If I lived in Southend West I would happily vote Conservative as a personal protest against the murder of MPs. It doesn't affect the outcome. The argument is, nor should it.
Are you *differentially* opposed to the murder of mps, and confident of getting through to the right audience?
It makes no difference one way or the other. If by "right audience" you mean those that potentially would murder MPs I am not interested in getting through to them. There might some aspect of solidarity with those that feel the same way as I do, but basically it's my conscience. My choices would be to vote Conservative or not vote at all. The first is the right choice for me.
I can see arguments both ways for having a competitive election or effectively allowing the incumbents to select a substitute. In either case we are trying to assert the normal in a horrifically abnormal situation.
I criticise the PM regularly, but given the Commons had thrice rejected May's deal, what (except no deal) was the alternative to the rushed deal that got passed?
I would have been open to an extension of the negotiating period, but that merely delays the question.
And yeah, the result is rubbish for Northern Ireland/the UK regarding the border. Plenty of blame to go around (early triggering of Article 50, lack of clarity, caving to the EU and enabling it to use the border as a negotiating weapon, the pro-EU Commons being against any compromise and being surprised when things get more distant rather than closer to the EU). Many of those complaining the loudest are pro-EU yet were against May's soft deal.
On the previous thread (apologies Pip) HYUFD claimed that Boris was hated by Remainers because we blame him for Brexit and hated on the Left because he won in 2019.
I don't blame Boris particularly for either.
1. The Brexit win was the brainchild of Dom Cummings but what amazes me about this is that over 5 years later, the people obsessing about Brexit aren't my former remainer friends, it's Brexiteers. They go on and on and on and on and on about it. Some of the articles are pure paranoia. It's not just people like HY and Leon on here, it's writers in the Telegraph and Paul Staines on order-order etc.
Although I'm sad about what happened in 2016 I don't spend my life thinking about it. I have a thousand other things that matter more right now and I don't envisage any bandwagon to rejoin: something which again I just find the most bizarre obsession amongst Brexiteers.
I also don't 'blame' Boris. Johnson jumped late onto the andwagon for pure career opportunism. But it was a decision of the British people in a fair vote.
It's almost as if this obsession amongst Brexiteers suggests that they are paranoid? Or mentally unwell. Seriously, and that's not a term I use lightly.
2. 2019. I don't blame Boris for winning in 2019. If I were to blame anyone it would be the Labour Party for electing as a leader a man who was unfit to lead them or to present himself to the country for high office.
But, again, ultimately it was the British people who chose Boris Johnson so how am I supposed to blame Boris?
As for the man himself, many people responded brilliantly with all the flaws in Boris Johnson so there's no need for me to repeat them. He is manifestly unfit for the job in every political and moral sense.
He will take down the tory party if they don't take him down first.
Regarding your comment about those obsessed with Brexit you are spot on. I hadn't considered this before but all my posts on Brexit are in response to Brexiters raising the issue. I don't believe I have ever made a post on the subject since the 2019 election otherwise. Could be wrong.
OK. Let’s check that theory. It’s quite simple to do
Who is the first person to raise the question of Brexit on this brand new thread? Ah yes. A demented Remainer @heatherner in a 12 paragraph comment which is all about Brexit where he moans that it is only Brexiteers that are obsessed with Brexit
lol
Not very scientific Leon :
a) sample of 1
b) refers to a thread full of it contradicting suggestion
c) Exaggeration - 10 paras
d) Doesn't answer example I have given (admittedly also a sample of 1)
Because it’s 3pm here and my day’s work is done and it’s actually too hot to do anything but lie inert in the pool I went and checked the last 5 threads to see who first mentions the Brexit word on each one
Yes yes. Peak Nerdery
It’s an interesting exercise. In three of the threads it is definite Remainers. @IanB2@TimS and @Heathener
@MISTY who is so new to the site it is hard to say, but I’d guess perhaps Leave, but I don’t wish to presume
So the theory that it’s brexiteers who keep bringing it up unprompted is provably and empirically wrong. Which is quite a satisfying waste of my time
Which negates absolutely nothing of what I said. Do you not get the irony of you, presumably subconsciously, doing it yourself in this thread on a separate subject. I can understand Remainers being obsessed with it, because they lost. But why are Brexiters so obsessed with it. You bring it up all the time, even when it isn't the subject of the conversation. Your unrelated post today was a solid post in its own right which stood on its own merits. What was the point of the Brexit reference at the begining. It added nothing other than to put people off of a good post.
Even that he went to all that trouble reading through five previous threads is a strong indicator of obsession with the topic!
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
The paranoia is because of the perception that so many in positions of power/authority were seeking to overturn the democratically expressed views of the voters.
Brexiteers are paranoid the voters will find out they were sold a pup, and extract revenge
I simply do not buy into your constant carping on brexit and your desire for revenge
The country has moved on, and while improvements with our relationship with the EU is desirable, there is no political will to seek to rejoin and the longer we remain outside the EU and develop other trading relationships the less likely rejoining becomes
I really hope you can in time work to persuade us to develop a better relationship with the EU without the inflammatory self defeating language you tend to us
Both extremes are daft. But the country can't move on as we're now realising with a broken border model. And fixing it doesn't involve rejoining the EU.
As always the problem is that "Brexit" means different things to different people. It will always be an issue because its impossible to make supporters of Brexit happy - did they mean Singapore Brexit or Mercantile Brexit or Workers Collective Brexit?
But for all that a more sensible border model is in our interests, and I'd vote for it in a heartbeat, it's not going to happen.
Partly because, in the short term, it would be the opposite of Taking Back Control. But mostly because one of the paranoias is that, in the decades to come, future voters will do the political equivalent of taking an unwanted present back to the shops to exchange for a gift voucher. Hence the scrabbling round for something, anything, that will make that too difficult to contemplate. The voters of 2016 must have their Place In The History Books, and not as a comic aside, either.
The UK has got itself into a form of zugzwang where every answer to the question "how does the UK relate to the other countries of Europe?" is unpopular, unworkable or both. It would be grimly amusing if it were a satirical novel, or a report from abroad. Unfortunately, it's my country and I'm living in it.
I moved (emigrated it feels like) to Scotland and the mood music signs like a siren song towards something other than the current UK, as it does in NI. When the constitutional settlement of today so clearly has broken down and the wassocks in Westminster keep making it break that little bit more the siren song gets that little bit clearer every day.
I would prefer us all to build a new union that is fit for the future. I don't expect that to happen, and I expect Scotland and NI to disappear off in the next 10 years. "But how will the border / money / trade work" they ask - and they are good questions. As the GB - EU status quo is unworkable and unsustainable a fix will be needed - and that fix would solve the worst of an Eng - Sco border...
On the previous thread (apologies Pip) HYUFD claimed that Boris was hated by Remainers because we blame him for Brexit and hated on the Left because he won in 2019.
I don't blame Boris particularly for either.
1. The Brexit win was the brainchild of Dom Cummings but what amazes me about this is that over 5 years later, the people obsessing about Brexit aren't my former remainer friends, it's Brexiteers. They go on and on and on and on and on about it. Some of the articles are pure paranoia. It's not just people like HY and Leon on here, it's writers in the Telegraph and Paul Staines on order-order etc.
Although I'm sad about what happened in 2016 I don't spend my life thinking about it. I have a thousand other things that matter more right now and I don't envisage any bandwagon to rejoin: something which again I just find the most bizarre obsession amongst Brexiteers.
I also don't 'blame' Boris. Johnson jumped late onto the andwagon for pure career opportunism. But it was a decision of the British people in a fair vote.
It's almost as if this obsession amongst Brexiteers suggests that they are paranoid? Or mentally unwell. Seriously, and that's not a term I use lightly.
2. 2019. I don't blame Boris for winning in 2019. If I were to blame anyone it would be the Labour Party for electing as a leader a man who was unfit to lead them or to present himself to the country for high office.
But, again, ultimately it was the British people who chose Boris Johnson so how am I supposed to blame Boris?
As for the man himself, many people responded brilliantly with all the flaws in Boris Johnson so there's no need for me to repeat them. He is manifestly unfit for the job in every political and moral sense.
He will take down the tory party if they don't take him down first.
Regarding your comment about those obsessed with Brexit you are spot on. I hadn't considered this before but all my posts on Brexit are in response to Brexiters raising the issue. I don't believe I have ever made a post on the subject since the 2019 election otherwise. Could be wrong.
OK. Let’s check that theory. It’s quite simple to do
Who is the first person to raise the question of Brexit on this brand new thread? Ah yes. A demented Remainer @heatherner in a 12 paragraph comment which is all about Brexit where he moans that it is only Brexiteers that are obsessed with Brexit
lol
Not very scientific Leon :
a) sample of 1
b) refers to a thread full of it contradicting suggestion
c) Exaggeration - 10 paras
d) Doesn't answer example I have given (admittedly also a sample of 1)
Because it’s 3pm here and my day’s work is done and it’s actually too hot to do anything but lie inert in the pool I went and checked the last 5 threads to see who first mentions the Brexit word on each one
Yes yes. Peak Nerdery
It’s an interesting exercise. In three of the threads it is definite Remainers. @IanB2@TimS and @Heathener
@MISTY who is so new to the site it is hard to say, but I’d guess perhaps Leave, but I don’t wish to presume
So the theory that it’s brexiteers who keep bringing it up unprompted is provably and empirically wrong. Which is quite a satisfying waste of my time
Which negates absolutely nothing of what I said. Do you not get the irony of you, presumably subconsciously, doing it yourself in this thread on a separate subject. I can understand Remainers being obsessed with it, because they lost. But why are Brexiters so obsessed with it. You bring it up all the time, even when it isn't the subject of the conversation. Your unrelated post today was a solid post in its own right which stood on its own merits. What was the point of the Brexit reference at the begining. It added nothing other than to put people off of a good post.
Even that he went to all that trouble reading through five previous threads is a strong indicator of obsession with the topic!
Point of order, Mr Speaker
With Vanilla it’s very easy. Just call up the first page of each discussion and do a word search. Took 3 minutes
I wish it had taken longer because I’m now so bored I’m drinking GREEN TEA
If I lived in Southend West I would happily vote Conservative as a personal protest against the murder of MPs. It doesn't affect the outcome. The argument is, nor should it.
Are you *differentially* opposed to the murder of mps, and confident of getting through to the right audience?
What? I agree with FF43. Vote Tory in Southend West! (And, if that's what you were asking, I equally oppose murdering anyone else too.)
That's what differentially means to me, sure. I just don't think a vote for a lying slob complicit in the unnecessary abandonment of civilians to possible murder in Kabul sends the message you want. The opposite actually
See Boris is off playing the statesman in Eastern Europe to save his skin. It’s so transparently cynical and pathetic you almost have to give him some credit.
Because maybe trying to avoid World War III with Putin, is a somewhat more important use of his time right now than arguing about his wife bringing a birthday cake to the office two years ago?
And of course he was such a success as Foreign Secretary, (a lady in an iraqi prison stirs...another he threw under the bus)
Edit : Iranian
Iranian woman, Iranian prison.
British passport holder. What's your point, caller?
So is Ghislaine Maxwell. We are not trying to get her out of an American prison.
So are you suggesting that Nasrani was rightfully convicted?
I suspect she was.
Without prejudicing her possible release, could you explain why you suspect that?
Because of what Boris Johnson said. I suspect he was guilty of speaking the truth. That’s not to excuse him, a foreign sec should know what to say. But I suspect it was the truth.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
So how does Putin get out of this? He’s marched his men to the top of the hill but the payoff I think he was expecting hasn’t happened. He wanted to drive a wedge between Ukraine and the west so that it was isolated and compliant. Instead Ukraine is closer to the west than ever.
Another disappointment for him must be the US response which has been surprisingly robust. Of course it is not the US who is gambling with 2-3m refugees pouring into Western Europe but the EU and, indirectly, us.
So we need to find a way of saving face for Putin so he has an alternative to war he can live with. I am not sure I am seeing it.
Indeed. This is not regular game playing it seems, the stakes for mustering so much on the border are damn high. Yet given one of his demands seems to be that the world invent a time machine to return to 1997 he surely cannot have expected to get that, so...what?
Ukraine not to join NATO? I recall reading years ago that would never happen precisely because of the absorption of Crimea and the east, that NATO would not want to admit a nation with an existing active territorial dispute with Russia. So what else did he think to achieve?
It is surely simpler than that. You can't have a foreign power telling you who you may and may not enter into treaties with.
A surprising number of people disagree when they talk about not interfering in the 'Russian Sphere', particularly as that interference sometimes seems to just be leaving open the door for nations to make their own choices/not be invaded. Those with a strange emphasis on 'escalation' from the West when any ressponse to Russian escalation ranges from tepid to moderate, are notable.
Voting intentions (23rd-26th Jan): Labour – 38% (-40) Undecided – 19% Will not vote – 18% (+10) Green Party – 8% (+7) Liberal Democrats – 4% (+1) SNP – 3% (-1) Conservatives – 2% (-1) Other – 8% (+5)
Aren't those self-selecting web polls?
On the one I checked, 75% of the sample was under-27, and they seem to think this is 'representative of British Muslims'.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
It is no union at all. Northern Ireland is almost a separate country from the UK now. The local economy is aligning with the Republic and even supermarkets like Sainsburys are now being supplied by Hendersons. Tesco has secured Irish meats and farm produce to reduce the Irish Sea hassle.
I know, and the transformation is barely believable it is that absolute. ROI used to be a bolt-on to the UK market, now ROI drives and NI is bolted on to them. Hendersons have always traded across the border but now their entire operating model has swung from a horizontal to a vertical axis.
It won't take long before people will scratch their heads and ask what the point of the union is. I don't think many people in England understand just how fundamental a thing it was when the UK as a trading nation was abolished
On the previous thread (apologies Pip) HYUFD claimed that Boris was hated by Remainers because we blame him for Brexit and hated on the Left because he won in 2019.
I don't blame Boris particularly for either.
1. The Brexit win was the brainchild of Dom Cummings but what amazes me about this is that over 5 years later, the people obsessing about Brexit aren't my former remainer friends, it's Brexiteers. They go on and on and on and on and on about it. Some of the articles are pure paranoia. It's not just people like HY and Leon on here, it's writers in the Telegraph and Paul Staines on order-order etc.
Although I'm sad about what happened in 2016 I don't spend my life thinking about it. I have a thousand other things that matter more right now and I don't envisage any bandwagon to rejoin: something which again I just find the most bizarre obsession amongst Brexiteers.
I also don't 'blame' Boris. Johnson jumped late onto the andwagon for pure career opportunism. But it was a decision of the British people in a fair vote.
It's almost as if this obsession amongst Brexiteers suggests that they are paranoid? Or mentally unwell. Seriously, and that's not a term I use lightly.
2. 2019. I don't blame Boris for winning in 2019. If I were to blame anyone it would be the Labour Party for electing as a leader a man who was unfit to lead them or to present himself to the country for high office.
But, again, ultimately it was the British people who chose Boris Johnson so how am I supposed to blame Boris?
As for the man himself, many people responded brilliantly with all the flaws in Boris Johnson so there's no need for me to repeat them. He is manifestly unfit for the job in every political and moral sense.
He will take down the tory party if they don't take him down first.
Regarding your comment about those obsessed with Brexit you are spot on. I hadn't considered this before but all my posts on Brexit are in response to Brexiters raising the issue. I don't believe I have ever made a post on the subject since the 2019 election otherwise. Could be wrong.
OK. Let’s check that theory. It’s quite simple to do
Who is the first person to raise the question of Brexit on this brand new thread? Ah yes. A demented Remainer @heatherner in a 12 paragraph comment which is all about Brexit where he moans that it is only Brexiteers that are obsessed with Brexit
lol
Not very scientific Leon :
a) sample of 1
b) refers to a thread full of it contradicting suggestion
c) Exaggeration - 10 paras
d) Doesn't answer example I have given (admittedly also a sample of 1)
Because it’s 3pm here and my day’s work is done and it’s actually too hot to do anything but lie inert in the pool I went and checked the last 5 threads to see who first mentions the Brexit word on each one
Yes yes. Peak Nerdery
It’s an interesting exercise. In three of the threads it is definite Remainers. @IanB2@TimS and @Heathener
@MISTY who is so new to the site it is hard to say, but I’d guess perhaps Leave, but I don’t wish to presume
So the theory that it’s brexiteers who keep bringing it up unprompted is provably and empirically wrong. Which is quite a satisfying waste of my time
Time wasted well. An early glimpse of retirement for you my friend. ;-)
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
Bit harsh on Tomsø. We went for a week a few years ago, hired a car and explored the area - the scenery is spectacular. Great seafood too (though eye-waveringly expensive).
Saw the Northern Lights on day 5 too, so all good. Will go back someday.
Edit: Lol - "eye-waveringly expensive" - I couldn't bear to look at the prices.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
As long as there is no hard border in Ireland, I expect the average NI voter will not be bothered when the DUP removes the Irish Sea border with no opposition from the UK government.
Wholly off topic, but I am reading a rather good new history of Anglo-Saxon England
Eadric has just turned up as a counsellor to Athelred the Unraed (“Ill-counselled”) and is described as “a layman whose meteoric but unscrupulous rise earned him the contemporary nickname “the Grabber”… blamed for the murder of Ealdorman Aelfhelm and the blinding of his sons…it was at this point that the violent factional rivalries at Aethelred’s court started to spin out of control”
Interesting person for a poster to name themselves after…
Not sure which constituency you are in but there seem to be about a dozen different parties under the "left unity" banner. Surely one of them will be available? And if not, stand yourself!
Voting intentions (23rd-26th Jan): Labour – 38% (-40) Undecided – 19% Will not vote – 18% (+10) Green Party – 8% (+7) Liberal Democrats – 4% (+1) SNP – 3% (-1) Conservatives – 2% (-1) Other – 8% (+5)
Golly, so more Muslims in the UK will vote SNP than Con? Hasn't anyone told them that there is definitely no Islamophobia in the Tory party?
That result is startling in so many ways it sets my nose twitching a little.
It'd be good to know how they conducted the poll (apparently 1,024 respondents.)
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
It is no union at all. Northern Ireland is almost a separate country from the UK now. The local economy is aligning with the Republic and even supermarkets like Sainsburys are now being supplied by Hendersons. Tesco has secured Irish meats and farm produce to reduce the Irish Sea hassle.
Yes, one of the beneficiaries of Brexit has been the Irish customs and excise.
Mr. Pioneers, ironic that the attempt to stifle a desire for Scottish independence implemented by a cackhanded and complacent Labour Party intent on maintaining control of a Celtic fiefdom has led to the destruction of the UK being a credible possibility.
There are two major flaws in your assessment, though. If Scotland leaves, it isn't in the EU, so the relationship in a trade sense will just be as it would be for any non-EU country (subject to any specific agreement). It doesn't have the complexity of Northern Ireland (thankfully).
Also, the question of what currency remains unresolved. This is no minor matter and separatists still don't have a credible answer.
Unlike Tugendhat, Sunak and Truss are both on the payroll, so can’t really comment until there’s actually a vacancy.
That said, the resignation of either of them, could be what kick-starts the contest in the first place.
Didn't Rory Stewart express an interest in the top job should a vacancy be available while still a Cabinet Minister?
Surely his time has passed? He would need to rejoin the Conservatives and that party no longer exists
I wasn't suggesting him for now; for the reasons you say his time has passed. But simply that there is no reason why a Cabinet Minister couldn't express a conditional wish for the top job as Rory did when he was in Cabinet. (If I've remembered correctly.)
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
I criticise the PM regularly, but given the Commons had thrice rejected May's deal, what (except no deal) was the alternative to the rushed deal that got passed?
I would have been open to an extension of the negotiating period, but that merely delays the question.
And yeah, the result is rubbish for Northern Ireland/the UK regarding the border. Plenty of blame to go around (early triggering of Article 50, lack of clarity, caving to the EU and enabling it to use the border as a negotiating weapon, the pro-EU Commons being against any compromise and being surprised when things get more distant rather than closer to the EU). Many of those complaining the loudest are pro-EU yet were against May's soft deal.
Stormont has the right to reject the current set up if they want
See Boris is off playing the statesman in Eastern Europe to save his skin. It’s so transparently cynical and pathetic you almost have to give him some credit.
Because maybe trying to avoid World War III with Putin, is a somewhat more important use of his time right now than arguing about his wife bringing a birthday cake to the office two years ago?
And of course he was such a success as Foreign Secretary, (a lady in an iraqi prison stirs...another he threw under the bus)
Edit : Iranian
Iranian woman, Iranian prison.
British passport holder. What's your point, caller?
So is Ghislaine Maxwell. We are not trying to get her out of an American prison.
So are you suggesting that Nasrani was rightfully convicted?
I suspect she was.
Without prejudicing her possible release, could you explain why you suspect that?
Because of what Boris Johnson said. I suspect he was guilty of speaking the truth. That’s not to excuse him, a foreign sec should know what to say. But I suspect it was the truth.
If you had any serious grounds to have a belief one way or the other, you would presumably not be sharing them on here. And Johnson's position is no different whether it was true or not. Indeed if it's false he has merely dropped a uk citizen in the shit, if true he has both done that and compromised uk security.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
As long as there is no hard border in Ireland, I expect the average NI voter will not be bothered when the DUP removes the Irish Sea border with no opposition from the UK government.
SF hardliners may be annoyed but who cares
Yes, but customs on the continental side of the channel may not be so compliant.
There's never a good time for breaking a treaty and starting a trade war.
(YouGov / The Times Survey; Sample Size: 1,656; 26th - 27th January 2022)
Are the Liberal Democrats nudging up in London? Could be a good May for them. How would it look if they overtook the Conservatives in the capital and former fiefdom of the prime minister?
Definite signs of Con recovery in the Midlands.
Looking bleak for unionists in Scotland
Really? 53% support a party you keep telling us doesn't want independence.
Have you seen them do anything to get independence???????????? Too fat and happy pretending whilst troughing it.
Unlike Tugendhat, Sunak and Truss are both on the payroll, so can’t really comment until there’s actually a vacancy.
That said, the resignation of either of them, could be what kick-starts the contest in the first place.
Didn't Rory Stewart express an interest in the top job should a vacancy be available while still a Cabinet Minister?
Surely his time has passed? He would need to rejoin the Conservatives and that party no longer exists
I wasn't suggesting him for now; for the reasons you say his time has passed. But simply that there is no reason why a Cabinet Minister couldn't express a conditional wish for the top job as Rory did when he was in Cabinet. (If I've remembered correctly.)
I do wish Rory was back in Parliament, though.
What proportion of the cabinet would love the top job? 60-75%? We all know that most want it, as does whoever is PM at the present, it is a silly convention that you can't express any interest in it.
See Boris is off playing the statesman in Eastern Europe to save his skin. It’s so transparently cynical and pathetic you almost have to give him some credit.
Because maybe trying to avoid World War III with Putin, is a somewhat more important use of his time right now than arguing about his wife bringing a birthday cake to the office two years ago?
And of course he was such a success as Foreign Secretary, (a lady in an iraqi prison stirs...another he threw under the bus)
Edit : Iranian
Iranian woman, Iranian prison.
British passport holder. What's your point, caller?
So is Ghislaine Maxwell. We are not trying to get her out of an American prison.
So are you suggesting that Nasrani was rightfully convicted?
I suspect she was.
Without prejudicing her possible release, could you explain why you suspect that?
Because of what Boris Johnson said. I suspect he was guilty of speaking the truth. That’s not to excuse him, a foreign sec should know what to say. But I suspect it was the truth.
You have undermined your argument with the ridiculous assertion that Johnson was "speaking the truth".
(YouGov / The Times Survey; Sample Size: 1,656; 26th - 27th January 2022)
Are the Liberal Democrats nudging up in London? Could be a good May for them. How would it look if they overtook the Conservatives in the capital and former fiefdom of the prime minister?
Definite signs of Con recovery in the Midlands.
Looking bleak for unionists in Scotland
Really? 53% support a party you keep telling us doesn't want independence.
I think he puts that on its leadership not rank and file support.
Exactly , and I thought Ydoethur was bright as well. Unable to discern between public and SNP leadership.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
But will not be for much longer once DUP ministers ban checks on goods going to and from NI and GB which Truss will not oppose
You truly are a fool They have no power to do such a thing. If they did have they would already have done so. The operation of the NI side of the GB NI hard border is with the NI Office, not the devolved administration.
They do.
The DUP ministers are about to rip the Irish Sea border to pieces.
Truss has correctly made clear the UK government will not do a thing to stop them as Boris has given her responsibility for it, the NI office will be powerless if Truss rightly orders them to do nothing
I know that you are fundamentally a parrot so won't understand this, so lets go slowly.
No, they don't. Read the article. The proposal is that the DUP "block" the checks. As they don;t have any power over them every other party on the executive has pointed out that it is a stunt. Because civil servants in the NI Office who run the border would be obliged to ignore the DUP.
Truss is saying they won't intervene because the government would implement the pull on checks. Because the NI Office runs them, not the assembly.
I have to assume that you know this, you aren't that ignorant. So you are repeating a lie thinking we are stupid. We are not. Perhaps you are?
(YouGov / The Times Survey; Sample Size: 1,656; 26th - 27th January 2022)
Are the Liberal Democrats nudging up in London? Could be a good May for them. How would it look if they overtook the Conservatives in the capital and former fiefdom of the prime minister?
Definite signs of Con recovery in the Midlands.
Looking bleak for unionists in Scotland
Really? 53% support a party you keep telling us doesn't want independence.
Have you seen them do anything to get independence???????????? Too fat and happy pretending whilst troughing it.
Exactly, this Tory government will refuse indyref2 forever while in power and Sturgeon will do nothing.
Only way there is ever an indyref2 now is a Starmer minority government reliant on the SNP
See Boris is off playing the statesman in Eastern Europe to save his skin. It’s so transparently cynical and pathetic you almost have to give him some credit.
Because maybe trying to avoid World War III with Putin, is a somewhat more important use of his time right now than arguing about his wife bringing a birthday cake to the office two years ago?
And of course he was such a success as Foreign Secretary, (a lady in an iraqi prison stirs...another he threw under the bus)
Edit : Iranian
Iranian woman, Iranian prison.
British passport holder. What's your point, caller?
So is Ghislaine Maxwell. We are not trying to get her out of an American prison.
So are you suggesting that Nasrani was rightfully convicted?
I suspect she was.
Without prejudicing her possible release, could you explain why you suspect that?
Because of what Boris Johnson said. I suspect he was guilty of speaking the truth. That’s not to excuse him, a foreign sec should know what to say. But I suspect it was the truth.
If you had any serious grounds to have a belief one way or the other, you would presumably not be sharing them on here. And Johnson's position is no different whether it was true or not. Indeed if it's false he has merely dropped a uk citizen in the shit, if true he has both done that and compromised uk security.
Voting intentions (23rd-26th Jan): Labour – 38% (-40) Undecided – 19% Will not vote – 18% (+10) Green Party – 8% (+7) Liberal Democrats – 4% (+1) SNP – 3% (-1) Conservatives – 2% (-1) Other – 8% (+5)
Aren't those self-selecting web polls?
On the one I checked, 75% of the sample was under-27, and they seem to think this is 'representative of British Muslims'.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
As long as there is no hard border in Ireland, I expect the average NI voter will not be bothered when the DUP removes the Irish Sea border with no opposition from the UK government.
SF hardliners may be annoyed but who cares
Yes, but customs on the continental side of the channel may not be so compliant.
There's never a good time for breaking a treaty and starting a trade war.
The EU can take it up with the DUP, it was them who insisted on it, not the UK government
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
By "against its will" I meant that NI voted against Brexit, NI voted for unionist parties, NI has had imposed both Brexit and the effective end of the union. Nobody in NI voted to need an export license to send goods to GB.
(YouGov / The Times Survey; Sample Size: 1,656; 26th - 27th January 2022)
Are the Liberal Democrats nudging up in London? Could be a good May for them. How would it look if they overtook the Conservatives in the capital and former fiefdom of the prime minister?
Definite signs of Con recovery in the Midlands.
Looking bleak for unionists in Scotland
Not at all. It does not matter if the SNP got 99%, this Tory UK government will continue to refuse indyref2 and Sturgeon will continue to rule out UDI.
You know at least that Sturgeon is in Westminster's pocket, the rest I will treat with the contempt it deserves.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
It is no union at all. Northern Ireland is almost a separate country from the UK now. The local economy is aligning with the Republic and even supermarkets like Sainsburys are now being supplied by Hendersons. Tesco has secured Irish meats and farm produce to reduce the Irish Sea hassle.
I know, and the transformation is barely believable it is that absolute. ROI used to be a bolt-on to the UK market, now ROI drives and NI is bolted on to them. Hendersons have always traded across the border but now their entire operating model has swung from a horizontal to a vertical axis.
It won't take long before people will scratch their heads and ask what the point of the union is. I don't think many people in England understand just how fundamental a thing it was when the UK as a trading nation was abolished
The point of the Union was always a synthesis of benefit and feeling in varying proportions. As benefit recedes and only feeling is left (extreme feeling in the case of ideological Unionists both in NI and Scotland), the fall out could get very nasty.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
As long as there is no hard border in Ireland, I expect the average NI voter will not be bothered when the DUP removes the Irish Sea border with no opposition from the UK government.
SF hardliners may be annoyed but who cares
Yes, but customs on the continental side of the channel may not be so compliant.
There's never a good time for breaking a treaty and starting a trade war.
The EU can take it up with the DUP, it was them who insisted on it, not the UK government
Mr. StillWaters, I liked that a lot too. Nicely bridges the Roman to Norman period in a single volume.
I can recommend his other books (particularly on the Norman Conquest). For a broader look at the European/Middle East/North African period 400-1000AD, Chris Wickham's Inheritance of Rome was very good indeed.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
But will not be for much longer once DUP ministers ban checks on goods going to and from NI and GB which Truss will not oppose
You truly are a fool They have no power to do such a thing. If they did have they would already have done so. The operation of the NI side of the GB NI hard border is with the NI Office, not the devolved administration.
They do.
The DUP ministers are about to rip the Irish Sea border to pieces.
Truss has correctly made clear the UK government will not do a thing to stop them as Boris has given her responsibility for it, the NI office will be powerless if Truss rightly orders them to do nothing
I know that you are fundamentally a parrot so won't understand this, so lets go slowly.
No, they don't. Read the article. The proposal is that the DUP "block" the checks. As they don;t have any power over them every other party on the executive has pointed out that it is a stunt. Because civil servants in the NI Office who run the border would be obliged to ignore the DUP.
Truss is saying they won't intervene because the government would implement the pull on checks. Because the NI Office runs them, not the assembly.
I have to assume that you know this, you aren't that ignorant. So you are repeating a lie thinking we are stupid. We are not. Perhaps you are?
Civil servants in NI report to the UK government. As Truss makes clear she will not block the decision of elected DUP ministers to block the checks.
And if that does not work the DUP have also made clear they will walk out of the Stormont Executive and effectively end the Good Friday Agreement until the Irish Sea border is removed
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that niterest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
I’m only teasing.
I love my job and I will carry on doing it as long as it pays a penny, and probably beyond that. Just for the fun of it.
I love my friends, women, walking, diving, reading, music, travelling, exploring, talking rubbish on PB. I can’t imagine “retiring” in some cliched sense where I take up golf. I’ve never had a regular job in my entire life, never done a day’s work in an office, or had formal hours, EVER (which is quite remarkable in itself, I’ve never needed an alarm clock). So I am not sure what retirement means for me, anyway.
The only problem is these foreign trips when I come away to work my flints. I deliberately inflict solitude on myself because it is incredibly productive (I get so much more work done, my clothes are cleaned for me, my room is cleaned daily, I never have to cook, just focus on the task). The issue is that you can only work creatively for about 3 hours, in my experience, 4 max
Then a swim and sunbathe, and then….? That’s when the awkward hours arrive, about 3pm to my first gym visit at about 6 or 7pm. Then I start drinking and it’s all OK
Rinse and repeat. I should return home with some seriously good flintwork. A decent suntan. And a slimmer figure
It’ll do, I am quite content. And I missed a large chunk of the English winter, which is never bad
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
Yes, I shall give up medicine when I hit State Pension age (67 in my case). It does need active preparation to have a sufficient range of activities to stimulate the brain afterwards. I will read and garden more, but that cannot fill a whole day.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
It is no union at all. Northern Ireland is almost a separate country from the UK now. The local economy is aligning with the Republic and even supermarkets like Sainsburys are now being supplied by Hendersons. Tesco has secured Irish meats and farm produce to reduce the Irish Sea hassle.
I know, and the transformation is barely believable it is that absolute. ROI used to be a bolt-on to the UK market, now ROI drives and NI is bolted on to them. Hendersons have always traded across the border but now their entire operating model has swung from a horizontal to a vertical axis.
It won't take long before people will scratch their heads and ask what the point of the union is. I don't think many people in England understand just how fundamental a thing it was when the UK as a trading nation was abolished
That understanding will come in time as everything gets more and more expensive and harder to import. In 20 years, maybe ....
The only thing the UK does is send money here. That could be funded from a mix of the Republic and EU Regional funds plus whatever the local economy can generate.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
I would disagree with "against its will", as the polling suggests that the NI protocol is supported by 60% there. It is just against the will of a minority, albeit a politically significant one.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
As long as there is no hard border in Ireland, I expect the average NI voter will not be bothered when the DUP removes the Irish Sea border with no opposition from the UK government.
SF hardliners may be annoyed but who cares
Yes, but customs on the continental side of the channel may not be so compliant.
There's never a good time for breaking a treaty and starting a trade war.
Johnson to have a "call with Putin" then. It'll be interesting to hear what the corrupt old crime boss has to say, I suppose. That's presumably why Putin has agreed to it anyway.
See Boris is off playing the statesman in Eastern Europe to save his skin. It’s so transparently cynical and pathetic you almost have to give him some credit.
Because maybe trying to avoid World War III with Putin, is a somewhat more important use of his time right now than arguing about his wife bringing a birthday cake to the office two years ago?
And of course he was such a success as Foreign Secretary, (a lady in an iraqi prison stirs...another he threw under the bus)
Edit : Iranian
Iranian woman, Iranian prison.
British passport holder. What's your point, caller?
So is Ghislaine Maxwell. We are not trying to get her out of an American prison.
So are you suggesting that Nasrani was rightfully convicted?
I suspect she was.
Without prejudicing her possible release, could you explain why you suspect that?
Because of what Boris Johnson said. I suspect he was guilty of speaking the truth. That’s not to excuse him, a foreign sec should know what to say. But I suspect it was the truth.
If you had any serious grounds to have a belief one way or the other, you would presumably not be sharing them on here. And Johnson's position is no different whether it was true or not. Indeed if it's false he has merely dropped a uk citizen in the shit, if true he has both done that and compromised uk security.
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
Yes, I shall give up medicine when I hit State Pension age (67 in my case). It does need active preparation to have a sufficient range of activities to stimulate the brain afterwards. I will read and garden more, but that cannot fill a whole day.
A daily prescription of PB will cure what might ail you. Just beware of overdosing.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
But will not be for much longer once DUP ministers ban checks on goods going to and from NI and GB which Truss will not oppose
You truly are a fool They have no power to do such a thing. If they did have they would already have done so. The operation of the NI side of the GB NI hard border is with the NI Office, not the devolved administration.
They do.
The DUP ministers are about to rip the Irish Sea border to pieces.
Truss has correctly made clear the UK government will not do a thing to stop them as Boris has given her responsibility for it, the NI office will be powerless if Truss rightly orders them to do nothing
I know that you are fundamentally a parrot so won't understand this, so lets go slowly.
No, they don't. Read the article. The proposal is that the DUP "block" the checks. As they don;t have any power over them every other party on the executive has pointed out that it is a stunt. Because civil servants in the NI Office who run the border would be obliged to ignore the DUP.
Truss is saying they won't intervene because the government would implement the pull on checks. Because the NI Office runs them, not the assembly.
I have to assume that you know this, you aren't that ignorant. So you are repeating a lie thinking we are stupid. We are not. Perhaps you are?
Civil servants in NI report to the UK government. As Truss makes clear she will not block the decision of elected DUP ministers to block the checks.
And if that does not work the DUP have also made clear they will walk out of the Stormont Executive and effectively end the Good Friday Agreement until the Irish Sea border is removed
Correct - civil servants in NI report to the UK government. So Poots has zero power to order anything.
(YouGov / The Times Survey; Sample Size: 1,656; 26th - 27th January 2022)
Are the Liberal Democrats nudging up in London? Could be a good May for them. How would it look if they overtook the Conservatives in the capital and former fiefdom of the prime minister?
Definite signs of Con recovery in the Midlands.
Looking bleak for unionists in Scotland
Really? 53% support a party you keep telling us doesn't want independence.
Have you seen them do anything to get independence???????????? Too fat and happy pretending whilst troughing it.
Exactly, this Tory government will refuse indyref2 forever while in power and Sturgeon will do nothing.
Only way there is ever an indyref2 now is a Starmer minority government reliant on the SNP
OT. Are you standing in as locum for Bartholomew Thompson?
I'm not seeing any earthquakes like that among Muslim friends, but there's certainly a degree of detachment fromj politics and some disilllusionment. But that's true of non-Muslim friends too. I only know one person who with an air of defiance assets that the Conservatives are doing a good job, but the negative "FFS let's get them out" theme is the only thing that excites any of them, so lots and lots of potential anti-Tory tactical voters.
Are my friends typical? Nah, but not as uniformly leftie as you'd think.
A federal Ireland with the North keeping Stormont and its own elections would address a lot of issues and might well be acceptable to a portion of the Unionist population. The Irish Sea border is certainly assisting people in thinking in that direction since that is almost how things stand at the moment.
Yes, very interesting to read. What is the point in NI's membership of the UK when the UK government has separated from it against its will? I need to apply for an export license and fill in paperwork to ship products to Ballymena. What kind of "union" is that?
It is no union at all. Northern Ireland is almost a separate country from the UK now. The local economy is aligning with the Republic and even supermarkets like Sainsburys are now being supplied by Hendersons. Tesco has secured Irish meats and farm produce to reduce the Irish Sea hassle.
I know, and the transformation is barely believable it is that absolute. ROI used to be a bolt-on to the UK market, now ROI drives and NI is bolted on to them. Hendersons have always traded across the border but now their entire operating model has swung from a horizontal to a vertical axis.
It won't take long before people will scratch their heads and ask what the point of the union is. I don't think many people in England understand just how fundamental a thing it was when the UK as a trading nation was abolished
That understanding will come in time as everything gets more and more expensive and harder to import. In 20 years, maybe ....
The only thing the UK does is send money here. That could be funded from a mix of the Republic and EU Regional funds plus whatever the local economy can generate.
54% of Republic of Ireland voters say they would be unwilling to pay more tax to fund NI and a united Ireland
On the previous thread (apologies Pip) HYUFD claimed that Boris was hated by Remainers because we blame him for Brexit and hated on the Left because he won in 2019.
I don't blame Boris particularly for either.
1. The Brexit win was the brainchild of Dom Cummings but what amazes me about this is that over 5 years later, the people obsessing about Brexit aren't my former remainer friends, it's Brexiteers. They go on and on and on and on and on about it. Some of the articles are pure paranoia. It's not just people like HY and Leon on here, it's writers in the Telegraph and Paul Staines on order-order etc.
Although I'm sad about what happened in 2016 I don't spend my life thinking about it. I have a thousand other things that matter more right now and I don't envisage any bandwagon to rejoin: something which again I just find the most bizarre obsession amongst Brexiteers.
I also don't 'blame' Boris. Johnson jumped late onto the andwagon for pure career opportunism. But it was a decision of the British people in a fair vote.
It's almost as if this obsession amongst Brexiteers suggests that they are paranoid? Or mentally unwell. Seriously, and that's not a term I use lightly.
2. 2019. I don't blame Boris for winning in 2019. If I were to blame anyone it would be the Labour Party for electing as a leader a man who was unfit to lead them or to present himself to the country for high office.
But, again, ultimately it was the British people who chose Boris Johnson so how am I supposed to blame Boris?
As for the man himself, many people responded brilliantly with all the flaws in Boris Johnson so there's no need for me to repeat them. He is manifestly unfit for the job in every political and moral sense.
He will take down the tory party if they don't take him down first.
Regarding your comment about those obsessed with Brexit you are spot on. I hadn't considered this before but all my posts on Brexit are in response to Brexiters raising the issue. I don't believe I have ever made a post on the subject since the 2019 election otherwise. Could be wrong.
OK. Let’s check that theory. It’s quite simple to do
Who is the first person to raise the question of Brexit on this brand new thread? Ah yes. A demented Remainer @heatherner in a 12 paragraph comment which is all about Brexit where he moans that it is only Brexiteers that are obsessed with Brexit
lol
Not very scientific Leon :
a) sample of 1
b) refers to a thread full of it contradicting suggestion
c) Exaggeration - 10 paras
d) Doesn't answer example I have given (admittedly also a sample of 1)
Because it’s 3pm here and my day’s work is done and it’s actually too hot to do anything but lie inert in the pool I went and checked the last 5 threads to see who first mentions the Brexit word on each one
Yes yes. Peak Nerdery
It’s an interesting exercise. In three of the threads it is definite Remainers. @IanB2@TimS and @Heathener
@MISTY who is so new to the site it is hard to say, but I’d guess perhaps Leave, but I don’t wish to presume
So the theory that it’s brexiteers who keep bringing it up unprompted is provably and empirically wrong. Which is quite a satisfying waste of my time
As you know I am a repentant Brexiteer, I'm not out campaigning for rejoin, I just want the border to work.
Some of you are still sat in blissful ignorance of the shitshow that is the GB - EU border but you won't be forever. It gets worse every week and as people start to realise just how expensive everything now is and how we keep getting shortages - and how it isn't like that in Europe - people will start to complain.
For most people who didn;t know what the EU was never mind how trade worked, whatever they thought they was getting paying more for less was not on their list. And they won't be happy. Already a stack of examples of the same item costing lots more on our side vs theirs...
Unfortunately the cost side of things will just be put down to general inflation and not many joe publics will connect the dots. This will be liberally helped by a string of lies from Johnson.
Shortages is another matter. But again at the moment this is obscured by covid and lockdowns across europe etc etc.
Incidentally, my pharmacy couldn't get one of my wife's medicines this week. All the wholesalers out of stock - supply issues.
Two basic reasons for supply issues 1. Everything is stuck on a truck somewhere in the queue 2. A lot of hauliers are very reluctant to come due to the huge cost added to the trip and the hell their drivers go through. So fewer trucks to book space on.
Its going to get a lot worse - and every week is worse than the week before.
How long before this cuts through to the voters do you think?
So far Johnson and co have got away with avoiding the consequences of his hard Brexit.
See Boris is off playing the statesman in Eastern Europe to save his skin. It’s so transparently cynical and pathetic you almost have to give him some credit.
I would have thought that Johnson blundering around the Ukraine was more likely to trigger a conflict than prevent one but I agree it's so transparently another attempted distraction.
But it’s not insightful for the reasons the writer thinks
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
Mr. StillWaters, I liked that a lot too. Nicely bridges the Roman to Norman period in a single volume.
I can recommend his other books (particularly on the Norman Conquest). For a broader look at the European/Middle East/North African period 400-1000AD, Chris Wickham's Inheritance of Rome was very good indeed.
Incidentally, I can highly recommend this book, which I have just finished, including a section on Gobekli Tepi, and some even older cities. A very different history of the world.
See Boris is off playing the statesman in Eastern Europe to save his skin. It’s so transparently cynical and pathetic you almost have to give him some credit.
Because maybe trying to avoid World War III with Putin, is a somewhat more important use of his time right now than arguing about his wife bringing a birthday cake to the office two years ago?
And of course he was such a success as Foreign Secretary, (a lady in an iraqi prison stirs...another he threw under the bus)
Edit : Iranian
Iranian woman, Iranian prison.
British passport holder. What's your point, caller?
So is Ghislaine Maxwell. We are not trying to get her out of an American prison.
So are you suggesting that Nasrani was rightfully convicted?
I suspect she was.
Without prejudicing her possible release, could you explain why you suspect that?
Because of what Boris Johnson said. I suspect he was guilty of speaking the truth. That’s not to excuse him, a foreign sec should know what to say. But I suspect it was the truth.
If you had any serious grounds to have a belief one way or the other, you would presumably not be sharing them on here. And Johnson's position is no different whether it was true or not. Indeed if it's false he has merely dropped a uk citizen in the shit, if true he has both done that and compromised uk security.
Spot on. I have liked but wanted to comment as well, particularly as I was going to make the same post. Regardless of whether true or not what Boris said was an appalling blunder. I assume an accident, but if it were me I would struggle to live with myself knowing what I had done.
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
I retired at 65 and was told by my colleagues that after a couple of weeks they'd see me back. I think I went back to do a couple of projects for a few weeks, then called that a day. I did, though, do a couple of projects for other people, on a very part-time basis, but then at 70 called it a day, professionally. What with insurance, and professional registration fees and assorted requirements it was too demanding. Mrs C and I did a few cricket tours, watching England, and of course spent some family time with grandchildren. As some were in Thailand we spent some time there, and used it as a base for travelling. We had some European holidays trips, too. Back home we both joined the u3a and took part in activities there. And we joined interest groups in the town to which we'd moved. It's been more difficult, travelling wise over the last few year, what with the pandemic and me getting somewhat less mobile, but we both use the internet and especially Zoom and FaceTime. And, of course, we read.
So I agree with Mr P; Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently if he's had t'internet!.
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
Fuck em
Your post is a great example of world leading empathy and self awareness.
James Blunt @JamesBlunt · 1h If @spotify doesn’t immediately remove @joerogan , I will release new music onto the platform. #youwerebeautiful
It’s always welcome and heartening when multi-millionaire musicians campaign against Freedom of Speech and try to prevent me listening to alternative voices
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
Yes, I shall give up medicine when I hit State Pension age (67 in my case). It does need active preparation to have a sufficient range of activities to stimulate the brain afterwards. I will read and garden more, but that cannot fill a whole day.
Unlike Tugendhat, Sunak and Truss are both on the payroll, so can’t really comment until there’s actually a vacancy.
That said, the resignation of either of them, could be what kick-starts the contest in the first place.
Didn't Rory Stewart express an interest in the top job should a vacancy be available while still a Cabinet Minister?
Surely his time has passed? He would need to rejoin the Conservatives and that party no longer exists
I wasn't suggesting him for now; for the reasons you say his time has passed. But simply that there is no reason why a Cabinet Minister couldn't express a conditional wish for the top job as Rory did when he was in Cabinet. (If I've remembered correctly.)
I do wish Rory was back in Parliament, though.
He did nothing , just another yahoo Tory with no value add.
If I lived in Southend West I would happily vote Conservative as a personal protest against the murder of MPs. It doesn't affect the outcome. The argument is, nor should it.
Are you *differentially* opposed to the murder of mps, and confident of getting through to the right audience?
What? I agree with FF43. Vote Tory in Southend West! (And, if that's what you were asking, I equally oppose murdering anyone else too.)
That's what differentially means to me, sure. I just don't think a vote for a lying slob complicit in the unnecessary abandonment of civilians to possible murder in Kabul sends the message you want. The opposite actually
Mmm, I see. I think voting Tory in Southend W won't be interpreted as a vote of confidence in British Afghanistan policy, though - just a message to murderers not to bother, you just get another MP with similar views. There will be other opportunities to express a view on the virtues or otherwise of Conservative government.
I do think it's surprising that a far-left groupuscule hasn't had a go, through. Someone like TUSC might even have saved their deposit and certainly got a fair amount of coverage.
Voting intentions (23rd-26th Jan): Labour – 38% (-40) Undecided – 19% Will not vote – 18% (+10) Green Party – 8% (+7) Liberal Democrats – 4% (+1) SNP – 3% (-1) Conservatives – 2% (-1) Other – 8% (+5)
Aren't those self-selecting web polls?
On the one I checked, 75% of the sample was under-27, and they seem to think this is 'representative of British Muslims'.
If the Corbynites do form their own party, there’s an obvious structural threat to Labour here - namely the new party aligns with the Greens, effectively take it over (organisationally) and then targets the same core groups which are the bedrock of Labour support via their different ‘brands’ (urban professionals - the Greens; ethnic minority, predominately Muslim - the Corbynites). How does Labour counteract that?
Johnson to have a "call with Putin" then. It'll be interesting to hear what the corrupt old crime boss has to say, I suppose. That's presumably why Putin has agreed to it anyway.
One is the corrupt leader of a hollowed out kleptocracy in a demographic death spiral and the other one is the one.
But it’s not insightful for the reasons the writer thinks
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
But it’s not insightful for the reasons the writer thinks
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
Fuck em
Mind you if Scotland ever got an indyref2 and voted to leave the UK I expect English people living in Scotland who returned to England would feel exactly the same.
Unlike Tugendhat, Sunak and Truss are both on the payroll, so can’t really comment until there’s actually a vacancy.
That said, the resignation of either of them, could be what kick-starts the contest in the first place.
Didn't Rory Stewart express an interest in the top job should a vacancy be available while still a Cabinet Minister?
Surely his time has passed? He would need to rejoin the Conservatives and that party no longer exists
I wasn't suggesting him for now; for the reasons you say his time has passed. But simply that there is no reason why a Cabinet Minister couldn't express a conditional wish for the top job as Rory did when he was in Cabinet. (If I've remembered correctly.)
I do wish Rory was back in Parliament, though.
He did nothing , just another yahoo Tory with no value add.
Surprisingly in agreement there. Stewart was just another romanticised figure who appealed to the chattering classes, along with the phrase “I would vote Tory if Rory Stewart was leader”. Missing the slight downside that RS being leader would lose the Tories more votes than he would bring in.
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
I retired at 65 and was told by my colleagues that after a couple of weeks they'd see me back. I think I went back to do a couple of projects for a few weeks, then called that a day. I did, though, do a couple of projects for other people, on a very part-time basis, but then at 70 called it a day, professionally. What with insurance, and professional registration fees and assorted requirements it was too demanding. Mrs C and I did a few cricket tours, watching England, and of course spent some family time with grandchildren. As some were in Thailand we spent some time there, and used it as a base for travelling. We had some European holidays trips, too. Back home we both joined the u3a and took part in activities there. And we joined interest groups in the town to which we'd moved. It's been more difficult, travelling wise over the last few year, what with the pandemic and me getting somewhat less mobile, but we both use the internet and especially Zoom and FaceTime. And, of course, we read.
So I agree with Mr P; Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently if he's had t'internet!.
My mum died suddenly last Sunday aged 84, in poor health physically (confined to her house) but mentally still sharp.
Despite the restrictions of Covid, I think her past couple of years have been some of her happiest because of one thing: FaceTime.
She couldn't/wouldn't use a computer but we persuaded her to try an iPad for FaceTime and she got the hang of it and loved seeing and chatting to her grandchildren, who were good at calling her regularly. I was able to speak to her on it most days, too.
But it’s not insightful for the reasons the writer thinks
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
Fuck em
Unfortunately it is a shit hole nowadays
You could always try and persuade them to live in Scotland when it becomes independent.
James Blunt @JamesBlunt · 1h If @spotify doesn’t immediately remove @joerogan , I will release new music onto the platform. #youwerebeautiful
It’s always welcome and heartening when multi-millionaire musicians campaign against Freedom of Speech and try to prevent me listening to alternative voices
Wait, that’s Blunt being funny, isn’t it?
DERRRRRR
He does good Twitter
The campaign against Spotify and Rogan is still loathsome, however
Voting intentions (23rd-26th Jan): Labour – 38% (-40) Undecided – 19% Will not vote – 18% (+10) Green Party – 8% (+7) Liberal Democrats – 4% (+1) SNP – 3% (-1) Conservatives – 2% (-1) Other – 8% (+5)
Aren't those self-selecting web polls?
On the one I checked, 75% of the sample was under-27, and they seem to think this is 'representative of British Muslims'.
If the Corbynites do form their own party, there’s an obvious structural threat to Labour here - namely the new party aligns with the Greens, effectively take it over (organisationally) and then targets the same core groups which are the bedrock of Labour support via their different ‘brands’ (urban professionals - the Greens; ethnic minority, predominately Muslim - the Corbynites). How does Labour counteract that?
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
Yes, I shall give up medicine when I hit State Pension age (67 in my case). It does need active preparation to have a sufficient range of activities to stimulate the brain afterwards. I will read and garden more, but that cannot fill a whole day.
I think often about retiring but like Nick I still really enjoy my job and so carry on, definitely need to have interests to occupy you. Lots of people decline quickly after retiring.
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
Yes, I shall give up medicine when I hit State Pension age (67 in my case). It does need active preparation to have a sufficient range of activities to stimulate the brain afterwards. I will read and garden more, but that cannot fill a whole day.
I could happily spend all day every day gardening. Mind you mine is very very big. And a lot of good gardening is about observing.
Plus it provides me with a lot of thinking time. Many headers have been composed in my head while gardening.
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
Yes, I shall give up medicine when I hit State Pension age (67 in my case). It does need active preparation to have a sufficient range of activities to stimulate the brain afterwards. I will read and garden more, but that cannot fill a whole day.
A daily prescription of PB will cure what might ail you. Just beware of overdosing.
Day 3 of isolation, and feeling rather rough. Headache mostly today, but general fatigue, and some cough. O2 sats still good. Mostly bored today, not feeling up to a long read. Dog a bit bouncy and not understanding why I am at home, but not walking him.
Unlike Tugendhat, Sunak and Truss are both on the payroll, so can’t really comment until there’s actually a vacancy.
That said, the resignation of either of them, could be what kick-starts the contest in the first place.
Didn't Rory Stewart express an interest in the top job should a vacancy be available while still a Cabinet Minister?
Surely his time has passed? He would need to rejoin the Conservatives and that party no longer exists
I wasn't suggesting him for now; for the reasons you say his time has passed. But simply that there is no reason why a Cabinet Minister couldn't express a conditional wish for the top job as Rory did when he was in Cabinet. (If I've remembered correctly.)
I do wish Rory was back in Parliament, though.
He did nothing , just another yahoo Tory with no value add.
Surprisingly in agreement there. Stewart was just another romanticised figure who appealed to the chattering classes, along with the phrase “I would vote Tory if Rory Stewart was leader”. Missing the slight downside that RS being leader would lose the Tories more votes than he would bring in.
Plus, I cannot think the solution to the current crisis is yet another old Etonian.
James Blunt @JamesBlunt · 1h If @spotify doesn’t immediately remove @joerogan , I will release new music onto the platform. #youwerebeautiful
It’s always welcome and heartening when multi-millionaire musicians campaign against Freedom of Speech and try to prevent me listening to alternative voices
I can't work out the meaning of the original quote. Is he saying that if spotify doesn't remove Rogan, then he will (carry on) release(ing) new music on to the platform? It reads to me like he is defending Rogan, which is probably not his intention.
I hope spotify and its algorhythms aren't going to go down this road, I've been enjoying it recently, particularly since I abandoned BBC radio.
Johnson to have a "call with Putin" then. It'll be interesting to hear what the corrupt old crime boss has to say, I suppose. That's presumably why Putin has agreed to it anyway.
One is the corrupt leader of a hollowed out kleptocracy in a demographic death spiral and the other one is the one.
Yep. They'll be able to relate brilliantly. I have high hopes for this call.
Voting intentions (23rd-26th Jan): Labour – 38% (-40) Undecided – 19% Will not vote – 18% (+10) Green Party – 8% (+7) Liberal Democrats – 4% (+1) SNP – 3% (-1) Conservatives – 2% (-1) Other – 8% (+5)
Aren't those self-selecting web polls?
On the one I checked, 75% of the sample was under-27, and they seem to think this is 'representative of British Muslims'.
If the Corbynites do form their own party, there’s an obvious structural threat to Labour here - namely the new party aligns with the Greens, effectively take it over (organisationally) and then targets the same core groups which are the bedrock of Labour support via their different ‘brands’ (urban professionals - the Greens; ethnic minority, predominately Muslim - the Corbynites). How does Labour counteract that?
By targeting the centre.
It would likely never happen absent PR anyway
Trouble with that is (a) the centre is quite mushy (b) that would mean Labour abandoning principles that even its more centrist members like eg abandoning its opposition to public schools (c) by its very nature, people in the centre don’t tend to do the heavy lifting etc because they are not enthused by a particular ideology (d) it would effectively mean the recreation of the Liberal-SDP alliance of the 80s (with Labour as the SDP) with all the negative baggage that comes with that.
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
I retired at 65 and was told by my colleagues that after a couple of weeks they'd see me back. I think I went back to do a couple of projects for a few weeks, then called that a day. I did, though, do a couple of projects for other people, on a very part-time basis, but then at 70 called it a day, professionally. What with insurance, and professional registration fees and assorted requirements it was too demanding. Mrs C and I did a few cricket tours, watching England, and of course spent some family time with grandchildren. As some were in Thailand we spent some time there, and used it as a base for travelling. We had some European holidays trips, too. Back home we both joined the u3a and took part in activities there. And we joined interest groups in the town to which we'd moved. It's been more difficult, travelling wise over the last few year, what with the pandemic and me getting somewhat less mobile, but we both use the internet and especially Zoom and FaceTime. And, of course, we read.
So I agree with Mr P; Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently if he's had t'internet!.
My mum died suddenly last Sunday aged 84, in poor health physically (confined to her house) but mentally still sharp.
Despite the restrictions of Covid, I think her past couple of years have been some of her happiest because of one thing: FaceTime.
She couldn't/wouldn't use a computer but we persuaded her to try an iPad for FaceTime and she got the hang of it and loved seeing and chatting to her grandchildren, who were good at calling her regularly. I was able to speak to her on it most days, too.
Unlike Tugendhat, Sunak and Truss are both on the payroll, so can’t really comment until there’s actually a vacancy.
That said, the resignation of either of them, could be what kick-starts the contest in the first place.
Didn't Rory Stewart express an interest in the top job should a vacancy be available while still a Cabinet Minister?
Surely his time has passed? He would need to rejoin the Conservatives and that party no longer exists
I wasn't suggesting him for now; for the reasons you say his time has passed. But simply that there is no reason why a Cabinet Minister couldn't express a conditional wish for the top job as Rory did when he was in Cabinet. (If I've remembered correctly.)
I do wish Rory was back in Parliament, though.
He did nothing , just another yahoo Tory with no value add.
Surprisingly in agreement there. Stewart was just another romanticised figure who appealed to the chattering classes, along with the phrase “I would vote Tory if Rory Stewart was leader”. Missing the slight downside that RS being leader would lose the Tories more votes than he would bring in.
Plus, I cannot think the solution to the current crisis is yet another old Etonian.
If I lived in Southend West I would happily vote Conservative as a personal protest against the murder of MPs. It doesn't affect the outcome. The argument is, nor should it.
Are you *differentially* opposed to the murder of mps, and confident of getting through to the right audience?
What? I agree with FF43. Vote Tory in Southend West! (And, if that's what you were asking, I equally oppose murdering anyone else too.)
That's what differentially means to me, sure. I just don't think a vote for a lying slob complicit in the unnecessary abandonment of civilians to possible murder in Kabul sends the message you want. The opposite actually
Mmm, I see. I think voting Tory in Southend W won't be interpreted as a vote of confidence in British Afghanistan policy, though - just a message to murderers not to bother, you just get another MP with similar views. There will be other opportunities to express a view on the virtues or otherwise of Conservative government.
I do think it's surprising that a far-left groupuscule hasn't had a go, through. Someone like TUSC might even have saved their deposit and certainly got a fair amount of coverage.
If I had been one of the nutter candidates I would have rebadged as Anti Corruption Publish Gray In Full Now. Definite deposit saver, at least
Voting intentions (23rd-26th Jan): Labour – 38% (-40) Undecided – 19% Will not vote – 18% (+10) Green Party – 8% (+7) Liberal Democrats – 4% (+1) SNP – 3% (-1) Conservatives – 2% (-1) Other – 8% (+5)
Aren't those self-selecting web polls?
On the one I checked, 75% of the sample was under-27, and they seem to think this is 'representative of British Muslims'.
If the Corbynites do form their own party, there’s an obvious structural threat to Labour here - namely the new party aligns with the Greens, effectively take it over (organisationally) and then targets the same core groups which are the bedrock of Labour support via their different ‘brands’ (urban professionals - the Greens; ethnic minority, predominately Muslim - the Corbynites). How does Labour counteract that?
They won’t. They are all piss and wind and angry tweets.
But it’s not insightful for the reasons the writer thinks
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
Fuck em
Suspect they loved what Britain was, not the 2022 "fuck em" version". I don't like this version either, though that isn't so much Britain as England. There is a lot less "fuck em" up here.
And before anyone says "if you don't like it [England] you can fuck off", I already did...
James Blunt @JamesBlunt · 1h If @spotify doesn’t immediately remove @joerogan , I will release new music onto the platform. #youwerebeautiful
It’s always welcome and heartening when multi-millionaire musicians campaign against Freedom of Speech and try to prevent me listening to alternative voices
I can't work out the meaning of the original quote. Is he saying that if spotify doesn't remove Rogan, then he will (carry on) release(ing) new music on to the platform? It reads to me like he is defending Rogan, which is probably not his intention.
I hope spotify and its algorhythms aren't going to go down this road, I've been enjoying it recently, particularly since I abandoned BBC radio.
It’s almost certainly a joke, but the way he’s written it slightly ruins it, because at a quick reading it looks like he’s moving his music to a new platform called #youwerebeautiful and it is a genuine threat
James Blunt @JamesBlunt · 1h If @spotify doesn’t immediately remove @joerogan , I will release new music onto the platform. #youwerebeautiful
It’s always welcome and heartening when multi-millionaire musicians campaign against Freedom of Speech and try to prevent me listening to alternative voices
But it’s not insightful for the reasons the writer thinks
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
Fuck em
What they miss, as explained in the article, was a niceness about Britain that was lost with Brexit. It was an idea, maybe an illusion. But given people expressing comments similar to yours just now, it's hardly surprising they don't think Britain is so nice now.
I am haunted by the figure of Bill Bryson’s grandfather (IIRC) who became so bored in retirement he used to carefully fill in all the “o”s in books with a pen
Bryson found this inexplicable until he went to Tromso to look for the Northern Lights but had to wait three weeks - with nothing else to do. By the third week he got out his pen…
When my father retired, he was really looking forward to it - lots more time to do his favourite things, like reading French literature. After a few months, he commented that a problem was that many of his interests weren't scalable - he actually didn't want to read literature 6 or 7 hours a day. But he adjusted, gave space to second-level things that he'd never given time to at all. Towards his death, even with mild dementia, he said he was happier than he'd ever been - something that warms me whenever I think back about him.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
Yes, I shall give up medicine when I hit State Pension age (67 in my case). It does need active preparation to have a sufficient range of activities to stimulate the brain afterwards. I will read and garden more, but that cannot fill a whole day.
A daily prescription of PB will cure what might ail you. Just beware of overdosing.
Day 3 of isolation, and feeling rather rough. Headache mostly today, but general fatigue, and some cough. O2 sats still good. Mostly bored today, not feeling up to a long read. Dog a bit bouncy and not understanding why I am at home, but not walking him.
Not retirement of course, but boring.
Good luck Foxy and a collection of short stories may help. BTW, do you subscribe to Slightly Foxed? I always find their short chapter book reviews both excellent but a good way to read when not in the mood for a long read.
Comments
I can see arguments both ways for having a competitive election or effectively allowing the incumbents to select a substitute. In either case we are trying to assert the normal in a horrifically abnormal situation.
I criticise the PM regularly, but given the Commons had thrice rejected May's deal, what (except no deal) was the alternative to the rushed deal that got passed?
I would have been open to an extension of the negotiating period, but that merely delays the question.
And yeah, the result is rubbish for Northern Ireland/the UK regarding the border. Plenty of blame to go around (early triggering of Article 50, lack of clarity, caving to the EU and enabling it to use the border as a negotiating weapon, the pro-EU Commons being against any compromise and being surprised when things get more distant rather than closer to the EU). Many of those complaining the loudest are pro-EU yet were against May's soft deal.
And anyone thinking A16 is consequence free is delusional.
a) the EU implementation of the trusted trader scheme
b) mention of this from the media/pro-EU types here?
I would prefer us all to build a new union that is fit for the future. I don't expect that to happen, and I expect Scotland and NI to disappear off in the next 10 years. "But how will the border / money / trade work" they ask - and they are good questions. As the GB - EU status quo is unworkable and unsustainable a fix will be needed - and that fix would solve the worst of an Eng - Sco border...
With Vanilla it’s very easy. Just call up the first page of each discussion and do a word search. Took 3 minutes
I wish it had taken longer because I’m now so bored I’m drinking GREEN TEA
On the one I checked, 75% of the sample was under-27, and they seem to think this is 'representative of British Muslims'.
It won't take long before people will scratch their heads and ask what the point of the union is. I don't think many people in England understand just how fundamental a thing it was when the UK as a trading nation was abolished
Saw the Northern Lights on day 5 too, so all good. Will go back someday.
Edit: Lol - "eye-waveringly expensive" - I couldn't bear to look at the prices.
SF hardliners may be annoyed but who cares
Eadric has just turned up as a counsellor to Athelred the Unraed (“Ill-counselled”) and is described as “a layman whose meteoric but unscrupulous rise earned him the contemporary nickname “the Grabber”… blamed for the murder of Ealdorman Aelfhelm and the blinding of his sons…it was at this point that the violent factional rivalries at Aethelred’s court started to spin out of control”
Interesting person for a poster to name themselves after…
It'd be good to know how they conducted the poll (apparently 1,024 respondents.)
https://m.independent.ie/business/brexit/brexit-sees-irish-revenue-collect-215m-customs-duty-on-uk-goods-41214930.html
There are two major flaws in your assessment, though. If Scotland leaves, it isn't in the EU, so the relationship in a trade sense will just be as it would be for any non-EU country (subject to any specific agreement). It doesn't have the complexity of Northern Ireland (thankfully).
Also, the question of what currency remains unresolved. This is no minor matter and separatists still don't have a credible answer.
I do wish Rory was back in Parliament, though.
It's one model. Another is just to defy retirement. I'm 72 next week, and have three enjoyable paid jobs and one unpaid job (CLP Chair). I can see myself scaling that back gradually if illness or just tiredness start to appear, but just switching off and doing nothing lacks appeal. Perhaps you should plan to continute knapping flints, writing about travel as you do so well, or whatever you currently enjoy, and shrug off each age milestone.
The internet helps, either way. Unless you go blind, you can pursue any interest whatever from an armchair, with any number of contacts sharing that interest. Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently with that.
There's never a good time for breaking a treaty and starting a trade war.
I mean, come on?
No, they don't. Read the article. The proposal is that the DUP "block" the checks. As they don;t have any power over them every other party on the executive has pointed out that it is a stunt. Because civil servants in the NI Office who run the border would be obliged to ignore the DUP.
Truss is saying they won't intervene because the government would implement the pull on checks. Because the NI Office runs them, not the assembly.
I have to assume that you know this, you aren't that ignorant. So you are repeating a lie thinking we are stupid. We are not. Perhaps you are?
Only way there is ever an indyref2 now is a Starmer minority government reliant on the SNP
https://muslimcensus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/themuslimvote-sample.pdf
I can recommend his other books (particularly on the Norman Conquest). For a broader look at the European/Middle East/North African period 400-1000AD, Chris Wickham's Inheritance of Rome was very good indeed.
And if that does not work the DUP have also made clear they will walk out of the Stormont Executive and effectively end the Good Friday Agreement until the Irish Sea border is removed
I love my job and I will carry on doing it as long as it pays a penny, and probably beyond that. Just for the fun of it.
I love my friends, women, walking, diving, reading, music, travelling, exploring, talking rubbish on PB. I can’t imagine “retiring” in some cliched sense where I take up golf. I’ve never had a regular job in my entire life, never done a day’s work in an office, or had formal hours, EVER (which is quite remarkable in itself, I’ve never needed an alarm clock). So I am not sure what retirement means for me, anyway.
The only problem is these foreign trips when I come away to work my flints. I deliberately inflict solitude on myself because it is incredibly productive (I get so much more work done, my clothes are cleaned for me, my room is cleaned daily, I never have to cook, just focus on the task). The issue is that you can only work creatively for about 3 hours, in my experience, 4 max
Then a swim and sunbathe, and then….? That’s when the awkward hours arrive, about 3pm to my first gym visit at about 6 or 7pm. Then I start drinking and it’s all OK
Rinse and repeat. I should return home with some seriously good flintwork. A decent suntan. And a slimmer figure
It’ll do, I am quite content. And I missed a large chunk of the English winter, which is never bad
The only thing the UK does is send money here. That could be funded from a mix of the Republic and EU Regional funds plus whatever the local economy can generate.
So why do you keep saying that he does?
https://muslimcensus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/themuslimvote-sample.pdf
I'm not seeing any earthquakes like that among Muslim friends, but there's certainly a degree of detachment fromj politics and some disilllusionment. But that's true of non-Muslim friends too. I only know one person who with an air of defiance assets that the Conservatives are doing a good job, but the negative "FFS let's get them out" theme is the only thing that excites any of them, so lots and lots of potential anti-Tory tactical voters.
Are my friends typical? Nah, but not as uniformly leftie as you'd think.
https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/centenaries/centenarypoll/majority-favour-a-united-ireland-but-just-22pc-would-pay-for-it-40375875.html
So far Johnson and co have got away with avoiding the consequences of his hard Brexit.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/29/brexit-pubs-curry-pg-tips-but-not-weather-what-exiles-miss-about-uk?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
But it’s not insightful for the reasons the writer thinks
Not one of them, not a single one, even mentions the possibility that they understand why the British voted to Leave on the grounds of sovereignty and democracy. Most of them claim to love the UK, they do not love it, because love means understanding. Nor does the concept that Britain is admirable BECAUSE it is different and seeks self-rule and tries to be properly democratic even enter their tiny minds
Fuck em
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/graeber-wengrow-dawn-of-everything-history-humanity/620177/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Mrs C and I did a few cricket tours, watching England, and of course spent some family time with grandchildren. As some were in Thailand we spent some time there, and used it as a base for travelling.
We had some European holidays trips, too.
Back home we both joined the u3a and took part in activities there. And we joined interest groups in the town to which we'd moved.
It's been more difficult, travelling wise over the last few year, what with the pandemic and me getting somewhat less mobile, but we both use the internet and especially Zoom and FaceTime.
And, of course, we read.
So I agree with Mr P; Bill Bryson's grandfather might have felt differently if he's had t'internet!.
James Blunt
@JamesBlunt
·
1h
If @spotify
doesn’t immediately remove @joerogan
, I will release new music onto the platform. #youwerebeautiful
Imagine reading a report saying [REDACTED] was responsible for this disaster.
I do think it's surprising that a far-left groupuscule hasn't had a go, through. Someone like TUSC might even have saved their deposit and certainly got a fair amount of coverage.
The threat of new music from Blunters.
Despite the restrictions of Covid, I think her past couple of years have been some of her happiest because of one thing: FaceTime.
She couldn't/wouldn't use a computer but we persuaded her to try an iPad for FaceTime and she got the hang of it and loved seeing and chatting to her grandchildren, who were good at calling her regularly. I was able to speak to her on it most days, too.
So thank-you Apple and the internet for that.
DERRRRRR
He does good Twitter
The campaign against Spotify and Rogan is still loathsome, however
It would likely never happen absent PR anyway
Plus it provides me with a lot of thinking time. Many headers have been composed in my head while gardening.
Not retirement of course, but boring.
I hope spotify and its algorhythms aren't going to go down this road, I've been enjoying it recently, particularly since I abandoned BBC radio.
And before anyone says "if you don't like it [England] you can fuck off", I already did...