Although Starmer’s still got an approval ratings edge this is not in places where it matters – polit

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Sandpit said:

Morning all. There is no route for Starmer that doesn’t go through Scotland. Above all other places, that’s where he needs to spend his efforts. He also needs to decide whether to prioritise young metropolitans or ‘red wall’ northern seats - the policies that appeal to these two groups are mutually exclusive.

OldKingCole said:

Interesting article by Rajeev Syal in today's Guardian, under the heading
'Does Boris Johnson stir up team conflict to help make up his mind?"

A quote: 'Those who worked closely with him say Johnson encourages rows and tensions over policies as he considers all sides of the argument and figures out what he will do next.'

AnneJGP said:

OldKingCole said:

Interesting article by Rajeev Syal in today's Guardian, under the heading
'Does Boris Johnson stir up team conflict to help make up his mind?"

A quote: 'Those who worked closely with him say Johnson encourages rows and tensions over policies as he considers all sides of the argument and figures out what he will do next.'

Where does one draw the line between stirring up conflict and enabling everyone to speak their views?

It's not a bad way to gather a lot of widely diverging input on a topic. That's one of the reasons I value this site so much. The vigorous debate airs aspects that would never occur to me, which is invaluable in helping me form my own views.

Good morning, everyone.

LostPassword said:

CarlottaVance said:

https://twitter.com/HugoGye/status/1366303923687092224?s=20
https://twitter.com/HugoGye/status/1366308603511078912?s=20

"very unlikely to exceed 2 million vaccinations per week."

I'm glad that vaccine calculator ended up being nonsense.

state_go_away said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

i think there is a mistaken assumption that we all want to be "led" . Leadership in this sense of having a vision is vastly overated and not really wanted deep down by the population. People basically just want to get on with their own lives in a fairly reasonable societal framework . CEO's often concentrate too much on this as well and start making grandiose statements about "one vision" or "our people" . People dont sign up to belong to a nation , they just are and want to not be subject to a "vision" by some individual or even party.

Years ago the liberal left knew this - for instance the Ecology Party (now the greens) deliberately did not have a leader .They then (mores the pity) went more mainstream socialist left and become all corporate

Smithers said:

state_go_away said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

i think there is a mistaken assumption that we all want to be "led" . Leadership in this sense of having a vision is vastly overated and not really wanted deep down by the population. People basically just want to get on with their own lives in a fairly reasonable societal framework . CEO's often concentrate too much on this as well and start making grandiose statements about "one vision" or "our people" . People dont sign up to belong to a nation , they just are and want to not be subject to a "vision" by some individual or even party.

Years ago the liberal left knew this - for instance the Ecology Party (now the greens) deliberately did not have a leader .They then (mores the pity) went more mainstream socialist left and become all corporate

Totally right

Cyclefree said:

OK - movie scenes to make you weep.

A railway station, the cheery station master apologising to the puzzled girl for being too friendly "on a day like this", the smoke and steam as the train pulls out, the man appearing and the girl running to him, arms outstretched. "Daddy, my Daddy!" Then the perfect freeze frame as they embrace and smile at each other.

Has me in bits every time.

Also the prelude to "Up", Toy Story 3 in the furnace, Dumbo when his mother is taken away. And - yes - another railway station setting: the end of Brief Encounter when he puts his hand on her shoulder briefly and leaves while the annoying friend witters on and they are unable to say goodbye. The singing of La Marseillaise in Casablanca makes the lips tremble a bit too.

Smithers said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Boris is someone most blokes would like to have a pint of beer with and many ladies would like to spend a night with. He’s extremely interesting.

Blair was a vacuous chameleon who, like Boris, was never a good public speaker. He has never said a single interesting thing and he shifted himself and his party for entirely pragmatic grounds.

Blair was a left winger once until he realised it would get him and Labour nowhere so he took the chameleon pathway, reinventing everything that they apparently stood for under a ‘New Labour’ banner. The clue is in the word ‘New.’

Blair’s so called formidable powers of persuasion that you cite were exactly what Boris did with Brexit and he equally ruthlessly expunged those from his cabinet who didn’t believe in Brexit. Boris ruthlessly and brilliantly delivered Brexit. Even though I doubt he actually believed in it. He and Blair are very similar. Perfect pragmatists. Equally empty of real ideology. Which is why Boris is starting to make an excellent PM.

Dura_Ace said:

algarkirk said:

Charles said:

eek said:

Roger said:

Smithers said:

Boris is becoming the PM that he was meant to be.

Since he and Carrie showed Cummings, Cain and Oliver the door, Boris has become markedly better. He has grown in stature: ending the petulant internal anarchism which was such an Opposition mindset and is now displaying gravitas and sangfroid. He is looking like a genuinely great Prime Minister. And he has parked his bus right on top of Labour’s lawn.

I just can’t see what Labour can do about this. I suspect they will be out of power for at least another decade.

Do they still have a football team in Hartlepool?

The owner is however dodgy and I don't expect them to survive for that long...

He asked about Hartlepool not Liverpool

The Monkey Hangers are third in the National League and so could make a welcome return to League 2, the foot of which they have adorned so often. They beat Barnet 1-0 on Saturday. Other teams' fans love them because it gives them something to say, as in 'Who hung the monkey?'

Matches against Darlington are traditionally lively affairs and they always receive a standing ovation at Brunton Park. Sadly all currently in different leagues.

I've been there once I think when both Leeds and Hartlepool were briefly in League One in 2008 or 2009. Their ground is a fucking tip. I remember the announcer taking pains to point out that he was also a driving instructor and then giving his phone number.

algarkirk said:

Dura_Ace said:

algarkirk said:

Charles said:

eek said:

Roger said:

Smithers said:

Boris is becoming the PM that he was meant to be.

Since he and Carrie showed Cummings, Cain and Oliver the door, Boris has become markedly better. He has grown in stature: ending the petulant internal anarchism which was such an Opposition mindset and is now displaying gravitas and sangfroid. He is looking like a genuinely great Prime Minister. And he has parked his bus right on top of Labour’s lawn.

I just can’t see what Labour can do about this. I suspect they will be out of power for at least another decade.

Do they still have a football team in Hartlepool?

The owner is however dodgy and I don't expect them to survive for that long...

He asked about Hartlepool not Liverpool

The Monkey Hangers are third in the National League and so could make a welcome return to League 2, the foot of which they have adorned so often. They beat Barnet 1-0 on Saturday. Other teams' fans love them because it gives them something to say, as in 'Who hung the monkey?'

Matches against Darlington are traditionally lively affairs and they always receive a standing ovation at Brunton Park. Sadly all currently in different leagues.

I've been there once I think when both Leeds and Hartlepool were briefly in League One in 2008 or 2009. Their ground is a fucking tip. I remember the announcer taking pains to point out that he was also a driving instructor and then giving his phone number.

It is true that Hartlepool have spent time in League 1, but this is contrary to the natural order of things. Glad you enjoyed the visit; you capture the culture but not the sheer grace and charm of the Co Durham coast in general and Victoria Park in particular.

malcolmg said:

Sandpit said:

Morning all. There is no route for Starmer that doesn’t go through Scotland. Above all other places, that’s where he needs to spend his efforts. He also needs to decide whether to prioritise young metropolitans or ‘red wall’ northern seats - the policies that appeal to these two groups are mutually exclusive.

The moron has already pissed off Scotland with his colonial master overtones. They have elected a donkey to the regional sub office leadership, there is only so much self harm they can do to themselves.

DavidL said:

What we have under Boris is a nominally Tory government which is not afraid of state intervention or of spending the cash in a very big way funded by borrowing. The traditional Labour cry of no more Tory austerity is likely to have very little resonance at the next election in the same way that Blair was able to capture so much Tory turf on law and order, public sector reform and perceived economic competence. This gives Labour the same definitional problems that Blair gave the Tories where they are driven off the middle ground just to be heard and to say something different.

What I expect that we will see in the budget, despite soaring deficits, is a generous package to see people out of lockdown and to kick start the recovery with a particular emphasis on spending in the north and midlands. We will see funds being set aside to kick start other industries in the way that the government did with the vaccines to create the jobs of tomorrow. The Hammond wing of the Tories, in so far as it still exists, are likely to be quietly appalled just as the Labour left were appalled by so much that Blair did but Boris won't care.

SKS will be left looking for small groups that have been overlooked or picking at the edges in a way that seems to endorse the broad thrust of government policy. It is not a good look and repeats the flawed approach he has taken to lockdown and the virus.

Cyclefree said:

OK - movie scenes to make you weep.

A railway station, the cheery station master apologising to the puzzled girl for being too friendly "on a day like this", the smoke and steam as the train pulls out, the man appearing and the girl running to him, arms outstretched. "Daddy, my Daddy!" Then the perfect freeze frame as they embrace and smile at each other.

Has me in bits every time.

Also the prelude to "Up", Toy Story 3 in the furnace, Dumbo when his mother is taken away. And - yes - another railway station setting: the end of Brief Encounter when he puts his hand on her shoulder briefly and leaves while the annoying friend witters on and they are unable to say goodbye. The singing of La Marseillaise in Casablanca makes the lips tremble a bit too.

Pro_Rata said:

It has been tricky for Labour in m the pandemic, they have, correctly, in my opinion, played it as the loyal opposition, criticising at the margins and supporting the overall effort. Britain has had a worse pandemic than many similar countries, but not too the extent that it is an extreme outlier and geography explains away some of it. The dither and delay line is a reasonable criticism though and should be played. I do not think our success thus far on vaccination can or should whitewash everything, it will claw back some of our outlier status but, with vaccination proceeding in Europe over the less stressed summer months, it will not remove it - we will not magically look like one of the best countries at the end of all this, even if the feel good of breaking COVID and resuming normal life earlier will, reasonably, give the government some bounce.

Labour should be about post-COVID, and they should be striking now. The Beveridge report, iirc, was 1942, after the worst days were over but long before the victory. If Starmer's Labour has developed a vision beyond airy words, now is the time for it. Timing wise @Gardenwalker 's excellent article yesterday demonstrated how it should be done.

The return of BAU is a risk for a government that has had 2 years of constant crisis - we emerge from our cocoons to find that, in practical everyday ways, Brexit is just a little bit shit, and more importantly wider life is just a little bit shit.

The temptation to latch on to or even concoct crisis after crisis after COVID might be strong for the government, but that too carries a danger: as with Trump Vs Biden you might just find the public is worn out with constant drama by 2024.

state_go_away said:

Cyclefree said:

OK - movie scenes to make you weep.

A railway station, the cheery station master apologising to the puzzled girl for being too friendly "on a day like this", the smoke and steam as the train pulls out, the man appearing and the girl running to him, arms outstretched. "Daddy, my Daddy!" Then the perfect freeze frame as they embrace and smile at each other.

Has me in bits every time.

Also the prelude to "Up", Toy Story 3 in the furnace, Dumbo when his mother is taken away. And - yes - another railway station setting: the end of Brief Encounter when he puts his hand on her shoulder briefly and leaves while the annoying friend witters on and they are unable to say goodbye. The singing of La Marseillaise in Casablanca makes the lips tremble a bit too.

Chariots of Fire - When Abrahams wins gold and Sam is punching his hat from the hotel .
Oliver - When Nancy is murdered
Memphis Belle - when the plane lands after struggling (for some reason dodgy plane landings get me emotional - same with the film about the Hudson landing )
I Tonya - When Tonya Harding mother insists on the posh ice dance school taking her on as a four year old despite her having no money to pay for lessons - Great spirit

turbotubbs said:

MaxPB said:

The Mail seems to have got eyes on a PHE pre print study showing AZ has got >90% efficacy against hospitalisation after 3 weeks which is confirmation of the Scottish study. Lots of regulators across Europe are going to look extremely stupid.

I get why you say that, but they were surely being cautious? The political leaders were the stupid ones. Macron, whichever German 'high up in the health ministry' etc

MaxPB said:

turbotubbs said:

MaxPB said:

The Mail seems to have got eyes on a PHE pre print study showing AZ has got >90% efficacy against hospitalisation after 3 weeks which is confirmation of the Scottish study. Lots of regulators across Europe are going to look extremely stupid.

I get why you say that, but they were surely being cautious? The political leaders were the stupid ones. Macron, whichever German 'high up in the health ministry' etc

The EMA approved it in full. No need for caution at that point.

Smithers said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Boris is someone most blokes would like to have a pint of beer with and many ladies would like to spend a night with. He’s extremely interesting.

Cyclefree said:

OK - movie scenes to make you weep.

A railway station, the cheery station master apologising to the puzzled girl for being too friendly "on a day like this", the smoke and steam as the train pulls out, the man appearing and the girl running to him, arms outstretched. "Daddy, my Daddy!" Then the perfect freeze frame as they embrace and smile at each other.

Has me in bits every time.

Also the prelude to "Up", Toy Story 3 in the furnace, Dumbo when his mother is taken away. And - yes - another railway station setting: the end of Brief Encounter when he puts his hand on her shoulder briefly and leaves while the annoying friend witters on and they are unable to say goodbye. The singing of La Marseillaise in Casablanca makes the lips tremble a bit too.

CarlottaVance said:

Normal service has been resumed.......

https://twitter.com/CeylanWrites/status/1366266273743667200?s=20

CarlottaVance said:

German health authorities on Sunday designated the Moselle region of eastern France as a “high risk” zone because of the prevalence of coronavirus variants, and said tougher border restrictions would be imposed beginning Tuesday.

https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-tighten-controls-at-french-border/

I guess the border will be busy today!

algarkirk said:

Charles said:

eek said:

Roger said:

Smithers said:

Boris is becoming the PM that he was meant to be.

Since he and Carrie showed Cummings, Cain and Oliver the door, Boris has become markedly better. He has grown in stature: ending the petulant internal anarchism which was such an Opposition mindset and is now displaying gravitas and sangfroid. He is looking like a genuinely great Prime Minister. And he has parked his bus right on top of Labour’s lawn.

I just can’t see what Labour can do about this. I suspect they will be out of power for at least another decade.

Do they still have a football team in Hartlepool?

The owner is however dodgy and I don't expect them to survive for that long...

He asked about Hartlepool not Liverpool

The Monkey Hangers are third in the National League and so could make a welcome return to League 2, the foot of which they have adorned so often. They beat Barnet 1-0 on Saturday. Other teams' fans love them because it gives them something to say, as in 'Who hung the monkey?'

Matches against Darlington are traditionally lively affairs and they always receive a standing ovation at Brunton Park. Sadly all currently in different leagues.

Nigelb said:

.

Smithers said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Boris is someone most blokes would like to have a pint of beer with and many ladies would like to spend a night with. He’s extremely interesting.

Sounds like a serious case of manlove there.

kamski said:

CarlottaVance said:

German health authorities on Sunday designated the Moselle region of eastern France as a “high risk” zone because of the prevalence of coronavirus variants, and said tougher border restrictions would be imposed beginning Tuesday.

https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-tighten-controls-at-french-border/

I guess the border will be busy today!

The border is busy every day.

MattW said:

CarlottaVance said:

Normal service has been resumed.......

https://twitter.com/CeylanWrites/status/1366266273743667200?s=20

Very much the NYT Authorised Version.

Nigelb said:

.

Smithers said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Boris is someone most blokes would like to have a pint of beer with and many ladies would like to spend a night with. He’s extremely interesting.

Sounds like a serious case of manlove there.

Smithers said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Boris is someone most blokes would like to have a pint of beer with and many ladies would like to spend a night with. He’s extremely interesting.

Blair was a vacuous chameleon who, like Boris, was never a good public speaker. He has never said a single interesting thing and he shifted himself and his party for entirely pragmatic grounds.

Blair was a left winger once until he realised it would get him and Labour nowhere so he took the chameleon pathway, reinventing everything that they apparently stood for under a ‘New Labour’ banner. The clue is in the word ‘New.’

Blair’s so called formidable powers of persuasion that you cite were exactly what Boris did with Brexit and he equally ruthlessly expunged those from his cabinet who didn’t believe in Brexit. Boris ruthlessly and brilliantly delivered Brexit. Even though I doubt he actually believed in it. He and Blair are very similar. Perfect pragmatists. Equally empty of real ideology. Which is why Boris is starting to make an excellent PM.

valleyboy said:

New Wales poll, big differences to yesterday's.
https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1366312905927397377?s=19

I think this is more in line with the way I see things at the moment, with Tories getting some credit and a vaccine bounce, as they are UK wide.
Not sure that you can take seat predictions too seriously, as a % here and there will make a big difference. I expect, on these figures for Labour to get a couple more seats than predicted and hopefully Abolish the Senedd, run by people from outside Wales, far less.

OldKingCole said:

Nigelb said:

.

Smithers said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Boris is someone most blokes would like to have a pint of beer with and many ladies would like to spend a night with. He’s extremely interesting.

Sounds like a serious case of manlove there.

I don't know about the ladies preferences, but I think the board generally agreed a day or so ago that having a pint or two with Boris would probably mean having to pay for all of them.

No_Offence_Alan said:

Cyclefree said:

OK - movie scenes to make you weep.

A railway station, the cheery station master apologising to the puzzled girl for being too friendly "on a day like this", the smoke and steam as the train pulls out, the man appearing and the girl running to him, arms outstretched. "Daddy, my Daddy!" Then the perfect freeze frame as they embrace and smile at each other.

Has me in bits every time.

Also the prelude to "Up", Toy Story 3 in the furnace, Dumbo when his mother is taken away. And - yes - another railway station setting: the end of Brief Encounter when he puts his hand on her shoulder briefly and leaves while the annoying friend witters on and they are unable to say goodbye. The singing of La Marseillaise in Casablanca makes the lips tremble a bit too.

The endings of A.I. and Edward Scissorhands for me.

OldKingCole said:

Nigelb said:

.

Smithers said:

NickPalmer said:

Smithers said:

Boris’ great strength as PM is the very thing that so irritates people like Max Hastings and a few others on here below. He’s a chameleon, perfectly capable of shifting his position for expediency. He’s a pragmatist.

Like Tony Blair before him, there’s almost no substance. A vague centrist social mush and that’s it. It’s to his brilliant advantage that he doesn’t believe in anything. He did the one thing required of him by the people who mattered: he delivered Brexit. They will remember that until they die and also that Starmer was pro EU and tried to get us to remain.

For sure Boris is both insecure and narcissistic but he has a great fiancee who is politically astute. She has shown a deft hand in getting rid of the malign influence of Cummings who utterly dragged down the Government. Cummings is an Opposition man never for government. He’s a reactionary and the last thing you need is one of those in power. He did his job and then, at last, was shown the door. Ever since then Boris and the Conservatives have been cut free from the chain and they are flying high.

Boris has a moral compass that doesn’t point true north but then since when did that matter in a PM? We are electing a politician. Not a vicar.

Blair was and is various things, some better than others, but not a chameleon. His defining characteristic is to make up his mind and go for it with formidable powers of persuasion - Clause 4, the election win, the NHS turnaround, Iraq, private provision of public service. He's sometimes very wrong IMO, and a weakness is an inability to realise it, but he's always interesting.

Boris has considerable charm as well as a ruthless streak, and the combination has got him where he is, but he is rarely interesting in the sense of having any particular ideas on what needs to be done. I agree that he's a pragmatist in the sense you describe, and that he's doing pretty well at the moment, but I'm not convinced that level of pragmatism is a durable asset. We shall see.

Boris is someone most blokes would like to have a pint of beer with and many ladies would like to spend a night with. He’s extremely interesting.

Sounds like a serious case of manlove there.

I don't know about the ladies preferences, but I think the board generally agreed a day or so ago that having a pint or two with Boris would probably mean having to pay for all of them.

HYUFD said:

The polling figures also show that Boris is clearly the most popular Tory leader in a generation in the North and Midlands but also ironically probably the least popular Tory leader in a generation in London, despite the fact he was Mayor of the city

another_richard said:

MaxPB said:

The Mail seems to have got eyes on a PHE pre print study showing AZ has got >90% efficacy against hospitalisation after 3 weeks which is confirmation of the Scottish study. Lots of regulators across Europe are going to look extremely stupid.

Lots of regulators across Europe might have been lent on by their governments.

another_richard said:

About two-thirds of the children had taken part in an earlier survey, enabling us to compare their behaviour before and after lockdown. Of this sub-group, 69% had been getting the recommended daily average of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity before lockdown, but once it began, only 29% - less than half - met that target. And when people fill in questionnaires, they are likely to overestimate physical activity rather than underestimate it.

Children from poorer and ethnic minority backgrounds (and there is a big overlap between the two groups in Bradford) were particularly likely to be getting insufficient exercise.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56222926

I wonder how much this pattern is repeated in adults leading to higher risks from covid.

HYUFD said:

The polling figures also show that Boris is clearly the most popular Tory leader in a generation in the North and Midlands but also ironically probably the least popular Tory leader in a generation in London, despite the fact he was Mayor of the city

CarlottaVance said:

kamski said:

CarlottaVance said:

German health authorities on Sunday designated the Moselle region of eastern France as a “high risk” zone because of the prevalence of coronavirus variants, and said tougher border restrictions would be imposed beginning Tuesday.

https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-tighten-controls-at-french-border/

I guess the border will be busy today!

The border is busy every day.

Do you think it wise giving so much notice of the imposition of controls?

Do you think it might be busier today as people seek to avoid them tomorrow?

Pulpstar said:

Wales has an average 47 day gap between jabs right now. Noone's really noticed it yet because they're in the lead but if Big G's appointment time is typical, and the data suggests it is then Wales will start to run into an issue with 1st jab numbers relative to the rest of the UK in March.

felix said:

Smithers said:

MarqueeMark said:

But PM? [Keir Starmer] is looking like the Labour IDS - a leader who won't get to fight an election.

What an interesting piece from Mr Smithson. And that’s also an interesting comparison with IDS. I certainly think KS has something of the John Smith about him. Capable, decent, solid.

And uninspiring.

John Smith was also thoroughly Scottish so he had a massive advantage over Starmer there: he could attract Labour support where it was needed.

I can’t see Labour winning a General Election or even (to pick up one of Mr Smithson’s previous posts) preventing an outright Conservative win.

What on earth do Labour do about this? They have leader who seems decent but who is electorally unattractive and uninspiring.

I wpould not put Starmer in the same league as John Smith - he's barely in the same universe.

Cookie said:

Philip_Thompson said:

CarlottaVance said:

Normal service has been resumed.......

https://twitter.com/CeylanWrites/status/1366266273743667200?s=20

Ignorant fools can't even get stats right.

I wonder if or when they'll finally twig that other countries reporting their excess Covid deaths as not due to Covid doesn't mean more have died here?

I was talking about this with a friend of mine yesterday. He expressed bafflement that - apparently uniquely in the world - the British state appears to have been at pains to make its handling of the pandemic appear as bad as possible.
I don't know, yet, exactly how bad things have been here compared to elsewhere. But we seem to have been at pains to report as many deaths as possible, as many positives as possible in a way that other countries haven't been. I'm not suggesting everyone else is outright lying, but few other countries seem as keen to make things look as bad as possible as we do. Is this a deliberate policy to try and encourage people to follow lockdown restrictions?