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I hope you all had as much fun as Michael Gove had this weekend – politicalbetting.com

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  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,741
    HYUFD said:



    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet

    Indeed - it's the equivalent of the Conservatives choosing Hunt over Johnson in 2019.

    As for the "union", I think there's a real threat of a split - it's quite clear Soder and the CSU are fuming about Laschet's performance. The problem was the smaller CSU backed Soder but the larger CDU backed Laschet as Spitzenkandidat.

    The big change is the collapse of the Union means more seats for the SPD in the constituency vote - 299 of the seats are decided by constituency vote, another 299 by party vote and up to a further 111 overhang and levelling up seats so the current Bundestag has 709 members. On the current INSA numbers, the SPD could win up to half the constituencies which was unthinkable just a few months ago.

    The irony is it is Scholz who has modelled himself as Continuity Merkel and is winning support on that basis - there's a parallel or two with Blair in the UK. He could well start taking Green votes as those determined to see the end of the Union realise the SPD is now a viable option.

    As for the CDU/CSU, IF they end up with 20%, it will be a catastrophic result and the thought they would try to limp on in Government after such a reverse is akin to imagining Brown continuing as PM in 2010. They will go into Opposition to regroup (probably under Soder) and lick their wounds. That's what parties do after big defeats.

    The key now is Lindner - he has said the FDP would not serve in a coalition led by the Greens but he has never ruled out either a) working with the SPD or b) being in a coalition with the Greens but led by the SPD or the Union.
  • kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 4,784
    Even if SKS isn't exactly setting the world on fire and mid term should be showing a lead, here is a counter question - relevant to him or any other sane Labour leader in this parliament.

    Who on earth, that has left, is liable to return to this nurse for fear of worse come 2023/4? I think, when the opposition is brought into. focus nearer the election, I think that could well be rather voting intention neutral. This does not feel like it will play out like Ed Milliband vs Cameron, and if Labour get closer in the polls it's game on, even from behind.
  • New @theipaper - I've taken a look at the striking gender gap in vaccine uptake among younger people.

    In England there are 340,000 more women under 40 than men who have had at least one covid jab.

    Gap more or less disappears in older groups.
    https://t.co/vS0gAgytf1
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038
    ydoethur said:

    Williamson's march to the exit doors continues...



    Shaun Lintern
    @ShaunLintern
    Government says parents responsible for preventing new Covid wave when schools reopen

    Well, since the DfE would be unable to stop a kitten chasing a ball of wool, somebody has to step up.
    :lol:
  • StockyStocky Posts: 9,653

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585

    I can confirm there are no shortages of stuff in Lidl.

    As usual rammed full of rubbish short on quality and high on price.

    I can confirm there are no shortages of stuff in Lidl.

    As usual rammed full of rubbish short on quality and high on price.

    To be fair, I would never say Lidl's Aisle of Shite was high on price.....
    Off topic

    Ah, so P.B. Tories shop at the German delicatessens under the cover of darkness.

    A German woman in the school entrance when my boys were at primary school overheard a similar debate, she interjected, "in Germany we say if you don't shop at Lidl or Aldi you are either profligate or stupid".
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 4,784
    I also want to close out a conversation on any future Gulf Stream collapse from a few weeks ago.

    My reading of the research was that, still being in the same location, we would still be affected by the same air masses, but different ones were predicted to predominate, notably Arctic Maritime.

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709
    edited August 2021
    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:



    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet

    Indeed - it's the equivalent of the Conservatives choosing Hunt over Johnson in 2019.

    As for the "union", I think there's a real threat of a split - it's quite clear Soder and the CSU are fuming about Laschet's performance. The problem was the smaller CSU backed Soder but the larger CDU backed Laschet as Spitzenkandidat.

    The big change is the collapse of the Union means more seats for the SPD in the constituency vote - 299 of the seats are decided by constituency vote, another 299 by party vote and up to a further 111 overhang and levelling up seats so the current Bundestag has 709 members. On the current INSA numbers, the SPD could win up to half the constituencies which was unthinkable just a few months ago.

    The irony is it is Scholz who has modelled himself as Continuity Merkel and is winning support on that basis - there's a parallel or two with Blair in the UK. He could well start taking Green votes as those determined to see the end of the Union realise the SPD is now a viable option.

    As for the CDU/CSU, IF they end up with 20%, it will be a catastrophic result and the thought they would try to limp on in Government after such a reverse is akin to imagining Brown continuing as PM in 2010. They will go into Opposition to regroup (probably under Soder) and lick their wounds. That's what parties do after big defeats.

    The key now is Lindner - he has said the FDP would not serve in a coalition led by the Greens but he has never ruled out either a) working with the SPD or b) being in a coalition with the Greens but led by the SPD or the Union.
    If the Union do perform as badly as that poll (and yes it would be down to an abysmal performance by the CDU, the vote for Soder's CSU in Bavaria will hold up) then really they should go into opposition. The FDP would then join a traffic light coalition government with the SPD and Greens with Scholz as Chancellor.

    If they don't and Laschet does a deal with Scholz and the Greens to get the Vice Chancellor post then yes in that case I could see Soder refusing to join them and taking the CSU into opposition to form a block to the economic right of the government with the FDP and become default joint Leader of the Opposition with Lindner.

  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,835
    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    Although 338 is showing 142-137 for the Tories. Their first seat lead.

    https://338canada.com/#reg
  • kjhkjh Posts: 10,458

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,279

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    You could argue there are too many people in this country who value their pets more than other people.
  • Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038
    The First Minister has announced that Harvie will be the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, while Slater will be the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity.

    Daily Record


    These jobs seem a large haggis-worth of mouthful to me. And are these Cabinet positions?
  • RogerRoger Posts: 18,891
    Do we know anything about his new partner?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    Roger said:

    Do we know anything about his new partner?

    Do we care?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,279
    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I think this seat forecaster is still being rather generous towards the Liberals.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Yes, I gather Social Services keep moving them round as they outstay their welcome.

    Oh sorry, do you mean they see ursus americanus not have bear-like actual neighbours?
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 4,784
    I also want to close out a conversation on any future Gulf Stream collapse from a few weeks ago.

    My reading of the research was that, still being in the same location, we would still be affected by the same air masses, but different ones were predicted to be prevalent, notably Arctic Maritime.

    Well today, and this week, is a good flavour of what this would look like for most of the UK - grey, a bit drizzly but broadly dry enough to cause drought if too prevalent, cool and a bit bracing on leading coasts.
  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,741
    Meanwhile, in Norway which votes in just 13 days, the latest Kantar poll:

    Changes since 2017 Storting election:

    Labour: 22.6% (-4.8)
    Conservative: 19.2% (-5.8)
    Progress Party: 11.8% (-3.4)
    Centre Party: 11.5% (+1.2)
    Socialist Left: 10.2% (+4.2)
    Red Party: 7.2% (+4.8)
    Greens: 5% (+1.8)
    Liberal Party: 4.4% (nc)
    Christian Democrats: 3.8% (-0.6)
    Democrats in Norway: 1.5% (+1.5)

    The centre-left Red bloc of parties (Labour, Centre, Socialist Left and Red) have 51.5% and the Blue bloc of centre-right parties (Conservative, Progress, Liberal, Christian Democrats) 39.2% (I'm not sure the Democrats for Norway count as part of the Blue block - Wikipedia has included them).

    22.6% would be Labour's worst result since 1924 - 19.2% would be the Conservatives' worst result since 2009.
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 7,459
    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    If Johnson is Rotten, who is Sid Vicious? Patel, Raab or Sunak? I think we know the answer.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    Johnson would sell out for a butter ad too!
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851
    MrEd said:

    kinabalu said:

    MrEd said:

    kinabalu said:

    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Morning all.

    Re Brexit and economic growth.

    We don't know. Just as figures a year ago were completely skewed by the pandemic, so are the current ones as we bounce back. We also have to remember the UK was hit harder in terms of initial impact that the continent, because we had a much greater service component to our economy.

    We will only really be able to get a handle on what the economic consequences are two or three years after Coronavirus has disappeared, and maybe not even then. Because the reality is that over short periods of time (one to five years), the economic cycle is going to be a much bigger driver of year-to-year performance than the impact (positive or negative) of Brexit.

    It is also important to remember that - largely because of demographics - the UK should be inherently higher growth than the EU and the Eurozone. We don't have nearly as bad a dependency ratio as the Eurozone in general, and Italy or Greece in particular. This helped us grow faster than them before Brexit, and it should boost us on the far side.

    To me the question of change in economic growth is: will the increase in flexibility that the UK government gets be greater than the added frictional costs of transacting with our neighbour? We do not know the answer now, and it might take decades before we're truly able to divine the answer.

    I'm personally somewhat doubtful that Brexit will lead to structurally higher wages: ultimately, (a) we're all going to get paid relative to our global productivity in the long run, and (b) Britain's wage share as a percent of GDP is in line with most other G7 countries (and EU countries tend to score higher here than the US, Japan or Singapore anyway). Where I do think there will be a benefit for most lower income Brits is that it will cause less of a crush for scarce resources like housing, and that should feed through into lower rents and house prices.

    To me, Brexit was a political choice not an economic one. I think government is best, when the people doing the governing are near to (and answerable to) the people. I think it leads to better, quicker decisions.

    Sums up my feelings. I see greater agility as an economic upside in a rapidly changing world, but whether that upside is greater than the downside of greater transactional costs with the EU, I don't know. I believe in the longer term it will be if, but only if, Britain is governed well. And that is not a given. But I, for one, prefer that we have that option to find out.
    I don't exactly disagree with this but my Remain vote was based on a different (and very strong) feeling; that in order to meet the big challenges - (i) sustainable green growth (ii) equitable wealth distribution (iii) the emancipation of women (iv) racial equality - the direction of travel in the world has to be countries co-operating not competing, more internationalism less nationalism, open not closed borders; and that Brexit was the opposite of this and might presage a weakening of the EU, possibly even its collapse one day; this unique and innovative project over and failed, the continent reverting by a century to a rag bag collection of 'proud' nation states, each with their own little trade-impeding currencies, clashing foreign policies and agendas, tempted by race to the bottom economics, all generally trying to 'win' and 'beat' rather than 'improve' and 'develop', prone to aggression and bellicosity, a playground for cheap populist politicians to romp around in, with potentially catastrophic consequences.

    Ah well. Just hope that proves a bit overwrought and wrong. It was certainly overwrought and long.
    Are you saying in point (iii) that, in the U.K. / developed economies, emancipation of women is a great challenge? Rather strange comment.
    No, I had my global hat on there.
    Fair enough.
    Yes I was being immensely big picture there. I did say the EU vote was all about identity, didn't I? Well that's a big part of MY identity. I'm the sort of bloke who comes out with stuff like this. My gaze is so high and wide that I can sometimes forget where I am and miss my stop.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    Johnson would sell out for a butter ad too!
    He would make a good Anchor man.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,770

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    Not just his opinion (and I rarely agree with HYUFD).

    There's plenty of opinion polling data, as well as logical reasoning, to say that Hunt would have done worse than Johnson.

    How would Hunt have united the Brexiteer vote given he was prepared to voluntarily extend Article 50 and not prepared to leave without a deal.
    I suspect that Hunt would have done fine, simply because the shine had really come off Corbyn by 2019. But I doubt he'd have done as well as Johnson; say a 30-50 seat majority.
  • bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 21,723

    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    If Johnson is Rotten, who is Sid Vicious? Patel, Raab or Sunak? I think we know the answer.
    Gove has Sids drugs issues
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 7,459
    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    Less dramatic, but the approach to Samos Airport is rather steep, short and scary - nestled between hills. On both occasions I've been there, all passengers applauded with relief upon safe landing.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    edited August 2021
    Off topic
    I'm liking Myrie on Mastermind.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 9,653

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Wasn't referring to you BigG. We have family in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Awesome part of the world. And go inland a bit and you have the Okanagan - very different climate (the fruit and wine region).
  • darkagedarkage Posts: 4,746
    I couldn't care less about this Michael Gove thing. I've had similar nights out - not fortunately in recent years, but I couldn't rule them out from happening again in the future.

    I can't understand why it is regarded as acceptable to make these films without peoples consent and publish them - particularly given the amount of law that applies to the processing of personal data.
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,092
    edited August 2021

    I'm liking Myrie on Mastermind.

    Me too, though I also liked John Humphrys.

  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751
    Frightening article this:

    https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19545424.nicola-sturgeon-warned-john-swinney-get-ready-resignation-alex-salmond-affair-book-claims/

    It names Humza Yousaf as a possible FM of Scotland if Sturgeon had had to quit.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,770
    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited August 2021
    Stocky said:

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Wasn't referring to you BigG. We have family in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Awesome part of the world. And go inland a bit and you have the Okanagan - very different climate (the fruit and wine region).
    Okanagan is awesome place, although Ice Wine is rather odd stuff.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,770
    Andy_JS said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    You could argue there are too many people in this country who value their pets more than other people.
    I value carbon paper more than my pets.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 39,748
    edited August 2021
    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    Almost as 'sturdy' 'n' all.


  • StockyStocky Posts: 9,653
    darkage said:

    I couldn't care less about this Michael Gove thing. I've had similar nights out - not fortunately in recent years, but I couldn't rule them out from happening again in the future.

    I can't understand why it is regarded as acceptable to make these films without peoples consent and publish them - particularly given the amount of law that applies to the processing of personal data.

    One minute in front of the TV wearing your slippers and drinking horlicks and diarising the next maintenance shag with the missus, the next having to go about town larging it.

    What a difference in lifestyle - I don't envy him at his age.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 18,891

    Roger said:

    Do we know anything about his new partner?

    Do we care?
    Normally not but we got to know his last one so well that she almost defined him. I doubt this new one will manage to remain in the background for long so we might as well get to know him/her before the fragrant Sarah Vine puts the boot in.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,770
    Andy_JS said:

    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I think this seat forecaster is still being rather generous towards the Liberals.
    It very much depends on the level of tactical voting in three way seats. Do you see Lib to NDP switchers in Lib-Con marginals?

  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,741
    HYUFD said:


    If the Union do perform as badly as that poll (and yes it would be down to an abysmal performance by the CDU, the vote for Soder's CSU in Bavaria will hold up) then really they should go into opposition. The FDP would then join a traffic light coalition government with the SPD and Greens with Scholz as Chancellor.

    If they don't and Laschet does a deal with Scholz and the Greens to get the Vice Chancellor post then yes in that case I could see Soder refusing to join them and taking the CSU into opposition to form a block to the economic right of the government with the FDP and become default joint Leader of the Opposition with Lindner.

    One of the irritations is we get very little regional polling in Germany.

    In 2017, the CSU won Bavaria by 23.5 points - the last poll I've seen from late July had the lead down to 15 points. The CSU were on 35 (-4) with the Greens on 20 (+11) and the FDP on 12 (+2) and the SPD trailing on 9% (-6).

    I suspect your overarching hypothesis is correct and the CSU will hold the line - in 2017, they won all 46 constituencies in Bavaria while the CDU won 200 seats in the rest of Germany. Thus, the CDU was barely 20% of the total Union seat count. That may be very different this time.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709
    edited August 2021
    Andy_JS said:

    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I think this seat forecaster is still being rather generous towards the Liberals.
    It depends on the level of NDP tactical voting for the Liberals in marginal Liberal seats in Ontario where the Conservatives are the main challengers, whether the Liberals can pick up any BQ seats in Quebec and whether the NDP can pick up any Conservative seats in BC. All difficult to predict, whether O'Toole or Trudeau win most seats I expect it to be close either way, though the Conservatives should win the popular vote again and a majority for either O'Toole or Trudeau is unlikely.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    Less dramatic, but the approach to Samos Airport is rather steep, short and scary - nestled between hills. On both occasions I've been there, all passengers applauded with relief upon safe landing.
    This one is justifiably famous:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Juliana_International_Airport

    Not only do you take off about 50 yards from the beach but you have to climb steeply to clear a range of hills.
  • Stocky said:

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Wasn't referring to you BigG. We have family in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Awesome part of the world. And go inland a bit and you have the Okanagan - very different climate (the fruit and wine region).
    My son married his Canadian wife in a vineyard near to Kelowna, which was her family home at the time, though she lived and worked in Vancouver

    Okanagan is wonderful
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited August 2021

    Stocky said:

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Wasn't referring to you BigG. We have family in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Awesome part of the world. And go inland a bit and you have the Okanagan - very different climate (the fruit and wine region).
    My son married his Canadian wife in a vineyard near to Kelowna, which was her family home at the time, though she lived and worked in Vancouver

    Okanagan is wonderful
    Kelowna, beautiful setting, with the lake and the vineyards.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 9,653

    Stocky said:

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Wasn't referring to you BigG. We have family in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Awesome part of the world. And go inland a bit and you have the Okanagan - very different climate (the fruit and wine region).
    Okanagan is awesome place, although Ice Wine is rather odd stuff.
    The Okanagan is actually an extension of the Sonoran Desert. With mountains and trout streams to boot. Ski in winter, constant sun in summer. If only the Canadians would let us emigrate - no chance unless you have a job to go to or very close family tie.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 9,653

    Stocky said:

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Wasn't referring to you BigG. We have family in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. Awesome part of the world. And go inland a bit and you have the Okanagan - very different climate (the fruit and wine region).
    My son married his Canadian wife in a vineyard near to Kelowna, which was her family home at the time, though she lived and worked in Vancouver

    Okanagan is wonderful
    We stayed in a terrific property in a vineyard near Oliver. Never quite made it up to Kelowna.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851

    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    If Johnson is Rotten, who is Sid Vicious? Patel, Raab or Sunak? I think we know the answer.
    Priti is Vicious. No argument. And Dom was definitely Malcolm Maclaren.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851
    rcs1000 said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    Not just his opinion (and I rarely agree with HYUFD).

    There's plenty of opinion polling data, as well as logical reasoning, to say that Hunt would have done worse than Johnson.

    How would Hunt have united the Brexiteer vote given he was prepared to voluntarily extend Article 50 and not prepared to leave without a deal.
    I suspect that Hunt would have done fine, simply because the shine had really come off Corbyn by 2019. But I doubt he'd have done as well as Johnson; say a 30-50 seat majority.
    I think nearer the 30.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038

    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    If Johnson is Rotten, who is Sid Vicious? Patel, Raab or Sunak? I think we know the answer.
    Does this mean that Cummings is Malcolm Mclaren?
  • StockyStocky Posts: 9,653

    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    If Johnson is Rotten, who is Sid Vicious? Patel, Raab or Sunak? I think we know the answer.
    Gove has Sids drugs issues
    Looking at that video clip I reckon he's auditioning for the paralympics.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 39,748

    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    If Johnson is Rotten, who is Sid Vicious? Patel, Raab or Sunak? I think we know the answer.
    Glenn Matlock, smart, bit more polished, didn't frighten the grannies enough.
    George Osborne?
  • kjhkjh Posts: 10,458
    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    A friend of mine with whom I skied frequently was an accident investigator. He is often on the TV when there is an air accident and was on the Concorde accident documentary. Anyway he tells cracking stories.

    On one trip we were flying British Island Airways and we could see the planes lined up. He said if ours is that one over there I'm not getting on it. Obviously we wanted to know why.

    Apparently it had recently landed with its undercarriage light on. They took the normal precautions on landing, crossed their fingers and hoped it was an electrical fault. Anyway all was well. It landed ok and everyone got off.

    They then towed it away at which point the nose hit the ground. No idea if he was winding us up or not.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,835
    rcs1000 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I think this seat forecaster is still being rather generous towards the Liberals.
    It very much depends on the level of tactical voting in three way seats. Do you see Lib to NDP switchers in Lib-Con marginals?

    Tactical (or strategic as they call it) voting is much more widespread over there. It is estimated to be around 30%. The Liberals are the big beneficiaries, being most folk's second choice.
    Most ridings have no more than 2 potential winners.
    However. The election was called to rid the NDP of influence. Given that, what is the point of tactically switching NDP to LPC? Especially as a Tory majority is a fair way away. And thus nowt will happen without Lib acquiescence.
    So, while your point is salient, there could well be some unwind in the opposite direction.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,002
    edited August 2021
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,415
    darkage said:

    I couldn't care less about this Michael Gove thing. I've had similar nights out - not fortunately in recent years, but I couldn't rule them out from happening again in the future.

    I can't understand why it is regarded as acceptable to make these films without peoples consent and publish them - particularly given the amount of law that applies to the processing of personal data.

    Michael Gove reminds me of the dentist in Hangover - Sort of the most unlikely person to go larging it around town but takes it to extreme and then havign to explain himself to sensible boring people he has lived with all his life
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    darkage said:

    I couldn't care less about this Michael Gove thing. I've had similar nights out - not fortunately in recent years, but I couldn't rule them out from happening again in the future.

    I can't understand why it is regarded as acceptable to make these films without peoples consent and publish them - particularly given the amount of law that applies to the processing of personal data.

    Michael Gove reminds me of the dentist in Hangover - Sort of the most unlikely person to go larging it around town but takes it to extreme and then havign to explain himself to sensible boring people he has lived with all his life
    Which fails when you remember he is a friend of Sam Freedman and Dominic Cummings, neither of whom are sensible or even boring.
  • darkagedarkage Posts: 4,746
    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
    I've had a go around - but without any explanation.

    The most dodgy situation I had was on landing I looked out the window and I saw that the plane engine (it was a 737) seemed to split apart as if it was about to disconnect from the plane - it then corrected itself, and seemed to put itself back together. I told the cabin crew, but they weren't interested. I've never come across any explanation of what this is - I can't believe it is something that is supposed to happen.

    Another thing that happened (on a different flight) was the plane engine cut out and the plane seemed to glide in silence for half a minute, before the engines coming back in. No explanation.

    Finally a plane nearly landed without the fasten seatbelt signs being put on. The pilot obviously only remembered to switch it on at the very last minute and the cabin crew either didn't realise or were afraid of telling the pilot.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    Vaccine bonus continues.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 58,941
    darkage said:

    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
    I've had a go around - but without any explanation.

    The most dodgy situation I had was on landing I looked out the window and I saw that the plane engine (it was a 737) seemed to split apart as if it was about to disconnect from the plane - it then corrected itself, and seemed to put itself back together. I told the cabin crew, but they weren't interested. I've never come across any explanation of what this is - I can't believe it is something that is supposed to happen.

    Another thing that happened (on a different flight) was the plane engine cut out and the plane seemed to glide in silence for half a minute, before the engines coming back in. No explanation.

    Finally a plane nearly landed without the fasten seatbelt signs being put on. The pilot obviously only remembered to switch it on at the very last minute and the cabin crew either didn't realise or were afraid of telling the pilot.
    On your first situation, you aren't talking about when the exhaust is directed forward to slow the plane?

    https://www.shutterstock.com/es/search/reverse+thrust
  • RogerRoger Posts: 18,891

    kinabalu said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    The BXP would still have stood candidates in Tory seats against Hunt, Hunt would also not have made the gains in the Redwall Boris did although he might have held a few Remain seats like Putney and St Albans.

    Overall though Hunt would not have won the majority Boris did and may not even have won a majority at all, ideologically Hunt was little different from Theresa May
    I have to agree. If Get Brexit Done was a band, eg the Pistols, Boris "Boris" Johnson was THE frontman you'd choose for it. A different one wouldn't have worked anything like as well. Johnson was Rotten, if you like, and imo he still is. Completely.
    Almost as 'sturdy' 'n' all.


    It's all that butter...I knew it wouldn't do him any good.....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afzrNIeNrC0

  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    The current random restaurant bot place is in Senegal.

    Not sure about the dish they seem to be serving...


    https://twitter.com/_restaurant_bot/status/1432363002242678785

    Looking like that… they call it Mame Diarra?
  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,741
    Pro_Rata said:

    I also want to close out a conversation on any future Gulf Stream collapse from a few weeks ago.

    My reading of the research was that, still being in the same location, we would still be affected by the same air masses, but different ones were predicted to be prevalent, notably Arctic Maritime.

    Well today, and this week, is a good flavour of what this would look like for most of the UK - grey, a bit drizzly but broadly dry enough to cause drought if too prevalent, cool and a bit bracing on leading coasts.

    It's difficult to know for sure - a warmer world should be a cloudier world but with more atmospheric energy. If the flow of warm water ceases, will we see colder de-salinated water come south as the ice melts? #

    The boundary between competing warm and cold airmasses would see more storm activity develop but would we see that "jet" line as powerful without the Gulf Stream? A slower jet more liable to amplification would suggest more static weather patterns.

    The other thing I've noticed this summer is the prevalence of heat Low pressure over Iberia, North Africa and parts of Southern Europe. This is akin to the phenomenon seen over the Desert Southwest of the United States or pre-Monsoon India where heat is trapped and pressure falls. This would force areas of higher pressure to migrate further north you'd think.

    My personal view on future development for western Europe is we will end up with a climate akin to the Indian sub-continent with very hot inland conditions offset by monsoon-like rains from the Atlantic in spring and autumn but tat's thinking decades ahead (hopefully).
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,392
    HYUFD said:

    Andy_JS said:

    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I think this seat forecaster is still being rather generous towards the Liberals.
    It depends on the level of NDP tactical voting for the Liberals in marginal Liberal seats in Ontario where the Conservatives are the main challengers, whether the Liberals can pick up any BQ seats in Quebec and whether the NDP can pick up any Conservative seats in BC. All difficult to predict, whether O'Toole or Trudeau win most seats I expect it to be close either way, though the Conservatives should win the popular vote again and a majority for either O'Toole or Trudeau is unlikely.
    Trudeau must love FPTP if he wins most seats on less votes again.
  • Nate silver talking about efficiency of political betting markets...

    https://youtu.be/uZMsGjhy5xk
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Off topic - anyone travelled back from a green country recently? Looks like I am going to Germany in October on business. Reads like Germany are happy to accept my fully vaccinated certificate for entry. On the way back looks like I need to show a negative test arriving back into the UK and then do a further test before the end of day 2.

    In Germany its simples. Can see various clinics near either the exhibition centre or likely hotel. €25 for rapid antigen, pretty much turn up when you want, result in 20 minutes by email.

    In London (as there for a few days after Germany) there seems to be a lot of providers and not a lot of book for an immediate test like I can see in Germany. As an example what is the point of a "walk-up" test centre in arrivals or at Paddington that you can't book?

    Yep. We're best in the world aren't we...

    You book it online via the government website. Lots of providers but I recommend CityDoc (I know the owner)
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
    Delta TriStar coming into Frankfurt.

    Pilot comes on the intercom Ladies and gentlemen, we won't be landing at this time, just making a low pass over the airfield........well, they can see its down, but they can't tell if its locked

    Purser runs to front of cabin & hammers on cockpit door.

    Pilot, somewhat sheepish Well, you'll have gathered we've got a bit of a problem.....

    Had a 747 engine failure taking off from Singapore once, only later watching the video I'd taken did I notice how much the wing dipped by, and then after a long slow turn, watched a TV mast sail past the wingtip......after dumping fuel (it was a flight to LHR so maxed out) back on the ground they had us back in the air in little over an hour.

    Spookiest two - sitting in the Virgin Clubhouse waiting for a Hong Kong flight when MH17 was shot down, they quickly changed the news channel...sitting in the SQ Lounge with pax who boarded the SQ747 that crashed on take off from Seoul from the runway under repair...
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20

    Since when has gross incompetence been a bar to high office under Johnson?
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    edited August 2021

    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
    Delta TriStar coming into Frankfurt.

    Pilot comes on the intercom Ladies and gentlemen, we won't be landing at this time, just making a low pass over the airfield........well, they can see its down, but they can't tell if its locked

    Purser runs to front of cabin & hammers on cockpit door.

    Pilot, somewhat sheepish Well, you'll have gathered we've got a bit of a problem.....

    Had a 747 engine failure taking off from Singapore once, only later watching the video I'd taken did I notice how much the wing dipped by, and then after a long slow turn, watched a TV mast sail past the wingtip......after dumping fuel (it was a flight to LHR so maxed out) back on the ground they had us back in the air in little over an hour.

    Spookiest two - sitting in the Virgin Clubhouse waiting for a Hong Kong flight when MH17 was shot down, they quickly changed the news channel...sitting in the SQ Lounge with pax who boarded the SQ747 that crashed on take off from Seoul from the runway under repair...
    Forgot the bird strike on Aer Lingus out of Shannon heading for DC. Pilot initially said we'd be landing in Shannon for some quick repairs, then said the damage was too extensive, so we'd land in Dublin. That one did not fill me with confidence, but it all went well.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    ydoethur said:

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
    Nah, the microchips were in the Ivermectin....
  • rpjsrpjs Posts: 3,787
    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
    Had a very similar experience on Icelandair with a go-around at Keflavik: "Our approach parameters did not meet our high standards here at Icelandair." Mind you, given the changeability of Icelandic weather, I should imagine go-arounds must be pretty routine stuff for pilots flying into Keflavik.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,275
    Seeing that, it's hard not to despair of my fellow countrymen and women. The country gets the leader it deserves, I guess.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,958

    ydoethur said:

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
    Nah, the microchips were in the Ivermectin....
    The cows are all refusing to wear masks now though.....
  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,741
    kinabalu said:

    rcs1000 said:


    I suspect that Hunt would have done fine, simply because the shine had really come off Corbyn by 2019. But I doubt he'd have done as well as Johnson; say a 30-50 seat majority.

    I think nearer the 30.
    The most important opinion poll in the last five years was the infamous ComRes poll of June 2019 (fieldwork June 7-9) which looked at the polling numbers for different Conservative candidates.

    For Jeremy Hunt, the numbers were:

    CON 25%
    LAB 24%
    BXP 22%
    LD 19%

    For Boris Johnson, the numbers were:

    CON 37%
    LAB 22%
    LD 20%
    BXP 14%

    That's why Johnson won the leadership election and went on to win the General Election - it was obvious from that point.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,392
    edited August 2021

    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20

    I find those kind of comments less than reassuring.

    If someone is bad enough that a PM feels the need to replace them can it wait? How can we celebrate for example Williamson probably being moved knowing how much damage he could do in the meantime?
  • HYUFD said:

    stodge said:

    HYUFD said:



    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet

    Indeed - it's the equivalent of the Conservatives choosing Hunt over Johnson in 2019.

    As for the "union", I think there's a real threat of a split - it's quite clear Soder and the CSU are fuming about Laschet's performance. The problem was the smaller CSU backed Soder but the larger CDU backed Laschet as Spitzenkandidat.

    The big change is the collapse of the Union means more seats for the SPD in the constituency vote - 299 of the seats are decided by constituency vote, another 299 by party vote and up to a further 111 overhang and levelling up seats so the current Bundestag has 709 members. On the current INSA numbers, the SPD could win up to half the constituencies which was unthinkable just a few months ago.

    The irony is it is Scholz who has modelled himself as Continuity Merkel and is winning support on that basis - there's a parallel or two with Blair in the UK. He could well start taking Green votes as those determined to see the end of the Union realise the SPD is now a viable option.

    As for the CDU/CSU, IF they end up with 20%, it will be a catastrophic result and the thought they would try to limp on in Government after such a reverse is akin to imagining Brown continuing as PM in 2010. They will go into Opposition to regroup (probably under Soder) and lick their wounds. That's what parties do after big defeats.

    The key now is Lindner - he has said the FDP would not serve in a coalition led by the Greens but he has never ruled out either a) working with the SPD or b) being in a coalition with the Greens but led by the SPD or the Union.
    If the Union do perform as badly as that poll (and yes it would be down to an abysmal performance by the CDU, the vote for Soder's CSU in Bavaria will hold up) then really they should go into opposition. The FDP would then join a traffic light coalition government with the SPD and Greens with Scholz as Chancellor.

    If they don't and Laschet does a deal with Scholz and the Greens to get the Vice Chancellor post then yes in that case I could see Soder refusing to join them and taking the CSU into opposition to form a block to the economic right of the government with the FDP and become default joint Leader of the Opposition with Lindner.

    I'm not sure about the CSU 'holding up' if the CDU/CSU only poll 20%. Although Bavaria is the possibly the only Bundesland that the CDU/CSU might still win and I can see the CSU vote falling to around 30% as they would still be cratering in urban areas like Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Würzburg etc as well as losing lots of votes to the FDP.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    ydoethur said:

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
    Nah, the microchips were in the Ivermectin....
    The cows are all refusing to wear masks now though.....
    That’s not a very respectful way to refer to John Swinney.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    kjh said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    A friend of mine with whom I skied frequently was an accident investigator. He is often on the TV when there is an air accident and was on the Concorde accident documentary. Anyway he tells cracking stories.

    On one trip we were flying British Island Airways and we could see the planes lined up. He said if ours is that one over there I'm not getting on it. Obviously we wanted to know why.

    Apparently it had recently landed with its undercarriage light on. They took the normal precautions on landing, crossed their fingers and hoped it was an electrical fault. Anyway all was well. It landed ok and everyone got off.

    They then towed it away at which point the nose hit the ground. No idea if he was winding us up or not.

    My favorite was a story of a pilot coming in to land in Pakistan. On the approach, he had a near miss, and reported it to the tower. And what he heard was "Oh no! Not another day like yesterday!"
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,958

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Plus now the cat and dog lovers' vote.....
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751
    kle4 said:

    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20

    I find those kind of comments less than reassuring.

    If someone is bad enough that a PM feels the need to replace them can it wait? How can we celebrate for example Williamson probably being moved knowing how much damage he could do in the meantime?
    There were more people of talent in the Wellington caretaker ministry of 1834.

    That is to say, one - Wellington himself, who was the only member of the government.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540

    The First Minister has announced that Harvie will be the Minister for..... Tenants’ Rights

    Rent control!

    That'll work.....

    https://inews.co.uk/opinion/snp-green-deal-scotland-rent-controls-fairer-renting-buying-1166729
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 9,688

    Seeing that, it's hard not to despair of my fellow countrymen and women. The country gets the leader it deserves, I guess.
    ydoethur said:

    kle4 said:

    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20

    I find those kind of comments less than reassuring.

    If someone is bad enough that a PM feels the need to replace them can it wait? How can we celebrate for example Williamson probably being moved knowing how much damage he could do in the meantime?
    There were more people of talent in the Wellington caretaker ministry of 1834.

    That is to say, one - Wellington himself, who was the only member of the government.
    The name and the reputation have been let go of quite astonishingly.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    ydoethur said:

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
    Ah...that more than explains Johnson's best PM stats.

    I am a bit nervous now. I am double Pfizered and I still think Johnson is a w*****. Does that mean the vaccine isn't working?
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,958
    ydoethur said:

    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20

    Since when has gross incompetence been a bar to high office under Johnson?
    It's almost as if he is employing the old adage "If you want to look thin, hang around with fat people...."
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,751

    ydoethur said:

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
    Ah...that more than explains Johnson's best PM stats.

    I am a bit nervous now. I am double Pfizered and I still think Johnson is a w*****. Does that mean the vaccine isn't working?
    If so, you and I will die of Delta together, because I still think that too.

    Well, to be strictly accurate, I think he’s a m[CENSORED].
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,958
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
    Ah...that more than explains Johnson's best PM stats.

    I am a bit nervous now. I am double Pfizered and I still think Johnson is a w*****. Does that mean the vaccine isn't working?
    If so, you and I will die of Delta together, because I still think that too.

    Well, to be strictly accurate, I think he’s a m[CENSORED].
    We'll invite you to a baby roast and wine evening. That will tell us if all is good...
  • CookieCookie Posts: 11,183
    On thread- not often I'm in full agreement with TSE but I do here. I'm quite amused by the story. And quite amused by his rigorous self-enforced dress code (I think he was also pictured in a suit in the Chelsea in Portugal brouhaha). But why shouldn't a 55 year old man be allowed to get drunk and go clubbing?
    And almost no man looks good dancing. I'd almost be less sympathetic if he was carrying it off with style.
  • rpjsrpjs Posts: 3,787
    kjh said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    A friend of mine with whom I skied frequently was an accident investigator. He is often on the TV when there is an air accident and was on the Concorde accident documentary. Anyway he tells cracking stories.

    On one trip we were flying British Island Airways and we could see the planes lined up. He said if ours is that one over there I'm not getting on it. Obviously we wanted to know why.

    Apparently it had recently landed with its undercarriage light on. They took the normal precautions on landing, crossed their fingers and hoped it was an electrical fault. Anyway all was well. It landed ok and everyone got off.

    They then towed it away at which point the nose hit the ground. No idea if he was winding us up or not.
    That reminds me a little of the "Frankenotter" that I recently read about on Reddit. A DHC Otter used for skydiving that's made from parts salvaged from 11 previously crashed aircraft! Apparently it still retained remnants of the contributing aircrafts' liveries and so was constantly being spot-checked by FAA ramp inspectors so they repainted it to make it less obvious.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,145
    ydoethur said:

    Stocky said:

    I told you that Afghanistan wouldn't damage the Conservatives in the short term.

    Johnson sensibly kept his head down, and the BBC narrative has been one of mission accomplished, so despite what ex military are saying no harm done.
    I actually believe the evacuation, and especially the safe return of our military (unlike the US) has to be considered a success in itself.

    Also the constant demands for Raab to go seem to have failed, though he is likely to have damaged his promotion chances in the party and even his re-election chances in his constituency

    And my membership of the conservative party lapses next week, so I suppose I become homeless but I have two years to decide, as long as I keep taking my pills mind you !!!!!
    Don't forget the dogs and cats
    Actually even that seems to have passed off without too much furore, but then we are a nation of animal lovers, ask any member of my family who are all devoted to animals
    More accurately, we are a nation of pet-lovers - part of the human realm. Plenty of people love their doggies and pussies but give no shit about wild nature.
    Actually in our family they very much do care about wild nature, indeed my eldest and his wife live in Vancouver and have bears for neighbours on occasions
    Yes, I gather Social Services keep moving them round as they outstay their welcome.

    Oh sorry, do you mean they see ursus americanus not have bear-like actual neighbours?
    One gets Sevco Rangers fans in the most surprising places.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,018
    rcs1000 said:

    On the subject of economic growth, I suspect that if you did a linear regression, then demographics and natural resource endowment would explain 90% of economic performance of developed economies in the last twenty years.

    It may be different in the next twenty, but I wouldn't want to bet on it.

    This is economics 101: you get growth when you have more resources to exploit or make more efficient use of existing resources.

    Both "more people" and "natural resources" fall into the former category, and the latter is just much harder - because it depends on innovations being widely adopted.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    rpjs said:

    kjh said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    A friend of mine with whom I skied frequently was an accident investigator. He is often on the TV when there is an air accident and was on the Concorde accident documentary. Anyway he tells cracking stories.

    On one trip we were flying British Island Airways and we could see the planes lined up. He said if ours is that one over there I'm not getting on it. Obviously we wanted to know why.

    Apparently it had recently landed with its undercarriage light on. They took the normal precautions on landing, crossed their fingers and hoped it was an electrical fault. Anyway all was well. It landed ok and everyone got off.

    They then towed it away at which point the nose hit the ground. No idea if he was winding us up or not.
    That reminds me a little of the "Frankenotter" that I recently read about on Reddit. A DHC Otter used for skydiving that's made from parts salvaged from 11 previously crashed aircraft! Apparently it still retained remnants of the contributing aircrafts' liveries and so was constantly being spot-checked by FAA ramp inspectors so they repainted it to make it less obvious.
    I skydived in Namibia a couple of times in a cessna where the rear window was held in place with duct tape. It works rather well, it makes jumping out of the plane seem much less of a bad idea.
  • darkagedarkage Posts: 4,746
    RobD said:

    darkage said:

    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
    I've had a go around - but without any explanation.

    The most dodgy situation I had was on landing I looked out the window and I saw that the plane engine (it was a 737) seemed to split apart as if it was about to disconnect from the plane - it then corrected itself, and seemed to put itself back together. I told the cabin crew, but they weren't interested. I've never come across any explanation of what this is - I can't believe it is something that is supposed to happen.

    Another thing that happened (on a different flight) was the plane engine cut out and the plane seemed to glide in silence for half a minute, before the engines coming back in. No explanation.

    Finally a plane nearly landed without the fasten seatbelt signs being put on. The pilot obviously only remembered to switch it on at the very last minute and the cabin crew either didn't realise or were afraid of telling the pilot.
    On your first situation, you aren't talking about when the exhaust is directed forward to slow the plane?

    https://www.shutterstock.com/es/search/reverse+thrust
    That is a possible explanation - thanks. However, the engine seemed to come apart to a far greater extent than the examples I just saw on you tube.

    It was about 20 years ago - was quite alarming at the time.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,018
    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,081
    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    Italian passengers clearly understand about Italian pilots, then.

    I remember an Al Italia to Venice Marco Polo many years ago. The plane was flying along at a considerable altitude quite happily and, having a window seat, I was gazing down at an airport far below. “I am sure that looks like where we’re supposed to be landing”, I say to my partner; not long after the pilot clearly arrives at the same conclusion as the plane suddenly embarks on by far the sharpest descent I have ever experienced on a passenger plane.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    .

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Vaccine bonus continues.
    Be careful what you say or those antivax nutters will start talking about mind control again.
    Ah...that more than explains Johnson's best PM stats.

    I am a bit nervous now. I am double Pfizered and I still think Johnson is a w*****. Does that mean the vaccine isn't working?
    If so, you and I will die of Delta together, because I still think that too.

    Well, to be strictly accurate, I think he’s a m[CENSORED].
    We'll invite you to a baby roast and wine evening. That will tell us if all is good...
    I notice the Party has stocked up with puppies and kittens for similarly themed campaign fund-raising events.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    That's entirely backwards.

    You already have all the benefits there are ever going to be, and the costs are only increasing.
This discussion has been closed.