The cases look pretty decent; there's only one local authority area with a seven day rate above 100 per 100k left, and the zones of extremely low prevalence are gradually edging across the map.
The death count, however... if that becomes sticky then the excuse for stalling the unlockdown plan presents itself. The fact that maybe 11,000 people kick the bucket every week in the UK is irrelevant: 250-odd is an entire Airbus-A330 load of corpses every week, and will be presented (and understood by ignorant and frightened members of the public) in those sorts of terms. Casualties enormous, not safe, sorry.
I think the fact we still have 2,481 patients ill enough to be in hospital guarantees more deaths in the next few weeks and months, Of those 370 are reported as on ventilation, I am also a bit suspicious of the lags in death reporting. Its not unknown for deaths to hit the figures months after the actual passing, for whatever reason.
Hopefully though the direction of travel for deaths within 28 days of a test will stay the same.
Telegraph reported this morning that many of the recent deaths were definitely 'with' rather than 'of' covid.
Assuming we can't get case numbers to zero then there will always be some deaths 'with' presumably, even for the vaccinated? e.g. in hospital with later stage cancer but a mild or even non symptomatic case of covid 23 days previous.
Time to tighten up the stats?
I notice Israel can’t seem to get down below around 8 deaths a day.
Which seems fantastic given where we have been with covid.
If it is endemic and we must live with as we live with flu then politicians must start to accept that some people will sadly die of this disease. Now maybe the vaccines will live up to the US trial data - which should 100% reduction in deaths - when scaled to an entire population - but I suspect not.
Except that you do wonder how much willingness there is to "live with" Covid. As I said earlier, the Government has every incentive to prolong the emergency. Indeed, the entire Covid crisis could very easily be used as an excuse to weaponize the flu to this end as well. It is easy enough to see the logic that could be deployed:
+ Restrictions eliminated flu last year. We do not need to let people die of flu! If we just keep masks and social distancing every Winter for the rest of time, no-one will die of flu ever again. If you don't agree with this then you are not merely selfish but a cold-hearted murderer. + Moreover, if we don't have restrictions this Winter then there will be a massive, unprecedented wave of flu, because population immunity to it will now have reduced. That will combine with Winter Covid to cause Hospitals To Become Overwhelmed™. If you don't agree with restrictions you therefore want hospitals to become overwhelmed, you hate Our Beloved NHS and you must be burned at the stake for heresy.
Old people who stay at home in front of the TV most of the time will love all of this and vote Conservative with even greater enthusiasm. Younger people will resent and detest yet more restrictions but we don't matter.
The trivial answer to the Flu is to push the flu vaccine quite hard this year. No reason not to, really.
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
That's only half the story. I think in 1992, people were already tired of the Conservatives being in power. The reason they didn't boot them out in 1992 was because Labour didn't look like a serious alternative. You need both factors to get a change of government.
My prediction, as things stand, is that 2023 or 2024 will be like 1992: the Conservatives very discredited, but Labour not ready to be trusted to take over.
The Tories aren't at all discredited yet, your disillusionment with Brexit is clouding your judgement.
2019 was like 1979 and 1983 merged into one, it was putting the past behind us and starting a new era (1979) and with a completely discredited opposition (1983). I suspect the next election to be more like 1987 - a country looking in a better position than before with a decently competent government and an opposition that has started to face its challenges but still not taken that seriously.
They're not very discredited yet, it is true. I'm predicting they will be, based on the 50 years I've been observing politics.
I might be wrong, but I very much doubt it TBH. This is the government with Gavin Williamson in a senior position, a dishonest charlatan as PM, and is anti-business, anti-prosperity - curious attributes for a party which traditionally has had competence and understanding of business as its strongest points.
However, as I said I don't think Labour will be able to present a credible alternative by 2023/2024. Starmer is poor, his team is extraordinarily weak, and they don't seem to have a coherent position on anything very much. The time remaining for Labour to turn this round doesn't look sufficient. So I fear we are stuck with extremely bad government for at least a decade.
Gavin Williamson has had senior positions almost consistently since Theresa May made him Chief Whip in 2016. It won't surprise me if he loses it soon.
The PM is very good and well liked nationwide, but he stands for things that you dislike so you despise him and can't see his positives. Like those banging on about the Milk Snatcher.
The party is neither anti-business nor anti-prosperity, its just made decisions for reforms that some like you opposed. Again just the same as the early 80s too. How many economists were calling for Thatcher's reforms then to be stopped?
Sometimes it takes time for people to get on board when reforms happen, sadly you seem too stuck in your ways to see the positives right now. Hopefully you wake up to them eventually and aren't like those who were still banging on about the evils of Thatcherism 30 years later.
The cases look pretty decent; there's only one local authority area with a seven day rate above 100 per 100k left, and the zones of extremely low prevalence are gradually edging across the map.
The death count, however... if that becomes sticky then the excuse for stalling the unlockdown plan presents itself. The fact that maybe 11,000 people kick the bucket every week in the UK is irrelevant: 250-odd is an entire Airbus-A330 load of corpses every week, and will be presented (and understood by ignorant and frightened members of the public) in those sorts of terms. Casualties enormous, not safe, sorry.
I think the fact we still have 2,481 patients ill enough to be in hospital guarantees more deaths in the next few weeks and months, Of those 370 are reported as on ventilation, I am also a bit suspicious of the lags in death reporting. Its not unknown for deaths to hit the figures months after the actual passing, for whatever reason.
Hopefully though the direction of travel for deaths within 28 days of a test will stay the same.
Telegraph reported this morning that many of the recent deaths were definitely 'with' rather than 'of' covid.
Assuming we can't get case numbers to zero then there will always be some deaths 'with' presumably, even for the vaccinated? e.g. in hospital with later stage cancer but a mild or even non symptomatic case of covid 23 days previous.
Time to tighten up the stats?
I notice Israel can’t seem to get down below around 8 deaths a day.
Which is interesting as that's equivalent to 60/day in the UK and we are below that already.
Do the Israelis use a similar measure to us? It’s nigh-on impossible to reach zero under the 28 day measure as Richard has so eloquently explained above.
You’re better off stacking shelves at Morrison’s than caring for older and disabled people, and that’s not good enough for our country. #COVID19 has exposed the urgent need to reform staff pay, terms & conditions. My question in Parliament today...."
This seems a far bigger scandal to me than an inflation based pay rise for nurses.
Whilst I'd be in favour of paying nurses more if we can afford it (we probably cant), imo we must find more money to pay care staff appropriately, which means significant year on year increases maintained over several years.
Liz 4% Kendall sneering at "shelf stackers" not a good look either.
Does she really even think there is a job called that,and after shop workers have risked their lives too to keep the shops open why sneer at them..
Typical out of touch Politician or just terrible wording from a talentless individual?
Liz Kendall, whose pitch for the Labour Party leadership was based on listening to the voters, unless its on a subject where they don't agree with Liz Kendall.
You’re better off stacking shelves at Morrison’s than caring for older and disabled people, and that’s not good enough for our country. #COVID19 has exposed the urgent need to reform staff pay, terms & conditions. My question in Parliament today...."
This seems a far bigger scandal to me than an inflation based pay rise for nurses.
Whilst I'd be in favour of paying nurses more if we can afford it (we probably cant), imo we must find more money to pay care staff appropriately, which means significant year on year increases maintained over several years.
Liz 4% Kendall sneering at "shelf stackers" not a good look either.
Does she really even think there is a job called that,and after shop workers have risked their lives too to keep the shops open why sneer at them..
Typical out of touch Politician or just terrible wording from a talentless individual?
I havent heard what she said but sadly yes sounds like out of touch and ungrateful. Labour politicians should value and respect labour. Strange it needs to be said.
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
I thought the data showed that Black Wednesday holed the Tories’ economic credibility below the waterline, early in their final term?
Maybe but 1997 the economy was looking pretty good.
Black Wednesday set an agenda that even a booming economy couldn't fix...
So Black Wednesday and a mere five years later the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it?
Black Wednesday and the next available opportunity the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it, yes.
The Cons were on life support from Black Wednesday onwards. Had the dates of Black Wednesday and the General Election been reversed in 1992 then we would have had Prime Minister Kinnock.
Black Wednesday I watched perfectly sane people panic because their monthly mortgage payments tripled over the cause of the day.
Watching the chancellor increasing interest rates hourly without effect does that to people.
Why do you think Gordon Brown was so quick in moving control of interest rates away from his remit to the Bank of England.
You’re better off stacking shelves at Morrison’s than caring for older and disabled people, and that’s not good enough for our country. #COVID19 has exposed the urgent need to reform staff pay, terms & conditions. My question in Parliament today...."
This seems a far bigger scandal to me than an inflation based pay rise for nurses.
Whilst I'd be in favour of paying nurses more if we can afford it (we probably cant), imo we must find more money to pay care staff appropriately, which means significant year on year increases maintained over several years.
Liz 4% Kendall sneering at "shelf stackers" not a good look either.
Does she really even think there is a job called that,and after shop workers have risked their lives too to keep the shops open why sneer at them..
Typical out of touch Politician or just terrible wording from a talentless individual?
shelf stackers > vital front line workers > shelf stackers
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
I thought the data showed that Black Wednesday holed the Tories’ economic credibility below the waterline, early in their final term?
Maybe but 1997 the economy was looking pretty good.
Black Wednesday set an agenda that even a booming economy couldn't fix...
So Black Wednesday and a mere five years later the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it?
Black Wednesday and the next available opportunity the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it, yes.
The Cons were on life support from Black Wednesday onwards. Had the dates of Black Wednesday and the General Election been reversed in 1992 then we would have had Prime Minister Kinnock.
Black Wednesday I watched perfectly sane people panic because their monthly mortgage payments tripled over the cause of the day.
Watching the chancellor increasing interest rates hourly without effect does that to people.
Why do you think Gordon Brown was so quick in moving control of interest rates away from his remit to the Bank of England.
Black Wednesday was a catastrophic mistake and quite frankly even as a Tory the Party was right to be thrown out afterwards.
Leaving the ERM wasn't a mistake but being forced out kicking and screaming was.
The cases look pretty decent; there's only one local authority area with a seven day rate above 100 per 100k left, and the zones of extremely low prevalence are gradually edging across the map.
The death count, however... if that becomes sticky then the excuse for stalling the unlockdown plan presents itself. The fact that maybe 11,000 people kick the bucket every week in the UK is irrelevant: 250-odd is an entire Airbus-A330 load of corpses every week, and will be presented (and understood by ignorant and frightened members of the public) in those sorts of terms. Casualties enormous, not safe, sorry.
I think the fact we still have 2,481 patients ill enough to be in hospital guarantees more deaths in the next few weeks and months, Of those 370 are reported as on ventilation, I am also a bit suspicious of the lags in death reporting. Its not unknown for deaths to hit the figures months after the actual passing, for whatever reason.
Hopefully though the direction of travel for deaths within 28 days of a test will stay the same.
Telegraph reported this morning that many of the recent deaths were definitely 'with' rather than 'of' covid.
Assuming we can't get case numbers to zero then there will always be some deaths 'with' presumably, even for the vaccinated? e.g. in hospital with later stage cancer but a mild or even non symptomatic case of covid 23 days previous.
Time to tighten up the stats?
I notice Israel can’t seem to get down below around 8 deaths a day.
Which seems fantastic given where we have been with covid.
If it is endemic and we must live with as we live with flu then politicians must start to accept that some people will sadly die of this disease. Now maybe the vaccines will live up to the US trial data - which should 100% reduction in deaths - when scaled to an entire population - but I suspect not.
Except that you do wonder how much willingness there is to "live with" Covid. As I said earlier, the Government has every incentive to prolong the emergency. Indeed, the entire Covid crisis could very easily be used as an excuse to weaponize the flu to this end as well. It is easy enough to see the logic that could be deployed:
+ Restrictions eliminated flu last year. We do not need to let people die of flu! If we just keep masks and social distancing every Winter for the rest of time, no-one will die of flu ever again. If you don't agree with this then you are not merely selfish but a cold-hearted murderer. + Moreover, if we don't have restrictions this Winter then there will be a massive, unprecedented wave of flu, because population immunity to it will now have reduced. That will combine with Winter Covid to cause Hospitals To Become Overwhelmed™. If you don't agree with restrictions you therefore want hospitals to become overwhelmed, you hate Our Beloved NHS and you must be burned at the stake for heresy.
Old people who stay at home in front of the TV most of the time will love all of this and vote Conservative with even greater enthusiasm. Younger people will resent and detest yet more restrictions but we don't matter.
The trivial answer to the Flu is to push the flu vaccine quite hard this year. No reason not to, really.
Merge it with covid jabs. Think this will happen if not next year within a couple of years.
You’re better off stacking shelves at Morrison’s than caring for older and disabled people, and that’s not good enough for our country. #COVID19 has exposed the urgent need to reform staff pay, terms & conditions. My question in Parliament today...."
This seems a far bigger scandal to me than an inflation based pay rise for nurses.
Whilst I'd be in favour of paying nurses more if we can afford it (we probably cant), imo we must find more money to pay care staff appropriately, which means significant year on year increases maintained over several years.
Liz 4% Kendall sneering at "shelf stackers" not a good look either.
Does she really even think there is a job called that,and after shop workers have risked their lives too to keep the shops open why sneer at them..
Typical out of touch Politician or just terrible wording from a talentless individual?
shelf stackers > vital front line workers > shelf stackers
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
That's only half the story. I think in 1992, people were already tired of the Conservatives being in power. The reason they didn't boot them out in 1992 was because Labour didn't look like a serious alternative. You need both factors to get a change of government.
My prediction, as things stand, is that 2023 or 2024 will be like 1992: the Conservatives very discredited, but Labour not ready to be trusted to take over.
The Tories aren't at all discredited yet, your disillusionment with Brexit is clouding your judgement.
2019 was like 1979 and 1983 merged into one, it was putting the past behind us and starting a new era (1979) and with a completely discredited opposition (1983). I suspect the next election to be more like 1987 - a country looking in a better position than before with a decently competent government and an opposition that has started to face its challenges but still not taken that seriously.
They're not very discredited yet, it is true. I'm predicting they will be, based on the 50 years I've been observing politics.
I might be wrong, but I very much doubt it TBH. This is the government with Gavin Williamson in a senior position, a dishonest charlatan as PM, and is anti-business, anti-prosperity - curious attributes for a party which traditionally has had competence and understanding of business as its strongest points.
However, as I said I don't think Labour will be able to present a credible alternative by 2023/2024. Starmer is poor, his team is extraordinarily weak, and they don't seem to have a coherent position on anything very much. The time remaining for Labour to turn this round doesn't look sufficient. So I fear we are stuck with extremely bad government for at least a decade.
Gavin Williamson has had senior positions almost consistently since Theresa May made him Chief Whip in 2016. It won't surprise me if he loses it soon.
The PM is very good and well liked nationwide, but he stands for things that you dislike so you despise him and can't see his positives. Like those banging on about the Milk Snatcher.
The party is neither anti-business nor anti-prosperity, its just made decisions for reforms that some like you opposed. Again just the same as the early 80s too. How many economists were calling for Thatcher's reforms then to be stopped?
Sometimes it takes time for people to get on board when reforms happen, sadly you seem too stuck in your ways to see the positives right now. Hopefully you wake up to them eventually and aren't like those who were still banging on about the evils of Thatcherism 30 years later.
That might make sense if there were any 'reforms', or anything vaguely identifiable as something Boris stands for except (bizarrely) insulting our major trading partner even at the direct cost of killing off entire sectors of the economy for zero benefit.
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
The cases look pretty decent; there's only one local authority area with a seven day rate above 100 per 100k left, and the zones of extremely low prevalence are gradually edging across the map.
The death count, however... if that becomes sticky then the excuse for stalling the unlockdown plan presents itself. The fact that maybe 11,000 people kick the bucket every week in the UK is irrelevant: 250-odd is an entire Airbus-A330 load of corpses every week, and will be presented (and understood by ignorant and frightened members of the public) in those sorts of terms. Casualties enormous, not safe, sorry.
I think the fact we still have 2,481 patients ill enough to be in hospital guarantees more deaths in the next few weeks and months, Of those 370 are reported as on ventilation, I am also a bit suspicious of the lags in death reporting. Its not unknown for deaths to hit the figures months after the actual passing, for whatever reason.
Hopefully though the direction of travel for deaths within 28 days of a test will stay the same.
Telegraph reported this morning that many of the recent deaths were definitely 'with' rather than 'of' covid.
Assuming we can't get case numbers to zero then there will always be some deaths 'with' presumably, even for the vaccinated? e.g. in hospital with later stage cancer but a mild or even non symptomatic case of covid 23 days previous.
Time to tighten up the stats?
I notice Israel can’t seem to get down below around 8 deaths a day.
Which seems fantastic given where we have been with covid.
If it is endemic and we must live with as we live with flu then politicians must start to accept that some people will sadly die of this disease. Now maybe the vaccines will live up to the US trial data - which should 100% reduction in deaths - when scaled to an entire population - but I suspect not.
Except that you do wonder how much willingness there is to "live with" Covid. As I said earlier, the Government has every incentive to prolong the emergency. Indeed, the entire Covid crisis could very easily be used as an excuse to weaponize the flu to this end as well. It is easy enough to see the logic that could be deployed:
+ Restrictions eliminated flu last year. We do not need to let people die of flu! If we just keep masks and social distancing every Winter for the rest of time, no-one will die of flu ever again. If you don't agree with this then you are not merely selfish but a cold-hearted murderer. + Moreover, if we don't have restrictions this Winter then there will be a massive, unprecedented wave of flu, because population immunity to it will now have reduced. That will combine with Winter Covid to cause Hospitals To Become Overwhelmed™. If you don't agree with restrictions you therefore want hospitals to become overwhelmed, you hate Our Beloved NHS and you must be burned at the stake for heresy.
Old people who stay at home in front of the TV most of the time will love all of this and vote Conservative with even greater enthusiasm. Younger people will resent and detest yet more restrictions but we don't matter.
The trivial answer to the Flu is to push the flu vaccine quite hard this year. No reason not to, really.
If the vaccines aren't good enough for Covid, which seems increasingly to be the subtext of the Government's messaging, then in what universe are they going to be good enough for flu? Compared to the Covid vaccines, the flu vaccines are crap.
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
I thought the data showed that Black Wednesday holed the Tories’ economic credibility below the waterline, early in their final term?
Maybe but 1997 the economy was looking pretty good.
Black Wednesday set an agenda that even a booming economy couldn't fix...
So Black Wednesday and a mere five years later the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it?
Black Wednesday and the next available opportunity the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it, yes.
The Cons were on life support from Black Wednesday onwards. Had the dates of Black Wednesday and the General Election been reversed in 1992 then we would have had Prime Minister Kinnock.
Wonder what Black Wednesday will be for this shower?
Probably too late for this week but surely coming along quite soon.
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
The hospital admissions seem to be pretty flat across all the age groups.... hmmmm....
At an extremely low level.
Quite possibly hospitalisations with Covid and not hospitalisations due to Covid now. Similar to Richard's "deaths with" point above.
At the end of August last year, we got down to 45 admissions a day or so. They were quite definitely testing all admissions then as well. So no, that's not the answer.
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
That's only half the story. I think in 1992, people were already tired of the Conservatives being in power. The reason they didn't boot them out in 1992 was because Labour didn't look like a serious alternative. You need both factors to get a change of government.
My prediction, as things stand, is that 2023 or 2024 will be like 1992: the Conservatives very discredited, but Labour not ready to be trusted to take over.
The Tories aren't at all discredited yet, your disillusionment with Brexit is clouding your judgement.
2019 was like 1979 and 1983 merged into one, it was putting the past behind us and starting a new era (1979) and with a completely discredited opposition (1983). I suspect the next election to be more like 1987 - a country looking in a better position than before with a decently competent government and an opposition that has started to face its challenges but still not taken that seriously.
They're not very discredited yet, it is true. I'm predicting they will be, based on the 50 years I've been observing politics.
I might be wrong, but I very much doubt it TBH. This is the government with Gavin Williamson in a senior position, a dishonest charlatan as PM, and is anti-business, anti-prosperity - curious attributes for a party which traditionally has had competence and understanding of business as its strongest points.
However, as I said I don't think Labour will be able to present a credible alternative by 2023/2024. Starmer is poor, his team is extraordinarily weak, and they don't seem to have a coherent position on anything very much. The time remaining for Labour to turn this round doesn't look sufficient. So I fear we are stuck with extremely bad government for at least a decade.
Gavin Williamson has had senior positions almost consistently since Theresa May made him Chief Whip in 2016. It won't surprise me if he loses it soon.
The PM is very good and well liked nationwide, but he stands for things that you dislike so you despise him and can't see his positives. Like those banging on about the Milk Snatcher.
The party is neither anti-business nor anti-prosperity, its just made decisions for reforms that some like you opposed. Again just the same as the early 80s too. How many economists were calling for Thatcher's reforms then to be stopped?
Sometimes it takes time for people to get on board when reforms happen, sadly you seem too stuck in your ways to see the positives right now. Hopefully you wake up to them eventually and aren't like those who were still banging on about the evils of Thatcherism 30 years later.
That might make sense if there were any 'reforms', or anything vaguely identifiable as something Boris stands for except (bizarrely) insulting our major trading partner even at the direct cost of killing off entire sectors of the economy for zero benefit.
Reforms such as
Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
Is it in the government's gift to increase the pay of care workers? I thought they were mainly in the private sector.
It is in the government's gift to set a minimum price for 1 hour of social care work.
And to set the terms and conditions of the firms being paid to do that work..
Yes, but - there's a bit of a slippery slope alarm going off here. Setting minimum wages for each sector seems to be a) unnecessary, and b) unworkable.
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
I thought the data showed that Black Wednesday holed the Tories’ economic credibility below the waterline, early in their final term?
Maybe but 1997 the economy was looking pretty good.
Black Wednesday set an agenda that even a booming economy couldn't fix...
So Black Wednesday and a mere five years later the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it?
Black Wednesday and the next available opportunity the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it, yes.
The Cons were on life support from Black Wednesday onwards. Had the dates of Black Wednesday and the General Election been reversed in 1992 then we would have had Prime Minister Kinnock.
Wonder what Black Wednesday will be for this shower?
Probably too late for this week but surely coming along quite soon.
We'll probably find out in about 10 years or so when it happens, based on a timetable of 2024 = 1987.
Tory sleaze should be a powerful weapon for Labour unless you look too closely at the donors to SKS's leadership bid which is, well lets be charitable...........
Is it in the government's gift to increase the pay of care workers? I thought they were mainly in the private sector.
They are mostly in the private sector yes but that is still heavily influenced by local govt funding. And the govt are directly involved in the pay of 102k carers in the NHS and 113k carers in local authorities.
Tory sleaze should be a powerful weapon for Labour unless you look too closely at the donors to SKS's leadership bid which is, well lets be charitable...........
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
The hospital admissions seem to be pretty flat across all the age groups.... hmmmm....
At an extremely low level.
Quite possibly hospitalisations with Covid and not hospitalisations due to Covid now. Similar to Richard's "deaths with" point above.
At the end of August last year, we got down to 45 admissions a day or so. They were quite definitely testing all admissions then as well. So no, that's not the answer.
Yes but there were fewer cases in the community then. There were more than 45 admissions a day, its just that many who were admitted either with or due to Covid.
There's more cases in the community now, so we should expect more admissions even if its "with" instead of "due to" Covid.
No but it would be very amusing to see SNP 69 in reality.
+10 Green so almost a Super Majority for independence without the awkward Salmond bit.
I almost would prefer a few Alba SMPs to create an internal struggle within the pro-referendum parties.
5 is enough to ensure majority without the insidious Greens
But Malc
HYUFD has another poll today that he says may see the SNP miss a majority
Just saying
Its nigh-on-impossible for the SNP to get a majority, that they ever have is remarkable. If they do again it will be due to winning almost 100% of constituencies which is an incredible thing to think about.
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
I thought the data showed that Black Wednesday holed the Tories’ economic credibility below the waterline, early in their final term?
Maybe but 1997 the economy was looking pretty good.
Black Wednesday set an agenda that even a booming economy couldn't fix...
So Black Wednesday and a mere five years later the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it?
Black Wednesday and the next available opportunity the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it, yes.
The Cons were on life support from Black Wednesday onwards. Had the dates of Black Wednesday and the General Election been reversed in 1992 then we would have had Prime Minister Kinnock.
Black Wednesday I watched perfectly sane people panic because their monthly mortgage payments tripled over the cause of the day.
Watching the chancellor increasing interest rates hourly without effect does that to people.
Why do you think Gordon Brown was so quick in moving control of interest rates away from his remit to the Bank of England.
Black Wednesday made certain that the UK population would never accept the Euro; so not even Blair dared to try. If we had joined, leaving the EU would be even more tricky and unlikely. Almost certainly we would still be in and EU integration would be going forward rapidly with us on board.
Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.
1. Dwarfed by the massive increased red tape costs (and you've forgotten the ongoing payments to the EU)
2. Taking back control to the extent that the government can't authorise the sale of a bag of seed potatoes from one part of our own country to another. Yeah, wonderful.
3. Signing trade deals is a good thing, yes, compared with not doing so, but they only replicate what we already had.
4. No-one, not a single person on this earth who has looked at joining CPTPP in any detail thinks that (if indeed we do join) it will make any noticeable difference at all, certainly nothing like enough to compensate for the catastrophic increase in costs and non-tariff barriers Boris has created.
The financial markets really are a different world to us mere mortals.
At times I struggle to understand it, and I've been working in the banking/financial services sector for a decade this coming September.
Which probably something the Head of Regulatory Affairs SHOULD NOT admit to.
It is not too crazy if you look at everything in entirety.
First, money is cheap, is likely to remain cheap and a number of asset classes (cash, bonds and now property) are out of bounds because returns will be non-existent. So money has to go somewhere.
Second, the stock market reflects the value of companies, not necessarily the wider economy. In the past, it might have been the domestic economy was crap but a firm sold a lot overseas so it wasn't exposed, or that its product wasn't necessarily cyclical. But increasingly the story is about more share of wealth going to companies over (certainly) workers and, to a degree, Governments (because, in many cases, they are paying lower taxes). That doesn't look to be changing.
Third, the share price reflects predicted future profits. So you can get tech companies at crazy valuations but, if you think we are on the cusp of a revolution and these companies will benefit, they don't look so crazy on future earnings (look at the PEG ratio). Which is why all these efficiency software tools have rocketed - the market believes the way in which we work is being transformed and we are the start of that process, with a lot more to go. The winners will make out like bandits
PS on the third point, it's why I am negative on the future for many people economically - a lot of tasks will be replaced.
Explain NFTs!
I mean where's the fucking value in buying a £20 phone (current price in CEX) for £3 million because some third rate celebrity once sent out a tweet on that phone?
Its just a glorified version of collectibles isn't it?
With no guarantee of ownership because the NFT may refer to something fleeting that disappears into the ether.
Usually a file on someone else’s server - which you rely on them to maintain, and keep paying their hosting fees and domain registration fees. Only a matter of time until one of them becomes the next Mt. Gox.
The financial markets really are a different world to us mere mortals.
At times I struggle to understand it, and I've been working in the banking/financial services sector for a decade this coming September.
Which probably something the Head of Regulatory Affairs SHOULD NOT admit to.
It is not too crazy if you look at everything in entirety.
First, money is cheap, is likely to remain cheap and a number of asset classes (cash, bonds and now property) are out of bounds because returns will be non-existent. So money has to go somewhere.
Second, the stock market reflects the value of companies, not necessarily the wider economy. In the past, it might have been the domestic economy was crap but a firm sold a lot overseas so it wasn't exposed, or that its product wasn't necessarily cyclical. But increasingly the story is about more share of wealth going to companies over (certainly) workers and, to a degree, Governments (because, in many cases, they are paying lower taxes). That doesn't look to be changing.
Third, the share price reflects predicted future profits. So you can get tech companies at crazy valuations but, if you think we are on the cusp of a revolution and these companies will benefit, they don't look so crazy on future earnings (look at the PEG ratio). Which is why all these efficiency software tools have rocketed - the market believes the way in which we work is being transformed and we are the start of that process, with a lot more to go. The winners will make out like bandits
PS on the third point, it's why I am negative on the future for many people economically - a lot of tasks will be replaced.
Explain NFTs!
I mean where's the fucking value in buying a £20 phone (current price in CEX) for £3 million because some third rate celebrity once sent out a tweet on that phone?
Its just a glorified version of collectibles isn't it?
With no guarantee of ownership because the NFT may refer to something fleeting that disappears into the ether.
Usually a file on someone else’s server - which you rely on them to maintain, and keep paying their hosting fees and domain registration fees. Only a matter of time until one of them becomes the next Mt. Gox.
People's Expensive NFTs Keep Vanishing. This Is Why
“There was no history of my ever purchasing it, or ever owning it,” said one confused NFT buyer. “Now there’s nothing. My money’s gone.”
Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.
1. Dwarfed by the massive increased red tape costs (and you've forgotten the ongoing payments to the EU)
2. Taking back control to the extent that the government can't authorise the sale of a bag of seed potatoes from one part of our own country to another. Yeah, wonderful.
3. Signing trade deals is a good thing, yes, compared with not doing so, but they only replicate what we already had.
4. No-one, not a single person on this earth who has looked at joining CPTPP in any detail thinks that (if indeed we do join) it will make any noticeable difference at all, certainly nothing like enough to compensate for the catastrophic increase in costs and non-tariff barriers Boris has created.
1a. The ongoing payments to the EU are miniscule in comparison and are from liabilities accrued during membership. The notion we should continue accruing liabilities because we had some is rather perverse so do you really mean that?
1b. As for the red tape costs I'll say [Citation Needed] that they dwarf the membership costs please. Plus while the red tape costs are far from ideal at least a significant chunk of them are paying people in this country to certify forms etc who will then circulate the money domestically as opposed to abroad.
2. I don't care about Northern Ireland. Not many do. Not ideal but domestic stuff is more important.
3. Simply wrong, we are negotiating new deals that we did not have before.
The 1997 Cons govt didn't fall because of their management of the economy, it fell because people were tired of the Cons being in power (Boris might have swerved that because he positioned himself as a new administration) and, of course, because of sleaze.
I thought the data showed that Black Wednesday holed the Tories’ economic credibility below the waterline, early in their final term?
Maybe but 1997 the economy was looking pretty good.
Black Wednesday set an agenda that even a booming economy couldn't fix...
So Black Wednesday and a mere five years later the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it?
Black Wednesday and the next available opportunity the Cons are thrown out of power on account of it, yes.
The Cons were on life support from Black Wednesday onwards. Had the dates of Black Wednesday and the General Election been reversed in 1992 then we would have had Prime Minister Kinnock.
Black Wednesday I watched perfectly sane people panic because their monthly mortgage payments tripled over the cause of the day.
Watching the chancellor increasing interest rates hourly without effect does that to people.
Why do you think Gordon Brown was so quick in moving control of interest rates away from his remit to the Bank of England.
Black Wednesday made certain that the UK population would never accept the Euro; so not even Blair dared to try. If we had joined, leaving the EU would be even more tricky and unlikely. Almost certainly we would still be in and EU integration would be going forward rapidly with us on board.
Leaving while in the Euro would have been entertaining to say the least...
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
No but it would be very amusing to see SNP 69 in reality.
+10 Green so almost a Super Majority for independence without the awkward Salmond bit.
I almost would prefer a few Alba SMPs to create an internal struggle within the pro-referendum parties.
5 is enough to ensure majority without the insidious Greens
But Malc
HYUFD has another poll today that he says may see the SNP miss a majority
Just saying
Its nigh-on-impossible for the SNP to get a majority, that they ever have is remarkable. If they do again it will be due to winning almost 100% of constituencies which is an incredible thing to think about.
Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.
1. Dwarfed by the massive increased red tape costs (and you've forgotten the ongoing payments to the EU)
2. Taking back control to the extent that the government can't authorise the sale of a bag of seed potatoes from one part of our own country to another. Yeah, wonderful.
3. Signing trade deals is a good thing, yes, compared with not doing so, but they only replicate what we already had.
4. No-one, not a single person on this earth who has looked at joining CPTPP in any detail thinks that (if indeed we do join) it will make any noticeable difference at all, certainly nothing like enough to compensate for the catastrophic increase in costs and non-tariff barriers Boris has created.
1a. The ongoing payments to the EU are miniscule in comparison and are from liabilities accrued during membership. The notion we should continue accruing liabilities because we had some is rather perverse so do you really mean that?
1b. As for the red tape costs I'll say [Citation Needed] that they dwarf the membership costs please. Plus while the red tape costs are far from ideal at least a significant chunk of them are paying people in this country to certify forms etc who will then circulate the money domestically as opposed to abroad.
2. I don't care about Northern Ireland. Not many do. Not ideal but domestic stuff is more important.
3. Simply wrong, we are negotiating new deals that we did not have before.
4. Disagreed. Plus it's only one example of many.
Hang-on. Isn't NI domestic? Or are you truly a Little Englander?
The Home Office unlawfully tried to deport a key witness to the death of a man in immigration detention before they were able to give testimony, a court has ruled.
In a ground-breaking judgement, the department is found to have failed to take to take reasonable steps to secure important evidence concerning the death of a 34-year-old Nigerian man, Oscar Okwurime, who died in Harmondsworth removal centre on 12 September.
The Home Office has a legal requirement to assist inquests into deaths in detention by identifying and securing evidence from potential witnesses.
But in this case, the department continued to pursue its plans to remove a number of potential witnesses, including Ahmed Lawal, the claimant in the court case, by charter flight on 17 September 2019.
Mr Lawal, who was a close friend of Mr Okwurime, had been detained in the same wing at at the time of his death. He and a number of other detainees were able to instruct lawyers shortly before the flight and deter his removal on the basis that they were key witnesses.
You're right, Cameron's bid for a third term as PM could be in real trouble...
SPACE BUG EATING PEOPLE!
Remember 94 when the papers went loopy about flesh eating space bug. They can make a narrative. They find more and more instances and it snowballs, and then commentators start droning on about government need to get a grip on the sleaze pandemic. And then the voodoo polls, is this government and friends snouts at the trough with taxpayer money y/n? And then people go to vote but can’t see the party name on the slips just the word sleaze.
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
Why the Friday deadline?
I suspect that you're making this up.
It gives them a day to lift carpet, brush it underneath and give nil return.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Let's hope he takes a similar line on both the Licence Fee for 2022 to 2027 and the ridiculous demands for BBC/ITV/C4/C5 to be given prominence by law on all devices.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Tory sleaze should be a powerful weapon for Labour unless you look too closely at the donors to SKS's leadership bid which is, well lets be charitable...........
Fortunately there was never any impropriety when Len was holding the party purse strings...whilst running his own personal fiefdom, aka The Labour Party.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.
1. Dwarfed by the massive increased red tape costs (and you've forgotten the ongoing payments to the EU)
2. Taking back control to the extent that the government can't authorise the sale of a bag of seed potatoes from one part of our own country to another. Yeah, wonderful.
3. Signing trade deals is a good thing, yes, compared with not doing so, but they only replicate what we already had.
4. No-one, not a single person on this earth who has looked at joining CPTPP in any detail thinks that (if indeed we do join) it will make any noticeable difference at all, certainly nothing like enough to compensate for the catastrophic increase in costs and non-tariff barriers Boris has created.
1a. The ongoing payments to the EU are miniscule in comparison and are from liabilities accrued during membership. The notion we should continue accruing liabilities because we had some is rather perverse so do you really mean that?
1b. As for the red tape costs I'll say [Citation Needed] that they dwarf the membership costs please. Plus while the red tape costs are far from ideal at least a significant chunk of them are paying people in this country to certify forms etc who will then circulate the money domestically as opposed to abroad.
2. I don't care about Northern Ireland. Not many do. Not ideal but domestic stuff is more important.
3. Simply wrong, we are negotiating new deals that we did not have before.
4. Disagreed. Plus it's only one example of many.
Hang-on. Isn't NI domestic? Or are you truly a Little Englander?
I'm truly English.
Up to you whether you want to consider that "little" or not.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Time to ditch the lot of it. Tony Benn was absolutely right - the whole point of all this nonsense is to convey the message to the public that these people are so "important" that they must be deferred to and so that nobody will challenge their privileges.
Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.
1. Dwarfed by the massive increased red tape costs (and you've forgotten the ongoing payments to the EU)
2. Taking back control to the extent that the government can't authorise the sale of a bag of seed potatoes from one part of our own country to another. Yeah, wonderful.
3. Signing trade deals is a good thing, yes, compared with not doing so, but they only replicate what we already had.
4. No-one, not a single person on this earth who has looked at joining CPTPP in any detail thinks that (if indeed we do join) it will make any noticeable difference at all, certainly nothing like enough to compensate for the catastrophic increase in costs and non-tariff barriers Boris has created.
1a. The ongoing payments to the EU are miniscule in comparison and are from liabilities accrued during membership. The notion we should continue accruing liabilities because we had some is rather perverse so do you really mean that?
1b. As for the red tape costs I'll say [Citation Needed] that they dwarf the membership costs please. Plus while the red tape costs are far from ideal at least a significant chunk of them are paying people in this country to certify forms etc who will then circulate the money domestically as opposed to abroad.
2. I don't care about Northern Ireland. Not many do. Not ideal but domestic stuff is more important.
3. Simply wrong, we are negotiating new deals that we did not have before.
4. Disagreed. Plus it's only one example of many.
Something tells me you two will still be having this discussion in 50 years' time ...
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
Time to ditch the lot of it. Tony Benn was absolutely right - the whole point of all this nonsense is to convey the message to the public that these people are so "important" that they must be deferred to and so that nobody will challenge their privileges.
There are plenty of valid arguments to be made in favour of republicanism, but practically no public interest in actually implementing it.
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
Why the Friday deadline?
I suspect that you're making this up.
Me?
Are you joking ?
My apologies. You're in the right. I still don't believe the deadline though.
Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.
1. Dwarfed by the massive increased red tape costs (and you've forgotten the ongoing payments to the EU)
2. Taking back control to the extent that the government can't authorise the sale of a bag of seed potatoes from one part of our own country to another. Yeah, wonderful.
3. Signing trade deals is a good thing, yes, compared with not doing so, but they only replicate what we already had.
4. No-one, not a single person on this earth who has looked at joining CPTPP in any detail thinks that (if indeed we do join) it will make any noticeable difference at all, certainly nothing like enough to compensate for the catastrophic increase in costs and non-tariff barriers Boris has created.
1a. The ongoing payments to the EU are miniscule in comparison and are from liabilities accrued during membership. The notion we should continue accruing liabilities because we had some is rather perverse so do you really mean that?
1b. As for the red tape costs I'll say [Citation Needed] that they dwarf the membership costs please. Plus while the red tape costs are far from ideal at least a significant chunk of them are paying people in this country to certify forms etc who will then circulate the money domestically as opposed to abroad.
2. I don't care about Northern Ireland. Not many do. Not ideal but domestic stuff is more important.
3. Simply wrong, we are negotiating new deals that we did not have before.
4. Disagreed. Plus it's only one example of many.
Something tells me you two will still be having this discussion in 50 years' time ...
Sometimes it takes time for people to get on board when reforms happen, sadly you seem too stuck in your ways to see the positives right now. Hopefully you wake up to them eventually and aren't like those who were still banging on about the evils of Thatcherism 30 years later.
New to the thread, but take it someone has already posted ‘broken, sleazy tories on the slide...’
They are not sliding though.
Just this gut feel in Boris and this liberal Tory government, the vast majority of the British People (English and Welsh as Romans dubbed it) have the prime minister and the Government they have wanted for decades. Next 2 GE sown up I think, especially as Labour don’t have a credible Prime Minister in waiting.
Tory sleaze should be a powerful weapon for Labour unless you look too closely at the donors to SKS's leadership bid which is, well lets be charitable...........
Fortunately there was never any impropriety when Len was holding the party purse strings...whilst running his own personal fiefdom, aka The Labour Party.
Whataboutery at its finest
Instead of using the mass Membership to fund the Party
SKS has returned to the rich donor model (open to sleaze model)
On the very day a certain Labour leader said
"The whole labour movement stands in solidarity with British Gas workers.
They're defending themselves against the shameful practice of fire and rehire" . Labour choose that very day to sack 90 Labour Party staff.
The new new Labour Party using the failed funding model is heading off the cliff (very soon)
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
You seem obsessed with The Duchess of Sussex.
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
New to the thread, but take it someone has already posted ‘broken, sleazy tories on the slide...’
They are not sliding though.
Just this gut feel in Boris and this liberal Tory government, the vast majority of the British People (English and Welsh as Romans dubbed it) have the prime minister and the Government they have wanted for decades. Next 2 GE sown up I think, especially as Labour don’t have a credible Prime Minister in waiting.
You seem to have had a good afternoon in the beer garden!
Angus Robertson would fail in Edinburgh Central on that projection, and as he had to surrender first place in the regional list to a BAME carpetbagger from Glasgow, he might miss out altogether - every cloud etc.😉
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
btw. I saw a group of youngsters out in Ealing earlier leafleting for Brian Rose. Are we really so sure he won’t soon be surging towards 1% in the polls?
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
I'll email you one, but its on one of those subjects. I hope that's OK.
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
I'll email you one, but its on one of those subjects. I hope that's OK.
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
These are important issues that it's clear that you've wanted to champion for a while. Congratulations.
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
Oh god - Russian invasion OF Ukraine nailed on now
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
Oh god - Russian invasion OF Ukraine nailed on now
I have a hard time understanding the difference between AV and STV. Could you do a piece on this?
Tory sleaze should be a powerful weapon for Labour unless you look too closely at the donors to SKS's leadership bid which is, well lets be charitable...........
Fortunately there was never any impropriety when Len was holding the party purse strings...whilst running his own personal fiefdom, aka The Labour Party.
Whataboutery at its finest
Instead of using the mass Membership to fund the Party
SKS has returned to the rich donor model (open to sleaze model)
On the very day a certain Labour leader said
"The whole labour movement stands in solidarity with British Gas workers.
They're defending themselves against the shameful practice of fire and rehire" . Labour choose that very day to sack 90 Labour Party staff.
The new new Labour Party using the failed funding model is heading off the cliff (very soon)
Get your hand in your pocket Pete
I have done in the past BJO, and I might in the future. Not so much out of a desire to see the current Labour Party in power, but to see the back of Johnson.
Be careful of what you wish for BJO, as my preferred Labour Party would be the party of Umuna, and Berger.
I do have a big problem with Len, he strikes me as having similar characteristics to Johnson but without the humour and the clown costume.
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
Oh god - Russian invasion OF Ukraine nailed on now
I have a hard time understanding the difference between AV and STV. Could you do a piece on this?
Also the advantages / disadvantages of the STV compared to say the French approach of a top 2 run off...
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service" They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
Why the Friday deadline?
I suspect that you're making this up.
Me?
Are you joking ?
My apologies. You're in the right. I still don't believe the deadline though.
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
I'll email you one, but its on one of those subjects. I hope that's OK.
Scottish independence...and the tank invasion to prevent it?
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
Oh god - Russian invasion OF Ukraine nailed on now
I have a hard time understanding the difference between AV and STV. Could you do a piece on this?
I think one on each, explaining their merits in (excruciating) detail
So, I'm starting another stint as Guest Editor of PB in the next few days, if any of you have any pieces you'd like me to consider for publication, let me know.
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
I'll email you one, but its on one of those subjects. I hope that's OK.
Scottish independence...and the tank invasion to prevent it?
Tanks would be useless in an invasion of Scotland even before you consider the mothballing of the Challenger II tanks.
To invade Scotland we'd need 3 Commando Brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade to do the heavy lifting.
Comments
The PM is very good and well liked nationwide, but he stands for things that you dislike so you despise him and can't see his positives. Like those banging on about the Milk Snatcher.
The party is neither anti-business nor anti-prosperity, its just made decisions for reforms that some like you opposed. Again just the same as the early 80s too. How many economists were calling for Thatcher's reforms then to be stopped?
Sometimes it takes time for people to get on board when reforms happen, sadly you seem too stuck in your ways to see the positives right now. Hopefully you wake up to them eventually and aren't like those who were still banging on about the evils of Thatcherism 30 years later.
Is it a worrying sign?
Please God let this horror be over FFS.
Watching the chancellor increasing interest rates hourly without effect does that to people.
Why do you think Gordon Brown was so quick in moving control of interest rates away from his remit to the Bank of England.
Quite possibly hospitalisations with Covid and not hospitalisations due to Covid now. Similar to Richard's "deaths with" point above.
The trajectory of the UK pandemic.
Leaving the ERM wasn't a mistake but being forced out kicking and screaming was.
And to set the terms and conditions of the firms being paid to do that work..
https://twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/1382378312115355653
NEW: Simon Case letter to Perm Secs: "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern for us as the senior leadership team of the Civil Service"
They have until Fri to declare "any instances of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests".
Probably too late for this week but surely coming along quite soon.
I suspect that you're making this up.
- Reclaiming over a billion pounds a month NET and increasing annually in membership fees we no longer need to pay?
- Taking back control of our laws, set by our Parliament to suit us?
- Signing new trade deals with the rest of the world that make up the majority of our trade already?
- Joining the CPTPP which is not just a faster growing trade organisation than the EU, but will also be once we join a larger trade organisation than the EU itself - and will come on top of a zero tariff/zero quota deal with the EU?
That sort of thing? Those of us who aren't stuck in the past can see the benefits even if you haven't caught up yet.Are you joking ?
At least another source
https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1382378078287069185?s=20
https://twitter.com/segal_eran/status/1382291201655779330
Since mid-Jan. peak:
98% fewer cases
93% fewer critically ill
87% fewer deaths
85% of 16 y/o & above vaccinated/infected
Life is close to pre-covid
Worth looking at the replies as well.
HYUFD has another poll today that he says may see the SNP miss a majority
See the following:-
New Panelbase Holyrood poll has the SNP down 2% on the constituency vote to 47% and the SNP down 3% on the list to 36%.
That would lead to only 63 SNP seats and no SNP majority at Holyrood
https://twitter.com/BallotBoxScot/status/1382363721054453771?s=20
There's more cases in the community now, so we should expect more admissions even if its "with" instead of "due to" Covid.
2. Taking back control to the extent that the government can't authorise the sale of a bag of seed potatoes from one part of our own country to another. Yeah, wonderful.
3. Signing trade deals is a good thing, yes, compared with not doing so, but they only replicate what we already had.
4. No-one, not a single person on this earth who has looked at joining CPTPP in any detail thinks that (if indeed we do join) it will make any noticeable difference at all, certainly nothing like enough to compensate for the catastrophic increase in costs and non-tariff barriers Boris has created.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-nhs-trusts-compulsory-b1831484.html
“There was no history of my ever purchasing it, or ever owning it,” said one confused NFT buyer. “Now there’s nothing. My money’s gone.”
https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdj79/peoples-expensive-nfts-keep-vanishing-this-is-why
1b. As for the red tape costs I'll say [Citation Needed] that they dwarf the membership costs please. Plus while the red tape costs are far from ideal at least a significant chunk of them are paying people in this country to certify forms etc who will then circulate the money domestically as opposed to abroad.
2. I don't care about Northern Ireland. Not many do. Not ideal but domestic stuff is more important.
3. Simply wrong, we are negotiating new deals that we did not have before.
4. Disagreed. Plus it's only one example of many.
Few give a monkeys whether you are prepared to "forgive" the Royal Family" It is yet another attempt to grab the limelight.
Kindly go away and annoy someone else (as you surely will).
Thank you
SR2
What do you make of this though?
PRINCE Andrew reportedly told the Queen he wished to dress in Admiral uniform for Prince Philip's funeral - despite deferring the title after the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.
The Duke of York, who stepped back from public duties over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 18 months ago, was made an honorary Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy on his 55th birthday in 2015.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14643537/prince-andrew-demands-admiral-dress-funeral/
The Home Office unlawfully tried to deport a key witness to the death of a man in immigration detention before they were able to give testimony, a court has ruled.
In a ground-breaking judgement, the department is found to have failed to take to take reasonable steps to secure important evidence concerning the death of a 34-year-old Nigerian man, Oscar Okwurime, who died in Harmondsworth removal centre on 12 September.
The Home Office has a legal requirement to assist inquests into deaths in detention by identifying and securing evidence from potential witnesses.
But in this case, the department continued to pursue its plans to remove a number of potential witnesses, including Ahmed Lawal, the claimant in the court case, by charter flight on 17 September 2019.
Mr Lawal, who was a close friend of Mr Okwurime, had been detained in the same wing at at the time of his death. He and a number of other detainees were able to instruct lawyers shortly before the flight and deter his removal on the basis that they were key witnesses.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/home-office-deport-oscar-okwurime-b1831437.html
No wonder Johnson and Patel want to stop people trying to stop deportations like this.
Remember 94 when the papers went loopy about flesh eating space bug. They can make a narrative. They find more and more instances and it snowballs, and then commentators start droning on about government need to get a grip on the sleaze pandemic. And then the voodoo polls, is this government and friends snouts at the trough with taxpayer money y/n? And then people go to vote but can’t see the party name on the slips just the word sleaze.
"Ministers veto reappointment of two women to Channel 4 board"
"Decision not to renew Uzma Hasan and Fru Hazlitt was made against advice of Channel 4 and Ofcom"
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/apr/14/ministers-veto-reappointment-of-two-women-to-channel-4-board
Let's hope he takes a similar line on both the Licence Fee for 2022 to 2027 and the ridiculous demands for BBC/ITV/C4/C5 to be given prominence by law on all devices.
Up to you whether you want to consider that "little" or not.
Time to ditch the lot of it. Tony Benn was absolutely right - the whole point of all this nonsense is to convey the message to the public that these people are so "important" that they must be deferred to and so that nobody will challenge their privileges.
It's just a show to maintain the status quo.
Just this gut feel in Boris and this liberal Tory government, the vast majority of the British People (English and Welsh as Romans dubbed it) have the prime minister and the Government they have wanted for decades. Next 2 GE sown up I think, especially as Labour don’t have a credible Prime Minister in waiting.
Instead of using the mass Membership to fund the Party
SKS has returned to the rich donor model (open to sleaze model)
On the very day a certain Labour leader said
"The whole labour movement stands in solidarity with British Gas workers.
They're defending themselves against the shameful practice of fire and rehire"
.
Labour choose that very day to sack 90 Labour Party staff.
The new new Labour Party using the failed funding model is heading off the cliff (very soon)
Get your hand in your pocket Pete
I have been a republican most of my life but of recent years have greatly admired the Queen and Prince Philip
Andrew is an embarrassment but to be fair, he did see action in the Falklands and actively served his country
And to be honest, I do not care what he wears.
Saturday is about Prince Philip and the Queen
He has put a bit of timber on but definitely him
Otherwise everyday will feature a thread on AV or Scottish Independence, somedays, I may even combine them both.
Be careful of what you wish for BJO, as my preferred Labour Party would be the party of Umuna, and Berger.
I do have a big problem with Len, he strikes me as having similar characteristics to Johnson but without the humour and the clown costume.
Something in my eye. Both eyes actually ...
You and me both Andrew.....
To invade Scotland we'd need 3 Commando Brigade and 16 Air Assault Brigade to do the heavy lifting.