politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » At the start of lockdown Johnson’s Tories had poll leads of up
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FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
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I don't think anyone has suggested he was moving house to the castle. But maybe someone did and I missed it.TOPPING said:
They also said that they would have likely asked him to return home which suggests they deemed it a violation of the regs and not the law (at which point of course a failure to obey the instruction to return home would have been an actual offence).algarkirk said:
The question of what 'to move house' means (Regs 6(l)) is interesting but safest to say it means exactly what it seems to mean in common sense - to go to live from one home of any sort to another home of any sort. Subject to any exemptions - like for holidays.Big_G_NorthWales said:
With respect the police statement is comprehensive and it really does not matter what you believe unless you want to take on the police statementChris said:
Please try to keep up. Apparently it is claimed that it was his second home. DougSeal posted a bit earlier:Big_G_NorthWales said:
Just for accuracy. It was not his second homeChris said:
Thank you for a sensible answer.algarkirk said:
IMO there are four issues: One, the only legal test (ignored by almost everyone) is: was there a reasonable excuse at the time of leaving the (London) home for Durham. There is no full list of reasonable excuses, only examples (Sec 6). To consider the action as legally culpable there has to be a realistic chance of conviction on a 'beyond reasonable doubt' test. DC gave us lots of reasonable excuses (at least three I think) so, if you think he might possibly be telling the truth an acquittal would be likely.Chris said:Just trying to be serious for a moment (I know, I know - but let's see what happens).
The police are saying there may have been a minor breach of the regulations regarding the day trip to Barnard Castle, but they don't consider there was regarding the journey from London to Durham.
Of course the police have jurisidiction only over the regulations about leaving home, not over the guidance on self-isolation.
Does anyone have a serious opinion on why the police would have decided the trip to Durham didn't infringe the regulations? The "risk of harm" provision?
Because if that is what they decided, then that implies that provision covers an extremely wide range of circumstances, in which the risk of harm can be extremely hypothetical. I think that interpretation, if shared by other authorities, would make a dead letter of the regulations.
Two; I don't think there is case law on what is a 'reasonable excuse' in this particular regulation. By and large they may not have thought this is the best place to start making it.
Three; (an oddity) in the trip from London to Durham allegation any offence actually was committed in London (Met jurisdiction), the place where he left his home, not Durham. Has anyone noticed this?
Four, around this time millions of people, including most students were 'moving house' ie from one residence at college/uni back home. This was medically questionable but no-one questioned it much legally at the time, and IIRC the advice was that this was OK. DC was 'moving house' - specifically allowed for 'where reasonably necessary' in Section 6.
But do you really think the reference in the regulations to "moving house" would cover travelling to a second home? I can't believe that.
"It appears he owns the cottage he self isolated in - making it his second home."
Please also note that I don't believe a word of these multitudinous contradictory excuses that have been put forward on Cummings's behalf.
If I say "would the regulations really justify X", don't imagine for a moment that I accept that X was really the situation. Only that someone or other trying to defend Cummings has said that X was the situation!
I am still sceptical about whether this "cottage" even exists!
As far as the ownership of the cottage is concerned I have not seen the previous comment but it has not come into the issue as far as the police are concerned0 -
This is a correct question, asked of the correct authority. Except that the issue is law, not rules. He probably squeaks through the gaps, though it would not be in line with the spirit of the guidance.rottenborough said:0 -
Again, returning to work after his wife displayed symptoms isn't covered by the law.rottenborough said:
But perhaps it should be.0 -
The most remarkable thing about that poll was not the 82% approval rating for Nicola Sturgeon (which obviously must include a huge number of people who voted No last time), but the fact that it was commissioned at all! By BBC Scotland!! I was genuinely flabbergasted that morning.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=200 -
Durham is not open to debate on legality. But one way to open it up again is to falsely claim that the police statement means it was "fine". It was not fine. It was a breach of the guidelines which were presented by the government as instructions.Big_G_NorthWales said:
Durham is not open to debate now but Barnard Castle is explained that any charge would have followed if the police had stopped him and given advice and then he did not follow that advicekinabalu said:
Will people please stop LYING.NerysHughes said:
As I said earlier this site has gone mad, the police have confirmed that his trip to Durham to self isolate was fine and no offence has been committed. His trip to the Castle might have been a minor breach, thats it, so far less than speeding and even far less than a parking ticket. Yet some on this site said that this was the biggest story of the past 20 years, even bigger than 9/11. For something less than a parking ticket????Flatlander said:
Can you bring a private prosecution for the equivalent of a parking ticket?DougSeal said:
Let’s wait for the court’s decision after the inevitable private prosecution shall we?Philip_Thompson said:
Garbage by a vindictive partisan with an axe to grind who called this wrong earlier. They don't follow the might with that, if you read the paragraph with your own eyes they follow the might with asking for more information from Cummings which they haven't done as it's too minor.Scott_xP said:
We could all become traffic wardens. Just think of the fun!
The police did NOT say the trip to Durham was fine. They said it was not a breach of the law. It was still prima facie a breach of the guidelines - presented by the government as instructions.
To any fair minded person the detailed police statement should end the matter, and some journalists need to be careful about their tweets and comments, as some posters
It does not alter my opinion that Cummings and Boris have damaged their government and Cummings should have gone, but the agenda seems to have moved on
Barnard Castle is judged a probable minor breach of the law if it had been picked up at the time. Retrospective action not to be taken since (i) not serious enough and (ii) this offence has never been retro-prosecuted so unfair to do so here and (iii) he would have been asked to turn back to avoid prosecution and he now does not get the chance to do that.
There is no particular logic to saying that this police statement should end the matter since the case for a Cummings apology was never based on whether he broke the law or not. It was based on the need to preserve trust in government and in the integrity of its PM and its messaging at this time of great crisis.
That said, it IS over. For whatever reason Johnson has chosen to blow a ton of capital and goodwill by praising Cummings rather than criticizing him, and he will not be changing his tune now.0 -
I believe speaking is known to generate a lot of droplets, which in infected people are presumably virus-laden droplets. Singing is much worse again apparently.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
So being in an enclosed environment might well be mitigated significantly if no one is talking & everyone is wearing masks that catch coughs or sneezes.0 -
France is set to launch its coronavirus contact-tracing app as soon as the weekend after it cleared two parliamentary votes.
The StopCovid app will supplement work already being done by a French team of human contact tracers who are trying to identify people who may be infected with the disease but are unaware of the fact.
The app works by using Bluetooth signals to detect when two handsets are in close proximity, in order to log an estimation of the distance and length of the encounter.
France, like the UK, has opted for a "centralised" app, which carries out contact matches on a computer server.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52832279
Seems their app has a lot of the same problems as the UK one,
https://nadim.computer/posts/2020-05-27-stopcovid.html0 -
This illustrates the ambiguity of the "rules".rottenborough said:
The govt has wilfully elided the difference between the rules and the law and the failure of the BBC in its reporting to clarify the difference is why I was so irritated with them (the BBC) the other day as it did the same thing.
@BigPhilT of course told me they were crystal clear and anyway people should use their common sense. We now see where that has ended up.1 -
Dizzy, whose pet human was called Michael Foot?eadric said:
There is an middle class, left wing equivalent.Theuniondivvie said:
I'd imagine that the segment of posh people who are left wing is relatively small, let alone the left wing segment that indulges in racist and Nazi luvvin memes when naming their animals.eadric said:
And Alan Clark with his dog called Eva BraunTheuniondivvie said:
Shades of Nick Griffin and his pigs.williamglenn said:
I'm sure the 'political correctness gone mad, he's only havin' a laff' merchants will be along shortly.
This isn't entirely a rightwing thing, a lot of it is posh people being outrageous, pour epater les bourgeois, to show how posh they really are; ie, they can get away with it
Tyson had a dog called Trotsky. How many cats in Islington are called "Che"? Quite a few I'd bet.
It's an interesting subgenre of human behaviour. Politically provocative names for pets.0 -
The SNP civil war will be interesting. She really doesn't deserve to fend it off. Her faction went all in against Salmond and lost. Salmond has been found not guilty yet friendly journalists to the other side still write about the trial as if he was guilty. The more you look at the SNP the more malign it appears.Big_G_NorthWales said:
Nicola looked quite scared today, and indeed admitted as much, as she released some of the lockdown rules. She is a clever politician who knows that lockdown is easy, and indeed popular, in a risk averse population but of course the problems for her going forward are the same for Boris.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=20
Containing the virus as we come out of lockdown, success of track and trace, and how she is able to deal with the economic armageddon coming the way of Scotland and of course England
To be fair to her she does recognise that she could well have serious problems with Nikes Edinburgh conference and the kilt makers which was Scotlands ground zero and in February
I do not think for one minute Nicola will be seeking Indy 2 at this moment of real crisis and I hope she fends off the imminent civil war comming from Salmond and his group
And I have no idea how Indy 2 would play out
I hope you accept this is fair and balanced0 -
Not so much commissioned buyt commissioned and broadcast.StuartDickson said:
The most remarkable thing about that poll was not the 82% approval rating for Nicola Sturgeon (which obviously must include a huge number of people who voted No last time), but the fact that it was commissioned at all! By BBC Scotland!! I was genuinely flabbergasted that morning.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=200 -
Equally, Mickey Mouse, who I believe had a @Philip_Thompson watch?Carnyx said:
Dizzy, whose pet human was called Michael Foot?eadric said:
There is an middle class, left wing equivalent.Theuniondivvie said:
I'd imagine that the segment of posh people who are left wing is relatively small, let alone the left wing segment that indulges in racist and Nazi luvvin memes when naming their animals.eadric said:
And Alan Clark with his dog called Eva BraunTheuniondivvie said:
Shades of Nick Griffin and his pigs.williamglenn said:
I'm sure the 'political correctness gone mad, he's only havin' a laff' merchants will be along shortly.
This isn't entirely a rightwing thing, a lot of it is posh people being outrageous, pour epater les bourgeois, to show how posh they really are; ie, they can get away with it
Tyson had a dog called Trotsky. How many cats in Islington are called "Che"? Quite a few I'd bet.
It's an interesting subgenre of human behaviour. Politically provocative names for pets.1 -
Would explain why football matches were such a problem initially - not just that 30k+ people are crammed in close, but so many shouting, singing, and yelling about the referee's parentage.Phil said:
I believe speaking is known to generate a lot of droplets, which in infected people are presumably virus-laden droplets. Singing is much worse again apparently.
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No, read again, not eyesight. I said not eyesight!TOPPING said:
Pure comedy gold. Again.Philip_Thompson said:
Sort of.Peter_the_Punter said:@Philip_Thompson
Hi Philip
Do you believe Cummings story about the Castle expedition? I mean do you, personally, actually believe he was telling the truth?
In the full context of he felt like it was a good idea to drive to see if he was up to the pressures of driving then yes I do. I've done similar before. I think a half hour trip is a great idea before a cross country drive if you have any concerns and I've done that before.
On the out of context word of "eyesight" and an eyesight discussion alone? No.
Does that make sense?
You, mr will no one think of the children, have in the past worried that your eyesight is not up to driving so you have shouted over to Mrs T: come on luv grab the kids we're going for a drive.
You've done that.
My specific word when I said about "eyesight" was "No."
Doing a half hour drive when I'm concerned about my stamina etc to do a five hour drive, yes I have done that.0 -
Ah. Ok. How would you know from a half hour drive whether you had the stamina for a five hour drive?Philip_Thompson said:
No, read again, not eyesight. I said not eyesight!TOPPING said:
Pure comedy gold. Again.Philip_Thompson said:
Sort of.Peter_the_Punter said:@Philip_Thompson
Hi Philip
Do you believe Cummings story about the Castle expedition? I mean do you, personally, actually believe he was telling the truth?
In the full context of he felt like it was a good idea to drive to see if he was up to the pressures of driving then yes I do. I've done similar before. I think a half hour trip is a great idea before a cross country drive if you have any concerns and I've done that before.
On the out of context word of "eyesight" and an eyesight discussion alone? No.
Does that make sense?
You, mr will no one think of the children, have in the past worried that your eyesight is not up to driving so you have shouted over to Mrs T: come on luv grab the kids we're going for a drive.
You've done that.
My specific word when I said about "eyesight" was "No."
Doing a half hour drive when I'm concerned about my stamina etc to do a five hour drive, yes I have done that.0 -
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=200 -
Cast off thy rose tinted spectacles and thou shalt see!Big_G_NorthWales said:
Durham is not open to debate now but Barnard Castle is explained that any charge would have followed if the police had stopped him and given advice and then he did not follow that advicekinabalu said:
Will people please stop LYING.NerysHughes said:
As I said earlier this site has gone mad, the police have confirmed that his trip to Durham to self isolate was fine and no offence has been committed. His trip to the Castle might have been a minor breach, thats it, so far less than speeding and even far less than a parking ticket. Yet some on this site said that this was the biggest story of the past 20 years, even bigger than 9/11. For something less than a parking ticket????Flatlander said:
Can you bring a private prosecution for the equivalent of a parking ticket?DougSeal said:
Let’s wait for the court’s decision after the inevitable private prosecution shall we?Philip_Thompson said:
Garbage by a vindictive partisan with an axe to grind who called this wrong earlier. They don't follow the might with that, if you read the paragraph with your own eyes they follow the might with asking for more information from Cummings which they haven't done as it's too minor.Scott_xP said:
We could all become traffic wardens. Just think of the fun!
The police did NOT say the trip to Durham was fine. They said it was not a breach of the law. It was still prima facie a breach of the guidelines - presented by the government as instructions.
To any fair minded person the detailed police statement should end the matter, and some journalists need to be careful about their tweets and comments, as some posters
It does not alter my opinion that Cummings and Boris have damaged their government and Cummings should have gone, but the agenda seems to have moved on0 -
Indeed.Carnyx said:
Not so much commissioned buyt commissioned and broadcast.StuartDickson said:
The most remarkable thing about that poll was not the 82% approval rating for Nicola Sturgeon (which obviously must include a huge number of people who voted No last time), but the fact that it was commissioned at all! By BBC Scotland!! I was genuinely flabbergasted that morning.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=20
Their favourite tactic is to only publish polls which show the most favourable Unionist position. Old as the hills.
That is why the Scotsman and Herald ceased their valuable monthly series yonks ago, as they began to clearly chart the national switch from SLab to SNP.1 -
Excellent! Great news!TGOHF666 said:Premier League* to restart on 17th June.
* England.
I can't see that on BBC though, where are you getting that from?0 -
Grown up response from Estherwilliamglenn said:1 -
No no no. MW had symptoms. DC rushed home. MW ill but not quite as poorlysickdying. DC goes back to work. DC returns home. MW has symptoms. DC expects to get them too. WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDRUN. Phone call to Pater. Load the car, drive to Durham.rottenborough said:
Thats all in the same afternoon. So either MW had pox symptoms forcing their desperate flee north that night in which case what the hell was he doing heading back to Downing Street. Or she didn't have pox symptoms in which case what the hell was he doing fleeing north. Both cannot credibly be correct.
We sure it wasn't just an elaborate sickie thats gone wrong?1 -
And I assume also why, very noticeably, the NHS/SHS stats cxomparisons disappeared from the media a few years back (contractors' screwups at the Sick Kids excepted).StuartDickson said:
Indeed.Carnyx said:
Not so much commissioned buyt commissioned and broadcast.StuartDickson said:
The most remarkable thing about that poll was not the 82% approval rating for Nicola Sturgeon (which obviously must include a huge number of people who voted No last time), but the fact that it was commissioned at all! By BBC Scotland!! I was genuinely flabbergasted that morning.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=20
Their favourite tactic is to only publish polls which show the most favourable Unionist position. Old as the hills.
That is why the Scotsman and Herald ceased their valuable monthly series yonks ago, as they began to clearly chart the national switch from SLab to SNP.0 -
0 -
I agree - very good response.Big_G_NorthWales said:
Grown up response from Estherwilliamglenn said:0 -
Speech expels more of the size of droplet that is most effective in carrying the virus, and further. So speech indoors without masks seems to be one of the biggest contributors to transmission.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
Pronunciation of the 'th' sound is the worst, as it flips the tongue out to an open mouth with heavier exhalation than most other phonemes. Had not thought about it before now, but given that 'the' is the most common word in the English language, I wonder if this has contributed to the outcomes in the UK and USA?
PS that, their, there, them, they, then, this, these and than all also make the top 100 in English.0 -
I have and I have seen.Mexicanpete said:
Cast off thy rose tinted spectacles and thou shalt see!Big_G_NorthWales said:
Durham is not open to debate now but Barnard Castle is explained that any charge would have followed if the police had stopped him and given advice and then he did not follow that advicekinabalu said:
Will people please stop LYING.NerysHughes said:
As I said earlier this site has gone mad, the police have confirmed that his trip to Durham to self isolate was fine and no offence has been committed. His trip to the Castle might have been a minor breach, thats it, so far less than speeding and even far less than a parking ticket. Yet some on this site said that this was the biggest story of the past 20 years, even bigger than 9/11. For something less than a parking ticket????Flatlander said:
Can you bring a private prosecution for the equivalent of a parking ticket?DougSeal said:
Let’s wait for the court’s decision after the inevitable private prosecution shall we?Philip_Thompson said:
Garbage by a vindictive partisan with an axe to grind who called this wrong earlier. They don't follow the might with that, if you read the paragraph with your own eyes they follow the might with asking for more information from Cummings which they haven't done as it's too minor.Scott_xP said:
We could all become traffic wardens. Just think of the fun!
The police did NOT say the trip to Durham was fine. They said it was not a breach of the law. It was still prima facie a breach of the guidelines - presented by the government as instructions.
To any fair minded person the detailed police statement should end the matter, and some journalists need to be careful about their tweets and comments, as some posters
It does not alter my opinion that Cummings and Boris have damaged their government and Cummings should have gone, but the agenda seems to have moved on0 -
Prem back 17th June
Another rabid remainer obviously.williamglenn said:0 -
All this stereotyping really does Unionism more harm than good. You just love attacking straw men. It’ll end in tears.Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=200 -
For those with a mind to work it out, the most helpful guide throughout has been the law (which government did not go out of its way to emphasise) plus a common sense desire actually to minimise risk to others, one's family and oneself. It still is. I imagine most PBers have in fact done exactly that.TOPPING said:
This illustrates the ambiguity of the "rules".rottenborough said:
The govt has wilfully elided the difference between the rules and the law and the failure of the BBC in its reporting to clarify the difference is why I was so irritated with them (the BBC) the other day as it did the same thing.
@BigPhilT of course told me they were crystal clear and anyway people should use their common sense. We now see where that has ended up.
So, for example, in the height of the lock down few sensible people will have thought that while it is OK to walk in a field with the nearest person a mile away it is not OK to sit down in it. Though that sort of nonsense is what the guidance said.
1 -
You just know. Trust your instincts. EG do you feel up to continue driving or do you feel exhausted?TOPPING said:
Ah. Ok. How would you know from a half hour drive whether you had the stamina for a five hour drive?Philip_Thompson said:
No, read again, not eyesight. I said not eyesight!TOPPING said:
Pure comedy gold. Again.Philip_Thompson said:
Sort of.Peter_the_Punter said:@Philip_Thompson
Hi Philip
Do you believe Cummings story about the Castle expedition? I mean do you, personally, actually believe he was telling the truth?
In the full context of he felt like it was a good idea to drive to see if he was up to the pressures of driving then yes I do. I've done similar before. I think a half hour trip is a great idea before a cross country drive if you have any concerns and I've done that before.
On the out of context word of "eyesight" and an eyesight discussion alone? No.
Does that make sense?
You, mr will no one think of the children, have in the past worried that your eyesight is not up to driving so you have shouted over to Mrs T: come on luv grab the kids we're going for a drive.
You've done that.
My specific word when I said about "eyesight" was "No."
Doing a half hour drive when I'm concerned about my stamina etc to do a five hour drive, yes I have done that.
As I said when we first discussed this, it was a tip I got from an RAC guy when I was 18, inexperienced and at university and I've followed it since - if you're feeling a bit rusty then a half hour drive is good exercise for both you and your car.0 -
It might even have sapped your stamina just flipping you from fine to not fine!TOPPING said:
Ah. Ok. How would you know from a half hour drive whether you had the stamina for a five hour drive?Philip_Thompson said:
No, read again, not eyesight. I said not eyesight!TOPPING said:
Pure comedy gold. Again.Philip_Thompson said:
Sort of.Peter_the_Punter said:@Philip_Thompson
Hi Philip
Do you believe Cummings story about the Castle expedition? I mean do you, personally, actually believe he was telling the truth?
In the full context of he felt like it was a good idea to drive to see if he was up to the pressures of driving then yes I do. I've done similar before. I think a half hour trip is a great idea before a cross country drive if you have any concerns and I've done that before.
On the out of context word of "eyesight" and an eyesight discussion alone? No.
Does that make sense?
You, mr will no one think of the children, have in the past worried that your eyesight is not up to driving so you have shouted over to Mrs T: come on luv grab the kids we're going for a drive.
You've done that.
My specific word when I said about "eyesight" was "No."
Doing a half hour drive when I'm concerned about my stamina etc to do a five hour drive, yes I have done that.0 -
No - just a grown upnoneoftheabove said:Prem back 17th June
Another rabid remainer obviously.williamglenn said:0 -
Wonder how long Alex Massie will keep his Spectator column? He must cause huge discomfort at the top, and among the readership.williamglenn said:0 -
Yes someone used his common sense and good on him.TOPPING said:
This illustrates the ambiguity of the "rules".rottenborough said:
The govt has wilfully elided the difference between the rules and the law and the failure of the BBC in its reporting to clarify the difference is why I was so irritated with them (the BBC) the other day as it did the same thing.
@BigPhilT of course told me they were crystal clear and anyway people should use their common sense. We now see where that has ended up.
Everyone else should do the same.0 -
Also the assumption it's all about ****ing England. If it were, we'd be having Bannockburn parades down the Royal Mile every June (cf. Unionists and the Boyne). Instead, we put that well-known Independista Neil Oliver in charge there! (mind, he is also a battlefield archaeologist and has done a lot to promote conflict archaeology). (edited)StuartDickson said:
All this stereotyping really does Unionism more harm than good. You just love attacking straw men. It’ll end in tears.Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=200 -
Face checking again seems to be a bit of a problem...This of course is from the non-independent Corbynista SAGE group, not governmental one.
https://twitter.com/TheSimonGilbert/status/1265967730353737730?s=200 -
It was good of them not to put it behind the paywall. I wonder ...StuartDickson said:
Wonder how long Alex Massie will keep his Spectator column? He must cause huge discomfort at the top, and among the readership.williamglenn said:0 -
Unfortunately a lot of people just wouldn't be seen dead in a mask.eadric said:
Masks are so obviously useful, and save so much death and disease, for such a little cost and effort. I've been ranting about this for months. Literally, months.Phil said:
I believe speaking is known to generate a lot of droplets, which in infected people are presumably virus-laden droplets. Singing is much worse again apparently.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
So being in an enclosed environment might well be mitigated significantly if no one is talking & everyone is wearing masks that catch coughs or sneezes.
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
In contrast mask usage in America is surging. Are we just dumb?
https://twitter.com/NBCNewsBusiness/status/1265265907145768962?s=201 -
As a "love Europe, hate the EU" type, why is it that you think to support Scottish independence is to be anti-English?Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=201 -
Just as long as the flip didn't come between minute 31 and minute 299.noneoftheabove said:
It might even have sapped your stamina just flipping you from fine to not fine!TOPPING said:
Ah. Ok. How would you know from a half hour drive whether you had the stamina for a five hour drive?Philip_Thompson said:
No, read again, not eyesight. I said not eyesight!TOPPING said:
Pure comedy gold. Again.Philip_Thompson said:
Sort of.Peter_the_Punter said:@Philip_Thompson
Hi Philip
Do you believe Cummings story about the Castle expedition? I mean do you, personally, actually believe he was telling the truth?
In the full context of he felt like it was a good idea to drive to see if he was up to the pressures of driving then yes I do. I've done similar before. I think a half hour trip is a great idea before a cross country drive if you have any concerns and I've done that before.
On the out of context word of "eyesight" and an eyesight discussion alone? No.
Does that make sense?
You, mr will no one think of the children, have in the past worried that your eyesight is not up to driving so you have shouted over to Mrs T: come on luv grab the kids we're going for a drive.
You've done that.
My specific word when I said about "eyesight" was "No."
Doing a half hour drive when I'm concerned about my stamina etc to do a five hour drive, yes I have done that.
Apparently it was rusty now, though, not stamina. Philip is talking about presumably not remembering how to drive.
All very curious.0 -
I saw a queue outside a shop yesterday, and all 6 were wearing masks. For a minor fraction of a second I had hope, then I got closer and saw it was a Chinese shop, as were all the customers.eadric said:
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
Literally nobody else I saw all day wore a mask *facedesk*
1 -
and from a BBC journalist, no less.FrancisUrquhart said:Face checking again seems to be a bit of a problem...This of course is from the non-independent Corbynista SAGE group, not governmental one.
https://twitter.com/TheSimonGilbert/status/1265967730353737730?s=200 -
You can put it any way that you wish. Sturgeon (as I have said) is a talented politician and has had a good coronavirus - deservedly so. However, she is quite clearly in the Autumn of her political years and there's no successor in sight that is not deeply unpalatable by comparison.StuartDickson said:
All this stereotyping really does Unionism more harm than good. You just love attacking straw men. It’ll end in tears.Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=20
By contrast, Boris and Cummings seem to me to be becoming the 'bad bank' for everyone's Brexit, Tory, England, frustrations. If and when they depart the scene, it is likely to be a catharsis.0 -
Nice try but you have to get into my Bad Books first and as of now you aren't. There are 3 cast iron ways to manage it - perhaps you will stumble on one of them soon.BluestBlue said:
Actually I wanted to support you a second time today. Since you said on the previous thread:kinabalu said:
Exactly.BluestBlue said:
Do you know what we call things that are 'not a breach of the law'?kinabalu said:
Will people please stop LYING.NerysHughes said:
As I said earlier this site has gone mad, the police have confirmed that his trip to Durham to self isolate was fine and no offence has been committed. His trip to the Castle might have been a minor breach, thats it, so far less than speeding and even far less than a parking ticket. Yet some on this site said that this was the biggest story of the past 20 years, even bigger than 9/11. For something less than a parking ticket????Flatlander said:
Can you bring a private prosecution for the equivalent of a parking ticket?DougSeal said:
Let’s wait for the court’s decision after the inevitable private prosecution shall we?Philip_Thompson said:
Garbage by a vindictive partisan with an axe to grind who called this wrong earlier. They don't follow the might with that, if you read the paragraph with your own eyes they follow the might with asking for more information from Cummings which they haven't done as it's too minor.Scott_xP said:
We could all become traffic wardens. Just think of the fun!
The police did NOT say the trip to Durham was fine. They said it was not a breach of the law. It was still prima facie a breach of the guidelines - presented by the government as instructions.
We call them LEGAL
As opposed to FINE.
Nice to see you backing me up today.
'I change my mind sometimes based on here. In particular, if somebody who is in my Bad Books says they like something that I happen to also like, I will if at all possible stop liking it. This has happened on numerous occasions.'
I thought this would be an excellent time to come out with my deep and abiding love of Sir Keir, Labour, and the abolition of private schools. I am all in for that that stuff
Philip can perhaps advise. He's been in and out a few times and there's been more in than out recently.0 -
Just had a nice hour's walk through the woods near our home. A week or two ago we could hear the birds without interference. Now the traffic noise from the nearby trunk road is drowning them out again.
Quite like old times!2 -
Quantum Covid.RochdalePioneers said:
No no no. MW had symptoms. DC rushed home. MW ill but not quite as poorlysickdying. DC goes back to work. DC returns home. MW has symptoms. DC expects to get them too. WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDRUN. Phone call to Pater. Load the car, drive to Durham.rottenborough said:
Thats all in the same afternoon. So either MW had pox symptoms forcing their desperate flee north that night in which case what the hell was he doing heading back to Downing Street. Or she didn't have pox symptoms in which case what the hell was he doing fleeing north. Both cannot credibly be correct.
We sure it wasn't just an elaborate sickie thats gone wrong?0 -
Only if you aren't paying attention.Luckyguy1983 said:
You can put it any way that you wish. Sturgeon (as I have said) is a talented politician and has had a good coronavirusStuartDickson said:
All this stereotyping really does Unionism more harm than good. You just love attacking straw men. It’ll end in tears.Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=20
https://twitter.com/HTScotPol/status/1265923060470857729?s=20
0 -
Stay home, speak French, save lives!TimT said:
Speech expels more of the size of droplet that is most effective in carrying the virus, and further. So speech indoors without masks seems to be one of the biggest contributors to transmission.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
Pronunciation of the 'th' sound is the worst, as it flips the tongue out to an open mouth with heavier exhalation than most other phonemes. Had not thought about it before now, but given that 'the' is the most common word in the English language, I wonder if this has contributed to the outcomes in the UK and USA?
PS that, their, there, them, they, then, this, these and than all also make the top 100 in English.
Great video, thanks, should be mandatory viewing!0 -
I was thinking the Welsh Ll (Llandidno) and Arabic kh (khasatan) and hard H (Hand il allah) phonemes are probably worse than 'th'.noneoftheabove said:
Stay home, speak French, save lives!TimT said:
Speech expels more of the size of droplet that is most effective in carrying the virus, and further. So speech indoors without masks seems to be one of the biggest contributors to transmission.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
Pronunciation of the 'th' sound is the worst, as it flips the tongue out to an open mouth with heavier exhalation than most other phonemes. Had not thought about it before now, but given that 'the' is the most common word in the English language, I wonder if this has contributed to the outcomes in the UK and USA?
PS that, their, there, them, they, then, this, these and than all also make the top 100 in English.
Great video, thanks, should be mandatory viewing!0 -
So Mogg recalled Parliament to backup BoZo at PMQs
But PHE has declared the voting lobbies unsafe, so they can't vote.
And they can't sit remotely.
Still, least it distracts from Cummings...0 -
I blame the climate. Britain is very much an indoor culture. Fresh air is so precious to us that we refuse to have our inhalation of it compromised.eadric said:
Yes, it looks like coronavirus will finally prove all those controversial IQ/race theories are right. East Asians are about 5 IQ points smarter than westerners, on average. So the Asians wear masks and we die.Andrew said:
I saw a queue outside a shop yesterday, and all 6 were wearing masks. For a minor fraction of a second I had hope, then I got closer and saw it was a Chinese shop, as were all the customers.eadric said:
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
Literally nobody else I saw all day wore a mask *facedesk*
What I didn't expect is for Britons to have the lowest mask-IQ in the world.0 -
Fortunately my Welsh and Arabic are very rusty. I am trying to learn Spanish but fear the speed the native speaker talks at might be a problem re spreading the virus? Or does the speed not matter much?TimT said:
I was thinking the Welsh Ll (Llandidno) and Arabic kh (khasatan) and hard H (Hand il allah) phonemes are probably worse than 'th'.noneoftheabove said:
Stay home, speak French, save lives!TimT said:
Speech expels more of the size of droplet that is most effective in carrying the virus, and further. So speech indoors without masks seems to be one of the biggest contributors to transmission.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
Pronunciation of the 'th' sound is the worst, as it flips the tongue out to an open mouth with heavier exhalation than most other phonemes. Had not thought about it before now, but given that 'the' is the most common word in the English language, I wonder if this has contributed to the outcomes in the UK and USA?
PS that, their, there, them, they, then, this, these and than all also make the top 100 in English.
Great video, thanks, should be mandatory viewing!0 -
Boris mentioned the care homes scandal in Scotland and Wales during yesterday's train wreck. Did he miss anywhere?TGOHF666 said:
Only if you aren't paying attention.Luckyguy1983 said:
You can put it any way that you wish. Sturgeon (as I have said) is a talented politician and has had a good coronavirusStuartDickson said:
All this stereotyping really does Unionism more harm than good. You just love attacking straw men. It’ll end in tears.Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=20
https://twitter.com/HTScotPol/status/1265923060470857729?s=200 -
It is oh so peculiar isn't it? Reports from Germany suggest widespread mask wearing.eadric said:
Yes, it looks like coronavirus will finally prove all those controversial IQ/race theories are right. East Asians are about 5 IQ points smarter than westerners, on average. So the Asians wear masks and we die.Andrew said:
I saw a queue outside a shop yesterday, and all 6 were wearing masks. For a minor fraction of a second I had hope, then I got closer and saw it was a Chinese shop, as were all the customers.eadric said:
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
Literally nobody else I saw all day wore a mask *facedesk*
What I didn't expect is for Britons to have the lowest mask-IQ in the world.
They are culturally very close to us.
Other than the government telling us for 2 months that they don't work, I can't think of a decent explanation.1 -
Interesting. This virus's extraordinary features seem to give it a range of differentiated targets which we are learning about in real time.TimT said:
Speech expels more of the size of droplet that is most effective in carrying the virus, and further. So speech indoors without masks seems to be one of the biggest contributors to transmission.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
Pronunciation of the 'th' sound is the worst, as it flips the tongue out to an open mouth with heavier exhalation than most other phonemes. Had not thought about it before now, but given that 'the' is the most common word in the English language, I wonder if this has contributed to the outcomes in the UK and USA?
PS that, their, there, them, they, then, this, these and than all also make the top 100 in English.
0 -
This isn't meant as a joke but Personal Judgement.dixiedean said:
It is oh so peculiar isn't it? Reports from Germany suggest widespread mask wearing.eadric said:
Yes, it looks like coronavirus will finally prove all those controversial IQ/race theories are right. East Asians are about 5 IQ points smarter than westerners, on average. So the Asians wear masks and we die.Andrew said:
I saw a queue outside a shop yesterday, and all 6 were wearing masks. For a minor fraction of a second I had hope, then I got closer and saw it was a Chinese shop, as were all the customers.eadric said:
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
Literally nobody else I saw all day wore a mask *facedesk*
What I didn't expect is for Britons to have the lowest mask-IQ in the world.
They are culturally very close to us.
Other than the government telling us for 2 months that they don't work, I can't think of a decent explanation.
Oh and the inability of most people in the UK to sew anything.0 -
The comments on that article were insane and drove me to cancel my subscription, for the second time in two years. Got a nice bottle of gin from them though this time around.StuartDickson said:
Wonder how long Alex Massie will keep his Spectator column? He must cause huge discomfort at the top, and among the readership.williamglenn said:
It's strange, I've been reading it since I was about 16 but its only in the last few years that I've found it uniformly unbearable.
The presence of Mary Wakefield on the back page is hardly a selling point either...1 -
Or even infected air it would seem.Stark_Dawning said:
I blame the climate. Britain is very much an indoor culture. Fresh air is so precious to us that we refuse to have our inhalation of it compromised.eadric said:
Yes, it looks like coronavirus will finally prove all those controversial IQ/race theories are right. East Asians are about 5 IQ points smarter than westerners, on average. So the Asians wear masks and we die.Andrew said:
I saw a queue outside a shop yesterday, and all 6 were wearing masks. For a minor fraction of a second I had hope, then I got closer and saw it was a Chinese shop, as were all the customers.eadric said:
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
Literally nobody else I saw all day wore a mask *facedesk*
What I didn't expect is for Britons to have the lowest mask-IQ in the world.0 -
Yes, posh boys are far more likely than the norm to wave their willies around and "risque" stuff like that, aren't they? Do it apropos of absolutely nothing and I think you're right - it's to do with the sense of entitlement. From this comes a lack of self-consciousness and a feeling of being extremely "comfortable in their own skin". This latter is often viewed as an attribute but I've never thought so. If ever somebody is described to me as being "comfortable in their own skin", I always picture a smug bastard. And so it usually proves when I get to meet them.eadric said:
And Alan Clark with his dog called Eva BraunTheuniondivvie said:
Shades of Nick Griffin and his pigs.williamglenn said:
I'm sure the 'political correctness gone mad, he's only havin' a laff' merchants will be along shortly.
This isn't entirely a rightwing thing, a lot of it is posh people being outrageous, pour epater les bourgeois, to show how posh they really are; ie, they can get away with it0 -
Ummm... But wouldn't you want the half hour drive to end back at your own place? Otherwise you find yourself marooned half an hour (at least) from home and unfit to drive.Philip_Thompson said:
You just know. Trust your instincts. EG do you feel up to continue driving or do you feel exhausted?TOPPING said:
Ah. Ok. How would you know from a half hour drive whether you had the stamina for a five hour drive?Philip_Thompson said:
No, read again, not eyesight. I said not eyesight!TOPPING said:
Pure comedy gold. Again.Philip_Thompson said:
Sort of.Peter_the_Punter said:@Philip_Thompson
Hi Philip
Do you believe Cummings story about the Castle expedition? I mean do you, personally, actually believe he was telling the truth?
In the full context of he felt like it was a good idea to drive to see if he was up to the pressures of driving then yes I do. I've done similar before. I think a half hour trip is a great idea before a cross country drive if you have any concerns and I've done that before.
On the out of context word of "eyesight" and an eyesight discussion alone? No.
Does that make sense?
You, mr will no one think of the children, have in the past worried that your eyesight is not up to driving so you have shouted over to Mrs T: come on luv grab the kids we're going for a drive.
You've done that.
My specific word when I said about "eyesight" was "No."
Doing a half hour drive when I'm concerned about my stamina etc to do a five hour drive, yes I have done that.
As I said when we first discussed this, it was a tip I got from an RAC guy when I was 18, inexperienced and at university and I've followed it since - if you're feeling a bit rusty then a half hour drive is good exercise for both you and your car.
More seriously, even if this was a perfectly understandable...
...Given it was combined with a bit of a walk around Barnard Castle at the other end, then it certainly wasn't in line with the rules.
0 -
My musings about how language, through speech, might result in differential transmission rates, are just that, musings. However, I might well toss it into the mix in my weekly Tuesday Zoom meeting with biorisk management experts. The group includes researchers from MIT's Media Lab ... Maybe one of them might find it an interesting challenge.0
-
You can call it an assumption if you wish, but I have lived here for around 10 years now. I'd call it a conclusion.Carnyx said:
Also the assumption it's all about ****ing England. If it were, we'd be having Bannockburn parades down the Royal Mile every June (cf. Unionists and the Boyne). Instead, we put that well-known Independista Neil Oliver in charge there! (mind, he is also a battlefield archaeologist and has done a lot to promote conflict archaeology). (edited)StuartDickson said:
All this stereotyping really does Unionism more harm than good. You just love attacking straw men. It’ll end in tears.Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=200 -
Re Asia vs Europe
In Europe we have big seasonal peaks and troughs in colds, flus and coronaviruses.
In Asia its a flatter problem with far less seasonality but has a lower peak.
This still applied before masks were widely worn in Asia.
They are just different. I dont know if the reason is climate, demographics, habits, buildings or a mix of them, but it isnt just or even primarily mask usage.
1 -
Happily for her, people aren't. No point in denying that.TGOHF666 said:
Only if you aren't paying attention.Luckyguy1983 said:
You can put it any way that you wish. Sturgeon (as I have said) is a talented politician and has had a good coronavirusStuartDickson said:
All this stereotyping really does Unionism more harm than good. You just love attacking straw men. It’ll end in tears.Luckyguy1983 said:
I think you're assuming that the wickedness of England becoming personified in Boris and Cummings and the wonderfulness of Scotland becoming personified in Nicola Sturgeon are a good thing for the course of Scottish nationalism. Neither is necessarily true.Theuniondivvie said:
Yep, some Scottish Tories get it (though it could be said the ones visibly crapping themselves and spouting ever more virulent guff also get it).StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
https://twitter.com/akmaciver/status/1265980675007680512?s=20
https://twitter.com/HTScotPol/status/1265923060470857729?s=200 -
Poor Alex - he must look at how tabloid simpleton Murray Foote landed on his feet with a cushy home sinecure while his commissions dry up - this lurch to the Nat may help his pension fund yet...StuartDickson said:
Wonder how long Alex Massie will keep his Spectator column? He must cause huge discomfort at the top, and among the readership.williamglenn said:
0 -
Coronavirus cases are falling at roughly the same rate across the UK, according to a leading scientist advising the government.
Prof Graham Medley said there was no evidence of differences in the reproduction (R) number across the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-528202180 -
We are indeed near the bottom in terms of usage, but the Scandi countries have even less mask usage, including Norway which is fine.eadric said:
But even that doesn't cover it, believe it or not. Other countries' governments did the same ridiculous about-turn on mask wearing, going from masks are bad to masks are good overnight. Canada, America, France: it happened in lots of placesdixiedean said:
It is oh so peculiar isn't it? Reports from Germany suggest widespread mask wearing.eadric said:
Yes, it looks like coronavirus will finally prove all those controversial IQ/race theories are right. East Asians are about 5 IQ points smarter than westerners, on average. So the Asians wear masks and we die.Andrew said:
I saw a queue outside a shop yesterday, and all 6 were wearing masks. For a minor fraction of a second I had hope, then I got closer and saw it was a Chinese shop, as were all the customers.eadric said:
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
Literally nobody else I saw all day wore a mask *facedesk*
What I didn't expect is for Britons to have the lowest mask-IQ in the world.
They are culturally very close to us.
Other than the government telling us for 2 months that they don't work, I can't think of a decent explanation.
Yet those countries are now adapting to masking, and Britain, almost uniquely, is not.0 -
Reminder for all you politics nerds: The National Theatre stream of This House kicks off at 7pm this evening (available until 4th June). It's a good evening's entertainment, but you might need to brush up on your 1970s politics and the personalities involved first.
Preview here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=biWLqc84mgY&feature=youtu.be0 -
Eh? The Speccie is hardly a 'Nat' journal, unless you mean Britnat.TGOHF666 said:
Poor Alex - he must look at how tabloid simpleton Murray Foote landed on his feet with a cushy home sinecure while his commissions dry up - this lurch to the Nat may help his pension fund yet...StuartDickson said:
Wonder how long Alex Massie will keep his Spectator column? He must cause huge discomfort at the top, and among the readership.williamglenn said:0 -
In fairness, The Speccie has rarely baulked at publishing articles absolutely slagging off Boris. This one from Nick Cohen, previously of this parish, was a good effort.StuartDickson said:
Wonder how long Alex Massie will keep his Spectator column? He must cause huge discomfort at the top, and among the readership.williamglenn said:
Boris Johnson is a former editor of this newspaper, and as such has the right to be treated with a courtesy Spectator journalists do not normally extend to politicians who do not enjoy his advantages.
I am therefore writing with the caution of a lawyer and the deference of a palace flunkey when I say that Johnson showed this morning that he is a man without principle or shame. He is a braying charlatan, who lacks the courage even to be an honest bastard, for there is a kind of bastardly integrity in showing the world who you really are, but instead uses the tactics of the coward and the tricks of the fraudster to advance his worthless career.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/boris-johnson-s-attack-on-barack-obama-belongs-in-the-gutter0 -
Guilt by association? Always a sign of desperation.2
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Does he have any biological/genetic training, please? (seriously.)williamglenn said:0 -
Difficult to make head or tail of that report, but I'm guessing what they mean is that the differences aren't statistically significant - which of course is something quite different.FrancisUrquhart said:Coronavirus cases are falling at roughly the same rate across the UK, according to a leading scientist advising the government.
Prof Graham Medley said there was no evidence of differences in the reproduction (R) number across the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52820218
I don't know whether this has been posted already:
UK suffers highest death rate from coronavirus
https://www.ft.com/content/6b4c784e-c259-4ca4-9a82-648ffde71bf0
I thought one of the most interesting bits of information was that excess deaths in London, as a percentage of the population, were not very much larger than for the UK as a whole, namely, about 0.11% compared with about 0.09%.0 -
0
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I'm really struggling to see what we think we're wandering into with this all-purpose 'look how awful Dominic Cummings' family is'. It's quite disturbing.williamglenn said:4 -
Hmm thounds dodgy to me. Which other languages have the Th sound? Spain (check) but not Latin American Spanish but Ecuador and Mexico are hot spots. Greek has lots of thetas but Greece is low down on the deaths per capita list.TimT said:
Speech expels more of the size of droplet that is most effective in carrying the virus, and further. So speech indoors without masks seems to be one of the biggest contributors to transmission.Andrew said:FrancisUrquhart said:
Duration, Distance, MASSSKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS...
Saw a thing from Japan, where they judge public transport isn't really a big danger ..... because everyone wears masks.
Also interesting they think the fact nobody is speaking matters (presumably because it means less virus getting expelled?)
Pronunciation of the 'th' sound is the worst, as it flips the tongue out to an open mouth with heavier exhalation than most other phonemes. Had not thought about it before now, but given that 'the' is the most common word in the English language, I wonder if this has contributed to the outcomes in the UK and USA?
PS that, their, there, them, they, then, this, these and than all also make the top 100 in English.
Belgium, Switzerland and Italy have been hit hard with no "Th" sound anywhere to be seen. And Australia/New Zealand have been sucess stories who of course speak English.0 -
Well, the witch-hunt against the primary target failed, so now the witch-hunters will just go after his family instead.Luckyguy1983 said:
I'm really struggling to see what we think we're wandering into with this all-purpose 'look how awful Dominic Cummings' family is'. It's quite disturbing.williamglenn said:
It's an attitude more medieval than Chillingham Castle itself...1 -
This will definitely win back the front pages.williamglenn said:1 -
The sins of the father(-in-law) are not vested upon the son(-in-law).williamglenn said:
However disturbing it might be (and I've not watched it), it can have no bearing on Dominic Cummings.0 -
London is shown as having 130% more deaths than normal in the period, though, compared with 65% more for the UK as a whole, so on that measure it has been disproportionately badly hit. I think the figures you quote might be distorted by the different age distributions in each region (i.e. London has a younger population, so starts from a lower base in deaths per 1000).Chris said:
....
I thought one of the most interesting bits of information was that excess deaths in London, as a percentage of the population, were not very much larger than for the UK as a whole, namely, about 0.11% compared with about 0.09%.2 -
"Which way to the party?"TGOHF666 said:0 -
Perhaps the knowledge that Cummings had the welfare of a third-generation genius to consider would help the public to understand his actions.rcs1000 said:
The sins of the father(-in-law) are not vested upon the son(-in-law).williamglenn said:
However disturbing it might be (and I've not watched it), it can have no bearing on Dominic Cummings.1 -
Boris taking conference at 5.00pm0
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.
This is a bit weird/creepy rather than 'incredibly disturbing'; it's not as though he's in government.Carnyx said:
Does he have any biological/genetic training, please? (seriously.)williamglenn said:
And no - he's an 'expert in antiques and architecture', according to Wikipedia. Though aptly, he is a member of the Society of Dilettanti...0 -
That has aged rather well.Stark_Dawning said:
In fairness, The Speccie has rarely baulked at publishing articles absolutely slagging off Boris. This one from Nick Cohen, previously of this parish, was a good effort.StuartDickson said:
Wonder how long Alex Massie will keep his Spectator column? He must cause huge discomfort at the top, and among the readership.williamglenn said:
Boris Johnson is a former editor of this newspaper, and as such has the right to be treated with a courtesy Spectator journalists do not normally extend to politicians who do not enjoy his advantages.
I am therefore writing with the caution of a lawyer and the deference of a palace flunkey when I say that Johnson showed this morning that he is a man without principle or shame. He is a braying charlatan, who lacks the courage even to be an honest bastard, for there is a kind of bastardly integrity in showing the world who you really are, but instead uses the tactics of the coward and the tricks of the fraudster to advance his worthless career.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/boris-johnson-s-attack-on-barack-obama-belongs-in-the-gutter0 -
Trying to think of other areas of human activity where a bloke might try something for a short time to check if he has the stamina to do it for much longer.Philip_Thompson said:
No, read again, not eyesight. I said not eyesight!TOPPING said:
Pure comedy gold. Again.Philip_Thompson said:
Sort of.Peter_the_Punter said:@Philip_Thompson
Hi Philip
Do you believe Cummings story about the Castle expedition? I mean do you, personally, actually believe he was telling the truth?
In the full context of he felt like it was a good idea to drive to see if he was up to the pressures of driving then yes I do. I've done similar before. I think a half hour trip is a great idea before a cross country drive if you have any concerns and I've done that before.
On the out of context word of "eyesight" and an eyesight discussion alone? No.
Does that make sense?
You, mr will no one think of the children, have in the past worried that your eyesight is not up to driving so you have shouted over to Mrs T: come on luv grab the kids we're going for a drive.
You've done that.
My specific word when I said about "eyesight" was "No."
Doing a half hour drive when I'm concerned about my stamina etc to do a five hour drive, yes I have done that.
Not much springs to mind. Painting a ceiling maybe?0 -
The political damage has been done, the evidence is there for all to see but the alt-righties still don't get it (or pretend not to).MikeSmithson said:
Sadly the current government is far closer to UKIP than any previous Conservative government I have ever known. Traditional Tory PBers like Richard Nabavi, David Herdson, Max B etc have headed for the exit while their places have been taken by Trumpton-like shrills like BluestBlue, Brom, TGOHF and Oxymandias. I don't believe it will end well but we will just have to wait and see.
0 -
Mask wearing in Germany is compulsory in shops (enforced) many work situations (eg waiters)(enforced by employers) and in public transport (not enforced but widely adhered to). It is also widely adopted when you are near to others.eadric said:
But even that doesn't cover it, believe it or not. Other countries' governments did the same ridiculous about-turn on mask wearing, going from masks are bad to masks are good overnight. Canada, America, France: it happened in lots of placesdixiedean said:
It is oh so peculiar isn't it? Reports from Germany suggest widespread mask wearing.eadric said:
Yes, it looks like coronavirus will finally prove all those controversial IQ/race theories are right. East Asians are about 5 IQ points smarter than westerners, on average. So the Asians wear masks and we die.Andrew said:
I saw a queue outside a shop yesterday, and all 6 were wearing masks. For a minor fraction of a second I had hope, then I got closer and saw it was a Chinese shop, as were all the customers.eadric said:
And now I've almost given up. Britons just won't wear them en masse, in places the number of mask wearers is going down. I'm not quite sure why.
Literally nobody else I saw all day wore a mask *facedesk*
What I didn't expect is for Britons to have the lowest mask-IQ in the world.
They are culturally very close to us.
Other than the government telling us for 2 months that they don't work, I can't think of a decent explanation.
Yet those countries are now adapting to masking, and Britain, almost uniquely, is not.
When outside going for a walk and you pass quickly past others with about 2 meters distance very few people wear masks, maybe 20%.
This is at least my view from Berlin. I've not been outside the city since the beginning of February.0 -
Isn't that rather the point in Dad's thesis {edit} - that the sins, or at least genes, are indeed manifest in the sprogs and sprogs' sprogs?rcs1000 said:
The sins of the father(-in-law) are not vested upon the son(-in-law).williamglenn said:
However disturbing it might be (and I've not watched it), it can have no bearing on Dominic Cummings.0 -
Ah, the people's Brexit. Sticking it to the elites!Theuniondivvie said:
Shades of Nick Griffin and his pigs.williamglenn said:
I'm sure the 'political correctness gone mad, he's only havin' a laff' merchants will be along shortly.0 -
Thank you.Nigelb said:.
This is a bit weird/creepy rather than 'incredibly disturbing'; it's not as though he's in government.Carnyx said:
Does he have any biological/genetic training, please? (seriously.)williamglenn said:
And no - he's an 'expert in antiques and architecture', according to Wikipedia. Though aptly, he is a member of the Society of Dilettanti...0 -
We are looking for:Big_G_NorthWales said:Boris taking conference at 5.00pm
- England risk level to be reduced from 4 to 3
- Social gathering provisions similar to what Sturgeon announced earlier to be applied, let's go for max group of 10 to keep ahead of SNP!
- Constructive intention to reopen open air hospitality eg pubs before 4 July
1 -
It's utterly irrelevant to current politics unless he's a secret government advisor.Luckyguy1983 said:
I'm really struggling to see what we think we're wandering into with this all-purpose 'look how awful Dominic Cummings' family is'. It's quite disturbing.williamglenn said:
Which seems exceedingly unlikely (though with this government I wouldn't say utterly impossible.)2 -
It isn't so much that Starmer needs people who voted Yes in 2014 to vote No in any Indyref2, but those who voted No in 2014 but are tempted by indy following Brexit and Boris, to vote No again. And my suspicion is such swing voters like Starmer and would be favourable towards a Labour government led by him. To win Indyref what the SNP needs is a bogeyman, and Boris is ideal for that role. Problem is it's much less likely he'll grant you that second independence referendum than a Labour government (especially a Labour government reliant on the SNP to get through its programme) would. The 'SNP indyref2 paradox' is that you need a Labour government in power to grant you indyref2, but you need a Conservative one in charge in to win it.StuartDickson said:
Ah yes, Beijing and Madrid, those great beacons of liberty and democracy so admired by The Herd.HYUFD said:
The main concern for the SNP of course is Starmer's high rating with Scots if that leads to SNP voters returning to Scottish Labour.StuartDickson said:At the start of lockdown Sturgeon’s SNP had poll leads of up to 14% – now the latest two surveys have that up at 25%.
At this rate independence might happen quite soon.
On the face of it the polling trends look worrying for the Conservatives and good for the SNP which is seeing a lot of progress in getting the gap larger.
For the SNP the really positive thing has been the improvement in the leader ratings.
The big question is how will this now go? Can BoJo/Dom stop any further erosion or is Sturgeon’s big ratings progress going to be translated into even better voting intention numbers? We don’t know, which is why the Unionist media commission so few Scottish polls.
Independence of course is off the menu for the rest of this parliament, the Tory manifesto ruled out indyref2 for a generation and the actions of China today in effectively banning any Hong Kong autonomy and Spain in Catalonia means Boris looks relatively reasonable when he bans indyref2
As for Starmer, I’m a big fan and always have been. As I’ve said many times before, if we are to successfully dissolve the Union to the mutual benefit of all the peoples of these islands, then we need mature, competent, compassionate and intelligent leaders of all the principal parties. Starmer is the best leader Labour have had in decades, and I warmly welcome him.
I’m not sure that I’d call his +5 to +10 among Scots voters “high ratings”, but that is a mere quibble. Some SNP voters might lend a vote to Starmer, but come IndyRef2 they’ll still be Yes.1
This discussion has been closed.