With all due respect, fusion is the main source of energy in the UK today, so I don't know why the UK is bothering to legislate when it's already been such a huge success.
Oh, it enables Mr Johnson to be triumphalist over those Europeans* with their ITERs and Tokamak thingies. Just in time for the Manc conference.
*yes, I know, including the Brits.
Big tokamaks are beginning to look like a blind alley. But commercial fusion within a couple of decades is a real possibility.
It was ever thus in my lifetime.
When before has anyone invested private money in it ?
Watching reports of massive gas shortages and price spikes this Winter with some concern.
Is it possible that, the Government having smashed the economy and racked up vast debts in its desperate efforts to save old people from Covid, the country will find itself unable to obtain (or afford) enough fuel this Winter and everyone who has been rescued from disease at colossal expense will simply be killed off by the cold instead?
Alas, the Plague disaster may not truly be over, it may simply be about to metastasise into something different but even more lethal. Aren't we lucky?
No.
Gas production is now rising again (albeit slowly) and that will accelerate as drilling increases in the US.
US electricity demand is also now falling as temperatures drop.
And there are three or four big LNG projects that are coming on stream in the next four to six months.
OTOH are the Americans going to export to us? No. Are these amazing new projects going to magically bail us out before the Winter rolls up? No.
But as I just replied to @Leon, my previous remarks were a mere passing moment of catastrophism, and I imagine that everything will probably turn out fine in the end...
Always look on the bright side of life
Actually, on balance, I think that I am. So long as the Government can actually keep the lights on this Winter, which I think likely, then I at least ought to be OK. Can manage without domestic gas if it has to be kept for the power stations. The treats that one particularly enjoys at Christmas - wine, biscuits and decent quality chocolate - are, if the experience of March 2020 is anything to go by, amongst the few categories of goods unlikely to be cleared out in a fresh wave of panic buying. And if there's a lack of festive food in the shops then I can certainly live with that: as far as I'm concerned, if there aren't the supplies available to cook complicated Christmas dinners then hurrah! It removes all the expectation that one should do so.
Besides, in the final analysis, there is precious little point in worrying about problems that one cannot influence.
Given that all the festive food is already in the supermarkets (its available all year round as far as I can see) why are you thinking it might not be in December ?
Saw first Christmas ad on TV this evening. October 1st!
We have just received our bi lingual RNLI Christmas cards ready for my wife to start addressing them
Watching reports of massive gas shortages and price spikes this Winter with some concern.
Is it possible that, the Government having smashed the economy and racked up vast debts in its desperate efforts to save old people from Covid, the country will find itself unable to obtain (or afford) enough fuel this Winter and everyone who has been rescued from disease at colossal expense will simply be killed off by the cold instead?
Alas, the Plague disaster may not truly be over, it may simply be about to metastasise into something different but even more lethal. Aren't we lucky?
No.
Gas production is now rising again (albeit slowly) and that will accelerate as drilling increases in the US.
US electricity demand is also now falling as temperatures drop.
And there are three or four big LNG projects that are coming on stream in the next four to six months.
OTOH are the Americans going to export to us? No. Are these amazing new projects going to magically bail us out before the Winter rolls up? No.
But as I just replied to @Leon, my previous remarks were a mere passing moment of catastrophism, and I imagine that everything will probably turn out fine in the end...
Always look on the bright side of life
Actually, on balance, I think that I am. So long as the Government can actually keep the lights on this Winter, which I think likely, then I at least ought to be OK. Can manage without domestic gas if it has to be kept for the power stations. The treats that one particularly enjoys at Christmas - wine, biscuits and decent quality chocolate - are, if the experience of March 2020 is anything to go by, amongst the few categories of goods unlikely to be cleared out in a fresh wave of panic buying. And if there's a lack of festive food in the shops then I can certainly live with that: as far as I'm concerned, if there aren't the supplies available to cook complicated Christmas dinners then hurrah! It removes all the expectation that one should do so.
Besides, in the final analysis, there is precious little point in worrying about problems that one cannot influence.
Don't be sure the government can keep the lights on.
On Christmas food, we already know there turkey production is down. A shortage of pigs in blankets was forecast this morning.
On winter, the Met Office has warned there may be heavy snow within weeks.
Source for the last point?
Story in the evening standard, but it’s the usual media spin of what was actually said. As we go into late autumn it will snow in the mountains and as ever this has led to ‘heavy snow for U.K. in weeks’. No current forecast of lowland snow, and even if one of the models had this, it would be gone by the next model run. Ignore it.
Actually there is much that is interesting/enjoyable in the Stoke area. Like a lot of places you have to be selective where you spend your time... Stoke-upon-Trent (one of the six towns) is pretty rundown but even there are pockets of regeneration and things that are culturally interesting. In the area as a whole there is a hell of a lot of post-industrial wasteland and big social problems but its geographical position has great potential economically so I wonder if it might be at the forefront of "Red Wall" revival?
Bozo sends the military in . Perhaps he’ll channel his inner Churchill when he gives an address to the nation!
Fight them on the forecourts?
BTW the word "forecourt" is almost totally unknown to speakers of American, except for those into tennis.
Certainly is never used re: gas stations.
What do you use?
Good question. As far as I know, we don't have a word for it. Just "by the gas pumps" or "out front where you fill up" seems to work just fine ("inside where you fill up"being the slurpy machine).
The Uni of Washington has updated its Covid model, with handy tabs enabling you to toggle between Reported and Excess deaths
The UK seems to be one of the few countries where these totals are similar, which I guess is to our credit, tho our totals are still pretty high. However if you look at actual excess deaths, nor reported deaths, in the rest of Europe, plenty of countries are close to us, and certainly higher per capita
Some of the data is quite startling (IF it is accurate). Russia has a reported death total of 208,000 on Worldometer. The UoW thinks the reported Russian C19 death total is closer to 450,000
And the UoW thinks the excess death rate, in Russia, is right now 1.2 MILLION
In a country with a fertility rate in 2018 estimated to be 1.6 born per woman, that level of death must be a worry. The latest numbers since then show the problem to have got worse:
In 2021 the birthrate is 11.905 births per 1000 people, a 2.37% decline from 2020.
In 2020 the birthrate was 12.194 births per 1000 people, a 2.31% decline from 2019.
In 2019 the birthrate was 12.482 births per 1000 people, a 2.26% decline from 2018.
Those spaces in Russia keep getting bigger.
I've recently been reading about the plunging birth rates in East Asia. They are extraordinary
Japan has a birth rate of 1.36
Taiwan has a birth rate of 1.07
South Korea, incredibly, has a birth rate of 0.84
This must be the lowest birth rate of any developed nation in modern history
Of course the west has a problem with low birth rates, too, but we tend to have higher immigration, which offsets this to an extent
In 2020 South Korea's population began to decline and unless they can reverse this plummeting birth rate their population will halve in 30-40 years, and of course become much older. It's a massive crisis waiting to happen. China is also in the same boat, just further behind in terms of disaster
The human race can't keep on multiplying forever or the planet will burn. Importing people who bang out more kids to try to deal with the ageing population problem is just can kicking, and besides the existing population in the affected countries doesn't want mass immigration. The same people who whinge about Britain not taking in enough refugees should try seeing how far they get trying to get Japan, let alone China, to embrace their open borders demands.
The process we have to go through to stabilise populations in the developed world is as follows:
1. Concentrate on efforts to keep the population healthy for as long as possible, so people will be forced to keep working for as long as possible. 2. Keep ramping the retirement age up and up and up, so that the burden of pension provision is kept sustainable. 3. Let the population drop until we have a substantial excess of vacant properties, which should make housing affordable again, completely transforming household finances. When the surviving cohort of youngsters in 30 or 40 years' time can move out into cheap houses and flats in their early 20s, then they'll be able to afford to form households and start dropping sprogs much more easily, and the population will stop falling. Sorted.
Let significant areas go back to the wild too.
Ever been to Stoke on a night out?
Some areas already have.
Has anybody ever been to Stoke on a night out?!!!!
Last time I did, I woke up in Royal Stoke University Hospital from an unprovoked attack, so I've never been back since.
Well, I’m not bloody surprised. Sensible people go to Lichfield.
Even Burton at least has decent beer.
Good god no! Litchfield [sic] is the dullest place that I have ever been.
Woe to the bloody city of Litchfield!
An impossible and ridiculous comment. FFS you actually *work* in Leicester.
Hey now, I used to live in Leicester, and if it is dull and I found it fine that means I must be very dull.
Watching reports of massive gas shortages and price spikes this Winter with some concern.
Is it possible that, the Government having smashed the economy and racked up vast debts in its desperate efforts to save old people from Covid, the country will find itself unable to obtain (or afford) enough fuel this Winter and everyone who has been rescued from disease at colossal expense will simply be killed off by the cold instead?
Alas, the Plague disaster may not truly be over, it may simply be about to metastasise into something different but even more lethal. Aren't we lucky?
No.
Gas production is now rising again (albeit slowly) and that will accelerate as drilling increases in the US.
US electricity demand is also now falling as temperatures drop.
And there are three or four big LNG projects that are coming on stream in the next four to six months.
OTOH are the Americans going to export to us? No. Are these amazing new projects going to magically bail us out before the Winter rolls up? No.
But as I just replied to @Leon, my previous remarks were a mere passing moment of catastrophism, and I imagine that everything will probably turn out fine in the end...
Always look on the bright side of life
Actually, on balance, I think that I am. So long as the Government can actually keep the lights on this Winter, which I think likely, then I at least ought to be OK. Can manage without domestic gas if it has to be kept for the power stations. The treats that one particularly enjoys at Christmas - wine, biscuits and decent quality chocolate - are, if the experience of March 2020 is anything to go by, amongst the few categories of goods unlikely to be cleared out in a fresh wave of panic buying. And if there's a lack of festive food in the shops then I can certainly live with that: as far as I'm concerned, if there aren't the supplies available to cook complicated Christmas dinners then hurrah! It removes all the expectation that one should do so.
Besides, in the final analysis, there is precious little point in worrying about problems that one cannot influence.
Don't be sure the government can keep the lights on.
On Christmas food, we already know there turkey production is down. A shortage of pigs in blankets was forecast this morning.
On winter, the Met Office has warned there may be heavy snow within weeks.
Source for the last point?
Story in the evening standard, but it’s the usual media spin of what was actually said. As we go into late autumn it will snow in the mountains and as ever this has led to ‘heavy snow for U.K. in weeks’. No current forecast of lowland snow, and even if one of the models had this, it would be gone by the next model run. Ignore it.
I forecast this with confidence: as we go through the winter there will be snow in some parts of the country, possibly heavy at times, particularly over high ground.
Watching reports of massive gas shortages and price spikes this Winter with some concern.
Is it possible that, the Government having smashed the economy and racked up vast debts in its desperate efforts to save old people from Covid, the country will find itself unable to obtain (or afford) enough fuel this Winter and everyone who has been rescued from disease at colossal expense will simply be killed off by the cold instead?
Alas, the Plague disaster may not truly be over, it may simply be about to metastasise into something different but even more lethal. Aren't we lucky?
No.
Gas production is now rising again (albeit slowly) and that will accelerate as drilling increases in the US.
US electricity demand is also now falling as temperatures drop.
And there are three or four big LNG projects that are coming on stream in the next four to six months.
OTOH are the Americans going to export to us? No. Are these amazing new projects going to magically bail us out before the Winter rolls up? No.
But as I just replied to @Leon, my previous remarks were a mere passing moment of catastrophism, and I imagine that everything will probably turn out fine in the end...
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
China .... brought in their insane 1 child policy (one of the cruellest, stupidest policy mistakes in human history?) to ward off the threat of overpopulation. Within a couple of decades they realised their error, they changed it to a 2 child policy, now 5 years later it is a 3 child policy
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
Sarah Everard murder: Police boss Philip Allott urged to quit over comments
A police boss who said women "need to be streetwise" about powers of arrest in the wake of the Sarah Everard case is being urged to resign.
North Yorkshire commissioner Philip Allott sparked fury when he said Ms Everard "never should have submitted" to the arrest by her killer.
BBC News blog
It's offensive and stupid. But he has retracted the comments and apologised for them.
Honestly, thinking before speaking needs make a comeback.
Against the spirit of the times. Along with retractions and apologies being pointless anyway, since no matter how sincere he might be it'll be held against him til the end of time.
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
Call it the Nelson Mandela Bar for old times sake.
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
Call it the Nelson Mandela Bar for old times sake.
I was wondering what the present government's approach to problem solving reminded me of and then I suddenly remembered. Agile software development, albeit with inadequate regression and pre-release testing. Notice a problem that hasn't gone away after a week. Rapidly formulate a solution. Get negative feedback or see it doesn't work. Modify the solution. Repeat process.
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
Are puns on your family name allowed?
A bit obvious, surely!
We’re talking students here, Charles, not renowned for nuance and subtlety.
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
Apropos of nothing, in memory of my Dad we have just refurbished the student accommodation at the University of Buckingham. They’ve give us the naming rights for the student bar in return… any suggestions?
I would suggest The Hoare Club. But ......
Didn't he have a lovely nickname? Tigger?
The Tigger Bar? Buck House?
Or what about a name based on your charitable foundation - a good way of making it better known amongst students?
I've got a trip to London next month and I'm not staying in my normal hotels as they will only be used for sleeping and getting changed in and I refuse to pay >£800 per night for that.
Only recommendations for decent but not overly expensive central London hotels?
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
The Uni of Washington has updated its Covid model, with handy tabs enabling you to toggle between Reported and Excess deaths
The UK seems to be one of the few countries where these totals are similar, which I guess is to our credit, tho our totals are still pretty high. However if you look at actual excess deaths, nor reported deaths, in the rest of Europe, plenty of countries are close to us, and certainly higher per capita
Some of the data is quite startling (IF it is accurate). Russia has a reported death total of 208,000 on Worldometer. The UoW thinks the reported Russian C19 death total is closer to 450,000
And the UoW thinks the excess death rate, in Russia, is right now 1.2 MILLION
In a country with a fertility rate in 2018 estimated to be 1.6 born per woman, that level of death must be a worry. The latest numbers since then show the problem to have got worse:
In 2021 the birthrate is 11.905 births per 1000 people, a 2.37% decline from 2020.
In 2020 the birthrate was 12.194 births per 1000 people, a 2.31% decline from 2019.
In 2019 the birthrate was 12.482 births per 1000 people, a 2.26% decline from 2018.
Those spaces in Russia keep getting bigger.
I've recently been reading about the plunging birth rates in East Asia. They are extraordinary
Japan has a birth rate of 1.36
Taiwan has a birth rate of 1.07
South Korea, incredibly, has a birth rate of 0.84
This must be the lowest birth rate of any developed nation in modern history
Of course the west has a problem with low birth rates, too, but we tend to have higher immigration, which offsets this to an extent
In 2020 South Korea's population began to decline and unless they can reverse this plummeting birth rate their population will halve in 30-40 years, and of course become much older. It's a massive crisis waiting to happen. China is also in the same boat, just further behind in terms of disaster
The human race can't keep on multiplying forever or the planet will burn. Importing people who bang out more kids to try to deal with the ageing population problem is just can kicking, and besides the existing population in the affected countries doesn't want mass immigration. The same people who whinge about Britain not taking in enough refugees should try seeing how far they get trying to get Japan, let alone China, to embrace their open borders demands.
The process we have to go through to stabilise populations in the developed world is as follows:
1. Concentrate on efforts to keep the population healthy for as long as possible, so people will be forced to keep working for as long as possible. 2. Keep ramping the retirement age up and up and up, so that the burden of pension provision is kept sustainable. 3. Let the population drop until we have a substantial excess of vacant properties, which should make housing affordable again, completely transforming household finances. When the surviving cohort of youngsters in 30 or 40 years' time can move out into cheap houses and flats in their early 20s, then they'll be able to afford to form households and start dropping sprogs much more easily, and the population will stop falling. Sorted.
Let significant areas go back to the wild too.
Ever been to Stoke on a night out?
Some areas already have.
Has anybody ever been to Stoke on a night out?!!!!
Last time I did, I woke up in Royal Stoke University Hospital from an unprovoked attack, so I've never been back since.
Are you sure you weren't oppressing an innocent party with talk of the Laffer curve and they just snapped?
The Uni of Washington has updated its Covid model, with handy tabs enabling you to toggle between Reported and Excess deaths
The UK seems to be one of the few countries where these totals are similar, which I guess is to our credit, tho our totals are still pretty high. However if you look at actual excess deaths, nor reported deaths, in the rest of Europe, plenty of countries are close to us, and certainly higher per capita
Some of the data is quite startling (IF it is accurate). Russia has a reported death total of 208,000 on Worldometer. The UoW thinks the reported Russian C19 death total is closer to 450,000
And the UoW thinks the excess death rate, in Russia, is right now 1.2 MILLION
In a country with a fertility rate in 2018 estimated to be 1.6 born per woman, that level of death must be a worry. The latest numbers since then show the problem to have got worse:
In 2021 the birthrate is 11.905 births per 1000 people, a 2.37% decline from 2020.
In 2020 the birthrate was 12.194 births per 1000 people, a 2.31% decline from 2019.
In 2019 the birthrate was 12.482 births per 1000 people, a 2.26% decline from 2018.
Those spaces in Russia keep getting bigger.
I've recently been reading about the plunging birth rates in East Asia. They are extraordinary
Japan has a birth rate of 1.36
Taiwan has a birth rate of 1.07
South Korea, incredibly, has a birth rate of 0.84
This must be the lowest birth rate of any developed nation in modern history
Of course the west has a problem with low birth rates, too, but we tend to have higher immigration, which offsets this to an extent
In 2020 South Korea's population began to decline and unless they can reverse this plummeting birth rate their population will halve in 30-40 years, and of course become much older. It's a massive crisis waiting to happen. China is also in the same boat, just further behind in terms of disaster
The human race can't keep on multiplying forever or the planet will burn. Importing people who bang out more kids to try to deal with the ageing population problem is just can kicking, and besides the existing population in the affected countries doesn't want mass immigration. The same people who whinge about Britain not taking in enough refugees should try seeing how far they get trying to get Japan, let alone China, to embrace their open borders demands.
The process we have to go through to stabilise populations in the developed world is as follows:
1. Concentrate on efforts to keep the population healthy for as long as possible, so people will be forced to keep working for as long as possible. 2. Keep ramping the retirement age up and up and up, so that the burden of pension provision is kept sustainable. 3. Let the population drop until we have a substantial excess of vacant properties, which should make housing affordable again, completely transforming household finances. When the surviving cohort of youngsters in 30 or 40 years' time can move out into cheap houses and flats in their early 20s, then they'll be able to afford to form households and start dropping sprogs much more easily, and the population will stop falling. Sorted.
Let significant areas go back to the wild too.
Ever been to Stoke on a night out?
Some areas already have.
Has anybody ever been to Stoke on a night out?!!!!
Last time I did, I woke up in Royal Stoke University Hospital from an unprovoked attack, so I've never been back since.
Well, I’m not bloody surprised. Sensible people go to Lichfield.
Even Burton at least has decent beer.
Was a night out with friends at Keele, on the same night as an England Euros game so everyone had been drinking all day.
Well, I suppose it’s an explanation of a sort.
Although, amazingly, Stoke is actually a top tourist destination with upwards of 5 million visitors a year in normal times.
Of all the slightly improbable places…
World home of ceramics. If that's at all your thing, I should imagine it's a must see. Plus Alton Towers.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
You think thats bad, for this Anuga gig in Cologne next month the company is avoiding the €HowMuch hotel costs by booking us all to stay in Dusseldorf.
The Uni of Washington has updated its Covid model, with handy tabs enabling you to toggle between Reported and Excess deaths
The UK seems to be one of the few countries where these totals are similar, which I guess is to our credit, tho our totals are still pretty high. However if you look at actual excess deaths, nor reported deaths, in the rest of Europe, plenty of countries are close to us, and certainly higher per capita
Some of the data is quite startling (IF it is accurate). Russia has a reported death total of 208,000 on Worldometer. The UoW thinks the reported Russian C19 death total is closer to 450,000
And the UoW thinks the excess death rate, in Russia, is right now 1.2 MILLION
In a country with a fertility rate in 2018 estimated to be 1.6 born per woman, that level of death must be a worry. The latest numbers since then show the problem to have got worse:
In 2021 the birthrate is 11.905 births per 1000 people, a 2.37% decline from 2020.
In 2020 the birthrate was 12.194 births per 1000 people, a 2.31% decline from 2019.
In 2019 the birthrate was 12.482 births per 1000 people, a 2.26% decline from 2018.
Those spaces in Russia keep getting bigger.
I've recently been reading about the plunging birth rates in East Asia. They are extraordinary
Japan has a birth rate of 1.36
Taiwan has a birth rate of 1.07
South Korea, incredibly, has a birth rate of 0.84
This must be the lowest birth rate of any developed nation in modern history
Of course the west has a problem with low birth rates, too, but we tend to have higher immigration, which offsets this to an extent
In 2020 South Korea's population began to decline and unless they can reverse this plummeting birth rate their population will halve in 30-40 years, and of course become much older. It's a massive crisis waiting to happen. China is also in the same boat, just further behind in terms of disaster
Yet where are the highest global birthrates? Africa. So in gdp terms it may actually be global growth is less in the Far East than in Africa over the rest of the century, even if the Far East obviously gets a far higher gdp per capita than Africa
Even in Africa birth rates are beginning to drop, in some places very fast
The 21st century might be the century when the global population of humans begins to fall
With robots and automation, ultimately, that might not be a problem, indeed it could be a good thing
You only have to go to a country like Egypt - population 104,000,000 - to realise that they have simply too many people. Egypt's optimum population, given its size and the area of fertile land, should be about a third of that at most?
Cairo has gone from poor but busy city with some lush attractive areas and even nice parks and boulevards, to an absolute shit-hole, in my lifetime. Too Many People
Africa also has young religious populations who believe in big families and supporting their elderly.
There will still be a lot of poverty there as you say unless they advance technologically like the west and Far East which by itself reduces the need for more workers but the sheer scale of their population increase will see them also get a big rise in gdp
But African birth rates are now falling sharply, they are just coming late to the party
"When compared with other continents, Africa’s fertility rates of 4.5 children per woman in 2017 seem high. Indeed, it’s the highest in the world. But that figure is low compared with Africa's birthrates of previous decades. It stood at an average of 6.6 children per woman in 1980.
"And these rates have been falling across the continent. In the Sahel, for example, the region with the highest fertility rates, the number of children per woman has dropped from 7 to 5.7 since 1980. The most spectacular drop has been in North Africa, where the rate was cut in half in 37 years, from 6 children per woman to 3."
Still significantly bigger than other continents though, which means Africa will still become relatively more important to the global economy and global politics than it is now
You need to reach a certain level of development to project any power at all.
The Chinese are still quite undeveloped and nobody doubts their power anymore. Per capita they're still nowhere near as developed as the western world.
China is 1.4bn people. Parts of it, esp the coast (eg Shanghai , Nanjing or Guangdong) are as developed as most of Europe.
Rural inland China can be pretty poor (although even there you will find gleaming cities)
Development is also key when thinking of impact I'd think. An extra half billion people raising their living standards, and impact, could be consequential for the earth than simply adding 1 billion poor?
Indeed, when an average Briton has 20x the carbon footprint of a Malawian, it isn't Africa that is damaging the planet.
That's true, though it wasn't actually the point I meant. It was that everyone wants the living standards of everyone to be good, but that would entail the impact of an equivalent population much much larger than the present. So simply getting population growth under control is only one part of it, along with trying to limit that impact of raising standards.
Or go with the nutters who want to eliminate humans altogether.
Funnily enough, they never seem to want to start with themselves.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Pretty sure it is nothing to do with 1 million non residents coming into London by car each day, or traffic jams making it less effective for tankers to get into central London. I suspect it is because we eat too much avocado.
Rich people pay for top lawyers when accused of things. Yes its news because of the people involved. But I can imagine what implications people will take from it beyond that regardless. The accusedshouldn't be able to seek to legally defend themselves or receive money to do so, it's disgusting.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Perhaps you missed the fuel shortages up North.
None that I've seen.
And none that anyone I know has experienced either.
I am just finishing a journey from Kent to Berkshire and back to the island, and things look as bad as at the weekend
Petrol is fine in South Yorkshire where I've been for a few days. Completely normal. Also noticeable is a big difference in mask wearing. They've pretty much ditched them up here.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Perhaps you missed the fuel shortages up North.
None that I've seen.
And none that anyone I know has experienced either.
I am just finishing a journey from Kent to Berkshire and back to the island, and things look as bad as at the weekend
Petrol is fine in South Yorkshire where I've been for a few days. Completely normal. Also noticeable is a big difference in mask wearing. They've pretty much ditched them up here.
Must say I've not seen any in NE either. All press reports seem to feature the Home Counties heavily. Whether that is accurate, or where journalists live is another question.
I've got a trip to London next month and I'm not staying in my normal hotels as they will only be used for sleeping and getting changed in and I refuse to pay >£800 per night for that.
Only recommendations for decent but not overly expensive central London hotels?
Edit - No shit holes either.,
I usually stay at the President in Guilford Street. It's simple but certainly not a shit hole. It was good enough for the Beatles in 1964 and there are photos in the lobby reminding you of the fact. The breakfast isn't that good, though, and I prefer the open air cafe in Russell Square.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Perhaps you missed the fuel shortages up North.
None that I've seen.
And none that anyone I know has experienced either.
I am just finishing a journey from Kent to Berkshire and back to the island, and things look as bad as at the weekend
Petrol is fine in South Yorkshire where I've been for a few days. Completely normal. Also noticeable is a big difference in mask wearing. They've pretty much ditched them up here.
No sign of any problems at all when I was in York a few days ago, either. And the stupid masks were nearly gone. Maybe 10% of folk still shuffling about in them in the city, a small number of holdout shops still insisting on them, that was about it.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Perhaps you missed the fuel shortages up North.
None that I've seen.
And none that anyone I know has experienced either.
I am just finishing a journey from Kent to Berkshire and back to the island, and things look as bad as at the weekend
Petrol is fine in South Yorkshire where I've been for a few days. Completely normal. Also noticeable is a big difference in mask wearing. They've pretty much ditched them up here.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Perhaps you missed the fuel shortages up North.
None that I've seen.
And none that anyone I know has experienced either.
I am just finishing a journey from Kent to Berkshire and back to the island, and things look as bad as at the weekend
Petrol is fine in South Yorkshire where I've been for a few days. Completely normal. Also noticeable is a big difference in mask wearing. They've pretty much ditched them up here.
Must say I've not seen any in NE either. All press reports seem to feature the Home Counties heavily. Whether that is accurate, or where journalists live is another question.
There was a chart on Sky which confirmed the only areas still experiencing shortages are London and the South East
Hardly! That's the Kwarteng line. Sam Coates very sarky underneath. Very much the Brittania Unchained/Philip_Thompson argument. Trouble is. That isn't the government's line at all in any way shape or form. But could be tomorrow.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Pretty sure it is nothing to do with 1 million non residents coming into London by car each day, or traffic jams making it less effective for tankers to get into central London. I suspect it is because we eat too much avocado.
Or perhaps there are proportionally fewer filling stations in London or perhaps there are proportionally more people likely to panic or perhaps problems in London are proportionally more likely to get media attention.
But whatever the causes its not doing London's image much good.
For all I know there isn't any real problem and the government are just posturing and the media frothing.
In fact I'm pretty sure both of those last two are happening.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Pretty sure it is nothing to do with 1 million non residents coming into London by car each day, or traffic jams making it less effective for tankers to get into central London. I suspect it is because we eat too much avocado.
Or perhaps there are proportionally fewer filling stations in London or perhaps there are proportionally more people likely to panic or perhaps problems in London are proportionally more likely to get media attention.
But whatever the causes its not doing London's image much good.
For all I know there isn't any real problem and the government are just posturing and the media frothing.
In fact I'm pretty sure both of those last two are happening.
So all the preaching about how there was not enough solidarity between the regions was just one sided? Lets all have a laugh at London and then gaslight them about there being no problem or how it is our fault.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
I googled earlier Central London hotels checking in 26th of November/check out 28th brought it up as a suggestion.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
I googled earlier Central London hotels checking in 26th of November/check out 28th brought it up as a suggestion.
I've got a trip to London next month and I'm not staying in my normal hotels as they will only be used for sleeping and getting changed in and I refuse to pay >£800 per night for that.
Only recommendations for decent but not overly expensive central London hotels?
Edit - No shit holes either.,
I stayed here once for somewhere to sleep after a night with lots of free drink. The rooms are spectacularly tiny, but they were clean and smart, and close to Kings Cross for a quick getaway back north the next morning.
Re: London accommodation, years ago stayed at Goodenough College guest house in Mecklenburgh Square, was not luxurious but plenty nice, and reckon price would be well-within TSE's budget (it was too rich for my blood).
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Pretty sure it is nothing to do with 1 million non residents coming into London by car each day, or traffic jams making it less effective for tankers to get into central London. I suspect it is because we eat too much avocado.
Or perhaps there are proportionally fewer filling stations in London or perhaps there are proportionally more people likely to panic or perhaps problems in London are proportionally more likely to get media attention.
But whatever the causes its not doing London's image much good.
For all I know there isn't any real problem and the government are just posturing and the media frothing.
In fact I'm pretty sure both of those last two are happening.
It has been extremely difficult to get petrol in Brighton for a week now. That is a fact.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
I googled earlier Central London hotels checking in 26th of November/check out 28th brought it up as a suggestion.
There are several Premier Inn hub hotels and Travelodges in Central London offering two nights for under £200 total on the dates suggested, if you book the most economic (i.e. non-refundable) option.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
It's not cheap outside of London either! My sister came to a family wedding in August and paid £180+ for one night in the Sedgefield Travelodge.
Jesus wept!
It would take a lot to reduce me to the point where I stay in Sedgefield a Travelodge.
Travelodge isn't so bad. I stayed in a hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria where Mrs Foxy had to barricade the door because of a gang fight in the corridor.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
It's not cheap outside of London either! My sister came to a family wedding in August and paid £180+ for one night in the Sedgefield Travelodge.
Jesus wept!
I can see a business opportunity opening up for my spare room in a Hampstead house - en suite facilities and a south facing balcony and terrace ......
If you can provide eggs benedict with salmon for breakfast.....
If I'm here you are, genuinely, very welcome to stay. If not, also welcome but you will need to cook your own breakfast or there are delightful cafes within walking distance where you can eat this dish and many others to your heart's content.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
I googled earlier Central London hotels checking in 26th of November/check out 28th brought it up as a suggestion.
There are several Premier Inn hub hotels and Travelodges in Central London offering two nights for under £200 total on the dates suggested, if you book the most economic (i.e. non-refundable) option.
1. Central London Travelodges are spectacularly awful. 2. Premier Inn Hub is like one of those Japanese tube hotels but at £200 a night
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
I googled earlier Central London hotels checking in 26th of November/check out 28th brought it up as a suggestion.
There are several Premier Inn hub hotels and Travelodges in Central London offering two nights for under £200 total on the dates suggested, if you book the most economic (i.e. non-refundable) option.
1. Central London Travelodges are spectacularly awful. 2. Premier Inn Hub is like one of those Japanese tube hotels but at £200 a night
I'd ideally avoid a Travelodge too, but there is nothing at all wrong with a Premier Inn Hub if you just want somewhere to crash and you're not going to be spending half your waking hours in the room. Which is what they are for. "Japanese tube hotel" is something of an exaggeration.
Once or twice I've seen rooms at 5 star hotels in London being offered for less than a Travelodge or Premier Inn room. If you really wanted to annoy someone you'd go to the Travelodge in question and tell people there they could have stayed at the Renaissance St Pancras (or wherever) for less money that night. 😊
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Pretty sure it is nothing to do with 1 million non residents coming into London by car each day, or traffic jams making it less effective for tankers to get into central London. I suspect it is because we eat too much avocado.
Or perhaps there are proportionally fewer filling stations in London or perhaps there are proportionally more people likely to panic or perhaps problems in London are proportionally more likely to get media attention.
But whatever the causes its not doing London's image much good.
For all I know there isn't any real problem and the government are just posturing and the media frothing.
In fact I'm pretty sure both of those last two are happening.
So all the preaching about how there was not enough solidarity between the regions was just one sided? Lets all have a laugh at London and then gaslight them about there being no problem or how it is our fault.
That's about it
First sympathy then laughter at the fuckwits then boredom.
But you should be pleased - its better to be laughed at than ignored if you want to be a world city.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
It's not cheap outside of London either! My sister came to a family wedding in August and paid £180+ for one night in the Sedgefield Travelodge.
Jesus wept!
It would take a lot to reduce me to the point where I stay in Sedgefield a Travelodge.
Travelodge isn't so bad. I stayed in a hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria where Mrs Foxy had to barricade the door because of a gang fight in the corridor.
It was cheap though.
On one hand I used to stay in youth hostels when up here in Scotland until we moved here. On the other hand there is something awful and scabby about Travelodge as a brand even though they are trying very hard to look like a downmarket Premier Inn with their new properties.
Need to go back to Rochdale for the last time on Sunday. Have booked the Premier Inn. Could be worse. Could be the Travelodge. Would stay in town but for whatever reason Manchester Hilton options are £stupid.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
I googled earlier Central London hotels checking in 26th of November/check out 28th brought it up as a suggestion.
There are several Premier Inn hub hotels and Travelodges in Central London offering two nights for under £200 total on the dates suggested, if you book the most economic (i.e. non-refundable) option.
1. Central London Travelodges are spectacularly awful. 2. Premier Inn Hub is like one of those Japanese tube hotels but at £200 a night
I'd ideally avoid a Travelodge too, but there is nothing at all wrong with a Premier Inn Hub if you just want somewhere to crash and you're not going to be spending half your waking hours in the room. Which is what they are for. "Japanese tube hotel" is something of an exaggeration.
It wasn't for the room I was booked at one near Westminster. For £220!!!!
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
It's not cheap outside of London either! My sister came to a family wedding in August and paid £180+ for one night in the Sedgefield Travelodge.
Jesus wept!
It would take a lot to reduce me to the point where I stay in Sedgefield a Travelodge.
Travelodge isn't so bad. I stayed in a hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria where Mrs Foxy had to barricade the door because of a gang fight in the corridor.
It was cheap though.
On one hand I used to stay in youth hostels when up here in Scotland until we moved here. On the other hand there is something awful and scabby about Travelodge as a brand even though they are trying very hard to look like a downmarket Premier Inn with their new properties.
Need to go back to Rochdale for the last time on Sunday. Have booked the Premier Inn. Could be worse. Could be the Travelodge. Would stay in town but for whatever reason Manchester Hilton options are £stupid.
I remember staying at the Mumbai Salvation Army Hostel. Great location, next to a 5 star hotel, but do heed the warnings about bed bugs written on the wall...
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
It's not cheap outside of London either! My sister came to a family wedding in August and paid £180+ for one night in the Sedgefield Travelodge.
Jesus wept!
It would take a lot to reduce me to the point where I stay in Sedgefield a Travelodge.
Travelodge isn't so bad. I stayed in a hotel in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria where Mrs Foxy had to barricade the door because of a gang fight in the corridor.
It was cheap though.
On one hand I used to stay in youth hostels when up here in Scotland until we moved here. On the other hand there is something awful and scabby about Travelodge as a brand even though they are trying very hard to look like a downmarket Premier Inn with their new properties.
Need to go back to Rochdale for the last time on Sunday. Have booked the Premier Inn. Could be worse. Could be the Travelodge. Would stay in town but for whatever reason Manchester Hilton options are £stupid.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
That does sound remarkably steep. Where are you getting these enormous prices from?
The internet.
Well that narrows it down a bit.
Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
I googled earlier Central London hotels checking in 26th of November/check out 28th brought it up as a suggestion.
There are several Premier Inn hub hotels and Travelodges in Central London offering two nights for under £200 total on the dates suggested, if you book the most economic (i.e. non-refundable) option.
1. Central London Travelodges are spectacularly awful. 2. Premier Inn Hub is like one of those Japanese tube hotels but at £200 a night
I'd ideally avoid a Travelodge too, but there is nothing at all wrong with a Premier Inn Hub if you just want somewhere to crash and you're not going to be spending half your waking hours in the room. Which is what they are for. "Japanese tube hotel" is something of an exaggeration.
It wasn't for the room I was booked at one near Westminster. For £220!!!!
Must've been a last minute desperation booking at a very busy time of year. They really aren't that expensive in general terms.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
London hotels are even more expensive post pandemic.
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
It's not cheap outside of London either! My sister came to a family wedding in August and paid £180+ for one night in the Sedgefield Travelodge.
Jesus wept!
The worst part was the price to add my 12 year old niece was a further £95 despite it being a double room where just one was staying. She stayed in the car during check in and then arrived back post wedding once the receptionist had changed.
The local Premier Inn 3 miles closer to the wedding venue wanted £350.
As the Spectator point out this week, Johnson's repeated calling on the Army for all sorts of problems is beginning to look a bit desperate.
The military have another role, not a civil support service to cover the f*ck ups of ten years of Tory administration.
In this particular instance it's a PR exercise. The wider haulage industry may be in some trouble but AFAIK there was no particular threat to petrol supplies, until reports of small numbers of petrol stations briefly selling out took on a life of their own and we ended up with a panic buying situation.
In those circumstances it is very difficult, verging on the impossible, for the Government to resolve the panic solely by the persuasive powers of ministers. If ministers say nothing and matters continue to get worse then they're accused of failing to reassure the public. If ministers say there's no problem and appeal to drivers not to panic buy, then the public assumes that there is indeed a problem and you end up with the same result.
People don't trust politicians but if they see the Army being deployed they (or a large enough percentage of them) will probably stop panicking for long enough to allow the distribution system to recover - even if the soldiers are delivering not a single drop more petrol than civilian drivers would if left to their own devices. Given the circumstances, sending out a few corporals to drive tankers and making sure that TV cameras are there to film them at work is a good use of resources.
Wouldn't it be easier to tell London and the waitrose belt that they're being laughed at by the rest of the country ?
Actually I think its moved on from laughing to baffled contempt.
A post steeped in baseless prejudice.
No, reality.
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
Pretty sure it is nothing to do with 1 million non residents coming into London by car each day, or traffic jams making it less effective for tankers to get into central London. I suspect it is because we eat too much avocado.
Or perhaps there are proportionally fewer filling stations in London or perhaps there are proportionally more people likely to panic or perhaps problems in London are proportionally more likely to get media attention.
But whatever the causes its not doing London's image much good.
For all I know there isn't any real problem and the government are just posturing and the media frothing.
In fact I'm pretty sure both of those last two are happening.
It has been extremely difficult to get petrol in Brighton for a week now. That is a fact.
The differences around the country are fascinating.
Some sort of infrastructure / population density / mentality combination I suspect.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
£1.15 for 4 pints in Sainsbury's.
F&M are the dog's dangly bits.
Looked up online for sure. I am very far from a SwankyWankyBank plc executive and even I don't concern myself with the price of cheap foodstuffs.
Fortnums is lovely but not an everyday choice for those of us without gold credit cards.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
Not me. I once spend the night trying to sleep outside Victoria coach station. Some man offered to let me "stay with him in his hotel". I declined.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
Not me. I once spend the night trying to sleep outside Victoria coach station. Some man offered to let me "stay with him in his hotel". I declined.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
Upper middle is quite restrained.
I would simply have gone for filthy rich but I didn't want to overegg the pudding. Upper middle (albeit with several aristocratic and/or multimillionaire outliers) seemed like a reasonable average.
Typical remoaning Londoners with their elite petrol shortages. They should get out and spend time with REAL people in the North where there’s enough fuel to fill up a medium sized car, and maybe then they’ll understand why Boris is a working class hero to so many.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
£1.15 for 4 pints in Sainsbury's.
F&M are the dog's dangly bits.
Looked up online for sure. I am very far from a SwankyWankyBank plc executive and even I don't concern myself with the price of cheap foodstuffs.
Fortnums is lovely but not an everyday choice for those of us without gold credit cards.
I'm a Northerner, I always pay attention to prices.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
How dare you. I know full well that the price of my artisanal, handcrafted bread is £3.49 a loaf.
Reading the hotel discussion, one is struck (and hardly for the first time) by how over-represented upper middle income earners are on PB.
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
Fortnums is great.
I mean, one wouldn't do one's weekly shop, but if you want a treat of some spectacular (and spectacularly expensive) bacon, it's just the place.
Also, a fantastic selection of half bottle of wine.
Comments
Oh wait...
Military tanker drivers to start delivering fuel to forecourts across the country from Monday.
https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1444045101513289731
(My wife agrees with you btw)
Ah.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/natural-gas/imports-and-exports.php
It's offensive and stupid. But he has retracted the comments and apologised for them.
Honestly, thinking before speaking needs make a comeback.
Are we now into repeats !!!!
Didn't he have a lovely nickname? Tigger?
The Tigger Bar? Buck House?
Or what about a name based on your charitable foundation - a good way of making it better known amongst students?
I've got a trip to London next month and I'm not staying in my normal hotels as they will only be used for sleeping and getting changed in and I refuse to pay >£800 per night for that.
Only recommendations for decent but not overly expensive central London hotels?
Edit - No shit holes either.,
4,700 haulage drivers will be able to stay until end of Feb
5,500 poultry workers until end of December
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58766648 https://twitter.com/nickeardleybbc/status/1444044929836142593
£300 a night for a Travelodge!
A few days ago Londoners filling plastic bags with petrol and fighting in forecourts was being laughed out.
Now its a weary 'why cannot they get their act together'.
https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1443878401610338336?s=19
The Brexiteer line is still that there is no crisis...
Plus Alton Towers.
🔴 EXCLUSIVE: The Queen is privately funding the Duke of York’s legal fight against sex abuse allegations to the tune of millions of pounds
https://t.co/OLyUGMA1vN
And why not address the argument as you seem to want to use EU labour to depress UK wages
And none that anyone I know has experienced either.
Then there's kinabalu's northern observation:
Whether that is accurate, or where journalists live is another question.
Good night folks
There's plenty of evidence of shortages.
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/sheffield-petrol-stations-still-petrol-21680185
My own experience, several places completely out.
Something I mentioned on here the other day.
Second thought: Tigger's Trough (or Tigger's Last Call)
Third option: Duke of Buckingham's Revenge
Dishonorable mention: Bottoms Up Club
That's the Kwarteng line. Sam Coates very sarky underneath.
Very much the Brittania Unchained/Philip_Thompson argument.
Trouble is. That isn't the government's line at all in any way shape or form.
But could be tomorrow.
But whatever the causes its not doing London's image much good.
For all I know there isn't any real problem and the government are just posturing and the media frothing.
In fact I'm pretty sure both of those last two are happening.
Sedgefielda Travelodge.Picking random Saturdays in November suggests no activity out of the ordinary. Travelodge pretty cheap, Premier Inn a bit pricier but still reasonable at the right location. When are you actually going?
There was a ODI on and there was no real alternative.
Website says they cater to business travelers as well as academics.
https://www.goodenough.ac.uk/visitor-accommodation/
It was cheap though.
2. Premier Inn Hub is like one of those Japanese tube hotels but at £200 a night
First sympathy then laughter at the fuckwits then boredom.
But you should be pleased - its better to be laughed at than ignored if you want to be a world city.
To paraphrase someone or other.
Need to go back to Rochdale for the last time on Sunday. Have booked the Premier Inn. Could be worse. Could be the Travelodge. Would stay in town but for whatever reason Manchester Hilton options are £stupid.
How fucking much!
Most of you lot would fall victim to the classic politician banana skin questions about the price of bread or milk if you didn't have time to Google them. You just chuck everything into the Ocado basket and click to buy without thinking.
Unless you're buying from Fortnum & Mason. And/or getting your housekeeper or your PA to do the donkey work for you.
Don't say that!
F&M are the dog's dangly bits.
And no, I don't work for Premier Inn.
The local Premier Inn 3 miles closer to the wedding venue wanted £350.
Some sort of infrastructure / population density / mentality combination I suspect.
Fortnums is lovely but not an everyday choice for those of us without gold credit cards.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d7182494-Reviews-Pelican_London_Hotel_and_Residence-London_England.html
Some man offered to let me "stay with him in his hotel". I declined.
It has gone up recently from £1.09 to £1.15.
I mean, one wouldn't do one's weekly shop, but if you want a treat of some spectacular (and spectacularly expensive) bacon, it's just the place.
Also, a fantastic selection of half bottle of wine.