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I hope you all had as much fun as Michael Gove had this weekend – politicalbetting.com

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Comments

  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,019
    Scott_xP said:

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    That's entirely backwards.

    You already have all the benefits there are ever going to be, and the costs are only increasing.
    You need help.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,959
    Scott_xP said:

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    That's entirely backwards.

    You already have all the benefits there are ever going to be, and the costs are only increasing.
    Keep dreaming that dream.

    It saves you from the nightmare of that bus I guess.....
  • rpjsrpjs Posts: 3,787
    IshmaelZ said:

    rpjs said:

    kjh said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    A friend of mine with whom I skied frequently was an accident investigator. He is often on the TV when there is an air accident and was on the Concorde accident documentary. Anyway he tells cracking stories.

    On one trip we were flying British Island Airways and we could see the planes lined up. He said if ours is that one over there I'm not getting on it. Obviously we wanted to know why.

    Apparently it had recently landed with its undercarriage light on. They took the normal precautions on landing, crossed their fingers and hoped it was an electrical fault. Anyway all was well. It landed ok and everyone got off.

    They then towed it away at which point the nose hit the ground. No idea if he was winding us up or not.
    That reminds me a little of the "Frankenotter" that I recently read about on Reddit. A DHC Otter used for skydiving that's made from parts salvaged from 11 previously crashed aircraft! Apparently it still retained remnants of the contributing aircrafts' liveries and so was constantly being spot-checked by FAA ramp inspectors so they repainted it to make it less obvious.
    I skydived in Namibia a couple of times in a cessna where the rear window was held in place with duct tape. It works rather well, it makes jumping out of the plane seem much less of a bad idea.
    Very first time I flew was on a superannuated BA 747 to Philly, and there was duct tape holding down the access panels to the slide mechanism by one of the doors.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Portable morgues for Central Florida

    Covid-19 deaths have increased so much that the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition, a federally funded nonprofit that aids in preparing health care system response, has purchased 14 portable morgues with the capacity of 12 decedents each, coalition Executive Director Lynne Drawdy said.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/29/health/us-coronavirus-sunday/index.html?ofs=fbia
  • isamisam Posts: 40,731

    SKS Ratings worse by another 6.5% in a month.

    Keir Starmer (Lab)
    Positive: 25.8% (-1.2)
    Negative: 44.4% (+5.3)

    You Tories! I notice you avoid analysing the closer polls.

    That said, Labour and Starmer in particular do need to get themselves noticed on the news agenda.
    That’s the average of the polls, so seems a fair thing to analyse to me
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739

    Keep dreaming that dream.

    The tragedy is you know I'm right
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587
    isam said:

    SKS Ratings worse by another 6.5% in a month.

    Keir Starmer (Lab)
    Positive: 25.8% (-1.2)
    Negative: 44.4% (+5.3)

    You Tories! I notice you avoid analysing the closer polls.

    That said, Labour and Starmer in particular do need to get themselves noticed on the news agenda.
    That’s the average of the polls, so seems a fair thing to analyse to me
    My comment was specifically aimed at BJO.
  • rcs1000 said:

    HYUFD said:

    rcs1000 said:

    How low can the CDU/CSU go?

    image

    Who's dropping faster Trudeau's Liberals or Laschet's CDU?

    Once you eliminate Other, you only need about 45-6% to get to half the seats in the Bundestag. That makes SPD + Green surprisingly close to a workable two party coalition.
    This surely is the GE issue for Johnson's Tories... they may be ahead at the start of the next election but anything can happen during a campaign - and it often does.
    Except the Tories actually picked their most electable leader in Boris as he proved in 2019.

    The Union however rejected their most electable leadership candidate in Soder to replace Merkel in favour of the hapless Laschet
    All just your opinion.

    Johnson won in 2019; that doesn't prove he was the Tories most electable leader. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't, we'll never know. Hunt could have won a 150 seat majority. Who knows?
    Not just his opinion (and I rarely agree with HYUFD).

    There's plenty of opinion polling data, as well as logical reasoning, to say that Hunt would have done worse than Johnson.

    How would Hunt have united the Brexiteer vote given he was prepared to voluntarily extend Article 50 and not prepared to leave without a deal.
    I suspect that Hunt would have done fine, simply because the shine had really come off Corbyn by 2019. But I doubt he'd have done as well as Johnson; say a 30-50 seat majority.
    I doubt he would have, simply because the shine had really come off the Tories by 2019 too.

    Boris had a solution to the Article 50 quagmire - refuse to extend it, make Parliament do so instead, make it Parliament versus the people with him on the side of the people.

    Hunt had no solution, he was willing to extend Article 50 by himself and had no solution as to how to get us out of the mess.

    So how would he have gotten voters who'd abandoned the Tories to go to the BXP back on board?
  • nico679nico679 Posts: 4,534

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Exactly . What values have been advanced .
  • GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,697
    edited August 2021
    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I said this election had the potential to blow up in Tradeau's face...
  • AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670
    IshmaelZ said:

    Portable morgues for Central Florida

    Covid-19 deaths have increased so much that the Central Florida Disaster Medical Coalition, a federally funded nonprofit that aids in preparing health care system response, has purchased 14 portable morgues with the capacity of 12 decedents each, coalition Executive Director Lynne Drawdy said.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/29/health/us-coronavirus-sunday/index.html?ofs=fbia

    Meanwhile DeSantis has been on an out of state fundraising trip.
  • True


    That is epically funny and just proves there is such a thing as natural justice.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739
    Presser coming up with @PentagonPresSec in a few minutes announcing US war in #Afghanistan is over. @bbclysedoucet live from #Kabul hearing gunfire that sounds like it’s celebratory. https://twitter.com/naveedajamali/status/1432428298903113729
  • IanB2 said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    Italian passengers clearly understand about Italian pilots, then.

    I remember an Al Italia to Venice Marco Polo many years ago. The plane was flying along at a considerable altitude quite happily and, having a window seat, I was gazing down at an airport far below. “I am sure that looks like where we’re supposed to be landing”, I say to my partner; not long after the pilot clearly arrives at the same conclusion as the plane suddenly embarks on by far the sharpest descent I have ever experienced on a passenger plane.
    I was on a plane that landed almost sideways at Tromso many years ago. We definitely applauded that pilot. Those of us who could stop sobbing long enough.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,758
    GIN1138 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I said this election had the potential to blow up in Tradeau's face...
    Then he’ll be done for racism for being in blackface yet again.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 23,926
    edited August 2021
    ydoethur said:

    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20

    Since when has gross incompetence been a bar to high office under Johnson?
    Since when has a Sun story from Saturday still been new Monday night on Twitter?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,043
    Foxy said:
    Fascist looking haircut frankly.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739
    UK backlash erupts over leaked Pentagon transcripts pre-Kabul airport attack.

    Emergence of classified info citing UK as reason for keeping open Abbey Gate, where 13 US personnel were killed, has "undercurrent of blame", says senior Tory Tobias Ellwood.


    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/08/30/underlying-current-blame-kabul-airport-suicide-attack-came-us/
  • gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362
    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,043
    gealbhan said:

    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.

    Not sure Johnson sees him as the enemy these days. Gove is running the administrative bits of government while Johnson does his crap hair jokey stuff.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069
    ydoethur said:

    True


    It’s classic woolly thinking.
    Ewe cannot be serious!
  • gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362

    NEW: Following the Afghan crisis, Dominic Raab has “about as much chance of being in a top four position (great office of state) by next spring as Arsenal.” - government source

    https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1432423087216242698?s=20

    The Tory government supports Chelsea, and the Labour opposition supports Arsenal?

    Any reason?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,043
    Andrew Lilico
    @andrew_lilico
    ·
    1h
    Remember those forecasts from last Jan/Feb of 150k more deaths if we opened up, even after vaxxing? Thought I'd check how many folk had died since 22/3 (allowing 2 weeks from the March 8th end of Lockdown3). The answer? 5823 in the UK; 5334 in England.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,401
    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    True


    It’s classic woolly thinking.
    Ewe cannot be serious!
    That pun from our (Bluefaced) Leicester correspondent.
  • gealbhan said:

    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.

    Not sure Johnson sees him as the enemy these days. Gove is running the administrative bits of government while Johnson does his crap hair jokey stuff.
    From a week ago:-
    Michael Gove roars back into favour: Boris gives 'frenemy' a lift on dirt bike at Chequers bash - fuelling speculation that's he's on track for a Cabinet promotion

    Michael Gove and 'frenemy' Boris Johnson rekindled friendship with joint dirt bike ride at high-spirited Chequers party earlier this month
    After years of distrust, the Cabinet Office Minister appears to be back in favour
    Gove’s place is enhanced by growing suspicion between PM and Rishi Sunak

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9894261/Boris-gives-frenemy-Gove-lift-dirt-bike-Chequers-bash-fuelling-promotion-speculation.html
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 39,749

    gealbhan said:

    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.

    Not sure Johnson sees him as the enemy these days. Gove is running the administrative bits of government while Johnson does his crap hair jokey stuff.
    From a week ago:-
    Michael Gove roars back into favour: Boris gives 'frenemy' a lift on dirt bike at Chequers bash - fuelling speculation that's he's on track for a Cabinet promotion

    Michael Gove and 'frenemy' Boris Johnson rekindled friendship with joint dirt bike ride at high-spirited Chequers party earlier this month
    After years of distrust, the Cabinet Office Minister appears to be back in favour
    Gove’s place is enhanced by growing suspicion between PM and Rishi Sunak

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9894261/Boris-gives-frenemy-Gove-lift-dirt-bike-Chequers-bash-fuelling-promotion-speculation.html
    Uuurgh

    'the image was strikingly symbolic: Gove riding on the back of Boris Johnson’s dirt bike, his arms wrapped around Johnson’s waist.'
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,019
    Scott_xP said:

    Keep dreaming that dream.

    The tragedy is you know I'm right
    2016 "we'll have an immediate recession!"
    2017 "we haven't invoked A50 yet!"
    2018 "we haven't done a Deal yet!"
    2019 "Brexit hasn't happened yet!"
    2020 "we're still in the transition period!"
    2021 "we haven't invoked all the rules yet!"

    Yep, we're terrified you're right, Scott.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069

    gealbhan said:

    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.

    Not sure Johnson sees him as the enemy these days. Gove is running the administrative bits of government while Johnson does his crap hair jokey stuff.
    From a week ago:-
    Michael Gove roars back into favour: Boris gives 'frenemy' a lift on dirt bike at Chequers bash - fuelling speculation that's he's on track for a Cabinet promotion

    Michael Gove and 'frenemy' Boris Johnson rekindled friendship with joint dirt bike ride at high-spirited Chequers party earlier this month
    After years of distrust, the Cabinet Office Minister appears to be back in favour
    Gove’s place is enhanced by growing suspicion between PM and Rishi Sunak

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9894261/Boris-gives-frenemy-Gove-lift-dirt-bike-Chequers-bash-fuelling-promotion-speculation.html
    Uuurgh

    'the image was strikingly symbolic: Gove riding on the back of Boris Johnson’s dirt bike, his arms wrapped around Johnson’s waist.'
    Do I need to get out the urban dictionary to make sense of what "Johnsons dirt bike" is?
  • Andrew Lilico
    @andrew_lilico
    ·
    1h
    Remember those forecasts from last Jan/Feb of 150k more deaths if we opened up, even after vaxxing? Thought I'd check how many folk had died since 22/3 (allowing 2 weeks from the March 8th end of Lockdown3). The answer? 5823 in the UK; 5334 in England.

    Wonder how mant were unvaxxed?
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,837

    gealbhan said:

    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.

    Not sure Johnson sees him as the enemy these days. Gove is running the administrative bits of government while Johnson does his crap hair jokey stuff.
    From a week ago:-
    Michael Gove roars back into favour: Boris gives 'frenemy' a lift on dirt bike at Chequers bash - fuelling speculation that's he's on track for a Cabinet promotion

    Michael Gove and 'frenemy' Boris Johnson rekindled friendship with joint dirt bike ride at high-spirited Chequers party earlier this month
    After years of distrust, the Cabinet Office Minister appears to be back in favour
    Gove’s place is enhanced by growing suspicion between PM and Rishi Sunak

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9894261/Boris-gives-frenemy-Gove-lift-dirt-bike-Chequers-bash-fuelling-promotion-speculation.html
    Uuurgh

    'the image was strikingly symbolic: Gove riding on the back of Boris Johnson’s dirt bike, his arms wrapped around Johnson’s waist.'
    Long arms as well then.
    The man is physically gifted in so many ways.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,758

    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    True


    It’s classic woolly thinking.
    Ewe cannot be serious!
    That pun from our (Bluefaced) Leicester correspondent.
    It was an attempt to ram it home.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 113,969
    edited August 2021
    Foxy said:

    gealbhan said:

    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.

    Not sure Johnson sees him as the enemy these days. Gove is running the administrative bits of government while Johnson does his crap hair jokey stuff.
    From a week ago:-
    Michael Gove roars back into favour: Boris gives 'frenemy' a lift on dirt bike at Chequers bash - fuelling speculation that's he's on track for a Cabinet promotion

    Michael Gove and 'frenemy' Boris Johnson rekindled friendship with joint dirt bike ride at high-spirited Chequers party earlier this month
    After years of distrust, the Cabinet Office Minister appears to be back in favour
    Gove’s place is enhanced by growing suspicion between PM and Rishi Sunak

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9894261/Boris-gives-frenemy-Gove-lift-dirt-bike-Chequers-bash-fuelling-promotion-speculation.html
    Uuurgh

    'the image was strikingly symbolic: Gove riding on the back of Boris Johnson’s dirt bike, his arms wrapped around Johnson’s waist.'
    Do I need to get out the urban dictionary to make sense of what "Johnsons dirt bike" is?
    Well Johnson is a term for penis and well dirt biking is a term for having sex with someone on all fours and making the motorcycle vroom vroom is optional.

    Apologies to y'all for putting that image in your heads.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195
    https://twitter.com/Caroline_Mucus/status/1432279146563084290

    Chippy Nats look away now :smiley:

    Scottish National Treasure, Nicky has been pinged by track and trace

    At first she thought it was Covid until it turned out to be the police trying to locate Peter and that £600,000. Both are still missing

    :smiley::smiley::smiley:
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,019

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Notwithstanding the fact we have a Conservative government in office, on cultural and social matters and climate change the story of the past 5 years is that it's almost all gone the way most leading Remainers would have liked, and all of it has a large globalist/ internationalist dimension to it.

    Political influence isn't solely down to winning Westminster elections. If you have enough of a influential body across civic society believing in values strongly enough then they can advance change outwith them regardless.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    rpjs said:

    TimT said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    kjh said:

    geoffw said:

    I've often been on planes where the passengers clapped on landing. It just reflects their age and nationality. Italians are most likely to applaud in my experience.

    I would be reluctant to get on a plane if I knew the passengers thought it necessary to clap s successful landing.
    My wife and I have flown extensively world wide over the last 20 years and clapping on landing is remarkably common in our experience
    It was just a joke but I do find it wierd to clap a pilot for doing what he should be able to do with his eyes closed (well maybe not that).

    I'll be the first to clap when s/he lands it ok after an engine has fallen off.
    We actually lost an engine ex Bangkok on our flight from Heathrow to Sydney a few years ago and circled for 2 hours jettisoning fuel before a full emergency landing back at Bangkok, and to our relief they did not deploy the exit shutes and there was a huge round of applause for the flight crew

    Qantas put us up in a 5 star hotel for one and a half nights before we were taken back to the airport and met the same crew.

    An empty Qantas 747 from Sydney taxied to our stand with 5 engines on board, they took one off and then flew us to Sydney

    The spare engine was for our previous plane

    Quite an event
    I have had two incidents on flights. One aborted take off which was straight forward and one emergency landing. The emergency landing was due to bursting the front tyres on take off. They didn't tell us anything until we had to do a fly past of the tower, which needed a bit of explaining.

    I met some very nice firemen.

    I think we clapped.
    I was once a BA plane to a small airport somewhere. We're coming in as normal, and then suddenly about 500 meters from landing, the big "Go Around" button was pressed and we were all slammed into the back of our seats.

    Thirty seconds later the pilot came onto the intercom "Sorry about that folks, some idiot just rolled their plane into the middle of the runway"
    Had the same landing in Rio on United. But the pilot said "Sorry folks. The approach did not feel right, so we decided to go around again." No-one complained.
    Had a very similar experience on Icelandair with a go-around at Keflavik: "Our approach parameters did not meet our high standards here at Icelandair." Mind you, given the changeability of Icelandic weather, I should imagine go-arounds must be pretty routine stuff for pilots flying into Keflavik.
    After waking in a NY to Stockholm flight over the Netherlands pilot days…

    “Bit of a diversion folks. But don’t worry we should have enough fuel to reach Stockholm…”
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,712
    Scott_xP said:

    Presser coming up with @PentagonPresSec in a few minutes announcing US war in #Afghanistan is over. @bbclysedoucet live from #Kabul hearing gunfire that sounds like it’s celebratory. https://twitter.com/naveedajamali/status/1432428298903113729

    Last US troops have now officially left Afghanistan.

    However the war is clearly not over, it will now just turn into a civil war between the Taliban and ISIS and the Taliban and Massood. All that has happened tonight is western troops will no longer be part of that war for now
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,074
    "Uomo propone. Dio dispose."

    Man proposes; God disposes.

    I've had a day which has amply proved this Italian saying to be all too true.

    Cherish life, folks. And those you love. It can all change in an instant.

  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149

    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    True


    It’s classic woolly thinking.
    Ewe cannot be serious!
    That pun from our (Bluefaced) Leicester correspondent.
    He supports Glasgow Rangers? Not the lot at Filbert Lane?
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069
    Carnyx said:

    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    True


    It’s classic woolly thinking.
    Ewe cannot be serious!
    That pun from our (Bluefaced) Leicester correspondent.
    He supports Glasgow Rangers? Not the lot at Filbert Lane?
    Filbert Way, the old ground was Filbert St.

  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    ydoethur said:

    Foxy said:

    ydoethur said:

    True


    It’s classic woolly thinking.
    Ewe cannot be serious!
    That pun from our (Bluefaced) Leicester correspondent.
    It was an attempt to ram it home.
    I don't know wether it succeeded.
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    Cyclefree said:

    "Uomo propone. Dio dispose."

    Man proposes; God disposes.

    I've had a day which has amply proved this Italian saying to be all too true.

    Cherish life, folks. And those you love. It can all change in an instant.

    That does not sound good, Cyclefree. Hope all is well.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,043
    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Presser coming up with @PentagonPresSec in a few minutes announcing US war in #Afghanistan is over. @bbclysedoucet live from #Kabul hearing gunfire that sounds like it’s celebratory. https://twitter.com/naveedajamali/status/1432428298903113729

    Last US troops have now officially left Afghanistan.

    However the war is clearly not over, it will now just turn into a civil war between the Taliban and ISIS and the Taliban and Massood. All that has happened tonight is western troops will no longer be part of that war for now
    For how long?
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,281

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Notwithstanding the fact we have a Conservative government in office, on cultural and social matters and climate change the story of the past 5 years is that it's almost all gone the way most leading Remainers would have liked, and all of it has a large globalist/ internationalist dimension to it.

    Political influence isn't solely down to winning Westminster elections. If you have enough of a influential body across civic society believing in values strongly enough then they can advance change outwith them regardless.
    Yes, I think you have a very good point there.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Cyclefree said:

    "Uomo propone. Dio dispose."

    Man proposes; God disposes.

    I've had a day which has amply proved this Italian saying to be all too true.

    Cherish life, folks. And those you love. It can all change in an instant.

    I hope all ok?
  • Cyclefree said:

    "Uomo propone. Dio dispose."

    Man proposes; God disposes.

    I've had a day which has amply proved this Italian saying to be all too true.

    Cherish life, folks. And those you love. It can all change in an instant.

    Best wishes Cyclefree.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Notwithstanding the fact we have a Conservative government in office, on cultural and social matters and climate change the story of the past 5 years is that it's almost all gone the way most leading Remainers would have liked, and all of it has a large globalist/ internationalist dimension to it.

    Political influence isn't solely down to winning Westminster elections. If you have enough of a influential body across civic society believing in values strongly enough then they can advance change outwith them regardless.
    Yes, I think you have a very good point there.
    Yes, the Brexiteers have built on sand, and cannot fight the tide of history.
  • I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Notwithstanding the fact we have a Conservative government in office, on cultural and social matters and climate change the story of the past 5 years is that it's almost all gone the way most leading Remainers would have liked, and all of it has a large globalist/ internationalist dimension to it.

    Political influence isn't solely down to winning Westminster elections. If you have enough of a influential body across civic society believing in values strongly enough then they can advance change outwith them regardless.
    Which does lead to a whole pile of questions.

    For some, the whole point of Brexit was to change direction on a wide range of issues. More national pride, more taking back control. For some, a world like the one they remember from the 1960s, when their hand first wandered onto Elsie Northwhaite's... you get the gist.

    And it's not turning out like that. Partly because some of the connections were a bit silly- walk around France, Spain, anywhere in the EU really, and there are plenty of national flags. Partly because some of the nostalgia is for things that really ought to be left in the past.

    But mostly because there are those in and around government who really want a culture war, and nobody is coming to fight them. People are generally shrugging and getting on with their lives. Look at GB News.

    Government just isn't that important, and wise rulers have known that from Canute onwards.
  • I'm 28 years old living in a 1 bedroom 750 square foot apartment with my wife and dog that cost $2,200 a month. I bought a Jpeg of an ape for $252,800 today. I just want you to know that if you're reading this, you're not too late.

    https://twitter.com/dankcoldturkey/status/1432177856222834689?s=20
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Notwithstanding the fact we have a Conservative government in office, on cultural and social matters and climate change the story of the past 5 years is that it's almost all gone the way most leading Remainers would have liked, and all of it has a large globalist/ internationalist dimension to it.

    Political influence isn't solely down to winning Westminster elections. If you have enough of a influential body across civic society believing in values strongly enough then they can advance change outwith them regardless.
    Your'e talking in riddles.

    I am not sure you are qualified to tell me what I should think post Brexit and how grateful I should be to live in your brave new Johnsonian Brexit world. It still all looks very much like an absolute crock to me.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Notwithstanding the fact we have a Conservative government in office, on cultural and social matters and climate change the story of the past 5 years is that it's almost all gone the way most leading Remainers would have liked, and all of it has a large globalist/ internationalist dimension to it.

    Political influence isn't solely down to winning Westminster elections. If you have enough of a influential body across civic society believing in values strongly enough then they can advance change outwith them regardless.
    Isn't that another way of saying democracy isn't as important as it should be? Certain people getting their own way despite not being able to win an election.
  • FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195
    Cyclefree said:

    "Uomo propone. Dio dispose."

    Man proposes; God disposes.

    I've had a day which has amply proved this Italian saying to be all too true.

    Cherish life, folks. And those you love. It can all change in an instant.

    Best wishes Cyclefree
  • YoungTurkYoungTurk Posts: 158
    Carnyx said:

    Mr. Pete, aye, it was difficult and has been poorly handled by multiple UK governments.

    However.

    The 2007 referendum on Lisbon should've been held. Integrating endlessly without recourse to the electorate because the main parties all agreed with one another led to the rise of UKIP and then a referendum on the nuclear option rather than binning a referendum (about which we'd been promised a referendum by all major UK parties, a promise subsequently reneged upon by two of the three).

    If the UK political class had bothered to either address the concerns of the electorate or make a case for the EU (in addition to not making manifesto pledges then breaking them immediately) we'd be in a better state of affairs.

    I don't dispute your final paragraph, but that relates to Brexit as a separate issue. I agree forty years of UK Governments of all stripes blaming the EU for their failures led us to Brexit, but we are where we are with that.

    My point was that those promoting the notion of leaving the EU ignored Northern Ireland, and then after the event blamed the inevitable issues Brexit would raise on the GFA. This is a particularly handy device for Johnson apologists.

    It is disingenuous of Johnson apologists to blame the GFA in hindsight for the inevitability of a border in the sea, when a UKIP- style Brexit was determined by Johnson over twenty years later.
    Absolutely right. The Brexiters poohpoohed the idea that the GFA and NI comprised a major issue. Possibly because they still thought Ireland was in the UK and could be ordered around, on at least one occasion witj the threat of An Gorta Mor Mark 2. Some of the comments at the time from Tory MPs did give the impresson some of them were a century or more out in their understanding of the political geography of the Isles of Ireland and Britain.
    What "should" have happened in the run-up to the Brexit referendum is that government law officers should have publicly advised that Brexit would require either renegotiating the GFA or reneging from it.

    That would have made the DUP very angry.

    Time perhaps for a reminder regarding what they have against the EU, namely they think it's a Roman Catholic plot.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285
    rcs1000 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    HYUFD said:

    Updated Canada poll tracker has the Conservatives with a clear average popular vote lead now, 33.4% to 31.5% for the Liberals and 19.8% for the NDP and 6% for the BQ.

    However the Liberals are still narrowly ahead on projected seats, with 143 to 130 for the Conservatives, 38 for the NDP and 26 for the BQ
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    I think this seat forecaster is still being rather generous towards the Liberals.
    It very much depends on the level of tactical voting in three way seats. Do you see Lib to NDP switchers in Lib-Con marginals?

    Difficult to say.
  • Boris Johnson has been PM for over two years and he has not changed the "woke" institutions, perhaps because there is nothing to change and it's all inside the heads of mad people. But idk
  • RobDRobD Posts: 58,941

    I'm 28 years old living in a 1 bedroom 750 square foot apartment with my wife and dog that cost $2,200 a month. I bought a Jpeg of an ape for $252,800 today. I just want you to know that if you're reading this, you're not too late.

    https://twitter.com/dankcoldturkey/status/1432177856222834689?s=20

    Doesn't he mean ex-wife?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Cyclefree said:

    "Uomo propone. Dio dispose."

    Man proposes; God disposes.

    I've had a day which has amply proved this Italian saying to be all too true.

    Cherish life, folks. And those you love. It can all change in an instant.

    Whatever it might be, I wish you well Cyclefree.

  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    I’ve no doubt this will end well….

    Britain tries to work out what a journalist is
    https://www.politico.eu/article/britain-asks-who-is-journalist-define/
    The U.K. wants to protect journalists from plans to regulate Big Tech — it just doesn't seem to know how.

    Amid a growing chorus of concern over the impact a social media platform crackdown could have on freedom of expression, U.K. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden vowed to place "a protective bubble around journalistic and 'democratically important' content" in his upcoming Online Safety Bill.

    But tech industry figures involved in behind-the-scenes discussions on the draft law, which is aimed at shielding internet users from harmful content, say their calls for more clarity — including specifying whose output would be protected under the Bill — are going unanswered.…
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    I'm 28 years old living in a 1 bedroom 750 square foot apartment with my wife and dog that cost $2,200 a month. I bought a Jpeg of an ape for $252,800 today. I just want you to know that if you're reading this, you're not too late.

    https://twitter.com/dankcoldturkey/status/1432177856222834689?s=20

    I know I’m old & all that, but I really don’t understand how people like that think
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    This is an extremely interesting article for anyone really interested in foreign policy (probably not anyone in the current cabinet).

    Meth, Vanilla and ‘Gulags’: How China Has Overtaken the South Pacific One Island at a Time
    https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/08/29/tonga-china-south-pacific-influence-506370
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285
    Does anyone understand why the Americans haven't destroyed their equipment and have instead allowed it to fall into the hands of the Taliban? A letter in The Times a couple of days ago was asking precisely this question. They pointed out that this was the first time in history that a retreating army had allowed the opposition to simply take over their assets.
  • Andy_JS said:

    I've no regrets over my Brexit vote. I always knew the costs were front-loaded and the benefits over a longer timeframe.

    I don't think Remainers who lost should despair either; they've found lots of other alternative avenues to advance their values over the last few years.

    Second paragraph.

    With all due respect. What the **** are you on about?
    Notwithstanding the fact we have a Conservative government in office, on cultural and social matters and climate change the story of the past 5 years is that it's almost all gone the way most leading Remainers would have liked, and all of it has a large globalist/ internationalist dimension to it.

    Political influence isn't solely down to winning Westminster elections. If you have enough of a influential body across civic society believing in values strongly enough then they can advance change outwith them regardless.
    Isn't that another way of saying democracy isn't as important as it should be? Certain people getting their own way despite not being able to win an election.
    Maybe, though I'd argue that it's more accurate to say that there's more to democracy than electoral democracy, and overall that's a good thing.

    It's a concept that those on the right ought to be comfortable with- the daily decisions we make as individuals to do or not do, to buy from X or Y are more significant that which team of politicians we vote for every few years. The democracy of the marketplace gives us the opportunity to make more frequent and subtler choices than we can in any form of election.

    There's another thing.Tim Shipman's book on the 2016 referendum ends with the observation that the Leave side just wanted to win more, and that got them over the line. How do you factor that into a calculation of what a nation should do subsequently?

    And that's why the 2016 slogan of "take back control" was both genius and evil. Yes, many people felt disempowered by the way the country has changed over the last couple of decades. But a more activist national government, even one that thinks it has it's finger on the pulse of what the people want, isn't the answer there. Because "the people" aren't a single body and sometimes different people want different things. And few people really want to put that much control in the hands of the government, because they recognise that sometimes they will be on the minority side.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 3,056
    YoungTurk said:

    Carnyx said:

    Mr. Pete, aye, it was difficult and has been poorly handled by multiple UK governments.

    However.

    The 2007 referendum on Lisbon should've been held. Integrating endlessly without recourse to the electorate because the main parties all agreed with one another led to the rise of UKIP and then a referendum on the nuclear option rather than binning a referendum (about which we'd been promised a referendum by all major UK parties, a promise subsequently reneged upon by two of the three).

    If the UK political class had bothered to either address the concerns of the electorate or make a case for the EU (in addition to not making manifesto pledges then breaking them immediately) we'd be in a better state of affairs.

    I don't dispute your final paragraph, but that relates to Brexit as a separate issue. I agree forty years of UK Governments of all stripes blaming the EU for their failures led us to Brexit, but we are where we are with that.

    My point was that those promoting the notion of leaving the EU ignored Northern Ireland, and then after the event blamed the inevitable issues Brexit would raise on the GFA. This is a particularly handy device for Johnson apologists.

    It is disingenuous of Johnson apologists to blame the GFA in hindsight for the inevitability of a border in the sea, when a UKIP- style Brexit was determined by Johnson over twenty years later.
    Absolutely right. The Brexiters poohpoohed the idea that the GFA and NI comprised a major issue. Possibly because they still thought Ireland was in the UK and could be ordered around, on at least one occasion witj the threat of An Gorta Mor Mark 2. Some of the comments at the time from Tory MPs did give the impresson some of them were a century or more out in their understanding of the political geography of the Isles of Ireland and Britain.
    What "should" have happened in the run-up to the Brexit referendum is that government law officers should have publicly advised that Brexit would require either renegotiating the GFA or reneging from it.

    That some forms of Brexit would require… Staying in the EEA wouldn’t have.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,771

    I'm 28 years old living in a 1 bedroom 750 square foot apartment with my wife and dog that cost $2,200 a month. I bought a Jpeg of an ape for $252,800 today. I just want you to know that if you're reading this, you're not too late.

    https://twitter.com/dankcoldturkey/status/1432177856222834689?s=20

    I'm assuming he's joking.
  • MrEdMrEd Posts: 5,578
    Cyclefree said:

    "Uomo propone. Dio dispose."

    Man proposes; God disposes.

    I've had a day which has amply proved this Italian saying to be all too true.

    Cherish life, folks. And those you love. It can all change in an instant.

    Whatever it is, the best of luck and hope all is ok
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,837
    Hope @Cyclefree bears up. Many best wishes.
    Not entirely sure of the crux of @Casino_Royale's point.
  • Boris Johnson has been PM for over two years and he has not changed the "woke" institutions, perhaps because there is nothing to change and it's all inside the heads of mad people. But idk

    Did Boris ever say he would change the "woke" institutions?

    Some people enjoy tilting at windmills.
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,136
    Andy_JS said:

    Does anyone understand why the Americans haven't destroyed their equipment and have instead allowed it to fall into the hands of the Taliban? A letter in The Times a couple of days ago was asking precisely this question. They pointed out that this was the first time in history that a retreating army had allowed the opposition to simply take over their assets.

    It was supposed to go to the army of Afghanistan that their mission for the last 20 years was to train.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285
    New Angus Reid poll from Canada:

    Con 33%
    Lib 30%
    NDP 21%
    BQ 7%
    PPC 4%
    Grn 3%
    Oth 2%

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2021_Canadian_federal_election#Campaign_period
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,837
    edited August 2021
    Splendid idea. But who will staff them? Committed amateurs can do more harm than good. Training takes years. How about starting now, with grants and bursaries rather than loans and fees?
    Levelling up for the long term? No, thought not.
    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/31/stephen-fry-in-plea-for-walk-in-mental-health-hubs-for-youths-hit-by-pandemic
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,136

    Andy_JS said:

    Does anyone understand why the Americans haven't destroyed their equipment and have instead allowed it to fall into the hands of the Taliban? A letter in The Times a couple of days ago was asking precisely this question. They pointed out that this was the first time in history that a retreating army had allowed the opposition to simply take over their assets.

    It was supposed to go to the army of Afghanistan that their mission for the last 20 years was to train.
    PS The revealing thing about this is that The Times doesn't know it, or is pretending not to.
  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,232

    Boris Johnson has been PM for over two years and he has not changed the "woke" institutions, perhaps because there is nothing to change and it's all inside the heads of mad people. But idk

    Did Boris ever say he would change the "woke" institutions?

    Some people enjoy tilting at windmills.
    Didn't Boris spend the entirety of his journalist career proclaiming that he'd duff those things up given half a chance?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285
    Tsitsipas knocks Murray out of the first round of the US Open .
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,837
    edited August 2021
    Andy_JS said:

    New Angus Reid poll from Canada:

    Con 33%
    Lib 30%
    NDP 21%
    BQ 7%
    PPC 4%
    Grn 3%
    Oth 2%

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2021_Canadian_federal_election#Campaign_period

    Interesting. The really big leads have been coming from Mainstreet, who poll daily. Smaller leads from EKOS. Mainstreet was reasonably accurate last time. But so were Angus Reid, who poll less frequently, and Nanos, who poll daily, but are consistently showing a closer race.
    Someone is wrong. But at least there is no herding.
    Those scores point to a close race for most seats.
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,837
    Andy_JS said:

    Tsitsipas knocks Murray out of the first round of the US Open .

    Decent effort from Murray all things considered.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285
    edited August 2021
    Eric Grenier's assessment of the situation.

    "What are the chances of each party winning:
    13% Probability of the Liberals winning a majority
    46% Probability of the Liberals winning the most seats but not a majority
    37% Probability of the Conservatives winning the most seats but not a majority
    4% Probability of the Conservatives winning a majority"
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    "Older, less-educated Canadians going Conservative"
    https://www.thewrit.ca/p/how-erin-otoole-is-carving-a-path
  • gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362

    Andy_JS said:

    Does anyone understand why the Americans haven't destroyed their equipment and have instead allowed it to fall into the hands of the Taliban? A letter in The Times a couple of days ago was asking precisely this question. They pointed out that this was the first time in history that a retreating army had allowed the opposition to simply take over their assets.

    It was supposed to go to the army of Afghanistan that their mission for the last 20 years was to train.
    PS The revealing thing about this is that The Times doesn't know it, or is pretending not to.
    Alternatively it’s part of Trump/Bidens deal with the Taliban. They have now got air support as they crush resistance.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,771
    Andy_JS said:

    Eric Grenier's assessment of the situation.

    "What are the chances of each party winning:
    13% Probability of the Liberals winning a majority
    46% Probability of the Liberals winning the most seats but not a majority
    37% Probability of the Conservatives winning the most seats but not a majority
    4% Probability of the Conservatives winning a majority"
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    "Older, less-educated Canadians going Conservative"
    https://www.thewrit.ca/p/how-erin-otoole-is-carving-a-path

    I don't think that there's really a 13% chance of the Libs getting a majority. Indeed I would say it's probably slightly more likely (55%) that the Cons are the largest party.

    But because the NDP will get 35 to 40 seats, and they're to the Left of the Libs, there is relatively little chance that the Cons will be able to form the next government.
  • gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362
    carnforth said:

    YoungTurk said:

    Carnyx said:

    Mr. Pete, aye, it was difficult and has been poorly handled by multiple UK governments.

    However.

    The 2007 referendum on Lisbon should've been held. Integrating endlessly without recourse to the electorate because the main parties all agreed with one another led to the rise of UKIP and then a referendum on the nuclear option rather than binning a referendum (about which we'd been promised a referendum by all major UK parties, a promise subsequently reneged upon by two of the three).

    If the UK political class had bothered to either address the concerns of the electorate or make a case for the EU (in addition to not making manifesto pledges then breaking them immediately) we'd be in a better state of affairs.

    I don't dispute your final paragraph, but that relates to Brexit as a separate issue. I agree forty years of UK Governments of all stripes blaming the EU for their failures led us to Brexit, but we are where we are with that.

    My point was that those promoting the notion of leaving the EU ignored Northern Ireland, and then after the event blamed the inevitable issues Brexit would raise on the GFA. This is a particularly handy device for Johnson apologists.

    It is disingenuous of Johnson apologists to blame the GFA in hindsight for the inevitability of a border in the sea, when a UKIP- style Brexit was determined by Johnson over twenty years later.
    Absolutely right. The Brexiters poohpoohed the idea that the GFA and NI comprised a major issue. Possibly because they still thought Ireland was in the UK and could be ordered around, on at least one occasion witj the threat of An Gorta Mor Mark 2. Some of the comments at the time from Tory MPs did give the impresson some of them were a century or more out in their understanding of the political geography of the Isles of Ireland and Britain.
    What "should" have happened in the run-up to the Brexit referendum is that government law officers should have publicly advised that Brexit would require either renegotiating the GFA or reneging from it.

    That some forms of Brexit would require… Staying in the EEA wouldn’t have.
    It was an in or out question for the public to answer, as we voted so many of us were none the wiser of all the options in between in and out, and I am pretty sure if they had been on the ballot paper neither in nor out would have got remotely close to winning.
  • gealbhangealbhan Posts: 2,362

    Foxy said:

    gealbhan said:

    Next out cabinet betting post.
    It must be funny for Goves enemies in cabinet, such as Boris, watching him have this slow motion mid life meltdown. A revelation and resignation must be close now.

    Not sure Johnson sees him as the enemy these days. Gove is running the administrative bits of government while Johnson does his crap hair jokey stuff.
    From a week ago:-
    Michael Gove roars back into favour: Boris gives 'frenemy' a lift on dirt bike at Chequers bash - fuelling speculation that's he's on track for a Cabinet promotion

    Michael Gove and 'frenemy' Boris Johnson rekindled friendship with joint dirt bike ride at high-spirited Chequers party earlier this month
    After years of distrust, the Cabinet Office Minister appears to be back in favour
    Gove’s place is enhanced by growing suspicion between PM and Rishi Sunak

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9894261/Boris-gives-frenemy-Gove-lift-dirt-bike-Chequers-bash-fuelling-promotion-speculation.html
    Uuurgh

    'the image was strikingly symbolic: Gove riding on the back of Boris Johnson’s dirt bike, his arms wrapped around Johnson’s waist.'
    Do I need to get out the urban dictionary to make sense of what "Johnsons dirt bike" is?
    Well Johnson is a term for penis and well dirt biking is a term for having sex with someone on all fours and making the motorcycle vroom vroom is optional.

    Apologies to y'all for putting that image in your heads.
    You have so many area’s of expertise TSE, and we are so fortunate you are only too willing to share your knowledge on this blog.

    But I think we have all missed something here - how many “Chequers bashes” and dirt biking fun around the grounds is actually going on? It’s amazing they find time to run the country so well, always tempted by those damn trappings of power.
  • FishingFishing Posts: 4,555
    Andy_JS said:

    New Angus Reid poll from Canada:

    Con 33%
    Lib 30%
    NDP 21%
    BQ 7%
    PPC 4%
    Grn 3%
    Oth 2%

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2021_Canadian_federal_election#Campaign_period

    Hopefully the Cons will get in and put the CAN in CANZUK.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,771
    Fishing said:

    Andy_JS said:

    New Angus Reid poll from Canada:

    Con 33%
    Lib 30%
    NDP 21%
    BQ 7%
    PPC 4%
    Grn 3%
    Oth 2%

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2021_Canadian_federal_election#Campaign_period

    Hopefully the Cons will get in and put the CAN in CANZUK.
    It's tough for the Cons because, ultimately, they are on only around 33% of the vote, and there's about 60% of left wing and nationalist votes. They might well make it to largest party, but I think they'll struggle to end up with more seats than Libs + NDP.
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673
    gealbhan said:

    carnforth said:

    YoungTurk said:

    Carnyx said:

    Mr. Pete, aye, it was difficult and has been poorly handled by multiple UK governments.

    However.

    The 2007 referendum on Lisbon should've been held. Integrating endlessly without recourse to the electorate because the main parties all agreed with one another led to the rise of UKIP and then a referendum on the nuclear option rather than binning a referendum (about which we'd been promised a referendum by all major UK parties, a promise subsequently reneged upon by two of the three).

    If the UK political class had bothered to either address the concerns of the electorate or make a case for the EU (in addition to not making manifesto pledges then breaking them immediately) we'd be in a better state of affairs.

    I don't dispute your final paragraph, but that relates to Brexit as a separate issue. I agree forty years of UK Governments of all stripes blaming the EU for their failures led us to Brexit, but we are where we are with that.

    My point was that those promoting the notion of leaving the EU ignored Northern Ireland, and then after the event blamed the inevitable issues Brexit would raise on the GFA. This is a particularly handy device for Johnson apologists.

    It is disingenuous of Johnson apologists to blame the GFA in hindsight for the inevitability of a border in the sea, when a UKIP- style Brexit was determined by Johnson over twenty years later.
    Absolutely right. The Brexiters poohpoohed the idea that the GFA and NI comprised a major issue. Possibly because they still thought Ireland was in the UK and could be ordered around, on at least one occasion witj the threat of An Gorta Mor Mark 2. Some of the comments at the time from Tory MPs did give the impresson some of them were a century or more out in their understanding of the political geography of the Isles of Ireland and Britain.
    What "should" have happened in the run-up to the Brexit referendum is that government law officers should have publicly advised that Brexit would require either renegotiating the GFA or reneging from it.

    That some forms of Brexit would require… Staying in the EEA wouldn’t have.
    It was an in or out question for the public to answer, as we voted so many of us were none the wiser of all the options in between in and out, and I am pretty sure if they had been on the ballot paper neither in nor out would have got remotely close to winning.
    Nothing in the GFA is contravened by any form of Brexit.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,771
    Aslan said:

    gealbhan said:

    carnforth said:

    YoungTurk said:

    Carnyx said:

    Mr. Pete, aye, it was difficult and has been poorly handled by multiple UK governments.

    However.

    The 2007 referendum on Lisbon should've been held. Integrating endlessly without recourse to the electorate because the main parties all agreed with one another led to the rise of UKIP and then a referendum on the nuclear option rather than binning a referendum (about which we'd been promised a referendum by all major UK parties, a promise subsequently reneged upon by two of the three).

    If the UK political class had bothered to either address the concerns of the electorate or make a case for the EU (in addition to not making manifesto pledges then breaking them immediately) we'd be in a better state of affairs.

    I don't dispute your final paragraph, but that relates to Brexit as a separate issue. I agree forty years of UK Governments of all stripes blaming the EU for their failures led us to Brexit, but we are where we are with that.

    My point was that those promoting the notion of leaving the EU ignored Northern Ireland, and then after the event blamed the inevitable issues Brexit would raise on the GFA. This is a particularly handy device for Johnson apologists.

    It is disingenuous of Johnson apologists to blame the GFA in hindsight for the inevitability of a border in the sea, when a UKIP- style Brexit was determined by Johnson over twenty years later.
    Absolutely right. The Brexiters poohpoohed the idea that the GFA and NI comprised a major issue. Possibly because they still thought Ireland was in the UK and could be ordered around, on at least one occasion witj the threat of An Gorta Mor Mark 2. Some of the comments at the time from Tory MPs did give the impresson some of them were a century or more out in their understanding of the political geography of the Isles of Ireland and Britain.
    What "should" have happened in the run-up to the Brexit referendum is that government law officers should have publicly advised that Brexit would require either renegotiating the GFA or reneging from it.

    That some forms of Brexit would require… Staying in the EEA wouldn’t have.
    It was an in or out question for the public to answer, as we voted so many of us were none the wiser of all the options in between in and out, and I am pretty sure if they had been on the ballot paper neither in nor out would have got remotely close to winning.
    Nothing in the GFA is contravened by any form of Brexit.
    The key thing - for the people of Northern Ireland - is to maintain the Common Travel Area, because that's what makes the biggest difference to people who live around the border.

  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285
    edited August 2021
    "Hysteria has consumed America
    Brendan O’Neill and Heather MacDonald talk about the twin panics of Covid and racism."

    https://www.spiked-online.com/podcast-episode/hysteria-has-consumed-america/
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,285
    edited August 2021
    rcs1000 said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Eric Grenier's assessment of the situation.

    "What are the chances of each party winning:
    13% Probability of the Liberals winning a majority
    46% Probability of the Liberals winning the most seats but not a majority
    37% Probability of the Conservatives winning the most seats but not a majority
    4% Probability of the Conservatives winning a majority"
    https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/

    "Older, less-educated Canadians going Conservative"
    https://www.thewrit.ca/p/how-erin-otoole-is-carving-a-path

    I don't think that there's really a 13% chance of the Libs getting a majority. Indeed I would say it's probably slightly more likely (55%) that the Cons are the largest party.

    But because the NDP will get 35 to 40 seats, and they're to the Left of the Libs, there is relatively little chance that the Cons will be able to form the next government.
    It all depends on whether the parties change their minds about forming coalitions. If they don't, the Conservatives will form the next government if they manage to get one more seat than the Liberals, regardless of how far they are from a majority. That seems weird from the perspective of other countries but it's what they've always done in Canada, so far.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    rcs1000 said:

    I'm 28 years old living in a 1 bedroom 750 square foot apartment with my wife and dog that cost $2,200 a month. I bought a Jpeg of an ape for $252,800 today. I just want you to know that if you're reading this, you're not too late.

    https://twitter.com/dankcoldturkey/status/1432177856222834689?s=20

    I'm assuming he's joking.
    A true player of pass the bomb
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,328
    dixiedean said:

    Splendid idea. But who will staff them? Committed amateurs can do more harm than good. Training takes years. How about starting now, with grants and bursaries rather than loans and fees?
    Levelling up for the long term? No, thought not.
    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/31/stephen-fry-in-plea-for-walk-in-mental-health-hubs-for-youths-hit-by-pandemic

    Interesting story on NPR today that CVS and Walgreens (pharmacies) are going to start having mental health professionals in store to do initial mental health assessments on walk-ins, and to refer to local specialists as needed. The idea is to both facilitate access and to mitigate the stigma of seeking help by making it something that can be added on to picking up a prescription or the like.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 23,926
    edited August 2021
    The remarkable rise of the independent councillors

    A quiet revolution has been going on in town halls across England and Wales, as voters turn their back on the big Westminster parties in favour of local, independent candidates and residents' groups. What's behind the surge in support for them?

    ...
    In 2019, independents had a massive breakthrough, making over 650 gains
    They now make up about 13% of all local councillors in England and Wales
    32 local councils are led by an Independent, according to the Local Government Association
    A further 34 further councils have Independents or smaller parties playing roles in the administration

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58244507
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,136
    gealbhan said:

    Andy_JS said:

    Does anyone understand why the Americans haven't destroyed their equipment and have instead allowed it to fall into the hands of the Taliban? A letter in The Times a couple of days ago was asking precisely this question. They pointed out that this was the first time in history that a retreating army had allowed the opposition to simply take over their assets.

    It was supposed to go to the army of Afghanistan that their mission for the last 20 years was to train.
    PS The revealing thing about this is that The Times doesn't know it, or is pretending not to.
    Alternatively it’s part of Trump/Bidens deal with the Taliban. They have now got air support as they crush resistance.
    No need to speculate, we know what's in the deal and it doesn't involve giving the Taliban free stuff. But equipping the US-backed Afghan army was supposed to be the entire point of the occupation, so understandably the Americans didn't disarm them preemptively in case they lost.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,084

    The remarkable rise of the independent councillors

    A quiet revolution has been going on in town halls across England and Wales, as voters turn their back on the big Westminster parties in favour of local, independent candidates and residents' groups. What's behind the surge in support for them?

    ...
    In 2019, independents had a massive breakthrough, making over 650 gains
    They now make up about 13% of all local councillors in England and Wales
    32 local councils are led by an Independent, according to the Local Government Association
    A further 34 further councils have Independents or smaller parties playing roles in the administration

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58244507

    This is partly related to the continuing growth of the flatpack democracy movement
  • swing_voterswing_voter Posts: 1,435
    IanB2 said:

    The remarkable rise of the independent councillors

    A quiet revolution has been going on in town halls across England and Wales, as voters turn their back on the big Westminster parties in favour of local, independent candidates and residents' groups. What's behind the surge in support for them?

    ...
    In 2019, independents had a massive breakthrough, making over 650 gains
    They now make up about 13% of all local councillors in England and Wales
    32 local councils are led by an Independent, according to the Local Government Association
    A further 34 further councils have Independents or smaller parties playing roles in the administration

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58244507

    This is partly related to the continuing growth of the flatpack democracy movement
    not the case in Cornwall where their numbers have dropped sharply (even when council reduction in size taken into account)...
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Good morning, everyone.

    About an eighth of the way into Taiko, by Eiji Yoshikawa. A sort of fictional/liberal biography/story of Hashiba Hideyoshi, one of the prime movers during the turbulent end of the 16th/start of the 17th century in Japan. It was Kessen III (for the PS2) that largely made me aware of this era. Glad to finally get the book, it's been surprisingly tricky, going in and out of print.
This discussion has been closed.