Ouch! Bit of a step down from yesterday's ministerial car. You'd think they'd call her a taxi.
By the way, does anyone know why the Government Car Service have a preference for German-made cars? From watching yesterday's footage it appears that only the PM has a British-made car. Maybe they're trying to get trade concessions from the Brexit negotiations by pointing out to Merkel how even our ministers use their cars!
How do we boost British industry? By buying British. EU rules mandate an open tender for such things, yet the French always mysteriously managed to award them to their own companies.
So why can't we do the same. Every police car built here. Every local authority vehicle. British computers. We could go on and on - build British grow British eat British. Because if we can't sell our shit to ourselves how do we expect others to buy it?
Infrastructure will be a massive job. The harsh reality for the right is that big infrastructure projects need state funding and drive to make them happen. The state can borrow the large amounts of cash far cheaper than private industry and can accommodate the prolonged payback period.
So what major projects would this new department need to go after? 1. Housing. Remove all the banked land from greedy housebuilders. Remove the disincentive to councils to allow development on brownfield. Get building on a large scale 2. Heathrow. Its in the wrong place. But there's no alternative, so get on with it already 3. High Speed Rail - we need massive capacity increases in the medium term, so get on with it already 4. Roads - a million and one schemes could be started tomorrow, from resurfacing to pinchpoints to bypasses to major new routes. Get on with it 5. Energy. Hinkley Point was a bad deal and has gone cold. Build our own. And readress the tarriffs making wind and tidal hard to do - we should be leading the world developing new energy generation 6. Fibre Broadband. Most people can't get access to it and its up to a private monopoly to provide it. Remove Openreach from the equation and build it ourselves
I agree with 1,2,3 and 5. Meh on 4.
Fibre broadband is difficult in practice (I worked in this area when I was in Scotland, and did joint work with the Welsh). We tried incredibly hard to get other providers interested, but the commercial case is poor even with government support.
Openreach have a quasi-monopoly in programs like Rural Broadband and Superfast Cymru because they're the only company that will play.
I know he has his many critics, but Lord Feldman also needs replacing, as brilliant as Patrick McLoughlin is, he can't raise the money that Lord Feldman has, nor updated the Tory systems quite so efficiently.
Feldman was with Cameron a major "killer" of 40% of the membership. A remarkable level of incompetence. Raising money from the donors at a time like this should be relatively easy and has been since Brown took over with his 50% tax announcement.
It's official, I'm going on holiday to countries where gambling is illegal and PB is banned.
This might be the longest two weeks of my life.
Awful reshuffle. Like the two lasses as Home and Education. That's it really. Hammond okay as Chancellor probably. But on balance, I'd bring back Dave and his lot. My sympathies and empathies to all Cameroons – decent folk.
Ouch! Bit of a step down from yesterday's ministerial car. You'd think they'd call her a taxi.
By the way, does anyone know why the Government Car Service have a preference for German-made cars? From watching yesterday's footage it appears that only the PM has a British-made car. Maybe they're trying to get trade concessions from the Brexit negotiations by pointing out to Merkel how even our ministers use their cars!
How do we boost British industry? By buying British. EU rules mandate an open tender for such things, yet the French always mysteriously managed to award them to their own companies.
So why can't we do the same. Every police car built here. Every local authority vehicle. British computers. We could go on and on - build British grow British eat British. Because if we can't sell our shit to ourselves how do we expect others to buy it?
Protectionist nonsense. More fool the French in the long run.
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
It's official, I'm going on holiday to countries where gambling is illegal and PB is banned.
This might be the longest two weeks of my life.
Awful reshuffle. Like the two lasses as Home and Education. That's it really. Hammond okay as Chancellor probably. But on balance, I'd bring back Dave and his lot. My sympathies and empathies to all Cameroons – decent folk.
But you are a labour supporter so something that is bad for you is good for the Conservatives?
It's official, I'm going on holiday to countries where gambling is illegal and PB is banned.
This might be the longest two weeks of my life.
You're going to Mecca?
America and Dubai
PB and Betfair definitely work from Dubai, although a lot of the bookies are blocked. Can be got around with a VPN, you'll probably have a corporate one or there's plenty of cheap options.
PM me with your dates in Dubai if you want to be bought a drink or two and shown some tacky nightclubs.
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
I'm sure it is cold comfort, but quality people will always prosper despite short term setbacks. That's based on my experience with a company that shed over 50% of its workforce.
It's official, I'm going on holiday to countries where gambling is illegal and PB is banned.
This might be the longest two weeks of my life.
You're going to Mecca?
America and Dubai
PB and Betfair definitely work from Dubai, although a lot of the bookies are blocked. Can be got around with a VPN, you'll probably have a corporate one or there's plenty of cheap options.
PM me with your dates in Dubai if you want to be bought a drink or two and shown some tacky nightclubs.
Will do. The provisional plan is to arrive on the 4th of August and leave on the 8th
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
No, they don't deserve to lose their jobs, in the sense that they have done nothing wrong - indeed done their jobs well. But regime change is regime change, as you know. I hope - for PB's sake! - you can make the equivalent contacts with the new Mayist regime.
Edit: and enjoy your holiday - see you in Birmingham hopefully
She's trimming government and clearing out old shit. I particularly think that the BoJO/Fox/Davis appointments are very shrewd and should shut down all 'but will she really' type Brexit wobbles.
If DECC is dead can we hope that DFID is on the scaffold waiting for someone to kick away the chair? (Slash its budget and give the remnants to Boris).
At this rate she'll face both Labour and Real Labour/SDP2 in the autumn and win a landslide.
Tim Montgomerie said that Mr Cameron put in a last wish appeal to spare the DFID budget. I hope she axes it. Perhaps she could delay it until we are out of the EU and direct favourable trade terms to v.poor nations?
One of the issues here is that we count a proportion of our payment to the EU towards our commitment to meet the UN foreign aid target, since the EU also does overseas aid. Which therefore reduces the balance we meet from the government budget. So if we keep our commitment to the UN target, we will need to increase our own aid spending when we exit the EU
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
I'm sure it is cold comfort, but quality people will always prosper despite short term setbacks. That's based on my experience with a company that shed over 50% of its workforce.
Yeah they know they will prosper, the Lib Dems they know who lost their jobs in May 2015 are earning a lot more money now and actually have a life now, but for a lot of these people, they were doing their ideal job/the job they loved the most.
Infrastructure will be a massive job. The harsh reality for the right is that big infrastructure projects need state funding and drive to make them happen. The state can borrow the large amounts of cash far cheaper than private industry and can accommodate the prolonged payback period.
So what major projects would this new department need to go after? 1. Housing. Remove all the banked land from greedy housebuilders. Remove the disincentive to councils to allow development on brownfield. Get building on a large scale 2. Heathrow. Its in the wrong place. But there's no alternative, so get on with it already 3. High Speed Rail - we need massive capacity increases in the medium term, so get on with it already 4. Roads - a million and one schemes could be started tomorrow, from resurfacing to pinchpoints to bypasses to major new routes. Get on with it 5. Energy. Hinkley Point was a bad deal and has gone cold. Build our own. And readress the tarriffs making wind and tidal hard to do - we should be leading the world developing new energy generation 6. Fibre Broadband. Most people can't get access to it and its up to a private monopoly to provide it. Remove Openreach from the equation and build it ourselves
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
James Forsyth ✔ @JGForsyth Those Cameroons who, wrongly, saw Theresa May as the continuity candidate getting increasingly irritated now. Not happy about No10 clear out
Have you provided TSE with a reading list to work through whilst away from pb.com - so as he won't make further historical schoolboy errors when he returns?
Infrastructure will be a massive job. The harsh reality for the right is that big infrastructure projects need state funding and drive to make them happen. The state can borrow the large amounts of cash far cheaper than private industry and can accommodate the prolonged payback period.
So what major projects would this new department need to go after? 1. Housing. Remove all the banked land from greedy housebuilders. Remove the disincentive to councils to allow development on brownfield. Get building on a large scale 2. Heathrow. Its in the wrong place. But there's no alternative, so get on with it already 3. High Speed Rail - we need massive capacity increases in the medium term, so get on with it already 4. Roads - a million and one schemes could be started tomorrow, from resurfacing to pinchpoints to bypasses to major new routes. Get on with it 5. Energy. Hinkley Point was a bad deal and has gone cold. Build our own. And readress the tarriffs making wind and tidal hard to do - we should be leading the world developing new energy generation 6. Fibre Broadband. Most people can't get access to it and its up to a private monopoly to provide it. Remove Openreach from the equation and build it ourselves
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Infrastructure will be a massive job. The harsh reality for the right is that big infrastructure projects need state funding and drive to make them happen. The state can borrow the large amounts of cash far cheaper than private industry and can accommodate the prolonged payback period.
So what major projects would this new department need to go after? 1. Housing. Remove all the banked land from greedy housebuilders. Remove the disincentive to councils to allow development on brownfield. Get building on a large scale 2. Heathrow. Its in the wrong place. But there's no alternative, so get on with it already 3. High Speed Rail - we need massive capacity increases in the medium term, so get on with it already 4. Roads - a million and one schemes could be started tomorrow, from resurfacing to pinchpoints to bypasses to major new routes. Get on with it 5. Energy. Hinkley Point was a bad deal and has gone cold. Build our own. And readress the tarriffs making wind and tidal hard to do - we should be leading the world developing new energy generation 6. Fibre Broadband. Most people can't get access to it and its up to a private monopoly to provide it. Remove Openreach from the equation and build it ourselves
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Most people in the UK get FTTC rather than FTTP. Cabinet to premises is still mostly copper.
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
No, they don't deserve to lose their jobs, in the sense that they have done nothing wrong - indeed done their jobs well. But regime change is regime change, as you know. I hope - for PB's sake! - you can make the equivalent contacts with the new Mayist regime.
Edit: and enjoy your holiday - see you in Birmingham hopefully
I shall turn on my considerable charm and make contacts with the Mayists.
Infrastructure will be a massive job. The harsh reality for the right is that big infrastructure projects need state funding and drive to make them happen. The state can borrow the large amounts of cash far cheaper than private industry and can accommodate the prolonged payback period.
So what major projects would this new department need to go after? 1. Housing. Remove all the banked land from greedy housebuilders. Remove the disincentive to councils to allow development on brownfield. Get building on a large scale 2. Heathrow. Its in the wrong place. But there's no alternative, so get on with it already 3. High Speed Rail - we need massive capacity increases in the medium term, so get on with it already 4. Roads - a million and one schemes could be started tomorrow, from resurfacing to pinchpoints to bypasses to major new routes. Get on with it 5. Energy. Hinkley Point was a bad deal and has gone cold. Build our own. And readress the tarriffs making wind and tidal hard to do - we should be leading the world developing new energy generation 6. Fibre Broadband. Most people can't get access to it and its up to a private monopoly to provide it. Remove Openreach from the equation and build it ourselves
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
BT are cheapskates.... what do you think...
If you are lucky you have virgin as a second option (200mb) or so but I really want to move to somewhere where B4rn.org.uk provide the service...
Awful reshuffle. Like the two lasses as Home and Education. That's it really. Hammond okay as Chancellor probably. But on balance, I'd bring back Dave and his lot. My sympathies and empathies to all Cameroons – decent folk.
She's trimming government and clearing out old shit. I particularly think that the BoJO/Fox/Davis appointments are very shrewd and should shut down all 'but will she really' type Brexit wobbles.
If DECC is dead can we hope that DFID is on the scaffold waiting for someone to kick away the chair? (Slash its budget and give the remnants to Boris).
At this rate she'll face both Labour and Real Labour/SDP2 in the autumn and win a landslide.
Tim Montgomerie said that Mr Cameron put in a last wish appeal to spare the DFID budget. I hope she axes it. Perhaps she could delay it until we are out of the EU and direct favourable trade terms to v.poor nations?
One of the issues here is that we count a proportion of our payment to the EU towards our commitment to meet the UN foreign aid target, since the EU also does overseas aid. Which therefore reduces the balance we meet from the government budget. So if we keep our commitment to the UN target, we will need to increase our own aid spending when we exit the EU
I seem to recall an earlier complaint was that non-government money was ignored. If you count donations to UK charities working overseas, I don't think HMG money would be required to hit the UN target.
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
I'm sure it is cold comfort, but quality people will always prosper despite short term setbacks. That's based on my experience with a company that shed over 50% of its workforce.
Yeah they know they will prosper, the Lib Dems they know who lost their jobs in May 2015 are earning a lot more money now and actually have a life now, but for a lot of these people, they were doing their ideal job/the job they loved the most.
I don't think they should throw in the towel just yet. Once Brexit is done the Cabinet might be all change again and the services of rhe modernisers will be in demand. Remember that it was the modernisers who delivered a majority in 2015, the PM might want them back before 2020. The issue, I guess, is that so many of them are too closely linked to the old administration and to staying in the EU that they needed some time off.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
Infrastructure will be a massive job. The harsh reality for the right is that big infrastructure projects need state funding and drive to make them happen. The state can borrow the large amounts of cash far cheaper than private industry and can accommodate the prolonged payback period.
So what major projects would this new department need to go after? 1. Housing. Remove all the banked land from greedy housebuilders. Remove the disincentive to councils to allow development on brownfield. Get building on a large scale 2. Heathrow. Its in the wrong place. But there's no alternative, so get on with it already 3. High Speed Rail - we need massive capacity increases in the medium term, so get on with it already 4. Roads - a million and one schemes could be started tomorrow, from resurfacing to pinchpoints to bypasses to major new routes. Get on with it 5. Energy. Hinkley Point was a bad deal and has gone cold. Build our own. And readress the tarriffs making wind and tidal hard to do - we should be leading the world developing new energy generation 6. Fibre Broadband. Most people can't get access to it and its up to a private monopoly to provide it. Remove Openreach from the equation and build it ourselves
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
I believe in many places it is. The backbones are all fibre to the exchanges (I *think* all of them now); the bottlenecks are exchanges without enough capacity, and between the exchange and home ('Fibre To The Home').
When we had out Internet upgraded earlier in the year Openreach pulled a new cable through the trunking to our house. As our house is just fourteen years old, they built it with trunking. It's harder if they have to dig up the street to upgrade.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
My entire town is still waiting for fibre. And it's only 60 miles outside London, hardly a remote corner of England.
It's official, I'm going on holiday to countries where gambling is illegal and PB is banned.
This might be the longest two weeks of my life.
You're going to Mecca?
America and Dubai
PB and Betfair definitely work from Dubai, although a lot of the bookies are blocked. Can be got around with a VPN, you'll probably have a corporate one or there's plenty of cheap options.
PM me with your dates in Dubai if you want to be bought a drink or two and shown some tacky nightclubs.
Will do. The provisional plan is to arrive on the 4th of August and leave on the 8th
Cool. Well, not cool at all really, about 45 degrees and 80% humidity in August!! Well at least it's not Ramadan any more
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
Infrastructure will be a massive job. The harsh reality for the right is that big infrastructure projects need state funding and drive to make them happen. The state can borrow the large amounts of cash far cheaper than private industry and can accommodate the prolonged payback period.
So what major projects would this new department need to go after? 1. Housing. Remove all the banked land from greedy housebuilders. Remove the disincentive to councils to allow development on brownfield. Get building on a large scale 2. Heathrow. Its in the wrong place. But there's no alternative, so get on with it already 3. High Speed Rail - we need massive capacity increases in the medium term, so get on with it already 4. Roads - a million and one schemes could be started tomorrow, from resurfacing to pinchpoints to bypasses to major new routes. Get on with it 5. Energy. Hinkley Point was a bad deal and has gone cold. Build our own. And readress the tarriffs making wind and tidal hard to do - we should be leading the world developing new energy generation 6. Fibre Broadband. Most people can't get access to it and its up to a private monopoly to provide it. Remove Openreach from the equation and build it ourselves
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
BT are cheapskates.... what do you think...
If you are lucky you have virgin as a second option (200mb) or so but I really want to move to somewhere where B4rn.org.uk provide the service...
In fairness, we've been able to squeeze more and more out of copper. G.fast won't be for everyone, but will get BT in the range 150Mb/s-500Mb/s. Which is plenty for consumers.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
South Korea has more super fast broadband than anywhere on the planet yet demand for travel, specifically high speed rail travel is rocketing and they're building new lines
There is no evidence that super high speed broadband reduces travel anywhere on the planet
A mere three weeks ago, I had just cast my vote in the Referendum.
Three weeks, and a political age...
Tis quite remarkable what has transpired over the past 3 weeks, not just for the Country, but for major parties also? – It’s like a convergence of all the planets or some such.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
Anyone can roll out fibre: not sure why BT Openreach is singled out for blame. There may be a problem with market regulation here but I cannot remember the details offhand. It is to do with monopolies and forced sharing of infrastructure. The US has the same problem for the opposite reason. Renationalising BT might help but is unlikely to be politically acceptable.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
South Korea has more super fast broadband than anywhere on the planet yet demand for travel, specifically high speed rail travel is rocketing and they're building new lines
There is no evidence that super high speed broadband reduces travel anywhere on the planet
Anecdote alert. We installed a full-blown video conferencing suite at our HQ. Part of the business case was reducing trans-Atlantic travel. 12 month analysis showed that modal use of suite was to arrange face to face meetings. Travel costs almost doubled. People are strange.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
My entire town is still waiting for fibre. And it's only 60 miles outside London, hardly a remote corner of England.
I live in a house built in 2013 in a major city. We get 1.5 to 5 meg through BT. The developers didn't bother working with any other providers to enable cable services, so we are stuck with BT. BT won't upgrade the cabinets. I live 1.5 miles from the city centre.
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
I'm sure it is cold comfort, but quality people will always prosper despite short term setbacks. That's based on my experience with a company that shed over 50% of its workforce.
Yeah they know they will prosper, the Lib Dems they know who lost their jobs in May 2015 are earning a lot more money now and actually have a life now, but for a lot of these people, they were doing their ideal job/the job they loved the most.
I don't think they should throw in the towel just yet. Once Brexit is done the Cabinet might be all change again and the services of rhe modernisers will be in demand. Remember that it was the modernisers who delivered a majority in 2015, the PM might want them back before 2020. The issue, I guess, is that so many of them are too closely linked to the old administration and to staying in the EU that they needed some time off.
Judging from Theresa May's Birmingham speech and her comments on taking office, astonishingly, it may be that her government will be more 'centrist' as Cameron's, and I don't sense yet - early days yet I know - any swing back to the right or 'traditionalism' on social issues. Her appointments so far are pretty even-handed in ideological terms as were those who have been sacked. So we need to be a bit more precise when talking about 'modernisers' : do we mean individuals or policies and if the latter, what might these be?
Anyone can roll out fibre: not sure why BT Openreach is singled out for blame. There may be a problem with market regulation here but I cannot remember the details offhand. It is to do with monopolies and forced sharing of infrastructure. The US has the same problem for the opposite reason. Renationalising BT might help but is unlikely to be politically acceptable.
Big infrastructure just isn't profitable in an age where the #citywankers wants profit upgrades every quarter. Fibre costs billions now for long term slow payback. It isn't commercial.
Have some misgivings about the sweeping changes the new PM is making. It really feels like she wants to make a very clean break with the Cameron/Osborne et al regime she was a part of, and if that is allied to a noticeable departure from the Cameron/Osborne policy programme, and indeed, the Tory 2015 Manifesto on which she and all the others in Government were elected, then I think she is storing up trouble - without the endorsement of a GE win on this programme, where is the mandate, where is the legitimacy, what is to stop the Lords refusing to pass anything it doesn't like unrestrained by convention which says anything in the Govt's manifesto should not be blocked? Moreover, it feels like she is saying that the past 6 years of Cameron-Osborne led government has been a failure, a message that seemed to come out of her speeches this week.
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Mr. Eagles, as a Cameroon, does that mean you're a bit irked with how things are going?
Do I wish Remain had won the referendum? Yes, but I'm not irked about democracy.
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
I'm sure it is cold comfort, but quality people will always prosper despite short term setbacks. That's based on my experience with a company that shed over 50% of its workforce.
Yeah they know they will prosper, the Lib Dems they know who lost their jobs in May 2015 are earning a lot more money now and actually have a life now, but for a lot of these people, they were doing their ideal job/the job they loved the most.
I don't think they should throw in the towel just yet. Once Brexit is done the Cabinet might be all change again and the services of rhe modernisers will be in demand. Remember that it was the modernisers who delivered a majority in 2015, the PM might want them back before 2020. The issue, I guess, is that so many of them are too closely linked to the old administration and to staying in the EU that they needed some time off.
Judging from Theresa May's Birmingham speech and her comments on taking office, astonishingly, it may be that her government will be more 'centrist' as Cameron's, and I don't sense yet - early days yet I know - any swing back to the right or 'traditionalism' on social issues. Her appointments so far are pretty even-handed in ideological terms as were those who have been sacked. So we need to be a bit more precise when talking about 'modernisers' : do we mean individuals or policies and if the latter, what might these be?
Individuals. The likes of Gove and the rest of the Notting Hill set.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
South Korea has more super fast broadband than anywhere on the planet yet demand for travel, specifically high speed rail travel is rocketing and they're building new lines
There is no evidence that super high speed broadband reduces travel anywhere on the planet
Anecdote alert. We installed a full-blown video conferencing suite at our HQ. Part of the business case was reducing trans-Atlantic travel. 12 month analysis showed that modal use of suite was to arrange face to face meetings. Travel costs almost doubled. People are strange.
Ha ha. I guess the conference facilities lead to better communication between offices in a way that phone calls and emails don't. That better communication also manifests itself in more trave to build relationships. Although the costs are higher, it probably helps the working of the business overall - assuming the trips are genuine and not jollies of course. The accountants working these sums certainly don't understand about the social aspect of travel, and the amount of business done on a golf course or restaurant.
This is pre-Brexit thinking. There's going to be less economic activity, fewer people, less money. You just don't need as much infrastructure as you would have.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
Yes it is! Fibre broadband infrastructure is mainly rolled out by private monopoly BT Openreach. In practice it means things like this - my estate was built from 2005 and is 700 mainly middle-class style homes. Openreach did their Broadband survey in 2004. According to them - and I asked them - we don't exist on their map which is why they won't upgrade our cabinet despite having done the ones on either side.
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
South Korea has more super fast broadband than anywhere on the planet yet demand for travel, specifically high speed rail travel is rocketing and they're building new lines
There is no evidence that super high speed broadband reduces travel anywhere on the planet
I've had that discussion on here before. The over-doubling of passenger numbers on the railways started in the mid-1990s, the same time as the Internet started taking off. There is no sign that the Internet is harming usage. Yet on the other hand, road traffic mileage in the UK is flat (1).
The story that Hunt was leaving health, which floated round for a few hours this morning without contradiction, plus Villiers's statement that she was offered a role she didn't think she could fulfil, makes me wonder whether she turned down health, for some reason?
Ouch! Bit of a step down from yesterday's ministerial car. You'd think they'd call her a taxi.
By the way, does anyone know why the Government Car Service have a preference for German-made cars? From watching yesterday's footage it appears that only the PM has a British-made car. Maybe they're trying to get trade concessions from the Brexit negotiations by pointing out to Merkel how even our ministers use their cars!
How do we boost British industry? By buying British. EU rules mandate an open tender for such things, yet the French always mysteriously managed to award them to their own companies.
So why can't we do the same. Every police car built here. Every local authority vehicle. British computers. We could go on and on - build British grow British eat British. Because if we can't sell our shit to ourselves how do we expect others to buy it?
Superficially tempting but totally wrong.
Every country ended up doing that and we'd all be massively poorer. The ultimate logic is it leads to a global collapse in exports of everything, and that with a more limited choice of goods to buy we will end up paying more in many cases.
You are calling for a reversal of globalisation. Not possible anyway and certainly not desirable.
Poor countries doomed to stay poor forever.
(Thought this argument was settled decades ago...?)
Hold on, why is there a Duchy of Lancaster, but not a Duchy of York?
Or is it that Lancastrians need constant adult supervision?
So we can proclaim our superiority by drinking the loyal toast to the Duke of Lancaster while the rest of you toast the Queen.
Indeed, at the last formal dinner I went to, here in Manchester, the loyal toast went "The Queen - Duke of Lancaster" - recognising that the latter role was of course far more significant!
The story that Hunt was leaving health, which floated round for a few hours this morning without contradiction, plus Villiers's statement that she was offered a role she didn't think she could fulfil, makes me wonder whether she turned down health, for some reason?
She was never putting a Leaver at Health.
They would be forever plagued about where is that £350m per week for the NHS
Have some misgivings about the sweeping changes the new PM is making. It really feels like she wants to make a very clean break with the Cameron/Osborne et al regime she was a part of, and if that is allied to a noticeable departure from the Cameron/Osborne policy programme, and indeed, the Tory 2015 Manifesto on which she and all the others in Government were elected on, then I think she is storing up trouble - without the endorsement of a GE win on this programme, where is the mandate, where is the legitimacy, what is to stop the Lords refusing to pass anything it doesn't like unrestrained by convention which says anything in the Govt's manifesto should not be blocked? Moreover, it feels like she is saying that the past 6 years of Cameron-Osborne led government has been a failure, a message that seemed to come out of her speeches this week.
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Btw all you broadband fibre fans should keep an eye on wireless, with 5g on its way. Of course, data over 4g is a rip-off with low monthly caps.
You make a good point there: perhaps not with 5G, but later technologies. A friend who bought one of the first houses in Cambourne paid the developer extra to put in Ethernet cables to all the rooms.
We just use WiFi.
How long before the idea of hard, physical connections to each house seems as quaint as having Ethernet cables from your hub to your room?
(There will be significant capacity problems if this were to happen, which is why I think 5G won't be the tech to do it).
It is not inconceivable that Villiers might have been offered a non Cabinet job which she would have every reason to reject. DFID seems more likely though.
PS Might it be that Hunky Dunky returns to his old haunt but as SoS?
The third ("EEA-lite") seems attractive, as the option most likely to square the circle left by the referendum outcome. But by very clearly stepping outside the single market, I think will be the hardest to sell in Scotland and NI/ROI. So therefore risks destroying the Union, which given Theresa's statement from the steps of No 10, is obviously a non-starter.
Btw all you broadband fibre fans should keep an eye on wireless, with 5g on its way. Of course, data over 4g is a rip-off with low monthly caps.
You make a good point there: perhaps not with 5G, but later technologies. A friend who bought one of the first houses in Cambourne paid the developer extra to put in Ethernet cables to all the rooms.
We just use WiFi.
How long before the idea of hard, physical connections to each house seems as quaint as having Ethernet cables from your hub to your room?
(There will be significant capacity problems if this were to happen, which is why I think 5G won't be the tech to do it).
Re-purpose street lights as mount points for a short range mesh infrastructure? Lets you cover most urban/sub-urban areas without vast amounts of digging.
Interesting. If the scandal had occurred during normal times [instead of during crazy hyperspeed politics] he might have had to anyway - it could have been made to seem a lot worse. I hope he puts his family life back together again and returns in due course.
Last week: "I want to be Prime Minister" This week "I want to spend more time with my family"
In Reality "I didn't get offered a job I wanted so I'm off"
Perhaps May asked him to stay on as Secretary of State for Reducing Disabled People to Sit in the Own Faeces?
I assume that he couldn't give the Prime Minister assurances that there wouldn't be more damaging stuff appearing in the tabloids. May is no wanting to have to replace any part of her Cabinet in the coming weeks or months.
Unless it is she who is kicking people out, for non-performance...
Have some misgivings about the sweeping changes the new PM is making. It really feels like she wants to make a very clean break with the Cameron/Osborne et al regime she was a part of, and if that is allied to a noticeable departure from the Cameron/Osborne policy programme, and indeed, the Tory 2015 Manifesto on which she and all the others in Government were elected, then I think she is storing up trouble - without the endorsement of a GE win on this programme, where is the mandate, where is the legitimacy, what is to stop the Lords refusing to pass anything it doesn't like unrestrained by convention which says anything in the Govt's manifesto should not be blocked? Moreover, it feels like she is saying that the past 6 years of Cameron-Osborne led government has been a failure, a message that seemed to come out of her speeches this week.
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Perplexing....
Not perplexing at all.
This is a change of government and personnel but not of the Conservative manifesto, albeit the EU referendum (manifesto pledge) result ensures necessary policy changes.
UK Rail Safety and Standards Board communiques via Twitter about the tragic head on train crash in Italy:
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
It'll be interesting to know how many crashes have occurred caused by the use of the telephone block system, and especially how many near-misses.
Assuming that near misses are recorded.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......
The story that Hunt was leaving health, which floated round for a few hours this morning without contradiction, plus Villiers's statement that she was offered a role she didn't think she could fulfil, makes me wonder whether she turned down health, for some reason?
She was never putting a Leaver at Health.
They would be forever plagued about where is that £350m per week for the NHS
They have that problem regardless. I don't think it makes any difference who does the job.
Last week: "I want to be Prime Minister" This week "I want to spend more time with my family"
In Reality "I didn't get offered a job I wanted so I'm off"
Perhaps May asked him to stay on as Secretary of State for Reducing Disabled People to Sit in the Own Faeces?
I assume that he couldn't give the Prime Minister assurances that there wouldn't be more damaging stuff appearing in the tabloids. May is no wanting to have to replace any part of her Cabinet in the coming weeks or months.
Unless it she who is kicking people out, for non-performance...
But not IDS back please....even Nadine....or Bill Cash for pity's sake.
Comments
Politics has someone dominated my life these past few months, and I was quite angry and emotional about politics last night.
A break will be good
So why can't we do the same. Every police car built here. Every local authority vehicle. British computers. We could go on and on - build British grow British eat British. Because if we can't sell our shit to ourselves how do we expect others to buy it?
Fibre broadband is difficult in practice (I worked in this area when I was in Scotland, and did joint work with the Welsh). We tried incredibly hard to get other providers interested, but the commercial case is poor even with government support.
Openreach have a quasi-monopoly in programs like Rural Broadband and Superfast Cymru because they're the only company that will play.
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/753563070941827072
I'm irked that a lot of good people lost their jobs yesterday, I think some of you have worked out I've managed to get to know quite a few people who worked for the Government/CCHQ, who have been very generous with their time with me, and with some who have I become great friends, which has been great for PB.
They don't deserve to lose their jobs, they've only ever wanted what is best for the country and the Tory party.
PM me with your dates in Dubai if you want to be bought a drink or two and shown some tacky nightclubs.
Hope you enjoy your time off.
Edit: and enjoy your holiday - see you in Birmingham hopefully
Osborne, Letwin, Gove, Morgan, Villiers, Harper, Hancock,Stowell,
(corrected tks WhiteRabbit)
Reckon that tweet is actually based on any conversations with anybody?
It would be astounding if they weren't 'irritated'.
That said, how are people in Britain getting their internet of they don't have fibre? It's not still going over1890s-standard copper wire is it?
James Forsyth ✔ @JGForsyth
Those Cameroons who, wrongly, saw Theresa May as the continuity candidate getting increasingly irritated now. Not happy about No10 clear out
And yes, I shall see you in Birmingham
If you are lucky you have virgin as a second option (200mb) or so but I really want to move to somewhere where B4rn.org.uk provide the service...
Part 4,291
Three weeks, and a political age...
Supposedly private industry removes idiotic state monolith thinking. With BT it got worse. But despite the huge economic benefits of superfast - people can work from home more and travel less - its getting rolled out at snails pace.
Not convincing for Eagle, but -45 for Corbyn. Dear me.
When we had out Internet upgraded earlier in the year Openreach pulled a new cable through the trunking to our house. As our house is just fourteen years old, they built it with trunking. It's harder if they have to dig up the street to upgrade.
http://thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/classical-history-for-beginners.html
http://thaddeusthesixth.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/classical-history-for-intermediates.html
There is no evidence that super high speed broadband reduces travel anywhere on the planet
I also have a concern that far from being Brexit-lite, we might end up being forced into an arrangement not too dissimilar from what Leadsom might have been leading us toward and which caused so much fright in the markets last week.
Perplexing....
(1): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317454/annual-road-traffic-estimates-2013.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/14/how-will-theresa-may-deliver-brexit-here-are-three-options-i-pre/
'Could Bari accident happen in GB? Unlikely due to nature of telephone block system used, but we always look to learn from overseas #aspr.'
'Sources suggest telephone block process was outlawed for passenger services in Britain in 1889.'
Every country ended up doing that and we'd all be massively poorer. The ultimate logic is it leads to a global collapse in exports of everything, and that with a more limited choice of goods to buy we will end up paying more in many cases.
You are calling for a reversal of globalisation. Not possible anyway and certainly not desirable.
Poor countries doomed to stay poor forever.
(Thought this argument was settled decades ago...?)
They would be forever plagued about where is that £350m per week for the NHS
There will be a General Election in the autumn.
We just use WiFi.
How long before the idea of hard, physical connections to each house seems as quaint as having Ethernet cables from your hub to your room?
(There will be significant capacity problems if this were to happen, which is why I think 5G won't be the tech to do it).
EDIT Crabb resigns for his family.
F F Sake.
PS Might it be that Hunky Dunky returns to his old haunt but as SoS?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3690068/Where-did-wrong-Dave-Cameron-Osborne-mull-collapse-political-careers-coffee-families-Notting-Hill.html
This week "I want to spend more time with my family"
In Reality "I didn't get offered a job I wanted so I'm off"
Perhaps May asked him to stay on as Secretary of State for Reducing Disabled People to Sit in the Own Faeces?
Unless it is she who is kicking people out, for non-performance...
This is a change of government and personnel but not of the Conservative manifesto, albeit the EU referendum (manifesto pledge) result ensures necessary policy changes.
From what I can make out, Telephone Block in crude terms means there is not actually any signalling and the station masters of adjacent stations phone each other, decide which train can go then record this on paper and tell the train drivers whether they can go.
Cant Imagine why we banned it 127 years ago.......