I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Point of order.
Why does a "raised" pond need to be filled in after it has been demolished?
Certainly 200k on a redesign (if that's what it is) no deeper than the paint is extravagant.
Though the Mail are careful to say "may" cost.
I can provide the full schedule of works if you want 😁
But in answer to the specific it was both above and below ground level with a gastly statue in the middle with a fountain that ate electricity. It was set in a large sunken area with rockery around the edge. A new environmentally friendly pond was built elsewhere. The water pumped from one to the others. A bulldozer then transferred the concrete as foundations to the patio and lorry loads of top soil filled the hole.
I'm just guessing but I reckon that should cost more than a few cans of Calico.
On topic: I don't see how this damages the PM. OK, so £200k on decorations sounds utterly absurd. To most normals it also sounds impossible. Gender politics comes into effect - most married men understand what its like when their better half pushes the button on spending cash for their project. And I suspect that many women reading it will treat the story with the same outraged anti-woman tone that all of the Mail's SHE'S FAT, WHAT UGLY CLOTHES, LOOK - CELLULITE! photo exclusives.
Shagger dumped his wife and kids whilst she was having cancer treatment, knocked up the fling, shagged a musician on the side for good measure. And people still think "he's a lad". So there are no stories of basic ethics and morality that can get him. None.
His wife kicked him out, he didn’t dump her.
Dancing on a pin head.
I wasn’t arguing about the other points. Just making a minor correction. She has had enough and told him to sod off just after their youngest turned 18.
Good on her.
Coincidentally, Marina Wheeler has moved into the neighbourhood. I saw her out cycling along the canal last Saturday morning in the sunshine. She looked very happy.
Interesting conversation wrt the Italy vaccine ban.
Italy relying on "AZ in breach of contract" as an excuse, which they are not.
What is even more shameful is how few of the vaccines they have have actually been used. The EU clusterfuck continues while here the outrage bus is encouraging serious political debate about wall coverings.
It is possible to believe both are shameful, albeit different kinds of “sins”.
Boris is our PM though. Thank goodness at least the Mail is trying to hold him to account.
But he's not spent any public money on it? The bigger scandal would have been had he chucked it on HMG's credit card.
It is not yet clear who and how it is being funded.
Tory donors presumably, who will expect their pound of flesh in due course.
I'm sure a series of £5k a plate dinners in the intimate surroundings of newly refurbed Number 10 will sell out within the hour.
Which is why I am very dubious about the "it can't be paid for" reasons behind running this story.
Do the tickets have to be paid for with used notes in brown envelopes? Asking for a friend wanting a government contract.
I don't doubt they'd even take roubles, tell your friend.
But Downing Street are amateurs on this. For serious contact though with the next President, you had to pay $100,000k per plate. For dinner.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
You have certainly opened up a completely new direction for the blog, as fine dining, bespoke tailoring & premier skiing resorts were getting a little dull.
I am hoping that we will get some more posts along these lines today.
I restored the battle ramparts on my Grade 1 listed Welsh castle, cleaned the moat, replaced the drawbridge, rebuilt the North Tower, upgraded the stonework on the northern facade and re-plumbed the ancient latrines.
And decorated the Great Hall. All for under 200k.
I realise I am lucky, but I did not waste my money buying drugs and copies of the Daily Merkle.
But did you fully cost your serfs’ time in those calculations?
Interesting conversation wrt the Italy vaccine ban.
Italy relying on "AZ in breach of contract" as an excuse, which they are not.
What is even more shameful is how few of the vaccines they have have actually been used. The EU clusterfuck continues while here the outrage bus is encouraging serious political debate about wall coverings.
It is possible to believe both are shameful, albeit different kinds of “sins”.
Boris is our PM though. Thank goodness at least the Mail is trying to hold him to account.
But he's not spent any public money on it? The bigger scandal would have been had he chucked it on HMG's credit card.
It is not yet clear who and how it is being funded.
Tory donors presumably, who will expect their pound of flesh in due course.
I'm sure a series of £5k a plate dinners in the intimate surroundings of newly refurbed Number 10 will sell out within the hour.
Which is why I am very dubious about the "it can't be paid for" reasons behind running this story.
Next you will be suggesting the "Sports Direct No 10 residence".
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Point of order.
Why does a "raised" pond need to be filled in after it has been demolished?
Certainly 200k on a redesign (if that's what it is) no deeper than the paint is extravagant.
Though the Mail are careful to say "may" cost.
I can provide the full schedule of works if you want 😁
But in answer to the specific it was both above and below ground level with a gastly statue in the middle with a fountain that ate electricity. It was set in a large sunken area with rockery around the edge. A new environmentally friendly pond was built elsewhere. The water pumped from one to the others. A bulldozer then transferred the concrete as foundations to the patio and lorry loads of top soil filled the hole.
I'm just guessing but I reckon that should cost more than a few cans of Calico.
Interesting conversation wrt the Italy vaccine ban.
Italy relying on "AZ in breach of contract" as an excuse, which they are not.
What is even more shameful is how few of the vaccines they have have actually been used. The EU clusterfuck continues while here the outrage bus is encouraging serious political debate about wall coverings.
It is possible to believe both are shameful, albeit different kinds of “sins”.
Boris is our PM though. Thank goodness at least the Mail is trying to hold him to account.
But he's not spent any public money on it? The bigger scandal would have been had he chucked it on HMG's credit card.
It is not yet clear who and how it is being funded.
Tory donors presumably, who will expect their pound of flesh in due course.
I'm sure a series of £5k a plate dinners in the intimate surroundings of newly refurbed Number 10 will sell out within the hour.
Which is why I am very dubious about the "it can't be paid for" reasons behind running this story.
Next you will be suggesting the "Sports Direct No 10 residence".
That Downing Street lectern is just screaming out for a sponsorship deal.....
The Guernsey CMO has observed that with the B.117 variant we’ve seen far more in-household transmission than we did in the first wave.
This is an issue with lockdown in deprived communities. For those with a fair amount of space already, lockdown = increased physical distancing. For those without you are cramming people on top of one another in the middle of a pandemic. Which is why I think places like Leicester are having such a tough time of it.
The Guernsey CMO has observed that with the B.117 variant we’ve seen far more in-household transmission than we did in the first wave.
This is an issue with lockdown in deprived communities. For those with a fair amount of space already, lockdown = increased physical distancing. For those without you are cramming people on top of one another in the middle of a pandemic. Which is why I think places like Leicester are having such a tough time of it.
It's also why Boro and the poorer areas around Manchester, Bradford and Leeds have had such continual outbreaks.
Interesting conversation wrt the Italy vaccine ban.
Italy relying on "AZ in breach of contract" as an excuse, which they are not.
What is even more shameful is how few of the vaccines they have have actually been used. The EU clusterfuck continues while here the outrage bus is encouraging serious political debate about wall coverings.
Have all the relevant documents been delivered yet?
No chance of that and as we saw/heard many notebooks etc were shredded, seemingly a common occurrence for the head of Civil Service and with Sturgeon they just don't bother taking notes and rely on her great memory.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
PB Decor Service, at your Service
It's 4 bedroom. The Daily Mail has an article about the last 3 makeovers. 64k for the Camerons for a bathroom, kitchen area, and new floor and ceiling. Dualit toaster and Britannia Range Cooker.
And 127k over several years for the Blairs. But then Cherie probably made more money than Boris, and did not have umpteen former husbands.
Here's the old plan, which you can access on the site mentioned I assume. It is some of this:
I will refrain from adding the Hello photos, unless you ask nicely.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
Yes it would. Against that Downing Street is grade one listed.
The flat is described as 4 bedroom so surely at least 1,500 sq foot (I found a report from 2017 saying the average for a 4 bed is 202sqm (which is about 2,174 psf) but obviously this flat is an older build.
Arlene Foster on R4 - when the grace period was due to end at the end of this month the number of checks on agrifood in NI would have been about the same as conducted in all of the rest of the EU combined. Which does seem a bit disproportionate. Also remarked that EU in meetings didn’t seem interested in taking steps to help - action is totally disproportionate to the risk to the single market.
Unfortunately an open goal but Tories not making any headway, Ruth the Mooth got her arse handed to her on a plate yesterday. There really is little to no opposition.
Interesting conversation wrt the Italy vaccine ban.
Italy relying on "AZ in breach of contract" as an excuse, which they are not.
What is even more shameful is how few of the vaccines they have have actually been used. The EU clusterfuck continues while here the outrage bus is encouraging serious political debate about wall coverings.
This is the absolute key point.
Draghi is just behaving like any good Goldman Sachs alumni - looking after his own interests and f*** everyone else
Arlene Foster on R4 - when the grace period was due to end at the end of this month the number of checks on agrifood in NI would have been about the same as conducted in all of the rest of the EU combined. Which does seem a bit disproportionate. Also remarked that EU in meetings didn’t seem interested in taking steps to help - action is totally disproportionate to the risk to the single market.
NI has only ever been a negotiating tool for the EU. It doesn't care about peace in Ireland and ultimately Ireland itself. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if the EU pushed Ireland towards the exit door over the next few years given that their tax haven business model is wholly reliant on the single market and the EU see it as a hostile arrangement that costs other European countries tens of billions in lost tax revenues per year.
I was playing with that AI thingy, tasking it with coming up with Facebook content imagining I am standing for the council in May (I’m not, other than for the parish). Despite logging in via Facebook as myself, it’s pulling up a lot of content from other people in politics with the same or similar names. And its pitch is, shall we say, ‘Direct’; for example the following:
“It’s everybody else’s fault that the town is in the state it’s in. Elect me to sort it out. I’ll put things right and make a difference.”
It may be a while before it finds a use in political campaigning?
Dunno, gets to the nub of the matter admirably I think.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
PB Decor Service, at your Service
It's 4 bedroom. The Daily Mail has an article about the last 3 makeovers. 64k for the Camerons for a bathroom, kitchen area, and new floor and ceiling. Dualit toaster and Britannia Range Cooker.
And 127k over several years for the Blairs. But then Cherie probably made more money than Boris, and did not have umpteen former husbands.
Here's the old plan, which you can access on the site mentioned I assume. It is some of this:
I will refrain from adding the Hello photos, unless you ask nicely.
So parts of it haven’t been updated in 15+ years...
(FWIW my grandmother lived in several grace and favour apartments over the years. Every one she had to completely refurbish as the British government property department is simply awful)
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
Arlene Foster on R4 - when the grace period was due to end at the end of this month the number of checks on agrifood in NI would have been about the same as conducted in all of the rest of the EU combined. Which does seem a bit disproportionate. Also remarked that EU in meetings didn’t seem interested in taking steps to help - action is totally disproportionate to the risk to the single market.
Yes, perhaps it would have been useful to look at the detail before our government signed it off as "oven ready".
Still, we did sign up, so need to keep our word...
This is why basing any comparisons in relative death rate performance on official statistics is simply pointless. Countries are purposefully undercounting and obfuscating the true numbers.
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
Hey why pick on me!
I’ve just commented on market prices in London and not said anything else!
Every so often a wicket, to give us a false sense of hope.
Then Bess continues to bowl.
He ought not to have been dropped. He's got the potential to be a decent bowler, but lacking confidence. Dropping him for an allrounder who hadn't played test cricket for over a year*, and then bringing him back with England under the cosh is awful management.
*Not a criticism of Moeen, who has also not been ideally managed.
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
In the real world that would buy at least 2 decent flats. My large quarter villa is worth just over half that and my 4 bed detached is only about 25% more.
If it turns out that the cost is being paid either directly by taxpayers or indirectly by making it a charity (If someone's bedroom redecoration is a charity, where do you draw the line?), then I think people will indeed be outraged. If it's merely paid by some Tory chums, then most people will shrug, though if Tory HQ is paying then some of the supporters who chip in £50 to the email appeals may feel a bit miffed.
Two genuinely stupid moves by Johnson yesterday and both can easily be linked. The first is this story about the No 10 refit which is just crass and stupid. It says Johnson is worried - well he bloody well should be. And if the story is true then he should be ashamed.
The second story - which for me is linked - is the idiotic decision to give NHS staff a pay rise below inflation. It just looks callous and makes a mockery of all the claims about how important they are and how much they are valued.
Yes things are tough and yes we can't keep splashing taxpayers money around all over the place without regard for the debt but a 1% pay rise is £340 million. So go for 5% and make it meaningful. As the study by the London Economics consultancy shows the Government will get most of that back anyway in increased taxes.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
What do you mean by complete refurbishment? If just decorating that is nonsense.
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
Well done to you KJH, you worked for yours unlike the spongers at No 10.
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
It is perfectly reasonable to make the point -- relevant in the context of political betting -- that this blog is huuuuugely unrepresentative in its demographics.
Also, it is perfectly reasonable to take the piss.
Interesting conversation wrt the Italy vaccine ban.
Italy relying on "AZ in breach of contract" as an excuse, which they are not.
What is even more shameful is how few of the vaccines they have have actually been used. The EU clusterfuck continues while here the outrage bus is encouraging serious political debate about wall coverings.
It is possible to believe both are shameful, albeit different kinds of “sins”.
Boris is our PM though. Thank goodness at least the Mail is trying to hold him to account.
But he's not spent any public money on it? The bigger scandal would have been had he chucked it on HMG's credit card.
It is not yet clear who and how it is being funded.
Tory donors presumably, who will expect their pound of flesh in due course.
I'm sure a series of £5k a plate dinners in the intimate surroundings of newly refurbed Number 10 will sell out within the hour.
Which is why I am very dubious about the "it can't be paid for" reasons behind running this story.
Next you will be suggesting the "Sports Direct No 10 residence".
That Downing Street lectern is just screaming out for a sponsorship deal.....
I don't see a problem with the daily SkyBet Coronavirus Press Conference. It would certainly pay for the William Morris wallpaper. Enough left over for Priti's 'compo' problems to go away too.
Nippy could do the same in Scotland to pay for Salmond's legal fees.
This is why basing any comparisons in relative death rate performance on official statistics is simply pointless. Countries are purposefully undercounting and obfuscating the true numbers.
I'm sure it was back in last April / May that it was pointed out on here that the only accurate figures will be Excess Deaths as that statistic is way harder to hide than the other ones.
Then Wuhan province has managed to do just that - some reports say 150,000 missing pensioners yet no excess deaths seem to have been reported.
So given the latter piece of information I don't think we will ever have an accurate death toll.
Excess deaths will be the best measure but even that may not be that accurate.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
PB Decor Service, at your Service
It's 4 bedroom. The Daily Mail has an article about the last 3 makeovers. 64k for the Camerons for a bathroom, kitchen area, and new floor and ceiling. Dualit toaster and Britannia Range Cooker.
And 127k over several years for the Blairs. But then Cherie probably made more money than Boris, and did not have umpteen former husbands.
Here's the old plan, which you can access on the site mentioned I assume. It is some of this:
I will refrain from adding the Hello photos, unless you ask nicely.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
PB Decor Service, at your Service
It's 4 bedroom. The Daily Mail has an article about the last 3 makeovers. 64k for the Camerons for a bathroom, kitchen area, and new floor and ceiling. Dualit toaster and Britannia Range Cooker.
And 127k over several years for the Blairs. But then Cherie probably made more money than Boris, and did not have umpteen former husbands.
Here's the old plan, which you can access on the site mentioned I assume. It is some of this:
I will refrain from adding the Hello photos, unless you ask nicely.
So parts of it haven’t been updated in 15+ years...
(FWIW my grandmother lived in several grace and favour apartments over the years. Every one she had to completely refurbish as the British government property department is simply awful)
Essentially. I'd have it as around 1200 sqft looking at that ... probably the bottom LH section. 3 bed plus nice kitchen-diner plus office/study.
Personally I'd have no objection to a PM House elsewhere, and properly considered.
It does seem strange that the core of Government is so much more bijou than the American Ambassador's Residence, never mind the embasssy. Perhaps they need to rent Fenton House from the NT.
Interesting conversation wrt the Italy vaccine ban.
Italy relying on "AZ in breach of contract" as an excuse, which they are not.
What is even more shameful is how few of the vaccines they have have actually been used. The EU clusterfuck continues while here the outrage bus is encouraging serious political debate about wall coverings.
It is possible to believe both are shameful, albeit different kinds of “sins”.
Boris is our PM though. Thank goodness at least the Mail is trying to hold him to account.
But he's not spent any public money on it? The bigger scandal would have been had he chucked it on HMG's credit card.
It is not yet clear who and how it is being funded.
Tory donors presumably, who will expect their pound of flesh in due course.
I'm sure a series of £5k a plate dinners in the intimate surroundings of newly refurbed Number 10 will sell out within the hour.
Which is why I am very dubious about the "it can't be paid for" reasons behind running this story.
Next you will be suggesting the "Sports Direct No 10 residence".
Far too oikish, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman residence surely with a special room with easily wipeable surfaces for unfriendly journalists.
Two genuinely stupid moves by Johnson yesterday and both can easily be linked. The first is this story about the No 10 refit which is just crass and stupid. It says Johnson is worried - well he bloody well should be. And if the story is true then he should be ashamed.
The second story - which for me is linked - is the idiotic decision to give NHS staff a pay rise below inflation. It just looks callous and makes a mockery of all the claims about how important they are and how much they are valued.
Yes things are tough and yes we can't keep splashing taxpayers money around all over the place without regard for the debt but a 1% pay rise is £340 million. So go for 5% and make it meaningful. As the study by the London Economics consultancy shows the Government will get most of that back anyway in increased taxes.
As OGH says. Very poor optics across the board yesterday for Johnson.
Agree 100%. I can live without a pay rise for next year - it would be nice but times are tough and I’m aware others are ahead in the queue - but after the year they’ve had NHS medical staff definitely deserve one. Especially nursing staff.
I actually think this ridiculously low one for a small number is worse than none at all. It looks tokenistic.
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
Hey why pick on me!
I’ve just commented on market prices in London and not said anything else!
I wasn't picking on you Charles. The reference to you wasn't to do with your posts on this thread just commenting that I suspect (I'm damn certain in fact) that you are somewhat wealthier than myself!
However on the point you thought I was making about prices - they do seem somewhat high, but I suspect we are talking about different things when we say refurbishing. However I suspect there are also some decorators who charge a lot more for the same service to the gullible rich.
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
Well done to you KJH, you worked for yours unlike the spongers at No 10.
We spend nine figures a year on the NHS. The salary rise may be attacked without resorting to the idiocy of comparing (what seems to be) an hourly wage increase with total expenditure over a year or so of something else (which was set up in an emergency and seems to have substantial cause for legitimate criticism on actually valid grounds).
Statistics and using them correctly is important. If more journalists understood this they might just understand the difference between deficit and debt, and might just be worth listening to more often.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
PB Decor Service, at your Service
It's 4 bedroom. The Daily Mail has an article about the last 3 makeovers. 64k for the Camerons for a bathroom, kitchen area, and new floor and ceiling. Dualit toaster and Britannia Range Cooker.
And 127k over several years for the Blairs. But then Cherie probably made more money than Boris, and did not have umpteen former husbands.
Here's the old plan, which you can access on the site mentioned I assume. It is some of this:
I will refrain from adding the Hello photos, unless you ask nicely.
We spend nine figures a year on the NHS. The salary rise may be attacked without resorting to the idiocy of comparing (what seems to be) an hourly wage increase with total expenditure over a year or so of something else (which was set up in an emergency and seems to have substantial cause for legitimate criticism on actually valid grounds).
Statistics and using them correctly is important. If more journalists understood this they might just understand the difference between deficit and debt, and might just be worth listening to more often.
Unfortunately for Boris Johnson and Brexiteers they are being hoist with his own petard.
For goodness sake some of the posts on here (with the exception of the puns which I appreciate) are a bit sad. The point I was making is that £200K on decorations is ridiculous by making a comparison with what £200k can get you. We seem to have resorted to the politics of envy on here.
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
It is perfectly reasonable to make the point -- relevant in the context of political betting -- that this blog is huuuuugely unrepresentative in its demographics.
Also, it is perfectly reasonable to take the piss.
Two genuinely stupid moves by Johnson yesterday and both can easily be linked. The first is this story about the No 10 refit which is just crass and stupid. It says Johnson is worried - well he bloody well should be. And if the story is true then he should be ashamed.
The second story - which for me is linked - is the idiotic decision to give NHS staff a pay rise below inflation. It just looks callous and makes a mockery of all the claims about how important they are and how much they are valued.
Yes things are tough and yes we can't keep splashing taxpayers money around all over the place without regard for the debt but a 1% pay rise is £340 million. So go for 5% and make it meaningful. As the study by the London Economics consultancy shows the Government will get most of that back anyway in increased taxes.
As OGH says. Very poor optics across the board yesterday for Johnson.
This is not about optics but fairness
Public sector workers have worked throughout covid without loss of earnings nor pension entitlements while large sectors of the economy have been devastated, not least tourism, hospitality and small businesses most of whom are struggling to keep going and certainly are not looking at pay rises anytime soon, indeed many would be just content to have secure employment
The cost of covid has to be faced by all and will not be easy to resolve
I would expect Rishi will have to abolish the triple lock from 1st April 2022, (indeed he should and I say that as a pensioner) and other tax rises and pay restraint will follow
I may have mentioned it a few times on here but the focus groups have consistently picked up on the monies spent on track & trace and on contracts that seem to end up with Tory donors but what is really egregious is the fact the contracts are seemingly to those inexperienced and unqualified to deliver them.
Two genuinely stupid moves by Johnson yesterday and both can easily be linked. The first is this story about the No 10 refit which is just crass and stupid. It says Johnson is worried - well he bloody well should be. And if the story is true then he should be ashamed.
The second story - which for me is linked - is the idiotic decision to give NHS staff a pay rise below inflation. It just looks callous and makes a mockery of all the claims about how important they are and how much they are valued.
Yes things are tough and yes we can't keep splashing taxpayers money around all over the place without regard for the debt but a 1% pay rise is £340 million. So go for 5% and make it meaningful. As the study by the London Economics consultancy shows the Government will get most of that back anyway in increased taxes.
As OGH says. Very poor optics across the board yesterday for Johnson.
Your post should be true and twenty years ago it would have been. But the PM has created a caricature for himself which is immune to accusations of shame or incompetence because he portrays as a likeable bumbling idiot with occasional bouts of seriousness, so it all makes no difference.
Did not anyone in the PM's circle have a bet on bitcoin?Or even investments playing Carrie's green agenda? Most Hydrogen Fuel Cell shares have gone up a 1000% since Boris became PM.Most Solar Panel shares have gone up 400% since Boris became PM. One imagines Richi and former Chancellor Zavid social circles have made lots of money over the 2 years
However on the point you thought I was making about prices - they do seem somewhat high, but I suspect we are talking about different things when we say refurbishing. However I suspect there are also some decorators who charge a lot more for the same service to the gullible rich.
I think the point is that -- in a building like No 10 -- you will need to use heritage craftspeople, not trustatrader.
If you need to replace a door, or some flooring, or a toilet cistern, then it will have to be constructed bespoke because the building & its interior is listed.
The bespoke door or flooring will need to be made by a craftsman. The cistern may have to be sourced from a specialist dealer or made bespoke.
That is how historic, listed buildings work.😉
I have no idea whether the DM story is true, whether the sum is 200k, but your analogy was always ridiculous.
Two genuinely stupid moves by Johnson yesterday and both can easily be linked. The first is this story about the No 10 refit which is just crass and stupid. It says Johnson is worried - well he bloody well should be. And if the story is true then he should be ashamed.
The second story - which for me is linked - is the idiotic decision to give NHS staff a pay rise below inflation. It just looks callous and makes a mockery of all the claims about how important they are and how much they are valued.
Yes things are tough and yes we can't keep splashing taxpayers money around all over the place without regard for the debt but a 1% pay rise is £340 million. So go for 5% and make it meaningful. As the study by the London Economics consultancy shows the Government will get most of that back anyway in increased taxes.
As OGH says. Very poor optics across the board yesterday for Johnson.
It's all incredibly hubristic; there's a sense of the government really believing that can do whatever they please. The Vote Leave Crazy Gang, for all their faults, were never hubristic.
I'm not the classicist here, but I don't think hubris is linked to ongoing massive success.
I can't grasp how it is possible to spend £200k on a decoration unless you have more money than sense. I spent a similar amount between 2012 and 2014 but that got me a huge oak porch, a large extension to the garage, new heating to 17 room house, a massive patio, a concrete raised pond demolished and filled in, new natural style pond dug, new oak staircase, walls demolished and new walls built with several beams, 4 bathrooms bought and fitted and a kitchen and utility room, etc, etc.
Oh and decorated.
A couple of years ago we bought a terrace house in Southwold. Gutted, new kitchen, bathroom, electrics and heating for about £20k.
Oh and decorated.
Admit it, you just made this comment for the humblebrag about your £200k refurb.
Nope. I suspect there are several on here who can outbrag me. I know I am lucky to be able to afford it, but how else do you make the point that £200k on a flat is ridiculous.
I am also retired. It is the consequence of two well paid older individuals who aren't gullible and waste money on overpriced stuff.
As a rule of thumb for a complete refurbishment London is about £150-£200 psf for a flat.
I don’t know how large their flat is but if it is being totally redone I’m not surprised by the price.
I would say the same, but that includes rewiring and plumbing etc.
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
PB Decor Service, at your Service
It's 4 bedroom. The Daily Mail has an article about the last 3 makeovers. 64k for the Camerons for a bathroom, kitchen area, and new floor and ceiling. Dualit toaster and Britannia Range Cooker.
And 127k over several years for the Blairs. But then Cherie probably made more money than Boris, and did not have umpteen former husbands.
Here's the old plan, which you can access on the site mentioned I assume. It is some of this:
I will refrain from adding the Hello photos, unless you ask nicely.
You say its 4 bedroom but that floor plan shows - between No 10 and No 11 - a total of 18 bedrooms. How much of that do they have to refurbish?
Not that much, the issue is that Mrs May followed David Cameron's & Margaret Thatcher's lead that the taxpayer shouldn't lavish Number 10 but Ms Symonds really doesn't like Mrs May's John Lewis nightmare choice of decor.
Two genuinely stupid moves by Johnson yesterday and both can easily be linked. The first is this story about the No 10 refit which is just crass and stupid. It says Johnson is worried - well he bloody well should be. And if the story is true then he should be ashamed.
The second story - which for me is linked - is the idiotic decision to give NHS staff a pay rise below inflation. It just looks callous and makes a mockery of all the claims about how important they are and how much they are valued.
Yes things are tough and yes we can't keep splashing taxpayers money around all over the place without regard for the debt but a 1% pay rise is £340 million. So go for 5% and make it meaningful. As the study by the London Economics consultancy shows the Government will get most of that back anyway in increased taxes.
As OGH says. Very poor optics across the board yesterday for Johnson.
Agree 100%. I can live without a pay rise for next year - it would be nice but times are tough and I’m aware others are ahead in the queue - but after the year they’ve had NHS medical staff definitely deserve one. Especially nursing staff.
I actually think this ridiculously low one for a small number is worse than none at all. It looks tokenistic.
Personally, I have no problem with 1%, and a blanket payrise for all NHS staff is poorly targeted.
An extra 2 weeks paid holiday for all those who worked in covid units, to be taken later in the year for recovery would be my suggestion.
As would be investment in training, so redeployed staff are not punished for not acquiring the skills that they should have been developing. My registrar has been on covid ICU for 3 months so has missed a large chunk of her Specialist Training. She is at risk of missing career progression as a result.
This is why basing any comparisons in relative death rate performance on official statistics is simply pointless. Countries are purposefully undercounting and obfuscating the true numbers.
You telling me that perhaps more than 20 people a day in Nigeria die from covid.....
Off-topic, can I say how much I enjoyed last night's discussion on AI. This site has become more fun since the Jezziah AI programme was switched back on. Especially as the 2019 election has been deleted from its programming.
Given Starmers great polling it was clear all along that being left wing was the problem and any other leader would be 20 points ahead, you were right, I was wrong.
I just thought centrism was a dead ideology but the dramatic response to Starmers charismatic leadership have blown me away and turned me into a true believer.
I just said that there were legitimate grounds to attack both the pay rise and the track and trace spending. That doesn't make a stupid statistical comparison anything other than stupid.
Off-topic, can I say how much I enjoyed last night's discussion on AI. This site has become more fun since the Jezziah AI programme was switched back on. Especially as the 2019 election has been deleted from its programming.
Given Starmers great polling it was clear all along that being left wing was the problem and any other leader would be 20 points ahead, you were right, I was wrong.
I just thought centrism was a dead ideology but the dramatic response to Starmers charismatic leadership have blown me away and turned me into a true believer.
Would Starmer have been considered a centrist pre-Corbyn?
Apart from now talking about Yemen instead of Israel how much has Starmer actually moved Labour to the "centre".
I just said that there were legitimate grounds to attack both the pay rise and the track and trace spending. That doesn't make a stupid statistical comparison anything other than stupid.
No, I was pointing out the Tory party and their supporters yesterday were gleefully taking a quote out of context by Starmer, don't be surprised when other people start taking other things out of context to attack them.
Off-topic, can I say how much I enjoyed last night's discussion on AI. This site has become more fun since the Jezziah AI programme was switched back on. Especially as the 2019 election has been deleted from its programming.
Given Starmers great polling it was clear all along that being left wing was the problem and any other leader would be 20 points ahead, you were right, I was wrong.
I just thought centrism was a dead ideology but the dramatic response to Starmers charismatic leadership have blown me away and turned me into a true believer.
Would Starmer have been considered a centrist pre-Corbyn?
Apart from now talking about Yemen instead of Israel how much has Starmer actually moved Labour to the "centre".
Starmer was (and is) centre left of the labour party...
I may have mentioned it a few times on here but the focus groups have consistently picked up on the monies spent on track & trace and on contracts that seem to end up with Tory donors but what is really egregious is the fact the contracts are seemingly to those inexperienced and unqualified to deliver them.
It is a bonanza for Tory donors, pensioners are safe, and austerity for the rest of us.
We locked down to save granny, but granny doesn’t give a shite.
I just said that there were legitimate grounds to attack both the pay rise and the track and trace spending. That doesn't make a stupid statistical comparison anything other than stupid.
No, I was pointing out the Tory party and their supporters yesterday were gleefully taking a quote out of context by Starmer, don't be surprised when other people start taking other things out of context to attack them.
It wasn't out of context, it was kept in context.
The meaning of the quote stayed the same. He was literally saying that, it didn't change the meaning at all.
Perhaps NHS pay rises should match the triple lock increase.
Or perhaps pensions should go up as much as the NHS pay increases.
In terms of pay and covid, isnt it careworkers outside the NHS who society has most undervalued?
Yup, my friend will be quitting the care sector later on this year, has been a grim year for her.
She's lost so many residents and it has taken its toll, she's pointed out her bestie who works for Sainsbury's has received more of a pandemic pay increase/bonus than she has, something she doesn't begrudge.
Off-topic, can I say how much I enjoyed last night's discussion on AI. This site has become more fun since the Jezziah AI programme was switched back on. Especially as the 2019 election has been deleted from its programming.
Given Starmers great polling it was clear all along that being left wing was the problem and any other leader would be 20 points ahead, you were right, I was wrong.
I just thought centrism was a dead ideology but the dramatic response to Starmers charismatic leadership have blown me away and turned me into a true believer.
Would Starmer have been considered a centrist pre-Corbyn?
Apart from now talking about Yemen instead of Israel how much has Starmer actually moved Labour to the "centre".
Starmer was (and is) centre left of the labour party...
Agreed.
And centre left of the Labour Party is pretty far left for the country as a whole.
On topic: I don't see how this damages the PM. OK, so £200k on decorations sounds utterly absurd. To most normals it also sounds impossible. Gender politics comes into effect - most married men understand what its like when their better half pushes the button on spending cash for their project. And I suspect that many women reading it will treat the story with the same outraged anti-woman tone that all of the Mail's SHE'S FAT, WHAT UGLY CLOTHES, LOOK - CELLULITE! photo exclusives.
Shagger dumped his wife and kids whilst she was having cancer treatment, knocked up the fling, shagged a musician on the side for good measure. And people still think "he's a lad". So there are no stories of basic ethics and morality that can get him. None.
His wife kicked him out, he didn’t dump her.
He treated her badly that even she finally had enough and kicked him out. The real question is why she put up with him for so long.
Off-topic, can I say how much I enjoyed last night's discussion on AI. This site has become more fun since the Jezziah AI programme was switched back on. Especially as the 2019 election has been deleted from its programming.
Given Starmers great polling it was clear all along that being left wing was the problem and any other leader would be 20 points ahead, you were right, I was wrong.
I just thought centrism was a dead ideology but the dramatic response to Starmers charismatic leadership have blown me away and turned me into a true believer.
Would Starmer have been considered a centrist pre-Corbyn?
Apart from now talking about Yemen instead of Israel how much has Starmer actually moved Labour to the "centre".
TBH I wouldn't take much convincing that Starmer cares less for the people of Yemen than Boris Johnson does.
There are some Blairites who don't want to kill people in Yemen (admittedly there are those that do) I don't think it is an exclusively left wing position (a mostly left wing one maybe) but if his leadership was more like that people would probably think of him as left wing, more of an exception than the rule though in Starmers time as leader his actions have been far more anti left.
Comments
But Downing Street are amateurs on this. For serious contact though with the next President, you had to pay $100,000k per plate. For dinner.
On Zoom!!!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8288429/Hillary-Clinton-bids-raise-millions-Jpe-Biden-100-000-head-fundraising-dinner-ZOOM.html
How big is the bloody flat anyway.
https://twitter.com/Freight_NI/status/1367469819830951948?s=20
Simple answer, move No 10 to Darlington.
It's 4 bedroom. The Daily Mail has an article about the last 3 makeovers. 64k for the Camerons for a bathroom, kitchen area, and new floor and ceiling. Dualit toaster and Britannia Range Cooker.
And 127k over several years for the Blairs. But then Cherie probably made more money than Boris, and did not have umpteen former husbands.
Here's the old plan, which you can access on the site mentioned I assume. It is some of this:
I will refrain from adding the Hello photos, unless you ask nicely.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9316209/The-modern-makeovers-Number-11-Downing-Street.html
The flat is described as 4 bedroom so surely at least 1,500 sq foot (I found a report from 2017 saying the average for a 4 bed is 202sqm (which is about 2,174 psf) but obviously this flat is an older build.
I can understand why it works the way it does but it makes for crap headline figures.
https://twitter.com/WSJNY/status/1367662180615782405
(FWIW my grandmother lived in several grace and favour apartments over the years. Every one she had to completely refurbish as the British government property department is simply awful)
For everyone's information I do have a pretty large house and garden, but paid for out of my and my wife's lifetime earnings, which we gutted after buying it. We are not posh (both far from it), neither of us have inherited a penny. I ran my own business and my wife is a Doctor and we don't waste money on over priced stuff and luckily I happen to be pretty good with money.
I'm sure Charles could out brag me 10 times over as I am sure a number of other could do also. Some people need to get over themselves and focus more on what on earth £200K can be spent on in a flat which isn't wasted on overpriced stuff.
Still, we did sign up, so need to keep our word...
It should be merged with National Insurance too and not just be taxed with IC alone.
I’ve just commented on market prices in London and not said anything else!
He's got the potential to be a decent bowler, but lacking confidence. Dropping him for an allrounder who hadn't played test cricket for over a year*, and then bringing him back with England under the cosh is awful management.
*Not a criticism of Moeen, who has also not been ideally managed.
The second story - which for me is linked - is the idiotic decision to give NHS staff a pay rise below inflation. It just looks callous and makes a mockery of all the claims about how important they are and how much they are valued.
Yes things are tough and yes we can't keep splashing taxpayers money around all over the place without regard for the debt but a 1% pay rise is £340 million. So go for 5% and make it meaningful. As the study by the London Economics consultancy shows the Government will get most of that back anyway in increased taxes.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jan/18/government-pay-rise-cost-nhs-england-staff-report
As OGH says. Very poor optics across the board yesterday for Johnson.
Also, it is perfectly reasonable to take the piss.
https://twitter.com/AndyBurnhamGM/status/1367756104986427394
Nippy could do the same in Scotland to pay for Salmond's legal fees.
Then Wuhan province has managed to do just that - some reports say 150,000 missing pensioners yet no excess deaths seem to have been reported.
So given the latter piece of information I don't think we will ever have an accurate death toll.
Excess deaths will be the best measure but even that may not be that accurate.
Lots of bedrooms and a sewing room. Perhaps Carrie could use it for some upcycling.
Personally I'd have no objection to a PM House elsewhere, and properly considered.
It does seem strange that the core of Government is so much more bijou than the American Ambassador's Residence, never mind the embasssy. Perhaps they need to rent Fenton House from the NT.
I actually think this ridiculously low one for a small number is worse than none at all. It looks tokenistic.
However on the point you thought I was making about prices - they do seem somewhat high, but I suspect we are talking about different things when we say refurbishing. However I suspect there are also some decorators who charge a lot more for the same service to the gullible rich.
Flawed comparisons are woeful.
We spend nine figures a year on the NHS. The salary rise may be attacked without resorting to the idiocy of comparing (what seems to be) an hourly wage increase with total expenditure over a year or so of something else (which was set up in an emergency and seems to have substantial cause for legitimate criticism on actually valid grounds).
Statistics and using them correctly is important. If more journalists understood this they might just understand the difference between deficit and debt, and might just be worth listening to more often.
https://twitter.com/msmithsonpb/status/1367755359255986177?s=21
I did like Topping's post.
Public sector workers have worked throughout covid without loss of earnings nor pension entitlements while large sectors of the economy have been devastated, not least tourism, hospitality and small businesses most of whom are struggling to keep going and certainly are not looking at pay rises anytime soon, indeed many would be just content to have secure employment
The cost of covid has to be faced by all and will not be easy to resolve
I would expect Rishi will have to abolish the triple lock from 1st April 2022, (indeed he should and I say that as a pensioner) and other tax rises and pay restraint will follow
Most Hydrogen Fuel Cell shares have gone up a 1000% since Boris became PM.Most Solar Panel shares have gone up 400% since Boris became PM.
One imagines Richi and former Chancellor Zavid social circles have made lots of money over the 2 years
If you need to replace a door, or some flooring, or a toilet cistern, then it will have to be constructed bespoke because the building & its interior is listed.
The bespoke door or flooring will need to be made by a craftsman. The cistern may have to be sourced from a specialist dealer or made bespoke.
That is how historic, listed buildings work.😉
I have no idea whether the DM story is true, whether the sum is 200k, but your analogy was always ridiculous.
I'm not the classicist here, but I don't think hubris is linked to ongoing massive success.
An extra 2 weeks paid holiday for all those who worked in covid units, to be taken later in the year for recovery would be my suggestion.
As would be investment in training, so redeployed staff are not punished for not acquiring the skills that they should have been developing. My registrar has been on covid ICU for 3 months so has missed a large chunk of her Specialist Training. She is at risk of missing career progression as a result.
I just thought centrism was a dead ideology but the dramatic response to Starmers charismatic leadership have blown me away and turned me into a true believer.
Or perhaps pensions should go up as much as the NHS pay increases.
If a Minister is financially benefiting then it needs to be transparent. Sunshine is the best disinfectant for corruption.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/19137056.rishi-sunak-darlington-won-battle-treasury-jobs/
It's a very interesting compare and contrast on their styles (Rishi clear and confident, Boris bumbling as he always does)
I just said that there were legitimate grounds to attack both the pay rise and the track and trace spending. That doesn't make a stupid statistical comparison anything other than stupid.
Apart from now talking about Yemen instead of Israel how much has Starmer actually moved Labour to the "centre".
What on earth has happened to standards in public life?
We locked down to save granny, but granny doesn’t give a shite.
The meaning of the quote stayed the same. He was literally saying that, it didn't change the meaning at all.
She's lost so many residents and it has taken its toll, she's pointed out her bestie who works for Sainsbury's has received more of a pandemic pay increase/bonus than she has, something she doesn't begrudge.
And centre left of the Labour Party is pretty far left for the country as a whole.
Its like replacing Foot with Benn in the 80s.
There are some Blairites who don't want to kill people in Yemen (admittedly there are those that do) I don't think it is an exclusively left wing position (a mostly left wing one maybe) but if his leadership was more like that people would probably think of him as left wing, more of an exception than the rule though in Starmers time as leader his actions have been far more anti left.