A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
It is an odd sort of question. From its phrasing you can rule out the two answers that mention presidents, but it might just be badly worded.
The wording was very clear - maybe my post wasn't.
I should have said: Which of these happened first in a US presidential election?
Peston fully understood it. He discounted other options as follows:
Vice-President - Harris 2020 TV debate - he thought 1950s (*) Women voting - approx 1920
He wasn't sure if founding fathers had placed limit on number of terms. He thought probably not and that a President had probably been elected to 4 terms in the 19th Century.
(*) He was wrong about this as well - answer is 1960 though see link:
The date of women voting is tricky, because states allowed that at different times. The 1776 New Jersey constitution allowed women to vote -- provided they had enough property. (The NYT article where I read that said something similar was true in Britain, at the time.) After a scandal a few decades later, New Jersey changed to manhood suffrage.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
The date of women voting is tricky, because states allowed that at different times. The 1776 New Jersey constitution allowed women to vote -- provided they had enough property. (The NYT article where I read that said something similar was true in Britain, at the time.) After a scandal a few decades later, New Jersey changed to manhood suffrage.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
Interesting. I thought all women were barred from voting in the UK until 1918.
Just for the record: George Washington set the precedent of a two-term limit, which was followed until FDR in 1940.
(In 1944, many Democratic leaders knew that FDR would probably not survive a fourth term, and managed to substitute Harry Truman for Henry Wallace. Which was fortunate.)
The date of women voting is tricky, because states allowed that at different times. The 1776 New Jersey constitution allowed women to vote -- provided they had enough property. (The NYT article where I read that said something similar was true in Britain, at the time.) After a scandal a few decades later, New Jersey changed to manhood suffrage.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
Interesting. I thought all women were barred from voting in the UK until 1918.
The date of women voting is tricky, because states allowed that at different times. The 1776 New Jersey constitution allowed women to vote -- provided they had enough property. (The NYT article where I read that said something similar was true in Britain, at the time.) After a scandal a few decades later, New Jersey changed to manhood suffrage.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
Interesting. I thought all women were barred from voting in the UK until 1918.
The date of women voting is tricky, because states allowed that at different times. The 1776 New Jersey constitution allowed women to vote -- provided they had enough property. (The NYT article where I read that said something similar was true in Britain, at the time.) After a scandal a few decades later, New Jersey changed to manhood suffrage.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
Interesting. I thought all women were barred from voting in the UK until 1918.
Before the First Great Reform Act, the franchise was set at the constituency level. This meant that in some places women - where heads of household, mostly widows - had the vote.
Under the powers of the Wales Act 2017, which were previously used to rename the National Assembly as the Senedd - Welsh Parliament, the Welsh Government has announced that the First Minister shall henceforth be known as the Principal Minister. The position was originally titled First Secretary when the Assembly was first established, and this latest change represents the continuing development of the status of the institution. Government spokesperson Ebrill Gyntaf commented "many people already refer to Wales as a Principality, and this change now accurately reflects our status as a Country ruled by a Principal"
That J Burn-Murdoch exploration of American mortality - one striking stat among many:
Things have deteriorated so much that the average American now has the same healthy life expectancy (years lived in good health) as someone in Blackpool, the town with England’s lowest life expectancy (by far), synonymous with deep-rooted social decline ft.com/blackpool
I think that bears repeating. *The average American* has the same chance of a long and healthy life as someone born in the most deprived part of England, a place with the highest rates of relationship breakdown and some of the highest rates of antidepressant prescribing.
(Almost) Electing the Tories in 2010 appears to have been a big mistake, looking at that graph (except in Blackpool, where there has been a smidgin of catching up).
Odd, since you’d think that making sure there were ever more older people would be their top priority.
The date of women voting is tricky, because states allowed that at different times. The 1776 New Jersey constitution allowed women to vote -- provided they had enough property. (The NYT article where I read that said something similar was true in Britain, at the time.) After a scandal a few decades later, New Jersey changed to manhood suffrage.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
Interesting. I thought all women were barred from voting in the UK until 1918.
Not the case. Some women could vote in the UK under the property franchise before the reforming acts of the 19th Century, that took that away and gave it specifically to men.
True, such women were usually wealthy widows or inheritors. But they could vote nonetheless if they met the property qualification.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
That J Burn-Murdoch exploration of American mortality - one striking stat among many:
Things have deteriorated so much that the average American now has the same healthy life expectancy (years lived in good health) as someone in Blackpool, the town with England’s lowest life expectancy (by far), synonymous with deep-rooted social decline ft.com/blackpool
I think that bears repeating. *The average American* has the same chance of a long and healthy life as someone born in the most deprived part of England, a place with the highest rates of relationship breakdown and some of the highest rates of antidepressant prescribing.
(Almost) Electing the Tories in 2010 appears to have been a big mistake, looking at that graph (except in Blackpool, where there has been a smidgin of catching up).
Odd, since you’d think that making sure there were ever more older people would be their top priority.
Yes, there was a noticeable stalling in increases of life expectancy during the Austerity period. This was not the case in other developed countries, but rather specific to UK and USA.
More of concern is that in recent years is that the health quality of those years has worsened, even before Covid etc. Nothing wrong with being fit and retired, but who wants to drag out poor health?
That J Burn-Murdoch exploration of American mortality - one striking stat among many:
Things have deteriorated so much that the average American now has the same healthy life expectancy (years lived in good health) as someone in Blackpool, the town with England’s lowest life expectancy (by far), synonymous with deep-rooted social decline ft.com/blackpool
I think that bears repeating. *The average American* has the same chance of a long and healthy life as someone born in the most deprived part of England, a place with the highest rates of relationship breakdown and some of the highest rates of antidepressant prescribing.
(Almost) Electing the Tories in 2010 appears to have been a big mistake, looking at that graph (except in Blackpool, where there has been a smidgin of catching up).
Odd, since you’d think that making sure there were ever more older people would be their top priority.
Yes, there was a noticeable stalling in increases of life expectancy during the Austerity period. This was not the case in other developed countries, but rather specific to UK and USA.
More of concern is that in recent years is that the health quality of those years has worsened, even before Covid etc. Nothing wrong with being fit and retired, but who wants to drag out poor health?
Look too at how the social divide in life expectancy changed over the Austerity period, by part of the country.
Under the powers of the Wales Act 2017, which were previously used to rename the National Assembly as the Senedd - Welsh Parliament, the Welsh Government has announced that the First Minister shall henceforth be known as the Principal Minister. The position was originally titled First Secretary when the Assembly was first established, and this latest change represents the continuing development of the status of the institution. Government spokesperson Ebrill Gyntaf commented "many people already refer to Wales as a Principality, and this change now accurately reflects our status as a Country ruled by a Principal"
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
It is an odd sort of question. From its phrasing you can rule out the two answers that mention presidents, but it might just be badly worded.
The way it’s worded you could actually say Peston was correct, because women were not granted the right to vote *in a presidential election* but due to a constitutional amendment that gave them general voting rights.
That J Burn-Murdoch exploration of American mortality - one striking stat among many:
Things have deteriorated so much that the average American now has the same healthy life expectancy (years lived in good health) as someone in Blackpool, the town with England’s lowest life expectancy (by far), synonymous with deep-rooted social decline ft.com/blackpool
I think that bears repeating. *The average American* has the same chance of a long and healthy life as someone born in the most deprived part of England, a place with the highest rates of relationship breakdown and some of the highest rates of antidepressant prescribing.
(Almost) Electing the Tories in 2010 appears to have been a big mistake, looking at that graph (except in Blackpool, where there has been a smidgin of catching up).
Odd, since you’d think that making sure there were ever more older people would be their top priority.
Yes, there was a noticeable stalling in increases of life expectancy during the Austerity period. This was not the case in other developed countries, but rather specific to UK and USA.
More of concern is that in recent years is that the health quality of those years has worsened, even before Covid etc. Nothing wrong with being fit and retired, but who wants to drag out poor health?
Look too at how the social divide in life expectancy changed over the Austerity period, by part of the country.
F1: brilliantly slept in, so the red flag period just ended as I got up. Be interesting to know if the lockup was a mechanical or driver error. If the former, coupled with Verstappen's difficulties in Q3, may be a little worrying for Red Bull.
Russell's giving Hamilton a lesson in qualifying this season.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Yes, it would be unreasonable without more data. Some would say Peston has already provided that in abundance.
FWIW I'd don't think him greatly better or worse than many 'name' journalists. He just seems to wind some people up.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
The ignorance of many of the BBC'S specialist correspondents never ceases to amaze me. On an edition of the quiz show Pointless, the BBC'S Arts Editor was asked who composed La Traviata? The clue was that it began with V. He said Vivaldi.
F1: brilliantly slept in, so the red flag period just ended as I got up. Be interesting to know if the lockup was a mechanical or driver error. If the former, coupled with Verstappen's difficulties in Q3, may be a little worrying for Red Bull.
Russell's giving Hamilton a lesson in qualifying this season.
I think Hamilton would have taken pole, but got baulked by the Hulk on his attempt. His final time was compromised.
The start could be *interesting*.
Verstappen seems to have gearbox problems. Not very serious though - his fast lap was also 'out of the window' - he ought to run away with the race.
F1: brilliantly slept in, so the red flag period just ended as I got up. Be interesting to know if the lockup was a mechanical or driver error. If the former, coupled with Verstappen's difficulties in Q3, may be a little worrying for Red Bull.
Russell's giving Hamilton a lesson in qualifying this season.
I think Hamilton would have taken pole, but got baulked by the Hulk on his attempt. His final time was compromised.
The start could be *interesting*.
Verstappen seems to have gearbox problems.
I wondered what all that hysterical cackling from the general direction of TSE's place was about.
F1: brilliantly slept in, so the red flag period just ended as I got up. Be interesting to know if the lockup was a mechanical or driver error. If the former, coupled with Verstappen's difficulties in Q3, may be a little worrying for Red Bull.
Russell's giving Hamilton a lesson in qualifying this season.
I think Hamilton would have taken pole, but got baulked by the Hulk on his attempt. His final time was compromised.
The start could be *interesting*.
Verstappen seems to have gearbox problems.
I wondered what all that hysterical cackling from the general direction of TSE's place was about.
I gather he has a model Red Bull for sticking pins in. Unfortunately it was of Perez's car.
Mr. B, yeah, I've written the first half of the pre-race tosh (will wait until late morning/early afternoon to complete it) and made a similar note on the start.
Under the powers of the Wales Act 2017, which were previously used to rename the National Assembly as the Senedd - Welsh Parliament, the Welsh Government has announced that the First Minister shall henceforth be known as the Principal Minister. The position was originally titled First Secretary when the Assembly was first established, and this latest change represents the continuing development of the status of the institution. Government spokesperson Ebrill Gyntaf commented "many people already refer to Wales as a Principality, and this change now accurately reflects our status as a Country ruled by a Principal"
First ministers, whatever they are called, don’t *rule* countries
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
The ignorance of many of the BBC'S specialist correspondents never ceases to amaze me. On an edition of the quiz show Pointless, the BBC'S Arts Editor was asked who composed La Traviata? The clue was that it began with V. He said Vivaldi.
TBF, as I understand it, many of these shoes ask the contestants to always give an answer: in other words, 'pass' or 'I don't know' are not acceptable answers, and you are not given a lot of time to think. Therefore you are far more likely to give answers that seem stupid when you'd prefer to say you didn't know.
As for the original question: I've little idea what the answer is, and would probably guess wrong. What is it?
(My guess would be 'Women granted right to vote'; but that's through vague guesswork and several minutes thought. In fact, I'd give this order, from first to last: Women granted right to vote A President elected to a 4th term First TV debate A woman elected Vice-President
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
It has been announced that Boris Johnson has had a lucid moment.
He was apparently snoozing away at one minute past midnight when he woke suddenly and shouted 'it was all a fucking pack of lies!' Later, he admitted he was talking about his claims he followed the rules at all times.
Doctors have said that this is a positive step forward and May in time lead to a cure for his many personality disorders, but have struck a note of caution. 'He's realised he's a lying little scumbag, but he still thinks he's quite bright,' said one. 'We'll have to work on that one a bit more.'
Dominic Cummings was contacted for comment and also had a lucid moment, saying, 'it was obvious he was a liar when he said I was an incredibly brilliant human being and the best person to help him run the country.'
As we prepared surgery for those whose jaws had broken when they hit the floor, he then spoiled the effect by adding 'after all, the idea that the shopping trolley was any help at all was bullshit.'
F1: brilliantly slept in, so the red flag period just ended as I got up. Be interesting to know if the lockup was a mechanical or driver error. If the former, coupled with Verstappen's difficulties in Q3, may be a little worrying for Red Bull.
Russell's giving Hamilton a lesson in qualifying this season.
I think Hamilton would have taken pole, but got baulked by the Hulk on his attempt. His final time was compromised.
The start could be *interesting*.
Verstappen seems to have gearbox problems. Not very serious though - his fast lap was also 'out of the window' - he ought to run away with the race.
I'm not following F1 much this year, but how did Albon get eighth?
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
Let’s put it this way. I’m a solicitor, I think I’m a reasonably good one, but if someone asked me what the difference between a “common tenancy” and a “tenancy in common” was (basic law school stuff) I’d have to go and double check because I don’t deal with it every day. Or at all. However, in a quiz, I wouldn’t be allowed to do that. I don’t think I should lose my job over it.
Mr. Jessop, the Williams, a bit like last year, is tasty in a straight line so he was going purple in the middle sector pretty often. Good driving too, must be said.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
He's a TV political journalist and the first televised Presidential debate is an iconic moment in political TV history, said to have swung the 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon.
Given the hoo-ha around televised debates in the UK it seems incredible that he's mislaid that fact.
Mr. Jessop, the Williams, a bit like last year, is tasty in a straight line so he was going purple in the middle sector pretty often. Good driving too, must be said.
Years ago, I would arrange my weekends so I could watch F1. Last year, I think I only watched one race (the live British GP). This year, I've yet to watch one lap, either on YouTube or Channel 4 highlights.
It's been a slow process, but F1 has lost me as a fan. I still read articles about it occasionally, but my passion for it has gone. That feels a little sad after more than forty years of following it.
F1: brilliantly slept in, so the red flag period just ended as I got up. Be interesting to know if the lockup was a mechanical or driver error. If the former, coupled with Verstappen's difficulties in Q3, may be a little worrying for Red Bull.
Russell's giving Hamilton a lesson in qualifying this season.
I think Hamilton would have taken pole, but got baulked by the Hulk on his attempt. His final time was compromised.
The start could be *interesting*.
Verstappen seems to have gearbox problems. Not very serious though - his fast lap was also 'out of the window' - he ought to run away with the race.
I'm not following F1 much this year, but how did Albon get eighth?
Australia has always been an oddity in terms YFF results.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
He's a TV political journalist and the first televised Presidential debate is an iconic moment in political TV history, said to have swung the 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon.
Given the hoo-ha around televised debates in the UK it seems incredible that he's mislaid that fact.
It would be like a British psephologist being ignorant of the famous Literary Digest presidential poll of 1936.
Mr. Jessop, the Williams, a bit like last year, is tasty in a straight line so he was going purple in the middle sector pretty often. Good driving too, must be said.
Years ago, I would arrange my weekends so I could watch F1. Last year, I think I only watched one race (the live British GP). This year, I've yet to watch one lap, either on YouTube or Channel 4 highlights.
It's been a slow process, but F1 has lost me as a fan. I still read articles about it occasionally, but my passion for it has gone. That feels a little sad after more than forty years of following it.
It's going to be very boring this year unless Red Bull helpfully develop reliability issues.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
The ignorance of many of the BBC'S specialist correspondents never ceases to amaze me. On an edition of the quiz show Pointless, the BBC'S Arts Editor was asked who composed La Traviata? The clue was that it began with V. He said Vivaldi.
TBF, as I understand it, many of these shoes ask the contestants to always give an answer: in other words, 'pass' or 'I don't know' are not acceptable answers, and you are not given a lot of time to think. Therefore you are far more likely to give answers that seem stupid when you'd prefer to say you didn't know.
As for the original question: I've little idea what the answer is, and would probably guess wrong. What is it?
(My guess would be 'Women granted right to vote'; but that's through vague guesswork and several minutes thought. In fact, I'd give this order, from first to last: Women granted right to vote A President elected to a 4th term First TV debate A woman elected Vice-President
Yes, that is the correct order.
Women got the right to vote in 1920, although some states allowed it earlier than that.
Franklin D Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term in 1944.
The first TV debate was in 1960.
The first woman elected Vice-President was Kamala Harris in 2020.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
The ignorance of many of the BBC'S specialist correspondents never ceases to amaze me. On an edition of the quiz show Pointless, the BBC'S Arts Editor was asked who composed La Traviata? The clue was that it began with V. He said Vivaldi.
TBF, as I understand it, many of these shoes ask the contestants to always give an answer: in other words, 'pass' or 'I don't know' are not acceptable answers, and you are not given a lot of time to think. Therefore you are far more likely to give answers that seem stupid when you'd prefer to say you didn't know.
As for the original question: I've little idea what the answer is, and would probably guess wrong. What is it?
(My guess would be 'Women granted right to vote'; but that's through vague guesswork and several minutes thought. In fact, I'd give this order, from first to last: Women granted right to vote A President elected to a 4th term First TV debate A woman elected Vice-President
Shoes that ask questions? Quick, someone tell TSE!
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
The ignorance of many of the BBC'S specialist correspondents never ceases to amaze me. On an edition of the quiz show Pointless, the BBC'S Arts Editor was asked who composed La Traviata? The clue was that it began with V. He said Vivaldi.
TBF, as I understand it, many of these shoes ask the contestants to always give an answer: in other words, 'pass' or 'I don't know' are not acceptable answers, and you are not given a lot of time to think. Therefore you are far more likely to give answers that seem stupid when you'd prefer to say you didn't know.
As for the original question: I've little idea what the answer is, and would probably guess wrong. What is it?
(My guess would be 'Women granted right to vote'; but that's through vague guesswork and several minutes thought. In fact, I'd give this order, from first to last: Women granted right to vote A President elected to a 4th term First TV debate A woman elected Vice-President
Shoes that ask questions? Quick, someone tell TSE!
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
He's a TV political journalist and the first televised Presidential debate is an iconic moment in political TV history, said to have swung the 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon.
Given the hoo-ha around televised debates in the UK it seems incredible that he's mislaid that fact.
Nixon sweated under the TV lights. JFK didn't. It made Nixon look shifty.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
He's a TV political journalist and the first televised Presidential debate is an iconic moment in political TV history, said to have swung the 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon.
Given the hoo-ha around televised debates in the UK it seems incredible that he's mislaid that fact.
Nixon sweated under the TV lights. JFK didn't. It made Nixon look shifty.
Apparently those who only heard the debate on the radio gave it to Nixon.
Mr. Burgessian, heard that before, and it's interesting to also note that blind people are better at spotting deceit than deaf people (ie the voice carries it more than the face, potentially because people are better at or more aware of controlling their facial expression).
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
He's a TV political journalist and the first televised Presidential debate is an iconic moment in political TV history, said to have swung the 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon.
Given the hoo-ha around televised debates in the UK it seems incredible that he's mislaid that fact.
Nixon sweated under the TV lights. JFK didn't. It made Nixon look shifty.
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
That J Burn-Murdoch exploration of American mortality - one striking stat among many:
Things have deteriorated so much that the average American now has the same healthy life expectancy (years lived in good health) as someone in Blackpool, the town with England’s lowest life expectancy (by far), synonymous with deep-rooted social decline ft.com/blackpool
I think that bears repeating. *The average American* has the same chance of a long and healthy life as someone born in the most deprived part of England, a place with the highest rates of relationship breakdown and some of the highest rates of antidepressant prescribing.
(Almost) Electing the Tories in 2010 appears to have been a big mistake, looking at that graph (except in Blackpool, where there has been a smidgin of catching up).
Odd, since you’d think that making sure there were ever more older people would be their top priority.
Yes, there was a noticeable stalling in increases of life expectancy during the Austerity period. This was not the case in other developed countries, but rather specific to UK and USA.
More of concern is that in recent years is that the health quality of those years has worsened, even before Covid etc. Nothing wrong with being fit and retired, but who wants to drag out poor health?
Look too at how the social divide in life expectancy changed over the Austerity period, by part of the country.
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
A little known chapter in Clinton's (very thick) book of shagging.
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
A little known chapter in Clinton's (very thick) book of shagging.
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
A little known chapter in Clinton's (very thick) book of shagging.
In the room there’s a big portrait of Bill Clinton, thank Allah they didn’t put it in the bedroom.
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
A little known chapter in Clinton's (very thick) book of shagging.
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
In the last couple of months we have had about a dozen power cuts. Unlike the 70s, power cuts have become pretty well unknown, but they are now back.
There is a lot of building locally and I hope it is down to that but it does feel like things are falling apart.
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
Are you being serious? Because a current affairs journalist gets a poorly phrased quiz question about history wrong you can’t take anything he says seriously?
Knowing FDR was the only 4 term president is pretty basic though?
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
Let’s put it this way. I’m a solicitor, I think I’m a reasonably good one, but if someone asked me what the difference between a “common tenancy” and a “tenancy in common” was (basic law school stuff) I’d have to go and double check because I don’t deal with it every day. Or at all. However, in a quiz, I wouldn’t be allowed to do that. I don’t think I should lose my job over it.
I think you mean the difference between a “JOINT tenancy” and a “tenancy in common ? Like you say, basic law school stuff !
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
A little known chapter in Clinton's (very thick) book of shagging.
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
I’ve got another long weekend in Blackpool in June.
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
A little known chapter in Clinton's (very thick) book of shagging.
Thatcher's less well known 'Yes, Yes' speech.
'I'm enjoying this!'
Only on April 1st... Like a few other posts so far today...
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
It's the period after winter. A very, very wet winter. Of course there's pot holes! It's the season - for LibDem council candidates to come out of winter hibernation and point at them.
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
It's the period after winter. A very, very wet winter. Of course there's pot holes! It's the season - for LibDem council candidates to come out of winter hibernation and point at them.
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
In the last couple of months we have had about a dozen power cuts. Unlike the 70s, power cuts have become pretty well unknown, but they are now back.
There is a lot of building locally and I hope it is down to that but it does feel like things are falling apart.
We have also had a "winter of discontent" on the scale of 1979. The reporting has been considerably less frantic than in the days of Callaghan, although in some respects, particularly in the NHS the ramifications have been equally, if not more marked than they were then.
I am not under reporting 1979 by the way. It was bad, it was very, very bad.
So glad to read @Keir_Starmer ‘s strong statement in support of @RosieDuffield1 and his determination to face down the intolerant extremists who are making @TheLabourParty a hostile environment for those who support women’s and LGB rights.
Has anyone seen the photo of Trump as Christ on the Cross, with Nancy Pelosi driving a spear into his side, and Melania kneeling at his feet?
If I were an evangelical Christian I would be seriously offended by a serial philanderer and alleged fraudster being depicted as the crucified Messiah.
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
It's the period after winter. A very, very wet winter. Of course there's pot holes! It's the season - for LibDem council candidates to come out of winter hibernation and point at them.
Not been very wet up here, definitely much drier than usual so far.
So glad to read @Keir_Starmer ‘s strong statement in support of @RosieDuffield1 and his determination to face down the intolerant extremists who are making @TheLabourParty a hostile environment for those who support women’s and LGB rights.
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
It's the period after winter. A very, very wet winter. Of course there's pot holes! It's the season - for LibDem council candidates to come out of winter hibernation and point at them.
Not been very wet up here, definitely much drier than usual so far.
Most of the video’s definition of woke is “people who have rigid beliefs and impose them on others, to our cultural detriment”. But that describes a whole host of people: on the left, on the right, of various religions, etc. Moral righteousness and intolerance of alternate views is not a sin unique to one side. This is all very Matthew 7:5.
The date of women voting is tricky, because states allowed that at different times. The 1776 New Jersey constitution allowed women to vote -- provided they had enough property. (The NYT article where I read that said something similar was true in Britain, at the time.) After a scandal a few decades later, New Jersey changed to manhood suffrage.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
Interesting. I thought all women were barred from voting in the UK until 1918.
IIRC in the Olde Olde Days women of property could vote because property made your position in the hierarchy. Women actually lost the right to vote when voting requirements were formalised.
IIRC the Reform act of 1832, ironically, formalised voting at national elections as men only.
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
It's the period after winter. A very, very wet winter. Of course there's pot holes! It's the season - for LibDem council candidates to come out of winter hibernation and point at them.
Not been very wet up here, definitely much drier than usual so far.
April Fool?
Nice one and NO it has been reasonably pleasant in March and had about 2 days of frost all winter.
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
It's the period after winter. A very, very wet winter. Of course there's pot holes! It's the season - for LibDem council candidates to come out of winter hibernation and point at them.
"wet" but not cold. It's the ice that does it.
No, its the rivers of water down here that wash away the road surface.
The only story I have glanced thst looks like an April fool apart from the ludicrous story about the UK building a third carrier is the one about unlimited fines being proposed for water companies.. it'll never happen...
Funny you should say that because I have felt that recently. We were joking about pot holes the other day and my post was tongue in cheek, but it wasn't inaccurate. Our local roads (all lanes) have become practically impassible. At one point for a couple of weeks we were pretty well locked in by closed roads due to damage to them. It took me an hour to get to the dentist who is 15 min away. Some pot holes now have cones in them they are so deep and three lanes have simply collapsed and were closed. All are open now, but only with temporary repairs so can only be used in good weather. If you are unaware of the hazard it is plain dangerous. A motorcyclist came off and into a ditch at one of them.
It's the period after winter. A very, very wet winter. Of course there's pot holes! It's the season - for LibDem council candidates to come out of winter hibernation and point at them.
I'm not talking about the normal pot holes and I'm not just talking about this winter. Our road has been closed a dozen times over the last couple of years. At the crossroad at the top of our road only the turning to the right has stayed open. The road opposite was almost constantly closed. I made a claim for a wrecked tyre on it. It has now been resurfaced and is good. The turning to the left, which leads to the A3 is often closed. It permanently has at least 3 spots with lights around big holes. A lane off this road was closed for months until resurfaced because it was impassible. This isn't just winter pot holes. We often have only one route out. And this is Surrey, not the middle of nowhere.
And the power cuts. What is all that about? Until recently that had become a rare event. Oh and we have water supply problems occasionally.
Mr. Jessop, the Williams, a bit like last year, is tasty in a straight line so he was going purple in the middle sector pretty often. Good driving too, must be said.
Years ago, I would arrange my weekends so I could watch F1. Last year, I think I only watched one race (the live British GP). This year, I've yet to watch one lap, either on YouTube or Channel 4 highlights.
It's been a slow process, but F1 has lost me as a fan. I still read articles about it occasionally, but my passion for it has gone. That feels a little sad after more than forty years of following it.
What we need is some 'conspiracy' action. F1 is nothing without that.
Eg it's clear as day that RB have messed up Perez here so as to make sure he doesn't get in Mad Max's way for the title. It's much easier to have a clear 1/2 dynamic in the team than a potentially fraught Ham/Ros type situation developing.
Ok so I've made this up for 1st April ... or have I?
That J Burn-Murdoch exploration of American mortality - one striking stat among many:
Things have deteriorated so much that the average American now has the same healthy life expectancy (years lived in good health) as someone in Blackpool, the town with England’s lowest life expectancy (by far), synonymous with deep-rooted social decline ft.com/blackpool
I think that bears repeating. *The average American* has the same chance of a long and healthy life as someone born in the most deprived part of England, a place with the highest rates of relationship breakdown and some of the highest rates of antidepressant prescribing.
(Almost) Electing the Tories in 2010 appears to have been a big mistake, looking at that graph (except in Blackpool, where there has been a smidgin of catching up).
Odd, since you’d think that making sure there were ever more older people would be their top priority.
Yes, there was a noticeable stalling in increases of life expectancy during the Austerity period. This was not the case in other developed countries, but rather specific to UK and USA.
More of concern is that in recent years is that the health quality of those years has worsened, even before Covid etc. Nothing wrong with being fit and retired, but who wants to drag out poor health?
Look too at how the social divide in life expectancy changed over the Austerity period, by part of the country.
The other day, someone was upset by armchair generalship. When asked, he said that it was because it was about people’s lives.
Governments kill all the time. COVID killed like a war - hell, a policy difference and a change of a few percent in the death toll would have been the butchers bill for some small wars….
Hence the saying “Like fire, government is dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
A repeat of the BBC quiz programme The Wheel has just been shown on BBC1.
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President - First TV debate - A President elected to a 4th term - Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
The ignorance of many of the BBC'S specialist correspondents never ceases to amaze me. On an edition of the quiz show Pointless, the BBC'S Arts Editor was asked who composed La Traviata? The clue was that it began with V. He said Vivaldi.
TBF, as I understand it, many of these shoes ask the contestants to always give an answer: in other words, 'pass' or 'I don't know' are not acceptable answers, and you are not given a lot of time to think. Therefore you are far more likely to give answers that seem stupid when you'd prefer to say you didn't know.
As for the original question: I've little idea what the answer is, and would probably guess wrong. What is it?
(My guess would be 'Women granted right to vote'; but that's through vague guesswork and several minutes thought. In fact, I'd give this order, from first to last: Women granted right to vote A President elected to a 4th term First TV debate A woman elected Vice-President
Yes, that is the correct order.
Women got the right to vote in 1920, although some states allowed it earlier than that.
Franklin D Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term in 1944.
The first TV debate was in 1960.
The first woman elected Vice-President was Kamala Harris in 2020.
Is there any question, where the right answer is Professor Peston PHd, FRS, DipSHit ?
Comments
Q: What happened first in a US presidential election?
Choices:
- A woman elected Vice-President
- First TV debate
- A President elected to a 4th term
- Women granted right to vote
Robert Peston (Political Editor of ITV) says the answer is a President elected to a 4th term. He thought it had probably happened in the 19th Century.
How can someone in one of the most senior political journalism jobs in the country not know the answer to such a simple question?
He should be dismissed on the spot for gross ignorance.
If he doesn't know the answer to such a simple question, how can we take him as an authority on literally anything he says?
I should have said: Which of these happened first in a US presidential election?
Peston fully understood it. He discounted other options as follows:
Vice-President - Harris 2020
TV debate - he thought 1950s (*)
Women voting - approx 1920
He wasn't sure if founding fathers had placed limit on number of terms. He thought probably not and that a President had probably been elected to 4 terms in the 19th Century.
(*) He was wrong about this as well - answer is 1960 though see link:
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_First_Televised_Presidential_Debate.htm#:~:text=The typical answer to that,not appear in the debate.
The state of Wyoming was the first to grant women the right to vote generally. Which it did in 1869, and women first voted there in 1870. (I have suspected for many years that Wyoming was hoping more women would be attracted to settle there, but have seen no evidence, either way.)
(Not so incidentally, the same New Jersey constitution allowed free blacks to vote, again assuming they had enough property, as at least a few apparently did.)
(In 1944, many Democratic leaders knew that FDR would probably not survive a fourth term, and managed to substitute Harry Truman for Henry Wallace. Which was fortunate.)
And I didn't see any mention of Britain, in a quick scan through it.
Odd, since you’d think that making sure there were ever more older people would be their top priority.
DeSantis is probably value now.
True, such women were usually wealthy widows or inheritors. But they could vote nonetheless if they met the property qualification.
The French need to honour the Treaty of Troyes.
More of concern is that in recent years is that the health quality of those years has worsened, even before Covid etc. Nothing wrong with being fit and retired, but who wants to drag out poor health?
Given the ordering of the matchups, I expect the Democrats will play it safe with Biden.
"So.. I guess this is the deep end?"
I guess people are worried he dies, or loses his marbles, in the next 17 months.
"Hello Boris, it looks dark down there"
From:
https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1641799903398486020?t=08VKdWIrBN8rnfVPnbQDaQ&s=19
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11925101/MEGHAN-MCCAIN-Im-scared-death-Trump-Witch-Hunt-end-America-burning-stake.html
F1: brilliantly slept in, so the red flag period just ended as I got up. Be interesting to know if the lockup was a mechanical or driver error. If the former, coupled with Verstappen's difficulties in Q3, may be a little worrying for Red Bull.
Russell's giving Hamilton a lesson in qualifying this season.
FWIW I'd don't think him greatly better or worse than many 'name' journalists. He just seems to wind some people up.
The start could be *interesting*.
Verstappen seems to have gearbox problems. Not very serious though - his fast lap was also 'out of the window' - he ought to run away with the race.
Unfortunately it was of Perez's car.
Muppet
As for the original question: I've little idea what the answer is, and would probably guess wrong. What is it?
(My guess would be 'Women granted right to vote'; but that's through vague guesswork and several minutes thought. In fact, I'd give this order, from first to last:
Women granted right to vote
A President elected to a 4th term
First TV debate
A woman elected Vice-President
I think @MikeL is harsh on the 1950s/1960 TV error
He was apparently snoozing away at one minute past midnight when he woke suddenly and shouted 'it was all a fucking pack of lies!' Later, he admitted he was talking about his claims he followed the rules at all times.
Doctors have said that this is a positive step forward and May in time lead to a cure for his many personality disorders, but have struck a note of caution. 'He's realised he's a lying little scumbag, but he still thinks he's quite bright,' said one. 'We'll have to work on that one a bit more.'
Dominic Cummings was contacted for comment and also had a lucid moment, saying, 'it was obvious he was a liar when he said I was an incredibly brilliant human being and the best person to help him run the country.'
As we prepared surgery for those whose jaws had broken when they hit the floor, he then spoiled the effect by adding 'after all, the idea that the shopping trolley was any help at all was bullshit.'
Given the hoo-ha around televised debates in the UK it seems incredible that he's mislaid that fact.
It's been a slow process, but F1 has lost me as a fan. I still read articles about it occasionally, but my passion for it has gone. That feels a little sad after more than forty years of following it.
Women got the right to vote in 1920, although some states allowed it earlier than that.
Franklin D Roosevelt was elected to a fourth term in 1944.
The first TV debate was in 1960.
The first woman elected Vice-President was Kamala Harris in 2020.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/01/we-wont-be-here-for-long-uk-firms-fear-the-worst-as-energy-bill-support-ends
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/01/we-wont-be-here-for-long-uk-firms-fear-the-worst-as-energy-bill-support-ends
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/apr/01/planning-applications-in-england-fall-to-record-low-in-housing-blow
Council tax, water and mobile bills rise for millions https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65123881
It still has some magic about it to me. Very happy memories from my childhood and with my own kids too. There’s nowhere quite like it.
It is skewed a bit too, because it’s got longstanding issues characteristic of seaside towns, and it’s also quite small in number terms. Unlike E.g. Southend, the posh bits of Blackpool aren’t counted as Blackpool either. It’s like using Harpurhey as a proxy of Manchester as a whole.
Amen to that!
I’ve stayed in the same hotel suite as Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher.
There was that study in the ?BMJ on the health impact of austerity - much decried on here, I seem to recall.
https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/uk-austerity-since-2010-linked-to-tens-of-thousands-more-deaths-than-expected/
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/10/e046417
(and some output estimates that might interest @Pagan2 too).
It's looking very likely from those graphs, I must say, and I see other researchers are coming up with similar conclusions: for instance
https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/mortality-rates-among-men-and-women-impact-of-austerity/
Has anyone seen the photo of Trump as Christ on the Cross, with Nancy Pelosi driving a spear into his side, and Melania kneeling at his feet?
In the last couple of months we have had about a dozen power cuts. Unlike the 70s, power cuts have become pretty well unknown, but they are now back.
There is a lot of building locally and I hope it is down to that but it does feel like things are falling apart.
https://twitter.com/dominicfarrell/status/1642057670646456322
I am not under reporting 1979 by the way. It was bad, it was very, very bad.
https://twitter.com/BevJacksonAuth/status/1642072447301165058?s=20
IIRC the Reform act of 1832, ironically, formalised voting at national elections as men only.
And the power cuts. What is all that about? Until recently that had become a rare event. Oh and we have water supply problems occasionally.
Eg it's clear as day that RB have messed up Perez here so as to make sure he doesn't get in Mad Max's way for the title. It's much easier to have a clear 1/2 dynamic in the team than a potentially fraught Ham/Ros type situation developing.
Ok so I've made this up for 1st April ... or have I?
Governments kill all the time. COVID killed like a war - hell, a policy difference and a change of a few percent in the death toll would have been the butchers bill for some small wars….
Hence the saying “Like fire, government is dangerous servant and a fearful master.”