewhere:
(1) With acceptable weather (which counts Boston and Chicago out) (2) With good public transport, and where one doesn't have to jump in the car *all* *the* *time*. (3) That has really good transport links (both to the UK and across the US) (4) That is on EST or CET (5) That has decent restaurants, museums, etc.
Any thoughts? We're thinking of the DC area, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure there’s anywhere that meets all your wants: weather is going to be the hardest as pretty much all the NE from DC upwards has hot humid summers and cold, sometimes severe, winters. South of DC in EST-land you’re still going to get nasty summers plus more exposure to hurricanes etc, plus the further South you go, the more of a cultural wasteland it becomes, unless you like country and western…
I mean, I personally love NYC, but it is full-on, and the Subway is efficient but a rolling biohazard, and I suspect if it was on your radar you’d’ve mentioned it.
How about Philadelphia? Yeah, it has hot humid summers, but the winters aren't usually too bad. Has great culture with the UPenn museums, the Art Museum (better than the Met in NYC IMO), Independence Hall. Buzzing music scene. Center City is super-walkable except in high summer. Great (if expensive) housing stock with the classic row houses. SEPTA (public transport) is pretty decent by American standards though not of NYC/Chicago calibre, plus you’d be close to DC and NYC by Acela high-speed train. Oh and the food scene is banging: best on the East Coast that I’ve experienced, although due to PA’s bizarre liquour laws most places are BYOB.
Now, parts of Philly are indeed pretty grim, especially North Philly and Kensington, but even West Philly around the Penn campus is super-gentrified, and the area around South Street is pretty decent and has great restos. Center City itself is super safe but expensive.
@rcs1000 how about Austin? I appreciate you might not like Abbott but it probably fits a lot of your criteria.
I'm finding LA difficult for a business that's increasingly all over the US. And it's on a terrible time zone for communications with the UK. My wife also hates driving in Los Angeles, and would rather be somewhere more walkable.
So, we're looking around the US for somewhere:
(1) With acceptable weather (which counts Boston and Chicago out) (2) With good public transport, and where one doesn't have to jump in the car *all* *the* *time*. (3) That has really good transport links (both to the UK and across the US) (4) That is on EST or CET (5) That has decent restaurants, museums, etc.
Any thoughts? We're thinking of the DC area, but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Not sure there’s anywhere that meets all your wants: weather is going to be the hardest as pretty much all the NE from DC upwards has hot humid summers and cold, sometimes severe, winters. South of DC in EST-land you’re still going to get nasty summers plus more exposure to hurricanes etc, plus the further South you go, the more of a cultural wasteland it becomes, unless you like country and western…
I mean, I personally love NYC, but it is full-on, and the Subway is efficient but a rolling biohazard, and I suspect if it was on your radar you’d’ve mentioned it.
How about Philadelphia? Yeah, it has hot humid summers, but the winters aren't usually too bad. Has great culture with the UPenn museums, the Art Museum (better than the Met in NYC IMO), Independence Hall. Buzzing music scene. Center City is super-walkable except in high summer. Great (if expensive) housing stock with the classic row houses. SEPTA (public transport) is pretty decent by American standards though not of NYC/Chicago calibre, plus you’d be close to DC and NYC by Acela high-speed train. Oh and the food scene is banging: best on the East Coast that I’ve experienced, although due to PA’s bizarre liquour laws most places are BYOB.
Now, parts of Philly are indeed pretty grim, especially North Philly and Kensington, but even West Philly around the Penn campus is super-gentrified, and the area around South Street is pretty decent and has great restos. Center City itself is super safe but expensive.
@rcs1000 how about Austin? I appreciate you might not like Abbott but it probably fits a lot of your criteria.
Agreed on Austin, great food/drink/music/cultural scene, lovely lakes/rivers/swimming/watersports, BA had a flight to London pre covid, I hear good public transport (for Texas anyway). A lot of tech companies have been relocating from California due to business unfriendly policies there, and Austin has the combination of business friendly Texas but also is a more "liberal" style city than, say, Houston
Cumbrae is a small island and can be a bit limiting as small islands tend to be; Bute would have more options if you're in that area. John O'Groats for the grandeur and choices, and being able to say you've been.
Ta!
We have indeed gone for John o groats; Thankyou PB
Astonishing divide in the new Mainstreet Canada numbers.
The Conservatives lead the Liberals by 37% to 29% overall, by a huge 59% to 22% in Alberta and 61% to 12% in the Prairies and by 42% to 20% in BC (with the NDP on 27%).
Yet because the Liberals still lead the Conservatives by 35.4% to 34.1% in marginal rich Ontario and by 29.9% to 25.4% in Quebec (with the BQ on 26.5%) and by 37.8% to 28.5% in the Atlantic states it is possible the Liberals could still win most seats despite being 8% behind in the national popular vote.
The Liberals won only 15 of 104 seats in the West last time. So they don't have a lot to lose there. Ontario will, as ever, be key. They will surely lose many, many there on those figures. An improved NDP showing can hand the Tories many ridings without them having to increase their own vote.
In the wake of the US retreat from Kabul, the angry, nationalistic Beijing ‘Global Times’ newspaper carries a ferocious warning to Pres Biden over Taiwan: ‘Whoever dares to cross China’s red line on the Taiwan question is seeking its own death.’ After Kabul, no more Mr Nice Guy. 3:11 PM · Aug 28, 2021"
I don't think that China will risk trying to subjugate Taiwan. There's so little to gain and so much to lose.
They can easily acquire a little bit of Afghanistan, and that'll give them more potential mineral wealth.
Taiwan isn’t about money it’s about controlling entry to the South China Sea & the Chinese heartlands
It's a tough nut for the Chinese to crack, mind.
Because they can't use nuclear weapons on a "rebellious province", and Chinese state TV is all about how the Taiwanese people love the PRC.
So, they have to invade, without taking massive casualties, across a pretty wide stretch of water, against an extremely well armed opponent.
And it's going to get harder as the Taiwanese are in the process of building eight nuclear powered attack submarines.
The only way to do it, IMHO, is for them to blockade the island, only allowing Chinese ships in-and-out, and demanding they submit. But even that's tough - it'd take a long time to force the Taiwanese into submission, and there's the risk that the Taiwanese start sinking Chinese ships. And if you do, you're essentially in an all out war situation.
I'm sure China could do it. They are a nuclear powered superpower, after all. But it'd be extremely expensive in terms of money, prestige and lives.
Blockade Taiwan and the world pretty soon runs out of computer components. Or has that changed recently? And, at some point, you have to physically occupy the space. Which, unlike Tibet or Xinjiang contains a highly educated, technologically advanced, well connected to the outside world, armed and well-trained population who've all done 2 years military service, in some of the least occupier friendly territory imaginable. And are used to having their wishes taken into account. Look at the trouble Hong Kong has given them with only the first three factors in play. And the HK people accept they are Chinese. Possibly a majority of Taiwanese don't even identify as such. With a Red Army that isn't battle hardened, has been propagandised to be expecting to be welcomed with flowers, and a domestic population utterly unprepared for casualties.
I'm also sure they could do it. But I'm also sure there's a reason they haven't tried.
I expect an 8% divide would probably be too much for Trudeau to overcome but most polls have it closer than that.
It certainly looks possible though the Conservatives could win the popular vote by even more than they did in 2019 but Trudeau's Liberals still narrowly win most seats even if the Conservatives win most seats excluding Quebec
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
Having digressed to Scotland, it's back to more familiar territory with a new German poll tonight from Allenstein:
Changes from 2017 election:
Union CDU/CSU: 26% (-7) Social Democrats: 24% (+3.5) Greens: 17% (+8) Free Democrats: 10.5% Alternative for Germany: 10.5% (-2) Left: 6% (-3)
Another strong poll for the Social Democrats and another disappointing poll for the FDP who have slipped back from the 13% levels seen a few weeks ago. Allenstein had the highest ratings for the Union but even they see support for Laschet slipping away as Scholz continues to gain ground.
Covid severely impacted my attempt to conquer all of ScotRail last year. I managed to do both routes into Inverness from the south (September 2019), and the east (March 2020, just two weeks before the First Lockdown).
But I still have to do the two routes west and north (Kyle of Lochalsh route and the Far North route to Wick/Thurso).
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
I did get a lovely shot of the Waverley departing the pier at Largs a few weeks back on a beautiful day. I'm not much of a photo taker but it's probably the nicest photo I've ever taken.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
Just watched the Motorbike Show (sorry Dura Ace) and they say it's Hardknot Pass in the Lake District. I guess it may be one of those contested ones..
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish on Scotland during Mike's holiday.
I hope you have a nice sturdy tin helmet ready to protect yourself from ballistic turnips.
The morning thread requires no tin helmet or body armour.
I suspect the one about an independent Scotland, the currency, and the role of the Bank of England may attract turnips.
I hope someone has warned HYFUD to make sure his laptop is fully charged and his tank has plenty of fuel.
I am out most of tomorrow, though given this Tory government will refuse an indyref2 for the rest of its time in power all Scottish independence threads are entirely hypothetical if and until we get a Labour government reliant on SNP confidence and supply
So you won’t be commenting on any of @TSE’s Scottish posts? P.S. enjoy your day tomorrow. We’re having family for lunch, so won’t be on here much tomorrow, either.
Have a good day too, if TSE really wanted lots of comments on his Scottish post it would probably have been better not to post it on the Sunday of an August Bank Holiday weekend
Although not a holiday in Scotland.
Is for me , I take both English and Scottish bank holidays.
Having digressed to Scotland, it's back to more familiar territory with a new German poll tonight from Allenstein:
Changes from 2017 election:
Union CDU/CSU: 26% (-7) Social Democrats: 24% (+3.5) Greens: 17% (+8) Free Democrats: 10.5% Alternative for Germany: 10.5% (-2) Left: 6% (-3)
Another strong poll for the Social Democrats and another disappointing poll for the FDP who have slipped back from the 13% levels seen a few weeks ago. Allenstein had the highest ratings for the Union but even they see support for Laschet slipping away as Scholz continues to gain ground.
Actually that is a surprisingly good poll for the Union, that poll would still give them most seats and as the Union+FDP+AfD combined have the same number of votes as the Social Democrats+Greens+Left combined the latter would not have a majority.
So most likely it would be a continuation of the Union and Social Democrats grand coalition, given combined they would now be back to 50%.
So after all the excitement absolutely zero change on now
I find this hard to get excited about. Rich people gonna rich. And create employment for Yorkshire's (?) swimming pool industry.
Yeah. Basically, the Labour MPs and TSE are saying no Conservative MP should spend any money on anything someone can stretch to describe as luxury spending, ever. Only Tory-haters are going to gobble that up.
I'm not saying that, I hate the politics of envy, is why I can never be a leftie.
It's the toxic mix of giving pensioners an 8% increase and cutting UC for the poorest in society.
There's many Tory MPs who have gone on the record to oppose the UC cut, this is going to get messy for Sunak.
Pensioners won't get their 8% though. Sunak isn't an idiot, he will find a fudge so they get 3% just like the NHS.
A betting market on this would be interesting. I think it is more likely pensioners get the 8% than most on here.
I will be upset if I don't get my 8%.
You better hope Scotland never goes Indy then.
Thanks. We almost made it an entire page without it being mentioned.
The morning thread is on Scotland.
It is the first of five Scotland threads I plan to publish about Scotland during Mike's holiday.
Before the F1 excitement I spent a glorious three hours walking down Fraserburgh beach, through Cairnbulg where the east coast becomes the north coast, then down the beach to St Combs before returning along the old railway line back to the Broch. 10 miles of glorious sunshine, almost entirely deserted beaches, zero midges.
Perhaps there needs to be a thread about why the English tourists all go to Loch Lomond, Skye and the NC500. Aberdeenshire is glorious, more so by not being full of meandering tourists in oversized camper vans.
It's a beautiful and relatively unappreciated stretch of coast IMO - a bit like the Lleyn peninsular in Wales. Tourists flock like Lemmings to certain places, leaving other spectacular areas nearby relatively empty.
I once stayed in lighthouse cottages at Rattray Head. Inside, there was a collection of poetry by a local poet, along with a dictionary of the local Buchan dialect, to help you understand it.
Now that was a mental lighthouse. Your cottage is remote enough down 4x4 only tracks. Then it's a meandering walk through the dunes onto that glorious beach. With a low tide only causeway to access the lighthouse in the sea.
This part of Aberdeenshire has such contrasts. It's almost continuous east coach beach and dunes from Aberdeen to Peterhead then onwards to Fraserburgh. Then the north coast is craggy cliffs with villages clinging to the clifftops or nestled between the shoreline and the cliff face. Sweeping farm land in this corner, with the Grampians inland.
My family came from Aberdeenshire. Very much inland from what you describe. I doubt they knew the sea.
A dark and difficult place. There was little looking back.
Has Mike gone on holiday?
Where to?
There's a fabulous blog about offgrid in Scotland called "Life at the End of the Road".
Wow, thanks for that. I see he lives at the end of Calum's Road - which I read a book about a few years back.
(For other readers: the only road on the Isle of Raasay ended a few miles from its northern tip. Because of this, crofts to the north slowly depopulated. To try and stem this, Calum Macleoad started building a road by hand in the 1960s. Twenty years later, he had completed a two-mile track which was eventually adopted by he council and paved. An amazing story of perseverance and toil.)
I cycled that road. With respect to Callum, it’s a pretty shit road. Constantly up and down and u-turn bends.
If you keep going for 2 or 3 miles on the tracks at the end of the road, there’s an abandoned village and a bunkhouse where I spent a night fighting off the midges with some kayakers who took the more sensible journey from Skye.
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
Do bear in mind that Caithness is in a liberal democrat constituency, and it may not be fair to a 15 year old to take her to one of those.
Dunno. Might be the last chance to visit one before she is too much older.
Stodge said "When global warming renders the Med uninhabitable..."
Life here might be interesting if the Gulf Stream flips somewhere. I understand it's running at a low ebb just now. Although it has made life liveable for millennia especially along the west coast of Scotland, but it is probably governed by chaotic processes and with the vast quantities of ice melt it might be vulnerable.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
Just watched the Motorbike Show (sorry Dura Ace) and they say it's Hardknot Pass in the Lake District. I guess it may be one of those contested ones..
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
I did get a lovely shot of the Waverley departing the pier at Largs a few weeks back on a beautiful day. I'm not much of a photo taker but it's probably the nicest photo I've ever taken.
Caught this pic on Twitter, symbolic of something or other.
“I will destroy you,” with added swear words. Extraordinary full tape of Pen Farthing threatening Ben Wallace’s aide warned over pet rescue from Afghanistan
Covid severely impacted my attempt to conquer all of ScotRail last year. I managed to do both routes into Inverness from the south (September 2019), and the east (March 2020, just two weeks before the First Lockdown).
But I still have to do the two routes west and north (Kyle of Lochalsh route and the Far North route to Wick/Thurso).
I think the far north route is one of the most underrated in the UK. Not quite as dramatic as the west highland line but literally hours of unspoiled coastline mixed with desolate desert like scenery. If you get to Thurso, the ferry from Scrabster to Stromness is also a great trip, beautiful sitting out on deck passing the man of hoy sailing in to Orkney.
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
I did get a lovely shot of the Waverley departing the pier at Largs a few weeks back on a beautiful day. I'm not much of a photo taker but it's probably the nicest photo I've ever taken.
Caught this pic on Twitter, symbolic of something or other.
If you zoom out far enough the Ever Given is in the background. Probably.
Cumbrae is a small island and can be a bit limiting as small islands tend to be; Bute would have more options if you're in that area. John O'Groats for the grandeur and choices, and being able to say you've been.
Ta!
We have indeed gone for John o groats; Thankyou PB
Just avoid the chip shop in Thurso. The worst fish supper I have ever suffered. If your daughter gets a bit stroppy buy her a single ticket to Altnabreac. Don’t expect the weather to be as warm as it was in Athens.
Stodge said "When global warming renders the Med uninhabitable..."
Life here might be interesting if the Gulf Stream flips somewhere. I understand it's running at a low ebb just now. Although it has made life liveable for millennia especially along the west coast of Scotland, but it is probably governed by chaotic processes and with the vast quantities of ice melt it might be vulnerable.
Summers in Scotland would still be bearable though rather than the 40 degrees celsius you might have in the Med.
It would be the winters in Scotland which would become unbearable without the Gulf Stream, even several degrees colder than now. So you might end up having summers in Scotland and winters in the Med
Stodge said "When global warming renders the Med uninhabitable..."
Life here might be interesting if the Gulf Stream flips somewhere. I understand it's running at a low ebb just now. Although it has made life liveable for millennia especially along the west coast of Scotland, but it is probably governed by chaotic processes and with the vast quantities of ice melt it might be vulnerable.
Not something that any of us need to worry about in our lifetimes mind you.
This was discussed at some length on here a couple of weeks back. Conclusion: most likely end point of global warming plus weaker Gulf Stream = cooler (but not frigid) Britain and lower rainfall - the latter issue actually being a bigger problem than the former, notably for agriculture.
I'm still in shock - after all these years I've been to a place you haven't.
Went to John O'Groats 25 years ago - it certainly lacks the scenic majesty of Land's End with its granite cliffs etc. I had coffee in the octagonal building named after one Jan de Groot (yes, it's named after a Dutchman) who built the original back in the 15th century.
For a better "view" head a few miles west to Dunnet Head - the vista back west down the north coast of Scotland is spectacular and would be more so were it not for Dounreay power station.
When global warming renders the Med uninhabitable, the northern Scottish coast will be the place for seaside holidays - buy some land or a property there - in 100 years it'll be as popular as the Costa Del Sol.
Scrabster is a delightful little port and from there you can get a ferry to Stromness on Orkney - the ferry passes the legendary Old Man of Hoy.
Any recommendations for great seafood in north east Scotland? Oysters, lobsters. anything?
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
Just watched the Motorbike Show (sorry Dura Ace) and they say it's Hardknot Pass in the Lake District. I guess it may be one of those contested ones..
Hardknot thoroughly exhausted me as a passenger in a Ford Mondeo.
I expect an 8% divide would probably be too much for Trudeau to overcome but most polls have it closer than that.
It certainly looks possible though the Conservatives could win the popular vote by even more than they did in 2019 but Trudeau's Liberals still narrowly win most seats even if the Conservatives win most seats excluding Quebec
The truth is 241 of the 338 ridings are in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia - that is the battleground. The Conservatives may pile up votes in Alberta and the Prairies but that's just 62 seats (or about half of Ontario).
The polls "suggest" that is what is happening but we could use some regional polling in the three battleground provinces. The NDP are doing much better this time and the seat projections suggest they may double the size of their caucus.
It seems Conservative activists were instrumental in getting the Trudeau rally cancelled on Friday - one of the local candidates is desperately trying to distance himself from the hecklers but this may not play too well.
“I will destroy you,” with added swear words. Extraordinary full tape of Pen Farthing threatening Ben Wallace’s aide warned over pet rescue from Afghanistan
Covid severely impacted my attempt to conquer all of ScotRail last year. I managed to do both routes into Inverness from the south (September 2019), and the east (March 2020, just two weeks before the First Lockdown).
But I still have to do the two routes west and north (Kyle of Lochalsh route and the Far North route to Wick/Thurso).
Hope you can get them done soon. Did you get to Stranraer?
“I will destroy you,” with added swear words. Extraordinary full tape of Pen Farthing threatening Ben Wallace’s aide warned over pet rescue from Afghanistan
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
Just watched the Motorbike Show (sorry Dura Ace) and they say it's Hardknot Pass in the Lake District. I guess it may be one of those contested ones..
Hardknot thoroughly exhausted me as a passenger in a Ford Mondeo.
I slipped to a stand in my 5-series in the rain on the most worn steep hairpin. Eased it back gently towards the edge then used a bit more controlled slippage to scramble away up the hill.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
I expect an 8% divide would probably be too much for Trudeau to overcome but most polls have it closer than that.
It certainly looks possible though the Conservatives could win the popular vote by even more than they did in 2019 but Trudeau's Liberals still narrowly win most seats even if the Conservatives win most seats excluding Quebec
The truth is 241 of the 338 ridings are in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia - that is the battleground. The Conservatives may pile up votes in Alberta and the Prairies but that's just 62 seats (or about half of Ontario).
The polls "suggest" that is what is happening but we could use some regional polling in the three battleground provinces. The NDP are doing much better this time and the seat projections suggest they may double the size of their caucus.
It seems Conservative activists were instrumental in getting the Trudeau rally cancelled on Friday - one of the local candidates is desperately trying to distance himself from the hecklers but this may not play too well.
Yes seems a lot of anti vaccine passport campaigners were harassing Trudeau and his supporters at the rally, though the Conservative leadership have distanced themselves from them
Labour tried the same all the time with Cameron / Osborne anytime they announced "cuts".
I am not sure the politics of envy plays very well. If people are buying stuff with their own money they made it doesn't seem to go down badly, it is when they are using tax payers money to enrich themselves that the shit hits the fan.
It's not his money. He's a pauper compared to his wife.
The other thing is, it isn't a secret they are mega wealthy. Again it plays badly if you claim i'm just a poor boy, from a poor family....with two kitchens and domestic staff....
Nobody cared Mrs C was very wealthy (again must richer than Dave), it wasn't a secret she was from a wealthy family and also very successful in her own right.
Sunak's wife has a net worth of £430 million, Sunak himself has a net worth of £200 million most of it from shares in his father in laws companies as well as his time at Goldman Sachs.
They make the Camerons look like paupers in comparison
In other words, there is a massive conflict of interest with him being CoE, no?
No, not unless he pursues tax policies relating to his father in law's companies
What tax policies don't affect substantial companies? Or the income to be had from them? Or the pay they have to pay their workers? And so on.
I'm not saying he is doing anything dodgy - but it is the principle of the thing. Thew sort of thijng one would not permit in other walks of life, such as charity trustees.
Having digressed to Scotland, it's back to more familiar territory with a new German poll tonight from Allenstein:
Changes from 2017 election:
Union CDU/CSU: 26% (-7) Social Democrats: 24% (+3.5) Greens: 17% (+8) Free Democrats: 10.5% Alternative for Germany: 10.5% (-2) Left: 6% (-3)
Another strong poll for the Social Democrats and another disappointing poll for the FDP who have slipped back from the 13% levels seen a few weeks ago. Allenstein had the highest ratings for the Union but even they see support for Laschet slipping away as Scholz continues to gain ground.
Actually that is a surprisingly good poll for the Union, that poll would still give them most seats and as the Union+FDP+AfD combined have the same number of votes as the Social Democrats+Greens+Left combined the latter would not have a majority.
So most likely it would be a continuation of the Union and Social Democrats grand coalition, given combined they would now be back to 50%.
So after all the excitement absolutely zero change on now
Perhaps but Allensbach (apologies) is generally the pollster with the highest return for the Union. It had them on 31.5% in early June and 27.5% on the last poll. The fact they are down to 26% on this poll confirms they are probably really polling 22-24% and are behind the SPD.
I still think it likely the SPD will outpoll the Union and while the coalition may continue (I suspect it won't), Scholz will become Chancellor rather than Laschet.
" The majority are from non-Swedish backgrounds — often born and raised in Sweden to foreign parents. Most live in what the state calls “vulnerable areas”, home to about 600,000 people.
“They grow up in a society where they don’t identify with their parents ... but they also don’t identify with Swedish society,” said Salihu. “It has been described to me as living in a state of limbo, where they live according to their own identity and culture that they have to find here in Sweden, and it becomes a form of gangster identity.”
In many cases, said Salihu, the young men come from homes where fathers are absent and mothers are unable to control them. Despite having lived in Sweden for decades, he said, many parents fear that they might have their children taken from them if they contact social services. Many are afraid of speaking to police because of a fear of retaliation — meaning some murders remain unsolved."
Multiculturalism fails in every country the experiment is tried?
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
My colleague was working in Fraserburgh for a week, and the locals suggested he might like to cycle to Pennan.
He was not impressed
It's gloriously flat west out of the Broch along the shoreline through Rosehearty. Erm, less flat west of there. Plenty of lunatic hills until you get to the crossroads above Pennan. Then just the 35% grade down to the village....
I spent much of last week swearing at the stupid twunt who put no fewer than four one in five gradients on 82 from Talybont to Porthmadog.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
I haven't measured it, and it is only signposted as 14% on the initial bit before the gradient comfortably doubles, then gets even steeper on the final descent to the village where it squeezes between houses.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
ISTR the steepest road in Britain is in Harlech. 30-odd percent.
Just watched the Motorbike Show (sorry Dura Ace) and they say it's Hardknot Pass in the Lake District. I guess it may be one of those contested ones..
Hardknot thoroughly exhausted me as a passenger in a Ford Mondeo.
National Geographic say it is Ffordd Pen Lech in Harlech, Snowdonia.
It could be Genghis Khan's testicles for all I know - I've never been there, that's all.
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Ferries are easy, it's a 2 mile trip, and apparently never full. But it does sound a bit suburban. And maybe my daughter needs proper Scottish wilderness. Caithness!
I did get a lovely shot of the Waverley departing the pier at Largs a few weeks back on a beautiful day. I'm not much of a photo taker but it's probably the nicest photo I've ever taken.
Caught this pic on Twitter, symbolic of something or other.
If you zoom out far enough the Ever Given is in the background. Probably.
That’s a great photo of the Waverley and the Millport ferry.
Well, it depends on what she likes. If she wants scenery, space, sea and bird watching and travelling round, it would be great. If she wants theatres and clubbing, not so much.
But Caithness is, in my view, well worth seeing, and Carnyx has put in many things I didn’t know about that make it sound even better.
Don’t know anything about the other one so can’t say anything useful.
If said daughter is bored witless in London then making her travel hundreds of miles to look at some scenery that will keep her entertained for what, 10 minutes, 2 hours, a whole afternoon, does not sound very clever. The Edinburgh Festival would have been the call but may now require use of a Tardis as this is the last weekend. Send her to Time Out and tell her daddy will pay for a theatre/concert/restaurant every day till she goes back to school next week. (Though if it turns out she does want scenery and old ruins, Wales might be a better bet than Scotland.)
The truth is 241 of the 338 ridings are in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia - that is the battleground. The Conservatives may pile up votes in Alberta and the Prairies but that's just 62 seats (or about half of Ontario).
The polls "suggest" that is what is happening but we could use some regional polling in the three battleground provinces. The NDP are doing much better this time and the seat projections suggest they may double the size of their caucus.
It seems Conservative activists were instrumental in getting the Trudeau rally cancelled on Friday - one of the local candidates is desperately trying to distance himself from the hecklers but this may not play too well.
Yes seems a lot of anti vaccine passport campaigners were harassing Trudeau and his supporters at the rally, though the Conservative leadership have distanced themselves from them
Indeed but it seems some were Conservative activists so it's a bit awkward.
Everyone has a right to protest but to force the cancellation of an opposition party's rally doesn't sit well.
We'll see - Trudeau is fighting for his political life currently. His decision to go to the country looks ill-judged.
Cumbrae is a small island and can be a bit limiting as small islands tend to be; Bute would have more options if you're in that area. John O'Groats for the grandeur and choices, and being able to say you've been.
Ta!
We have indeed gone for John o groats; Thankyou PB
I suggest travelling on the Caledonian Sleeper to and from Inverness.
There used to be a car hire place at Wick - hopefully still there if you want to take the train all the way and have your own transport.
Not a good look from Starmer. Cameron was not afraid to give Boris a speaking slot, Brown was not afraid to give David Miliband a speaking slot, nor was Major afraid to give Portillo and Heseltine speaking slots even though they were potential future leadership rivals and good speakers who could have overshadowed them
Burnham has spent the last many weeks publicly undermining Starmer. He should challenge him for the leadership if he thinks he is so rubbish
Burnham will likely stand for Parliament at the next general election.
If Starmer loses and does not resign I expect Burnham would challenge him for the Labour leadership then
He has to resign as Mayor to do so, don’t forget.
I don’t therefore see him standing for Parliament unless Labour are set to win.
Which he would likely do having done 6 years as Mayor in 2023, 7 by 2024.
Why would he only want to stand if Labour are set to win? That would mean Starmer would become PM and at best he might get a Cabinet role.
Most likely he would look for a safe Labour seat in Greater Manchester, hope Starmer loses then look to succeed him as Leader of the Opposition and become PM at the general election after that
Do you really think he would want five years slogging in opposition to become PM at pushing 60?
Better for Starmer to win, serve three years under him in a big role, and then replace him while in government.
Otherwise, he’s better off where he is.
I suppose we shouldn’t underestimate the politician’s appetite for power - but I don’t think he wants to be Leader of the Opposition. If he did, he would have been better off hanging on under Corbyn.
Stodge said "When global warming renders the Med uninhabitable..."
Life here might be interesting if the Gulf Stream flips somewhere. I understand it's running at a low ebb just now. Although it has made life liveable for millennia especially along the west coast of Scotland, but it is probably governed by chaotic processes and with the vast quantities of ice melt it might be vulnerable.
Summers in Scotland would still be bearable though rather than the 40 degrees celsius you might have in the Med.
It would be the winters in Scotland which would become unbearable without the Gulf Stream, even several degrees colder than now. So you might end up having summers in Scotland and winters in the Med
That’s a great photo of the Waverley and the Millport ferry.
They have brought the Waverley down south for trips - Mrs Stodge and I did a journey from Tower Hill down the Thames on it - very enjoyable until the heavens opened on the way back.
Comments
Is there tons to see in Caithness?!
Or if you have more time, keep walking from Crovie to the RSPB sanctuary at Troup Head, past the gannets (all of them) clinging to the sheer rock faces and then back via the viewpoint above Crovie and back to Gardenstown.
The road from my home in New Pitsligo towards Pennan (next insane cliff nestling village along from Crovie) is mind blowing. As is the road on from there towards Troup and Crovie and Gardenstown. And then on towards Macduff is amazing as well.
Do you get the impression I love it here?
He was not impressed
But it does need a ferry trip and generally in Scotland bookings for ferries have been tight, with locals given peiority (as they need it for things like medicals etc.) It may not be an issue, but DYOR.
Go take a break there; you’ll be converted. Say hi to the great folks at the Mast General Store, for me.
But Caithness is, in my view, well worth seeing, and Carnyx has put in many things I didn’t know about that make it sound even better.
Don’t know anything about the other one so can’t say anything useful.
Because they can't use nuclear weapons on a "rebellious province", and Chinese state TV is all about how the Taiwanese people love the PRC.
So, they have to invade, without taking massive casualties, across a pretty wide stretch of water, against an extremely well armed opponent.
And it's going to get harder as the Taiwanese are in the process of building eight nuclear powered attack submarines.
The only way to do it, IMHO, is for them to blockade the island, only allowing Chinese ships in-and-out, and demanding they submit. But even that's tough - it'd take a long time to force the Taiwanese into submission, and there's the risk that the Taiwanese start sinking Chinese ships. And if you do, you're essentially in an all out war situation.
I'm sure China could do it. They are a nuclear powered superpower, after all. But it'd be extremely expensive in terms of money, prestige and lives.
But 35%?!!!! That must be the steepest road in Britain, surely?
Re Cumbrae,
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/towns-villages/cumbrae-p242591
John O'Groats for the grandeur and choices, and being able to say you've been.
Mr Quentin is said to be "worried it's ruined his chances of becoming an MP.”
If that was chief amongst his worries, the story that the MOD had bungled Pen's staff's paperwork is very believable.
Which I'd perhaps why Farthing wood be passed off.
*Seriously. Also cos the Free Kirk and the Liberals were so closely linked in the mid-C19 as well, in terms of opposition to the Established Kirk and the lairds.
The fact that there's no booking or priority for locals is a bone of contention.
Either way you want to get a run at it on the way up, so the idea of doing it on a bike is quite funny.
Children shot as they walk home, police officers cut down while on duty and gangs carrying out murders in broad daylight
Welcome to Sweden – Europe's unexpected gun crime hotspot
https://twitter.com/thesundaytimes/status/1431681384725286918
In several Sunday newspapers, a source that has heard it confirms the words: https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1431709030645264384/photo/1
And, at some point, you have to physically occupy the space. Which, unlike Tibet or Xinjiang contains a highly educated, technologically advanced, well connected to the outside world, armed and well-trained population who've all done 2 years military service, in some of the least occupier friendly territory imaginable. And are used to having their wishes taken into account. Look at the trouble Hong Kong has given them with only the first three factors in play. And the HK people accept they are Chinese. Possibly a majority of Taiwanese don't even identify as such.
With a Red Army that isn't battle hardened, has been propagandised to be expecting to be welcomed with flowers, and a domestic population utterly unprepared for casualties.
I'm also sure they could do it. But I'm also sure there's a reason they haven't tried.
Went to John O'Groats 25 years ago - it certainly lacks the scenic majesty of Land's End with its granite cliffs etc. I had coffee in the octagonal building named after one Jan de Groot (yes, it's named after a Dutchman) who built the original back in the 15th century.
For a better "view" head a few miles west to Dunnet Head - the vista back west down the north coast of Scotland is spectacular and would be more so were it not for Dounreay power station.
When global warming renders the Med uninhabitable, the northern Scottish coast will be the place for seaside holidays - buy some land or a property there - in 100 years it'll be as popular as the Costa Del Sol.
Scrabster is a delightful little port and from there you can get a ferry to Stromness on Orkney - the ferry passes the legendary Old Man of Hoy.
(For other readers: the only road on the Isle of Raasay ended a few miles from its northern tip. Because of this, crofts to the north slowly depopulated. To try and stem this, Calum Macleoad started building a road by hand in the 1960s. Twenty years later, he had completed a two-mile track which was eventually adopted by he council and paved. An amazing story of perseverance and toil.)
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/raasay/calumsroad/index.html
It was IS terrorists who launched the attack on Kabul airport last week, not the Taliban
We have indeed gone for John o groats; Thankyou PB
It certainly looks possible though the Conservatives could win the popular vote by even more than they did in 2019 but Trudeau's Liberals still narrowly win most seats even if the Conservatives win most seats excluding Quebec
https://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/19493130.calmac-bosses-meet-msp-ferry-chaos/
Changes from 2017 election:
Union CDU/CSU: 26% (-7)
Social Democrats: 24% (+3.5)
Greens: 17% (+8)
Free Democrats: 10.5%
Alternative for Germany: 10.5% (-2)
Left: 6% (-3)
Another strong poll for the Social Democrats and another disappointing poll for the FDP who have slipped back from the 13% levels seen a few weeks ago. Allenstein had the highest ratings for the Union but even they see support for Laschet slipping away as Scholz continues to gain ground.
But I still have to do the two routes west and north (Kyle of Lochalsh route and the Far North route to Wick/Thurso).
So most likely it would be a continuation of the Union and Social Democrats grand coalition, given combined they would now be back to 50%.
So after all the excitement absolutely zero change on now
If you keep going for 2 or 3 miles on the tracks at the end of the road, there’s an abandoned village and a bunkhouse where I spent a night fighting off the midges with some kayakers who took the more sensible journey from Skye.
Life here might be interesting if the Gulf Stream flips somewhere. I understand it's running at a low ebb just now. Although it has made life liveable for millennia especially along the west coast of Scotland, but it is probably governed by chaotic processes and with the vast quantities of ice melt it might be vulnerable.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/4a851406-082a-11ec-ab20-2ce30c912e38?shareToken=5fb449c3b450f1af0bf465fe982e795c
This just gets worse and worse, suggestion that these animals might have to be put down due to disease when they arrive after they’ve deprived actual humans entitled to escape here of getting assistance to evacuate from the wrath of the Taliban 🤯 https://twitter.com/shippersunbound/status/1431713084826132487 https://twitter.com/VinnyMcAv/status/1431715683591655435/photo/1
If your daughter gets a bit stroppy buy her a single ticket to Altnabreac.
Don’t expect the weather to be as warm as it was in Athens.
It would be the winters in Scotland which would become unbearable without the Gulf Stream, even several degrees colder than now. So you might end up having summers in Scotland and winters in the Med
This was discussed at some length on here a couple of weeks back. Conclusion: most likely end point of global warming plus weaker Gulf Stream = cooler (but not frigid) Britain and lower rainfall - the latter issue actually being a bigger problem than the former, notably for agriculture.
The polls "suggest" that is what is happening but we could use some regional polling in the three battleground provinces. The NDP are doing much better this time and the seat projections suggest they may double the size of their caucus.
It seems Conservative activists were instrumental in getting the Trudeau rally cancelled on Friday - one of the local candidates is desperately trying to distance himself from the hecklers but this may not play too well.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/conservative-candidate-trudeau-rally-1.6156959
“If they turn out to be riddled with disease, Defra will have to put them down. It will be Geronimo the alpaca on speed.”
https://twitter.com/thesundaytimes/status/1431708555883728902?s=20
Saving a few animals as well makes little difference to that, there was no way all refugees would get out before 31st
Not an easy road to drive.
https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Ffordd_Pen_Llech_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3284594.jpg&imgrefurl=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ffordd_Pen_Llech&tbnid=LC-JpgL7_MJasM&vet=12ahUKEwi8m6fvydTyAhWG44UKHX2LCDcQMygJegUIARDLAQ..i&docid=oxSO-0SomFLwFM&w=400&h=400&q=ffordd pen llech&hl=en-gb&client=safari&ved=2ahUKEwi8m6fvydTyAhWG44UKHX2LCDcQMygJegUIARDLAQ
After all they pay income tax
I still think it likely the SPD will outpoll the Union and while the coalition may continue (I suspect it won't), Scholz will become Chancellor rather than Laschet.
“They grow up in a society where they don’t identify with their parents ... but they also don’t identify with Swedish society,” said Salihu. “It has been described to me as living in a state of limbo, where they live according to their own identity and culture that they have to find here in Sweden, and it becomes a form of gangster identity.”
In many cases, said Salihu, the young men come from homes where fathers are absent and mothers are unable to control them. Despite having lived in Sweden for decades, he said, many parents fear that they might have their children taken from them if they contact social services. Many are afraid of speaking to police because of a fear of retaliation — meaning some murders remain unsolved."
Multiculturalism fails in every country the experiment is tried?
Everyone has a right to protest but to force the cancellation of an opposition party's rally doesn't sit well.
We'll see - Trudeau is fighting for his political life currently. His decision to go to the country looks ill-judged.
There used to be a car hire place at Wick - hopefully still there if you want to take the train all the way and have your own transport.
It's a beautiful piece of engineering.