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The Tiverton & Honiton LDs start as odds on favourite – politicalbetting.com

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  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    It’s entirely plausible that - as oakeshott says in her article - that it was “daft banter over a fag”. Rather less likely that it actually happened
    Over a fag?
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673
    IshmaelZ said:

    Oh good. As long as you have the nuclear football I will sleep easy.
    I know it is upsetting to you that Russia can't annex its neighbour without resistance or consequence, but it is what it is.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 9,764
    stodge said:

    The Telegraph (so it must be true) are telling us there are 500,000 fewer 50-70 year olds in the workplace now compared with 2019.

    I've not seen any recent figures but might this not explain the "full employment" anecdotes we hear from some on here? The truth is fewer people are working because more are deciding to voluntarily become economically inactive.

    I can fish out the ONS stats tomorrow but could a big chunk of that just be a change in age profile over the last three years?

    We know that the number of over 65s is going to increase rapidly over the next decade, and number of young people decrease. With much reduced immigration...If there are roughly 800,000 people per year of birth, might add up.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    ydoethur said:

    If their medical care is on the same level as the rest of the Russian Armed Forces he may yet die of gangrene.
    My theory was, Putin was David doing a Uriah on Gerasimov's ass so the top GS bod in Moscow would be someone more easily persuaded into the whole nuclear launch thing.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    My next helpful suggestion for Leon, is to clear some space in the crowd - perhaps my faking some esp. epic Terret's symptoms - then begin warbling out selection of old English folk ballads, ranging from "Green Sleeves" to "Anarchy in the UK".

    Bet it'd go down like spotted dick at the Fairgrounds!
  • stodgestodge Posts: 14,292
    Aslan said:


    Other examples also come to mind. Hungarian national identity struggles from the fact it was a major empire in Eastern Empire and is now reduced to being a small state. That is a major reason for the appeal of Orbanism. I also think Islamist ideology is rooted in an insecurity among Muslims that they used to have a Caliphate stretching from Spain to India, and in the last century still had it from Morocco to Iraq, but now are mainly third rate countries.

    For what it's worth, I think Britain has dealt with its rapid imperial decline pretty well. Yes, Suez was a shambles, but that is an isolated example. The country gave independence to virtually all it's colonies peacefully after 1945, without getting involved in bloody messes like the French in Algeria or the Portuguese in Angola. It also openly accepted becoming a junior partner to the USA, recognizing a superpower hegemon that shared its values was the best situation possible.

    Thanks for the response. I'm not sure I'd put India up as an example of peaceful and successful decolonisation in all honesty. It was a symbol of our bankruptcy.

    The transition of America from isolated regional power to global superpower is perhaps the seminal event of the 20th Century. Compare America in 1901 and 2001 - two very different countries but even by 1914 the accumulation of wealth and the financial control that wealth created (American loans bankrolled Britain in both World Wars) ensured the economic primacy of Washington - the military primacy followed inevitably.
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673

    The latest threat is to "plunge the British Isles into the depths of the sea" and turn them into a "radioactive desert".

    https://twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1520846423629213699
    The Russians are that loser in the pub making muttered empty threats because he is so insecure next to the better looking, successful male at the next table. An entire government has inherited Putin's Napoleon complex. Its unclear whether his insecurity comes from the fact he is short, that he only got where he has because he was plucked out of mid-management obscurity by an alcoholic, or because he is lacking in manhood in some other way.
  • CatManCatMan Posts: 3,153
    Cyclefree said:

    Glad to see that Crispin Blunt is leaving Parliament at the next election.

    Why?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,839
    Aslan said:

    Other examples also come to mind. Hungarian national identity struggles from the fact it was a major empire in Eastern Empire and is now reduced to being a small state. That is a major reason for the appeal of Orbanism. I also think Islamist ideology is rooted in an insecurity among Muslims that they used to have a Caliphate stretching from Spain to India, and in the last century still had it from Morocco to Iraq, but now are mainly third rate countries.

    For what it's worth, I think Britain has dealt with its rapid imperial decline pretty well. Yes, Suez was a shambles, but that is an isolated example. The country gave independence to virtually all it's colonies peacefully after 1945, without getting involved in bloody messes like the French in Algeria or the Portuguese in Angola. It also openly accepted becoming a junior partner to the USA, recognizing a superpower hegemon that shared its values was the best situation possible.
    Not that isolated really. Malaya, Palestine, Cyprus, Kenya and Rhodesia could all be cited as counter examples. As for the Algeria comparison, we still are in a bloody mess in Ireland.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Leon said:

    Cultural cringe about unhealthy Scottish cuisine

    But I don’t see why. Scotland has a fine cuisine at its heart. Venison, salmon, noble angus beef. Wonderful shellfish etc
    Scotland traditionally eats a lot of oats (Johnson said something like 'In England, oats feed horses, in Scotland, the populace), which were made weekly into porridge (a very healthy way of eating them as the grains were 'soaked', neutralising their antinutrients), and haggis, full of richly nourishing organ meats, and Malc's famous turnips, also extremely good for you, and lots of fish. At one point, Scots were noted for being taller than their English counterparts, which indicates a better diet.
  • No_Offence_AlanNo_Offence_Alan Posts: 4,860

    Vulcans are Star TREK, not Star WARS :)
    Exactly. He would get the reference wrong.
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673
    stodge said:

    Thanks for the response. I'm not sure I'd put India up as an example of peaceful and successful decolonisation in all honesty. It was a symbol of our bankruptcy.

    The transition of America from isolated regional power to global superpower is perhaps the seminal event of the 20th Century. Compare America in 1901 and 2001 - two very different countries but even by 1914 the accumulation of wealth and the financial control that wealth created (American loans bankrolled Britain in both World Wars) ensured the economic primacy of Washington - the military primacy followed inevitably.
    Indian decolonization could have gone a lot worse. The bulk of the subcontinent has survived as a pluralistic democracy for 70 odd years, and it's democratic institutions have a decent chance of surviving Modi. Pakistan and Bangladesh are also partial democracies these days, which is better than most Muslim countries. Myanmar has been the real failure, but not sure that is due to the British. And the awfulness of partition pails in comparison to an Angolan or Algerian style war on an Indian scale.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Aslan said:

    The Russians are that loser in the pub making muttered empty threats because he is so insecure next to the better looking, successful male at the next table. An entire government has inherited Putin's Napoleon complex. Its unclear whether his insecurity comes from the fact he is short, that he only got where he has because he was plucked out of mid-management obscurity by an alcoholic, or because he is lacking in manhood in some other way.
    That post tells me more about the size of your penis than about anything else. Except perhaps your understanding of history: are you clear about who Napoleon was and the extent of his achievements?

    And just so I can settle a bet with myself, are you over 6 ft tall?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Aslan said:

    Other examples also come to mind. Hungarian national identity struggles from the fact it was a major empire in Eastern Empire and is now reduced to being a small state. That is a major reason for the appeal of Orbanism. I also think Islamist ideology is rooted in an insecurity among Muslims that they used to have a Caliphate stretching from Spain to India, and in the last century still had it from Morocco to Iraq, but now are mainly third rate countries.

    For what it's worth, I think Britain has dealt with its rapid imperial decline pretty well. Yes, Suez was a shambles, but that is an isolated example. The country gave independence to virtually all it's colonies peacefully after 1945, without getting involved in bloody messes like the French in Algeria or the Portuguese in Angola. It also openly accepted becoming a junior partner to the USA, recognizing a superpower hegemon that shared its values was the best situation possible.
    The USA has not shared British values, and having it as a hegemon has not been the best situation possible, but otherwise I agree - the decline has been gentler than it might otherwise have been no sacking by the Goths. Just now it feels like there must be more to life though. Brexit must have happened for a reason.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,839
    Aslan said:

    Indian decolonization could have gone a lot worse. The bulk of the subcontinent has survived as a pluralistic democracy for 70 odd years, and it's democratic institutions have a decent chance of surviving Modi. Pakistan and Bangladesh are also partial democracies these days, which is better than most Muslim countries. Myanmar has been the real failure, but not sure that is due to the British. And the awfulness of partition pails in comparison to an Angolan or Algerian style war on an Indian scale.
    Again, I'm not sure I would consider the years of civil war in Sri Lanka as a success story.

    I agree that Britain managed the retreat from Empire better than most others, but that's a bit like saying somebody is less unhinged than Dominic Cummings.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,839
    IshmaelZ said:

    That post tells me more about the size of your penis than about anything else. Except perhaps your understanding of history: are you clear about who Napoleon was and the extent of his achievements?

    And just so I can settle a bet with myself, are you over 6 ft tall?
    Although Napoleon's achievements were pretty much at an end when he was given the Elba in 1814.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 9,764
    edited May 2022

    Scotland traditionally eats a lot of oats (Johnson said something like 'In England, oats feed horses, in Scotland, the populace), which were made weekly into porridge (a very healthy way of eating them as the grains were 'soaked', neutralising their antinutrients), and haggis, full of richly nourishing organ meats, and Malc's famous turnips, also extremely good for you, and lots of fish. At one point, Scots were noted for being taller than their English counterparts, which indicates a better diet.
    I have a Dutch friend who is absolutely convinced that Scottish people walk too much and grind our legs down.

    If everyone cycled instead we'd be just as tall as them. Thought she was taking the piss but apparently this is a general assumption in the Netherlands.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    ydoethur said:

    Although Napoleon's achievements were pretty much at an end when he was given the Elba in 1814.
    Yes. That was his Waterloo.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,554
    CatMan said:

    Why?
    https://www2.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2022/04/12/not-the-sharpest-tool-in-the-tory-box/

    Amongst other things.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,155
    Lavrov is now comparing Zelensky with Hitler:

    @NTarnopolsky
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Jewishness does not negate his Nazism says Russian FM Sergei Lavrov. Adolf Hitler also "had Jewish blood."


    https://twitter.com/NTarnopolsky/status/1520862330669735936
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,839
    IshmaelZ said:

    Yes. That was his Waterloo.
    Although if his doctor is to be believed, it wasn't until after Waterloo that he had a long wood.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 35,099

    Scotland traditionally eats a lot of oats (Johnson said something like 'In England, oats feed horses, in Scotland, the populace), which were made weekly into porridge (a very healthy way of eating them as the grains were 'soaked', neutralising their antinutrients), and haggis, full of richly nourishing organ meats, and Malc's famous turnips, also extremely good for you, and lots of fish. At one point, Scots were noted for being taller than their English counterparts, which indicates a better diet.
    What's an 'antinutrient'?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Eabhal said:

    I have a Dutch friend who is absolutely convinced that Scottish people walk too much and grind our legs down.

    She seems convinced that if everyone cycled instead we'd be just as tall as them. Thought she was taking the piss but apparently this is a general assumption in the Netherlands.
    That's a fairly stupid assumption. I am just over 6ft and have Dutch heritage. I put it down to the draining of the plains back in the 17th century (was it then?) all that nourishing soil, full of minerals, producing so much good food. Dumas documents it. It's what enabled them to rise to world domination later too - it stands to reason it would have made them taller. There is always plentiful nourishing food before a culture gains pre-eminence - look at the Egyptians and the flooding of the Nile.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,913

    Sounds good to me, though I'd go for a cold can of Dixie beer with that. Weather looks great, web say 82F with 61% humidity, not too bad for mid-afternoon. Crowd does NOT look too crowded either.

    What's ticket price?

    Sounds good to me, though I'd go for a cold can of Dixie beer with that. Weather looks great, web say 82F with 61% humidity, not too bad for mid-afternoon. Crowd does NOT look too crowded either.

    What's ticket price?
    Dunno. I’m on a freebie. Thankyou, Louisiana taxpayer

    It is a gas

    A lot of highly attractive young women rockin the denim hot pants thing. They are reviving my faith in America
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673
    IshmaelZ said:

    That post tells me more about the size of your penis than about anything else. Except perhaps your understanding of history: are you clear about who Napoleon was and the extent of his achievements?

    And just so I can settle a bet with myself, are you over 6 ft tall?
    You have grown rather obsessed with me! But I know how difficult it is for Russian shills to hear criticism of flabby chested Putin, so I will answer your question. I am neither over nor under six foot, given that is exactly my height.

    And for your education, Napoleon's insecure desire to be the next Roman Emperor ended up with his country collapsed and a million French dead. I suppose that might count as an achievement compared to the tin pot leader of Moscow.
  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,928

    That's a fairly stupid assumption. I am just over 6ft and have Dutch heritage. I put it down to the draining of the plains back in the 17th century (was it then?) all that nourishing soil, full of minerals, producing so much good food. Dumas documents it. It's what enabled them to rise to world domination later too - it stands to reason it would have made them taller. There is always plentiful nourishing food before a culture gains pre-eminence - look at the Egyptians and the flooding of the Nile.
    Sounds like an example of the discredited theory of Lamarckism.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    edited May 2022

    What's an 'antinutrient'?
    An antinutrient is a component of food that requires nutrients (such as minerals) to digest it, so a net effect of eating it is to draw them from the body. Phytic acid is the anti-nutrient found in the hull of grains. Soaking, sourdough, or sprouted grains remove this factor.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 9,764

    That's a fairly stupid assumption. I am just over 6ft and have Dutch heritage. I put it down to the draining of the plains back in the 17th century (was it then?) all that nourishing soil, full of minerals, producing so much good food. Dumas documents it. It's what enabled them to rise to world domination later too - it stands to reason it would have made them taller. There is always plentiful nourishing food before a culture gains pre-eminence - look at the Egyptians and the flooding of the Nile.
    Don't shoot the messenger! I thought it was all about nutrition (over the very long term).
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673

    The USA has not shared British values, and having it as a hegemon has not been the best situation possible, but otherwise I agree - the decline has been gentler than it might otherwise have been no sacking by the Goths. Just now it feels like there must be more to life though. Brexit must have happened for a reason.
    With the exception of Trump, the US has absolutely shared British values of constitutionalism, representative government and free enterprise economics. The UK and the US also have had a similar balance of realpolitik vs idealism in foreign affairs. The alternatives of hegemony by a European colonial power, Russia, India or China, or of an anarchic world order, would all have been worse.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199

    Sounds like an example of the discredited theory of Lamarckism.
    It's fairly standard and accepted science that the well-nourished grow taller and the less nourished less tall.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,213
    stodge said:

    Thanks for the response. I'm not sure I'd put India up as an example of peaceful and successful decolonisation in all honesty. It was a symbol of our bankruptcy…
    Yes, but compare for example with French Vietnam.
    They tried to hang on, bankrolled by the US, lost a humiliating and disastrous war, and passed the problem on to their superpower supporter, with results that turned out even more disastrous.


    We were pretty crap - have any empires not been ? - but we could have been far worse in letting go.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Aslan said:

    You have grown rather obsessed with me! But I know how difficult it is for Russian shills to hear criticism of flabby chested Putin, so I will answer your question. I am neither over nor under six foot, given that is exactly my height.

    And for your education, Napoleon's insecure desire to be the next Roman Emperor ended up with his country collapsed and a million French dead. I suppose that might count as an achievement compared to the tin pot leader of Moscow.
    Mmm. Exactly what I would say if I were, oooh, let's pluck a number like 5'7" out of the air, shall we, and put on the spot. Well done. Good save.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    edited May 2022
    Leon said:

    Dunno. I’m on a freebie. Thankyou, Louisiana taxpayer

    It is a gas

    A lot of highly attractive young women rockin the denim hot pants thing. They are reviving my faith in America
    Festival website says one ticket available for $123. Perhaps comes with sedan chair, which could prove useful!

    Addendum: Also glad to hear that some things have NOT changed.

    Laissez les bon temps roulet!
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Aslan said:

    With the exception of Trump, the US has absolutely shared British values of constitutionalism, representative government and free enterprise economics. The UK and the US also have had a similar balance of realpolitik vs idealism in foreign affairs. The alternatives of hegemony by a European colonial power, Russia, India or China, or of an anarchic world order, would all have been worse.
    Those aren't the only two alternatives. And Britain itself was never a hegemonic world power, which probably explains how relatively benign we were as the leading world power. 'Absolute power' etc. There were many world powers in the 19th century, and the world saw peace and prosperity the like of which was never seen before or since.
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,929

    Scotland traditionally eats a lot of oats (Johnson said something like 'In England, oats feed horses, in Scotland, the populace), which were made weekly into porridge (a very healthy way of eating them as the grains were 'soaked', neutralising their antinutrients), and haggis, full of richly nourishing organ meats, and Malc's famous turnips, also extremely good for you, and lots of fish. At one point, Scots were noted for being taller than their English counterparts, which indicates a better diet.
    It's undeniable that there is still some way to go here though. I recall being in a pub off Sauchiehall St and seeing on the menu "Glasgow salad" - needless to say it turned out to be a bowl of chips. Bit of a cultural thing, really.
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673
    IshmaelZ said:

    Mmm. Exactly what I would say if I were, oooh, let's pluck a number like 5'7" out of the air, shall we, and put on the spot. Well done. Good save.
    That makes sense, given your grip on reality is so slender you admire a failed, botoxed leader like little Vova Putin. I prefer factual reality!
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Eabhal said:

    Don't shoot the messenger! I thought it was all about nutrition (over the very long term).
    I'm not having a go at you. :smile:
  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,928

    It's fairly standard and accepted science that the well-nourished grow taller and the less nourished less tall.
    Well less, but you don't then pass on such characteristics to distant descendants.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199

    It's undeniable that there is still some way to go here though. I recall being in a pub off Sauchiehall St and seeing on the menu "Glasgow salad" - needless to say it turned out to be a bowl of chips. Bit of a cultural thing, really.
    Yes, modern Scotland is different! Still wonderful food to be found though.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,675
    Ru wasting tank ammunition blowing up houses from point blank range.

    Like they have such good supply lines they don't need to worry about ammo.




    olexander scherba🇺🇦
    @olex_scherba
    ·
    1h
    #Russian anti-war channel
    @CurrentTimeTv
    publishes videos of RU tanks systematically destroying #Mariupol homes from a point-blanc range. Confirms the stories of evacuees, & debunks #Putin’s narrative of not targeting civilians.

    https://twitter.com/olex_scherba/status/1520853808225660929
  • xxxxx5xxxxx5 Posts: 38
    @Leon you have a knowledge of the Algarve is Tavira worth a visit or Ayemonte over the Spainish border
  • xxxxx5xxxxx5 Posts: 38
    Sorry typo Spanish border
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,675
    RU state TV thanking Trump this evening for giving them time to prepare the invasion.

  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Aslan said:

    That makes sense, given your grip on reality is so slender you admire a failed, botoxed leader like little Vova Putin. I prefer factual reality!
    Thanks, titch. All I ever said about the admittedly detestable Putin was, that he had a very large nuclear arsenal. Which he does. Some very short men are better equipped than others. Deal with it.

  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 35,099

    Those aren't the only two alternatives. And Britain itself was never a hegemonic world power, which probably explains how relatively benign we were as the leading world power. 'Absolute power' etc. There were many world powers in the 19th century, and the world saw peace and prosperity the like of which was never seen before or since.
    The second half of the 20th century says 'Hi'.
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673

    Those aren't the only two alternatives. And Britain itself was never a hegemonic world power, which probably explains how relatively benign we were as the leading world power. 'Absolute power' etc. There were many world powers in the 19th century, and the world saw peace and prosperity the like of which was never seen before or since.
    The height of the British Empire had the country in control of 25% of the globe, the Pacific Ocean as effectively a British lake and places like Brazil and China part of the informal Empire under the British thumb. The idea that was not "hegemonic" is ridiculous.

    As for that level of "prosperity" not being seen since, that is laughable. The average European, African or Asian is far wealthier today than then.

    The world was also more violent then:

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/2015/6/23/8832311/war-casualties-600-years
  • FeersumEnjineeyaFeersumEnjineeya Posts: 4,712
    Aslan said:

    I live in the USA and follow politics here closely. Unless Trump is in charge, there is absolute zero percent chance that the US would respond to a nuke on London with anything less than full nuclear attacks on every Russian city.
    What about Birmingham (UK)?
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673
    IshmaelZ said:

    Thanks, titch. All I ever said about the admittedly detestable Putin was, that he had a very large nuclear arsenal. Which he does. Some very short men are better equipped than others. Deal with it.

    I don't think all the nukes in the world will compensate for Putin's lack of equipment.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199

    Well less, but you don't then pass on such characteristics to distant descendants.
    I had never heard of Lamarck - now given him a quick Google. I believe that modern understanding of genetics is coming around to the fact that genes can indeed be altered during one's life and passed down the generations. So (if it isn't happenong already), a reappraisal of his work seems overdue.
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673

    What about Birmingham (UK)?
    Same same. The UK is highly admired by Americans on both sides of the fence.
  • FeersumEnjineeyaFeersumEnjineeya Posts: 4,712

    Well less, but you don't then pass on such characteristics to distant descendants.
    On the whole, taller peoples tend to live in flat areas and smaller people in hilly areas. I reckon this is because being tall gives you an evolutionary advantage in flat terrain since you can see over other people's heads. In hilly areas, though, being tall is a waste of energy since you can you simply go and stand on a high place to see what's coming.
  • kjhkjh Posts: 12,314

    We don't stay. Mum and dad are in their caravan further inland (still caravanning in their eighties!), whilst we nipped up for the day - two hours there, two hours back.

    I love Southwold. On my walk twenty years ago, I walked down the coast from Edinburgh, and Southwold was the first 'perfect' seaside resort I came across. It really is pocket-sized magnificence.

    I can see why people want to live there.

    Mrs J is always worried about me going to the seaside, as she's worried I'll do another lap. It's tempting, but life won't allow it.

    Yet.... ;)

    Hope your leg(s) get better soon.
    Re my legs - thank you. I'm nearly there. Southwold is lovely. Practically nobody actually lives there. It is almost entirely 2nd homes serviced by residents of surrounding villages. All the pubs and shops are aimed at the 2nd home owners. There is an online newspaper that takes the piss out of us all. In our row of terraces only 1 house is not a 2nd home. It really is a holiday town. It is also full of luvvies. Through contacts we can sometimes use Richard Curtis' beach hut.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,155
    @ragipsoylu
    Hungary will block EU sanctions on energy says senior Hungarian official Gulyás


    https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1520875986539237379
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199

    On the whole, taller peoples tend to live in flat areas and smaller people in hilly areas. I reckon this is because being tall gives you an evolutionary advantage in flat terrain since you can see over other people's heads. In hilly areas, though, being tall is a waste of energy since you can you simply go and stand on a high place to see what's coming.
    Flatter places are more fertile.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,110
    I presume what Luckyguy is trying yo say is that even at the height of British imperium, there was contestation with France, Germany, Russia etc.

    Whereas US hegemony within the Western Hemisphere after say 1945 was unrivalled.

    As to alternatives, it is possible to imagine a British empire of sorts continuing to the modern day, but only based on some kind of arrangement with the dominions. The idea of a non-democratic empire in Africa et al had lost its ideological underpinnings even by 1939.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,675
    Aslan said:

    Same same. The UK is highly admired by Americans on both sides of the fence.
    "Unless Trump is in charge,"

    Not exactly reassuring given what will happen in Jan 2025.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,110

    @ragipsoylu
    Hungary will block EU sanctions on energy says senior Hungarian official Gulyás


    https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1520875986539237379

    Hungary should be expelled from the EU.
    There is no need to wait, either, they represent no serious threat to the Western order. Perhaps even less so if they are out in the cold.
  • FeersumEnjineeyaFeersumEnjineeya Posts: 4,712

    I had never heard of Lamarck - now given him a quick Google. I believe that modern understanding of genetics is coming around to the fact that genes can indeed be altered during one's life and passed down the generations. So (if it isn't happenong already), a reappraisal of his work seems overdue.
    If you've never heard of Larmarckism until now, I think you need to do a lot more than a quick Google before deciding which research topics evolutionary biologists should be pursuing!
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,675
    Nigelb said:

    Lavrov belongs with his boss in front of a war crimes tribunal.
    An interesting one for future historians: arguably Hitler and Himmler and the rest actually believed their own bollx about an aryan race and jews being parasites who were holding back the fatherland etc etc.

    Seems to me there is a very good chance that Lavrov knows he is talking utter cock but has persuaded himself it is necessary for his own survival or survival of his mate Putin.

  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,928

    On the whole, taller peoples tend to live in flat areas and smaller people in hilly areas. I reckon this is because being tall gives you an evolutionary advantage in flat terrain since you can see over other people's heads. In hilly areas, though, being tall is a waste of energy since you can you simply go and stand on a high place to see what's coming.
    Could be that having a lower centre of gravity provides better stability when moving around hilly areas; for the flats its better to have the longer legs and speed.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 9,764

    On the whole, taller peoples tend to live in flat areas and smaller people in hilly areas. I reckon this is because being tall gives you an evolutionary advantage in flat terrain since you can see over other people's heads. In hilly areas, though, being tall is a waste of energy since you can you simply go and stand on a high place to see what's coming.
    Hahaha, genius. The giants of Benbecula and Lincolnshire.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 35,099

    Hungary should be expelled from the EU.
    There is no need to wait, either, they represent no serious threat to the Western order. Perhaps even less so if they are out in the cold.
    Hmmm... I am not sure encouraging a NATO member into the arms of Russia would be such a great thing.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,110

    Hmmm... I am not sure encouraging a NATO member into the arms of Russia would be such a great thing.
    A reckoning is coming for them, sooner or later.

    The EU can’t continue to allow a undemocratic or even anti-democratic state to veto aspects of foreign policy.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559

    Hungary should be expelled from the EU.
    There is no need to wait, either, they represent no serious threat to the Western order. Perhaps even less so if they are out in the cold.
    To quote LBJ, better having them inside tent pissing out, than outside pissing in?

    Sure as shit would NOT be free with intel to Budapest. Am about 99.46% sure that's already NATO policy.
  • FeersumEnjineeyaFeersumEnjineeya Posts: 4,712

    A reckoning is coming for them, sooner or later.

    The EU can’t continue to allow a undemocratic or even anti-democratic state to veto aspects of foreign policy.
    Yes, it is a fundamental principle of the EU that it is a union of democratic states. When a state stops being democratic, it should have no place in the union.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,675
    kjh said:

    Re my legs - thank you. I'm nearly there. Southwold is lovely. Practically nobody actually lives there. It is almost entirely 2nd homes serviced by residents of surrounding villages. All the pubs and shops are aimed at the 2nd home owners. There is an online newspaper that takes the piss out of us all. In our row of terraces only 1 house is not a 2nd home. It really is a holiday town. It is also full of luvvies. Through contacts we can sometimes use Richard Curtis' beach hut.
    Sounds like hell. :smiley:
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 13,968
    Apparently what we are looking at, according to the Guardian, is the “Mr Fly of the year” award given out at one of Boris Johnson’s lockdown parties - in this instance for attracting greenfly. Other awards at Tory Lockdown parties include “Female MP with the most lovely seat” award (adjudicated by Johnson Snr) “Cummings Eye Test Award” for most bravest/brazen excuse given in a TV interview, the “Peppa Pig” for best ad lib, and “you never could believe” for the most daring sexual conquest, won last year by Hancock.

    Labour have tried to start a smear that a “most sexist pig of the year” award was handed out at a Boris lockdown party, but that’s just too ridiculous to even contemplate. Silly silly Labour.

    image
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673

    I presume what Luckyguy is trying yo say is that even at the height of British imperium, there was contestation with France, Germany, Russia etc.

    Whereas US hegemony within the Western Hemisphere after say 1945 was unrivalled.

    As to alternatives, it is possible to imagine a British empire of sorts continuing to the modern day, but only based on some kind of arrangement with the dominions. The idea of a non-democratic empire in Africa et al had lost its ideological underpinnings even by 1939.

    "Within the Western hemisphere" seems like an artificial constraint, given globally it was a massive period of intense competition between two superpowers. Who seriously contested British power in Asia or Africa in the late 1800s?
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673

    "Unless Trump is in charge,"

    Not exactly reassuring given what will happen in Jan 2025.
    I think people are overstating the chance Trump gets re-elected. I know people who voted for Trump twice that won't vote for him again.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,213
    .

    If you've never heard of Larmarckism until now, I think you need to do a lot more than a quick Google before deciding which research topics evolutionary biologists should be pursuing!
    @Luckyguy1983 is just wrong opining about genes being altered in a heritable manner by diet.
    But it is true to say that environmental factors - including prolonged dietary deficits - can alter gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. and to a limited extent (not fully understood), some of those epigenetic effects are heritable into at least the next generation.

    And it’s at least plausible that a long period of good diet, following most of history where nutrition was inadequate for most people, might see a sustained increase in height over several generations to what is the full genetic potential of a given population.
    Doesn’t take centuries, though; just a few generations. Compare the average height of the late Victorians to today.
  • SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 17,559
    Aslan said:

    I think people are overstating the chance Trump gets re-elected. I know people who voted for Trump twice that won't vote for him again.
    Primaries in Ohio and other states, will soon give barometer & temp readings re: 45's continued coat-tails.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 75,213
    .

    A reckoning is coming for them, sooner or later.

    The EU can’t continue to allow a undemocratic or even anti-democratic state to veto aspects of foreign policy.
    So don’t allow them. That doesn’t require expulsion, though.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,056
    Aslan said:

    I think people are overstating the chance Trump gets re-elected. I know people who voted for Trump twice that won't vote for him again.
    I hope you're right, but I don't feel very optimistic about it, expecially given how much some Dems dislike Biden, and yet there's no one obviously better placed to unify them next time.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,913

    Sounds good to me, though I'd go for a cold can of Dixie beer with that. Weather looks great, web say 82F with 61% humidity, not too bad for mid-afternoon. Crowd does NOT look too crowded either.

    What's ticket price?

    Sounds good to me, though I'd go for a cold can of Dixie beer with that. Weather looks great, web say 82F with 61% humidity, not too bad for mid-afternoon. Crowd does NOT look too crowded either.

    What's ticket price?
    Dunno. I’m on a freebie. Thankyou, Louisiana taxpayer

    It
    xxxxx5 said:

    @Leon you have a knowledge of the Algarve is Tavira worth a visit or Ayemonte over the Spainish border

    Tavira is lovely. Quite touristy, but lovely. Preferable to the Spanish side of the border for sure
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,056

    A reckoning is coming for them, sooner or later.

    The EU can’t continue to allow a undemocratic or even anti-democratic state to veto aspects of foreign policy.
    The EU has moved (or attempted to move) faster on Ukraine than many would have expected. But dealing with little Putin wannabe in Hungary? I just can't picture how they can meaningfully do anything. It took bloody ages to seek to take action on some states, and how much stick can realistically be brought alongside the carrot of EU membership privileges?
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,278

    Apparently what we are looking at, according to the Guardian, is the “Mr Fly of the year” award given out at one of Boris Johnson’s lockdown parties - in this instance for attracting greenfly. Other awards at Tory Lockdown parties include “Female MP with the most lovely seat” award (adjudicated by Johnson Snr) “Cummings Eye Test Award” for most bravest/brazen excuse given in a TV interview, the “Peppa Pig” for best ad lib, and “you never could believe” for the most daring sexual conquest, won last year by Hancock.

    Labour have tried to start a smear that a “most sexist pig of the year” award was handed out at a Boris lockdown party, but that’s just too ridiculous to even contemplate. Silly silly Labour.

    image

    Looks like one of the participants from May Day morning in Oxford today
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,278
    kle4 said:

    I hope you're right, but I don't feel very optimistic about it, expecially given how much some Dems dislike Biden, and yet there's no one obviously better placed to unify them next time.
    Buttigieg remains my tip for 2024
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,913
    Ok I’m
    Drunk
  • FeersumEnjineeyaFeersumEnjineeya Posts: 4,712

    To quote LBJ, better having them inside tent pissing out, than outside pissing in?

    Sure as shit would NOT be free with intel to Budapest. Am about 99.46% sure that's already NATO policy.
    They wouldn't be pissing out though. In a union which requires unanimity for many of its decisions, they'd be pissing all over everyone else in the tent.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,056
    Nigelb said:

    Lavrov belongs with his boss in front of a war crimes tribunal.
    He's been Foreign minister for over 15 years, one can only assume he is fully complicit and encouraging on every maniac thing they have done under Putin. That he may be deliberately talking nonsense without believing it only makes it more infuriating in how to respond to such people. Especially when a lot of people in Russia believe it, or feel required to believe it.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,110
    Aslan said:

    "Within the Western hemisphere" seems like an artificial constraint, given globally it was a massive period of intense competition between two superpowers. Who seriously contested British power in Asia or Africa in the late 1800s?
    1. France, Germany
    2. Russia
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,675
    HYUFD said:

    Buttigieg remains my tip for 2024
    Somehow though he needs to get past the Dem primary where black voters are significant and as a group they seem to really not like Buttigieg. Maybe next time will be different.

    Dems really are in a mess. Harris is hopeless and cannot be nominee. Biden is clearly too old, but who will tell him. Trump will run on the economy which is now a mess compared to his time in office. Looks like an easy win at the moment but two years to go.

  • xxxxx5xxxxx5 Posts: 38
    What is wrong with the Spanish side? Ayemonte looks nice on YouTube
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Aslan said:

    "Within the Western hemisphere" seems like an artificial constraint, given globally it was a massive period of intense competition between two superpowers. Who seriously contested British power in Asia or Africa in the late 1800s?
    The peak of Britain's economical and military might is widely considered to have been 1850, marked the the Great Exhibition. The Empire still expanded in landmass after that but that isn't always an indicator of growing power. So if we take 1850, you had America already very powerful, in Europe you had Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Prussia all first rank powers, and a whole lot of second rank powers like The Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands, Italy etc. And don't forget that Britain's military clout lay primarily in its Navy - it couldn't really contest wars on land, alone. As our power slowly waned, it was notable that we picked fights with the likes of China, not with the other great powers.

    The foreign policy of Britain was always to preserve the 'balance of powers'. That has never been the foreign policy of the USA, whose goal has always been to preserve US dominance.

  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 22,110
    edited May 2022
    Nigelb said:

    .

    So don’t allow them. That doesn’t require expulsion, though.
    But then you are talking about introducing QMV to foreign policy and I’m not sure how many would go for that.

    It is a dilemma that the EU must solve, one way or another.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Nigelb said:

    .

    @Luckyguy1983 is just wrong opining about genes being altered in a heritable manner by diet.
    But it is true to say that environmental factors - including prolonged dietary deficits - can alter gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. and to a limited extent (not fully understood), some of those epigenetic effects are heritable into at least the next generation.

    And it’s at least plausible that a long period of good diet, following most of history where nutrition was inadequate for most people, might see a sustained increase in height over several generations to what is the full genetic potential of a given population.
    Doesn’t take centuries, though; just a few generations. Compare the average height of the late Victorians to today.
    A sentence to say how wrong I am, and two paragraphs to say how right I am.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,913

    The peak of Britain's economical and military might is widely considered to have been 1850, marked the the Great Exhibition. The Empire still expanded in landmass after that but that isn't always an indicator of growing power. So if we take 1850, you had America already very powerful, in Europe you had Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Prussia all first rank powers, and a whole lot of second rank powers like The Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands, Italy etc. And don't forget that Britain's military clout lay primarily in its Navy - it couldn't really contest wars on land, alone. As our power slowly waned, it was notable that we picked fights with the likes of China, not with the other great powers.

    The foreign policy of Britain was always to preserve the 'balance of powers'. That has never been the foreign policy of the USA, whose goal has always been to preserve US dominance.

    Peak British power was arguably the early 19th century when we mastered industry long before anyone else. We could have shut the information borders and conquered 100% of the world

    Arguably we should have

    Instead we contented ourselves with a third of the world. Because we believe in Fair Play

  • kjhkjh Posts: 12,314

    Sounds like hell. :smiley:
    I know people complain about 2nd home owners, but in this case they are all in a confined area bringing in money and employment to the residents around the town. It is difficult to believe that economy would exist without them. House prices are ridiculously high in the town but plummet as soon as you cross the bridge when leaving. We found it because my brother in law is a carpenter at the theatre and my sister in law and her husband are actors who perform there often in the summer.
  • nico679nico679 Posts: 6,277

    Somehow though he needs to get past the Dem primary where black voters are significant and as a group they seem to really not like Buttigieg. Maybe next time will be different.

    Dems really are in a mess. Harris is hopeless and cannot be nominee. Biden is clearly too old, but who will tell him. Trump will run on the economy which is now a mess compared to his time in office. Looks like an easy win at the moment but two years to go.

    The elephant in the room is Buttigieg is gay. That shouldn’t matter but it will in the swing states you need to win . I like him , think he’s a great speaker , served his country , in ordinary circumstances he looks a good candidate but I just can’t see the USA electing a gay President .
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,675
    nico679 said:

    The elephant in the room is Buttigieg is gay. That shouldn’t matter but it will in the swing states you need to win . I like him , think he’s a great speaker , served his country , in ordinary circumstances he looks a good candidate but I just can’t see the USA electing a gay President .
    Gay man or fecking lunatic who will get us all killed.

    Could be the choice next time.

  • MrEdMrEd Posts: 5,578
    nico679 said:

    The elephant in the room is Buttigieg is gay. That shouldn’t matter but it will in the swing states you need to win . I like him , think he’s a great speaker , served his country , in ordinary circumstances he looks a good candidate but I just can’t see the USA electing a gay President .
    What will do Buttigieg in is not his gayness but (1) he’s a white guy probably trying to upstage a black woman in the Democrat primaries, (2) he took time off for parental leave when the US faced a supply chain crisis - American electorates don’t want their politicians neglecting their duties and (3) he’s not been a great Transportation Sec (name one achievement).
  • kjhkjh Posts: 12,314
    Leon said:

    Peak British power was arguably the early 19th century when we mastered industry long before anyone else. We could have shut the information borders and conquered 100% of the world

    Arguably we should have

    Instead we contented ourselves with a third of the world. Because we believe in Fair Play

    Yeah we only conquered a third of the world because we believed in fair play. Pull the other one.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Leon said:

    Peak British power was arguably the early 19th century when we mastered industry long before anyone else. We could have shut the information borders and conquered 100% of the world

    Arguably we should have

    Instead we contented ourselves with a third of the world. Because we believe in Fair Play

    If we had attempted something along those lines, it would not have ended so gently. America has run the world as a bit of a racket imo (and I say this with nothing but admiration and love for the actual people), and when the chickens come home to roost, I don't see it being pretty. There will be no moving into the comfy dower house like the dowager duchess when that all ends.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 19,118
    nico679 said:

    The elephant in the room is Buttigieg is gay. That shouldn’t matter but it will in the swing states you need to win . I like him , think he’s a great speaker , served his country , in ordinary circumstances he looks a good candidate but I just can’t see the USA electing a gay President .
    You'd think it would have been harder to elect a black President than a gay one, but the USA managed that one. Though 2008 is a long time ago in American politics.
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673
    MrEd said:

    What will do Buttigieg in is not his gayness but (1) he’s a white guy probably trying to upstage a black woman in the Democrat primaries, (2) he took time off for parental leave when the US faced a supply chain crisis - American electorates don’t want their politicians neglecting their duties and (3) he’s not been a great Transportation Sec (name one achievement).
    1. Didn't hurt Joe Biden.
    2. Being a devoted father isn't a bad thing in a pro-family culture.
    3. He has successfully overseen $600bn of infrastructure investment without scandal or corruption
  • AslanAslan Posts: 1,673

    Gay man or fecking lunatic who will get us all killed.

    Could be the choice next time.

    70% of Americans support gay marriage. Buttigieg is in a similar place to Obama in 2008.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,155
    MrEd said:

    What will do Buttigieg in is not his gayness but (1) he’s a white guy probably trying to upstage a black woman in the Democrat primaries, (2) he took time off for parental leave when the US faced a supply chain crisis - American electorates don’t want their politicians neglecting their duties and (3) he’s not been a great Transportation Sec (name one achievement).
    His biggest problem is his complete lack of charisma. If he weren't gay he wouldn't get the same coverage.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,199
    Aslan said:

    1. Didn't hurt Joe Biden.
    2. Being a devoted father isn't a bad thing in a pro-family culture.
    3. He has successfully overseen $600bn of infrastructure investment without scandal or corruption
    I'm quite tired and I thought you'd just outed Joe Biden.
This discussion has been closed.