Can the LDs become the third party once again? – politicalbetting.com

Stocky said:

My reactionary father-in-law was in a lather yesterday but for once he seems to have a point.

He's been on 20mg statins for over ten years and went to collect his repeat prescription at the usual chemist to be told that there is a national shortage of 20mg statin tablets. The chemist said they had tried to source in multiple places but none can be found. The answer, he said, is simple enough - have two 10mg tablets instead, there are plenty of those available.

But - guess what - the chemist refused to dispense as the repeat prescription states 20mg tablet rather than 2x 10mg tablets and sent father-in-law back to his GP for a new prescription (this was Saturday and surgery was closed and he had almost run out of tablets).

Good use of GP time there then.

Theuniondivvie said:

Since we're on Eurostats.



https://twitter.com/simongerman600/status/1675552417503485952?s=20

Denmark is a bit of shocker, and as for Belarus, oy veh. Must be having to cope with the neighbours.

FrancisUrquhart said:

Fighting crime, not my job mate....

Sussex PCSO filmed refusing to attend assault at shop
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-66086890

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Gardenwalker said:

French does a poor job of keeping immigrants out of poverty. UK does pretty well by comparison. Look at Sweden. But also Germany.

Germany's number will be "flattered" by the still large-ish number of people from the former East Germany still living in poverty.

turbotubbs said:

I see Lyon is out for the series - least surprising news of the day. Tough for him as he has been ever present for a very long time.

rottenborough said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

rottenborough said:

I see Red Wall tories calling for the halting of visas for social care workers from abroad.

They have no idea of the state of the care system.

If you want to improve the care system, how about paying care staff more than a pittance more than minimum wage?

Care home near me have a big banner outside boasting that they are paying rates of £10.90 per hour in order to attract staff.

That wage should not be high enough to attract visas.

Great.

Tell Hunt to hand over the money then, rather than splathing ever more on the NHS.

turbotubbs said:

Stocky said:

My reactionary father-in-law was in a lather yesterday but for once he seems to have a point.

He's been on 20mg statins for over ten years and went to collect his repeat prescription at the usual chemist to be told that there is a national shortage of 20mg statin tablets. The chemist said they had tried to source in multiple places but none can be found. The answer, he said, is simple enough - have two 10mg tablets instead, there are plenty of those available.

But - guess what - the chemist refused to dispense as the repeat prescription states 20mg tablet rather than 2x 10mg tablets and sent father-in-law back to his GP for a new prescription (this was Saturday and surgery was closed and he had almost run out of tablets).

Good use of GP time there then.

Will change in a few years as all qualifying pharmacists become able to prescribe - they would change that prescription for him. They cannot legally do that at the current time.

BartholomewRoberts said:

Theuniondivvie said:

Since we're on Eurostats.



https://twitter.com/simongerman600/status/1675552417503485952?s=20

Denmark is a bit of shocker, and as for Belarus, oy veh. Must be having to cope with the neighbours.

Ireland and the UK [both well below other European nations] are well known for being a culture where drunkenness is frowned upon? 🤔

Gardenwalker said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Competition and Markets Authority find petrol retailers have been charging 6p a litre more due to lack of competition

I assume they are going to use their powers to apply multi mullion pound fines against them

Asda apparently have been fined just £60,000

https://news.sky.com/story/drivers-paying-more-for-fuel-due-to-weakening-competition-between-retailers-regulator-says-12913866

As I, and @MaxPB have noted.
And it’s not just petrol retailers.

turbotubbs said:

Stocky said:

My reactionary father-in-law was in a lather yesterday but for once he seems to have a point.

He's been on 20mg statins for over ten years and went to collect his repeat prescription at the usual chemist to be told that there is a national shortage of 20mg statin tablets. The chemist said they had tried to source in multiple places but none can be found. The answer, he said, is simple enough - have two 10mg tablets instead, there are plenty of those available.

But - guess what - the chemist refused to dispense as the repeat prescription states 20mg tablet rather than 2x 10mg tablets and sent father-in-law back to his GP for a new prescription (this was Saturday and surgery was closed and he had almost run out of tablets).

Good use of GP time there then.

Will change in a few years as all qualifying pharmacists become able to prescribe - they would change that prescription for him. They cannot legally do that at the current time.

FeersumEnjineeya said:

Andy_JS said:

Theuniondivvie said:

Since we're on Eurostats.



https://twitter.com/simongerman600/status/1675552417503485952?s=20

Denmark is a bit of shocker, and as for Belarus, oy vey. Must be having to cope with the neighbours.

Didn't expect France to be significantly higher than the UK.

The Czech Republic is surprisingly low, given that they drink the most beer per capita in the world.

RochdalePioneers said:

Fairliered said:

DougSeal said:

HYUFD said:

Cheap attack from Diane Abbott

'@HackneyAbbott

1h
Our multi-millionaire prime minister Rishi Sunak donates just one £10 bottle of wine to his local school'. After all he signed it too
https://twitter.com/HackneyAbbott/status/1675761345856262144?s=20

Almost as cheap as the bottle of wine Sunak donated.

At least it wasn’t Buckfast!

An American wine connoisseur made the mistake of reviewing buckfast… Here’s their tasting notes:

Buckfast Tonic Wine (No Vintage)

Screw cap, took it off about 30 minutes before to bring in some air. Apparently made by monks in England. Decided to try while cooking dinner. Poured into a glass, first glance has a very inky almost brownish color that you see in older wines. Very syrupy, liquid clings to the side of the glass when swirled. Almost 15% ABV.

Stuck my nose in and was hit with something I’ve never experienced before. Barnyardy funk (in a bad way) almost like a dead animal in a bird’s nest. A mix of flat Coca Cola and caramel with a whiff of gun metal.

On the palate, overwhelming sweetness and sugar. Cherry Cola mixed with Benadryl. Unlike anything I’ve tasted. I’m not sure what this liquid is but it is not wine, I’m actually not sure what it is but it tastes like something a doctor would prescribe. A chemical concoction of the highest degree. Can only compare it to a Four Loko.

Managed to make it through a couple small glasses but not much more. Has absolutely ruined the evening drinking-wise for me as I tried to drink a nice Bordeaux after but the iron-like metallic sweet aftertaste I just couldn’t get out of my mouth even after a few glasses of water. I don’t drink a lot of coffee regularly so I also have mild heart palpitations from the caffeine after just drinking a bit of this and feel a slight migraine.

An ungodly concoction made by seemingly godly men. I believe the Vatican needs to send an exorcist over to Buckfast Abbey as the devil’s works are cleary present there. After tasting this “wine,” the way I feel can only be described as akin to being under a bridge on one’s knees orally pleasing a vagrant while simultaneously drinking liquified meth through a dirty rag.

I’ve drank a lot of wines in my life and will never forget this one.

Buckfast Powersmash is one of those drinks so awful that it's good. Was in the tattier of the village shops when a guy was in buying a few bottles. And looked like he is a regular drinker of the stuff.

Was then amazed to see a Buckie trade stand at a food expo a few months back. They were pushing the "made by monks" line really hard and getting "ooh that's interesting" responses from trade buyers. FFS no, you really don't need Buckfast punters in your shop. Its like being a proud seller of Lambrini and McEwan's Export.

Nigelb said:

This is demented.

🇷🇺 TV says Prigozhin may have been targeted by a 🇬🇧 psyop:"They gave him a sense of euphoria+meaning. For that you don't even need to get inside someone. You just have to repeat it over+over again, playing on their vanity...It's the 🇬🇧 who are the masters of cognitive operations"
https://twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1675791456773058560

Stalin, of course, believed Britain a greater threat than Germany in the late 1930s.

ydoethur said:

Farooq said:

Cookie said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

Gardenwalker said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Competition and Markets Authority find petrol retailers have been charging 6p a litre more due to lack of competition

I assume they are going to use their powers to apply multi mullion pound fines against them

Asda apparently have been fined just £60,000

https://news.sky.com/story/drivers-paying-more-for-fuel-due-to-weakening-competition-between-retailers-regulator-says-12913866

As I, and @MaxPB have noted.
And it’s not just petrol retailers.

It's actually an open goal for Sunak's government to make a lot of noise on, get reversed, and help bring inflation down. They won't, because of awful diesel cars being such a sin.

Why is the market failing in the case of the fuel industry? I don't think it's a cartel?
Economic theory says that - especially in the case of broadly fungible goods like petrol/diesel - where there are multiple retailers and a gap opens up between the price of the good and the retail price, the price will be forced down as retailers compete on price.
In practice, I think this does happen, but slowly. Inertia is overlooked as factor, and so things happen slowly.
My guess is that the lag between the price of a good dropping and the retail price dropping is no more laggy in fuel than any other sector - but in fuel the cost prices swing much more wildly, which allows for long gaps between the price of fuel falling and the retail price falling.
But that's only a guess. Any more informed comment is welcome!

No information, just speculation: the variability of the price makes it really hard to know where's cheaper. You go past a station that was 146p a month ago and now it's 139p. You remember seeing another station in the next town that was 144p three weeks ago... which one was cheaper a month ago? Three weeks ago? Now? You have no idea.
When the price changes daily, you need to make a real effort to know where is cheaper. Perhaps in big conurbations where you might drive past three stations on a shortish commute, you can notice without much effort, but otherwise..

I don't know. I can tell you fuel remains 13p a litre cheaper at any filling station in Wolverhampton than anywhere else I drive past.

My suspicion is there is a garage somewhere nearby selling dodgy stuff (or non-taxed) which is driving the price down very fast among the others to try and keep custom.

eek said:

I see the competition Authority is saying that Morrisons and Asda have increased the price of Petrol / Diesel by 6p a litre because they no longer rush to pass wholesale price cuts down to customers...

Almost like Private Equity is bad for customers...

ydoethur said:

Farooq said:

Cookie said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

Gardenwalker said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Competition and Markets Authority find petrol retailers have been charging 6p a litre more due to lack of competition

I assume they are going to use their powers to apply multi mullion pound fines against them

Asda apparently have been fined just £60,000

https://news.sky.com/story/drivers-paying-more-for-fuel-due-to-weakening-competition-between-retailers-regulator-says-12913866

As I, and @MaxPB have noted.
And it’s not just petrol retailers.

It's actually an open goal for Sunak's government to make a lot of noise on, get reversed, and help bring inflation down. They won't, because of awful diesel cars being such a sin.

Why is the market failing in the case of the fuel industry? I don't think it's a cartel?
Economic theory says that - especially in the case of broadly fungible goods like petrol/diesel - where there are multiple retailers and a gap opens up between the price of the good and the retail price, the price will be forced down as retailers compete on price.
In practice, I think this does happen, but slowly. Inertia is overlooked as factor, and so things happen slowly.
My guess is that the lag between the price of a good dropping and the retail price dropping is no more laggy in fuel than any other sector - but in fuel the cost prices swing much more wildly, which allows for long gaps between the price of fuel falling and the retail price falling.
But that's only a guess. Any more informed comment is welcome!

No information, just speculation: the variability of the price makes it really hard to know where's cheaper. You go past a station that was 146p a month ago and now it's 139p. You remember seeing another station in the next town that was 144p three weeks ago... which one was cheaper a month ago? Three weeks ago? Now? You have no idea.
When the price changes daily, you need to make a real effort to know where is cheaper. Perhaps in big conurbations where you might drive past three stations on a shortish commute, you can notice without much effort, but otherwise..

I don't know. I can tell you fuel remains 13p a litre cheaper at any filling station in Wolverhampton than anywhere else I drive past.

My suspicion is there is a garage somewhere nearby selling dodgy stuff (or non-taxed) which is driving the price down very fast among the others to try and keep custom.

Nigelb said:

This is demented.

🇷🇺 TV says Prigozhin may have been targeted by a 🇬🇧 psyop:"They gave him a sense of euphoria+meaning. For that you don't even need to get inside someone. You just have to repeat it over+over again, playing on their vanity...It's the 🇬🇧 who are the masters of cognitive operations"
https://twitter.com/francis_scarr/status/1675791456773058560

Stalin, of course, believed Britain a greater threat than Germany in the late 1930s.

ydoethur said:

Miklosvar said:

Farooq said:

FeersumEnjineeya said:

Andy_JS said:

Theuniondivvie said:

Since we're on Eurostats.



https://twitter.com/simongerman600/status/1675552417503485952?s=20

Denmark is a bit of shocker, and as for Belarus, oy vey. Must be having to cope with the neighbours.

Didn't expect France to be significantly higher than the UK.

The Czech Republic is surprisingly low, given that they drink the most beer per capita in the world.

I wanted you to be wrong so I could post "you need to Czechia facts"

Sadly, you seem to be exactly right.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_beer_consumption_per_capita

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita

E.g. Bulgaria drinks like a fish (other sources confirm) but the map says nobody dies of it. Rubbish map.

Possibly they have a very strict definition of 'alcohol related deaths?' E.g. only if they were drowned in a vat, or something?

A bit like Covid statistics.

JosiasJessop said:

Fairliered said:

Anabobazina said:

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

ydoethur said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

Mexicanpete said:

Sue Gray banged to rights by a Cabinet Office inquiry.

Gove Boris his job back!

This was spectacularly stupid by her and by Starmer. They have essentially undermined the independence of her enquiry. So stupid.

I'm afraid however the Tories spin it that is very much a side issue. Because unless you are saying that the Met were in on this new job of Grey's, her inquiry into Case and Johnson was ultimately not the key point.

As far as Boris is concerned its all history now anyway, since he's history now anyway.

But as far as Sunak is concerned, with the rather odd anyway fine he received, it does politically make it look a bit like fruit of the poisoned tree.

And it was completely unnecessary by Starmer. He's beating Sunak anyway, why make such a silly unforced error?

That fine was nothing to do with Grey's report.

And it would be stretching it somewhat to say that her impartiality or otherwise undermines any disciplinary offences within the CS itself. Not that any of them appear to have been disciplined in any meaningful way.

G R A Y

G – R – A – Y

FFS.

I wonder whether the people who misspell names like Sue Grey and Kier Starmer do it through ignorance or think they are being funny at the expense of their rivals? (Hint: if it’s the latter, you’re not - just tedious.)

In my case, I get Keir Starmer wrong because there's a large construction firm called 'Kier', which I have known since childhood. Familiarity means I think Kier rather than Keir. I do try to catch it though, and I don't think I've done it in a while.

malcolmg said:

JosiasJessop said:

Fairliered said:

Anabobazina said:

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

ydoethur said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

Mexicanpete said:

Sue Gray banged to rights by a Cabinet Office inquiry.

Gove Boris his job back!

This was spectacularly stupid by her and by Starmer. They have essentially undermined the independence of her enquiry. So stupid.

I'm afraid however the Tories spin it that is very much a side issue. Because unless you are saying that the Met were in on this new job of Grey's, her inquiry into Case and Johnson was ultimately not the key point.

As far as Boris is concerned its all history now anyway, since he's history now anyway.

But as far as Sunak is concerned, with the rather odd anyway fine he received, it does politically make it look a bit like fruit of the poisoned tree.

And it was completely unnecessary by Starmer. He's beating Sunak anyway, why make such a silly unforced error?

That fine was nothing to do with Grey's report.

And it would be stretching it somewhat to say that her impartiality or otherwise undermines any disciplinary offences within the CS itself. Not that any of them appear to have been disciplined in any meaningful way.

G R A Y

G – R – A – Y

FFS.

I wonder whether the people who misspell names like Sue Grey and Kier Starmer do it through ignorance or think they are being funny at the expense of their rivals? (Hint: if it’s the latter, you’re not - just tedious.)

In my case, I get Keir Starmer wrong because there's a large construction firm called 'Kier', which I have known since childhood. Familiarity means I think Kier rather than Keir. I do try to catch it though, and I don't think I've done it in a while.

I before E except after C, the b*gger cannot even spell his name correctly.

malcolmg said:

JosiasJessop said:

Fairliered said:

Anabobazina said:

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

ydoethur said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

Mexicanpete said:

Sue Gray banged to rights by a Cabinet Office inquiry.

Gove Boris his job back!

This was spectacularly stupid by her and by Starmer. They have essentially undermined the independence of her enquiry. So stupid.

I'm afraid however the Tories spin it that is very much a side issue. Because unless you are saying that the Met were in on this new job of Grey's, her inquiry into Case and Johnson was ultimately not the key point.

As far as Boris is concerned its all history now anyway, since he's history now anyway.

But as far as Sunak is concerned, with the rather odd anyway fine he received, it does politically make it look a bit like fruit of the poisoned tree.

And it was completely unnecessary by Starmer. He's beating Sunak anyway, why make such a silly unforced error?

That fine was nothing to do with Grey's report.

And it would be stretching it somewhat to say that her impartiality or otherwise undermines any disciplinary offences within the CS itself. Not that any of them appear to have been disciplined in any meaningful way.

G R A Y

G – R – A – Y

FFS.

I wonder whether the people who misspell names like Sue Grey and Kier Starmer do it through ignorance or think they are being funny at the expense of their rivals? (Hint: if it’s the latter, you’re not - just tedious.)

In my case, I get Keir Starmer wrong because there's a large construction firm called 'Kier', which I have known since childhood. Familiarity means I think Kier rather than Keir. I do try to catch it though, and I don't think I've done it in a while.

I before E except after C, the b*gger cannot even spell his name correctly.

BartholomewRoberts said:

malcolmg said:

JosiasJessop said:

Fairliered said:

Anabobazina said:

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

ydoethur said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

Mexicanpete said:

Sue Gray banged to rights by a Cabinet Office inquiry.

Gove Boris his job back!

This was spectacularly stupid by her and by Starmer. They have essentially undermined the independence of her enquiry. So stupid.

I'm afraid however the Tories spin it that is very much a side issue. Because unless you are saying that the Met were in on this new job of Grey's, her inquiry into Case and Johnson was ultimately not the key point.

As far as Boris is concerned its all history now anyway, since he's history now anyway.

But as far as Sunak is concerned, with the rather odd anyway fine he received, it does politically make it look a bit like fruit of the poisoned tree.

And it was completely unnecessary by Starmer. He's beating Sunak anyway, why make such a silly unforced error?

That fine was nothing to do with Grey's report.

And it would be stretching it somewhat to say that her impartiality or otherwise undermines any disciplinary offences within the CS itself. Not that any of them appear to have been disciplined in any meaningful way.

G R A Y

G – R – A – Y

FFS.

I wonder whether the people who misspell names like Sue Grey and Kier Starmer do it through ignorance or think they are being funny at the expense of their rivals? (Hint: if it’s the latter, you’re not - just tedious.)

In my case, I get Keir Starmer wrong because there's a large construction firm called 'Kier', which I have known since childhood. Familiarity means I think Kier rather than Keir. I do try to catch it though, and I don't think I've done it in a while.

I before E except after C, the b*gger cannot even spell his name correctly.

"except after C"

He's going to be the first L Prime Minister after 5 C ones.

Miklosvar said:

ydoethur said:

Miklosvar said:

Farooq said:

FeersumEnjineeya said:

Andy_JS said:

Theuniondivvie said:

Since we're on Eurostats.



https://twitter.com/simongerman600/status/1675552417503485952?s=20

Denmark is a bit of shocker, and as for Belarus, oy vey. Must be having to cope with the neighbours.

Didn't expect France to be significantly higher than the UK.

The Czech Republic is surprisingly low, given that they drink the most beer per capita in the world.

I wanted you to be wrong so I could post "you need to Czechia facts"

Sadly, you seem to be exactly right.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_beer_consumption_per_capita

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita

E.g. Bulgaria drinks like a fish (other sources confirm) but the map says nobody dies of it. Rubbish map.

Possibly they have a very strict definition of 'alcohol related deaths?' E.g. only if they were drowned in a vat, or something?

A bit like Covid statistics.

Quite. To repeat myself it's died OF drink vs died WITH drink.

Malmesbury said:

turbotubbs said:

Stocky said:

My reactionary father-in-law was in a lather yesterday but for once he seems to have a point.

He's been on 20mg statins for over ten years and went to collect his repeat prescription at the usual chemist to be told that there is a national shortage of 20mg statin tablets. The chemist said they had tried to source in multiple places but none can be found. The answer, he said, is simple enough - have two 10mg tablets instead, there are plenty of those available.

But - guess what - the chemist refused to dispense as the repeat prescription states 20mg tablet rather than 2x 10mg tablets and sent father-in-law back to his GP for a new prescription (this was Saturday and surgery was closed and he had almost run out of tablets).

Good use of GP time there then.

Will change in a few years as all qualifying pharmacists become able to prescribe - they would change that prescription for him. They cannot legally do that at the current time.

Because the size of the tablets was on the original prescription. As opposed to “20mg per day”. The latter is possible - had it done for a family prescription.

A comic example of the effect of literalism - on a firearms certificate there may or may not be a limit on calibre. These days one is always put in. Older certificates often don’t have them. There is no process for the police to *force* adding a calibre limit.

The main gun of a tank is, legally, a really big manual firearm - you have to do a bunch of steps at each shot. So, if you have a firearms certificate without calibre limit, it is completely legal to own a tank with a “live” main gun.

BartholomewRoberts said:

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

malcolmg said:

JosiasJessop said:

Fairliered said:

Anabobazina said:

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

ydoethur said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

Mexicanpete said:

Sue Gray banged to rights by a Cabinet Office inquiry.

Gove Boris his job back!

This was spectacularly stupid by her and by Starmer. They have essentially undermined the independence of her enquiry. So stupid.

I'm afraid however the Tories spin it that is very much a side issue. Because unless you are saying that the Met were in on this new job of Grey's, her inquiry into Case and Johnson was ultimately not the key point.

As far as Boris is concerned its all history now anyway, since he's history now anyway.

But as far as Sunak is concerned, with the rather odd anyway fine he received, it does politically make it look a bit like fruit of the poisoned tree.

And it was completely unnecessary by Starmer. He's beating Sunak anyway, why make such a silly unforced error?

That fine was nothing to do with Grey's report.

And it would be stretching it somewhat to say that her impartiality or otherwise undermines any disciplinary offences within the CS itself. Not that any of them appear to have been disciplined in any meaningful way.

G R A Y

G – R – A – Y

FFS.

I wonder whether the people who misspell names like Sue Grey and Kier Starmer do it through ignorance or think they are being funny at the expense of their rivals? (Hint: if it’s the latter, you’re not - just tedious.)

In my case, I get Keir Starmer wrong because there's a large construction firm called 'Kier', which I have known since childhood. Familiarity means I think Kier rather than Keir. I do try to catch it though, and I don't think I've done it in a while.

I before E except after C, the b*gger cannot even spell his name correctly.

"except after C"

He's going to be the first L Prime Minister after 5 C ones.

It's good to know there are still optimists around who think it will be 5 rather than 6+...

True.

My other response to I before E except after C is to say that expression still surviving shows we live in a weird society.

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

malcolmg said:

JosiasJessop said:

Fairliered said:

Anabobazina said:

ydoethur said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

ydoethur said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

Mexicanpete said:

Sue Gray banged to rights by a Cabinet Office inquiry.

Gove Boris his job back!

This was spectacularly stupid by her and by Starmer. They have essentially undermined the independence of her enquiry. So stupid.

I'm afraid however the Tories spin it that is very much a side issue. Because unless you are saying that the Met were in on this new job of Grey's, her inquiry into Case and Johnson was ultimately not the key point.

As far as Boris is concerned its all history now anyway, since he's history now anyway.

But as far as Sunak is concerned, with the rather odd anyway fine he received, it does politically make it look a bit like fruit of the poisoned tree.

And it was completely unnecessary by Starmer. He's beating Sunak anyway, why make such a silly unforced error?

That fine was nothing to do with Grey's report.

And it would be stretching it somewhat to say that her impartiality or otherwise undermines any disciplinary offences within the CS itself. Not that any of them appear to have been disciplined in any meaningful way.

G R A Y

G – R – A – Y

FFS.

I wonder whether the people who misspell names like Sue Grey and Kier Starmer do it through ignorance or think they are being funny at the expense of their rivals? (Hint: if it’s the latter, you’re not - just tedious.)

In my case, I get Keir Starmer wrong because there's a large construction firm called 'Kier', which I have known since childhood. Familiarity means I think Kier rather than Keir. I do try to catch it though, and I don't think I've done it in a while.

I before E except after C, the b*gger cannot even spell his name correctly.

"except after C"

He's going to be the first L Prime Minister after 5 C ones.

It's good to know there are still optimists around who think it will be 5 rather than 6+...

LostPassword said:

TOPPING said:

I don't agree that drunkenness in the UK is frowned upon. It (drunkenness) is often seen as a badge of honour and the vernacular around getting drunk shows that it is perceived as at least not socially unacceptable.

I think the thing that probably helps Britain most is the relative share of beer as opposed to spirits consumption. Vodka is evidently not good for you.

eek said:

Gardenwalker said:

The Orkney news is being carried by worldwide news outlets, which shows just how much tripe is pumped out by the news media.

It’s silly season stuff.

On one level it silly season, but on another level I can see why they are doing it - they've never really regarded themselves as Scottish, hate the lack of money the Scottish Government gives them and need a whole new set of ferries in a hurry because the old ones are dying

Quincel said:

I think the LDs probably are roughly evens to overtake the SNP, certainly between 4/6 and 6/4, but it depends mostly on the SNP performance rather than the LDs. I prefer the 5/2 available on SNP under 20 seats, though you certainly could see a world where the SNP win 30 seats and the LDs 30-40.

Cookie said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

Gardenwalker said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Competition and Markets Authority find petrol retailers have been charging 6p a litre more due to lack of competition

I assume they are going to use their powers to apply multi mullion pound fines against them

Asda apparently have been fined just £60,000

https://news.sky.com/story/drivers-paying-more-for-fuel-due-to-weakening-competition-between-retailers-regulator-says-12913866

As I, and @MaxPB have noted.
And it’s not just petrol retailers.

It's actually an open goal for Sunak's government to make a lot of noise on, get reversed, and help bring inflation down. They won't, because of awful diesel cars being such a sin.

Why is the market failing in the case of the fuel industry? I don't think it's a cartel?
Economic theory says that - especially in the case of broadly fungible goods like petrol/diesel - where there are multiple retailers and a gap opens up between the price of the good and the retail price, the price will be forced down as retailers compete on price.
In practice, I think this does happen, but slowly. Inertia is overlooked as factor, and so things happen slowly.
My guess is that the lag between the price of a good dropping and the retail price dropping is no more laggy in fuel than any other sector - but in fuel the cost prices swing much more wildly, which allows for long gaps between the price of fuel falling and the retail price falling.
But that's only a guess. Any more informed comment is welcome!

FeersumEnjineeya said:

Andy_JS said:

Theuniondivvie said:

Since we're on Eurostats.



https://twitter.com/simongerman600/status/1675552417503485952?s=20

Denmark is a bit of shocker, and as for Belarus, oy vey. Must be having to cope with the neighbours.

Didn't expect France to be significantly higher than the UK.

The Czech Republic is surprisingly low, given that they drink the most beer per capita in the world.

Edit: By some margin. And they're also no slouches when it comes to wine and spirit consumption.

malcolmg said:

Carnyx said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Fairliered said:

DougSeal said:

HYUFD said:

Cheap attack from Diane Abbott

'@HackneyAbbott

1h
Our multi-millionaire prime minister Rishi Sunak donates just one £10 bottle of wine to his local school'. After all he signed it too
https://twitter.com/HackneyAbbott/status/1675761345856262144?s=20

Almost as cheap as the bottle of wine Sunak donated.

At least it wasn’t Buckfast!

An American wine connoisseur made the mistake of reviewing buckfast… Here’s their tasting notes:

Buckfast Tonic Wine (No Vintage)

Screw cap, took it off about 30 minutes before to bring in some air. Apparently made by monks in England. Decided to try while cooking dinner. Poured into a glass, first glance has a very inky almost brownish color that you see in older wines. Very syrupy, liquid clings to the side of the glass when swirled. Almost 15% ABV.

Stuck my nose in and was hit with something I’ve never experienced before. Barnyardy funk (in a bad way) almost like a dead animal in a bird’s nest. A mix of flat Coca Cola and caramel with a whiff of gun metal.

On the palate, overwhelming sweetness and sugar. Cherry Cola mixed with Benadryl. Unlike anything I’ve tasted. I’m not sure what this liquid is but it is not wine, I’m actually not sure what it is but it tastes like something a doctor would prescribe. A chemical concoction of the highest degree. Can only compare it to a Four Loko.

Managed to make it through a couple small glasses but not much more. Has absolutely ruined the evening drinking-wise for me as I tried to drink a nice Bordeaux after but the iron-like metallic sweet aftertaste I just couldn’t get out of my mouth even after a few glasses of water. I don’t drink a lot of coffee regularly so I also have mild heart palpitations from the caffeine after just drinking a bit of this and feel a slight migraine.

An ungodly concoction made by seemingly godly men. I believe the Vatican needs to send an exorcist over to Buckfast Abbey as the devil’s works are cleary present there. After tasting this “wine,” the way I feel can only be described as akin to being under a bridge on one’s knees orally pleasing a vagrant while simultaneously drinking liquified meth through a dirty rag.

I’ve drank a lot of wines in my life and will never forget this one.

Buckfast Powersmash is one of those drinks so awful that it's good. Was in the tattier of the village shops when a guy was in buying a few bottles. And looked like he is a regular drinker of the stuff.

Was then amazed to see a Buckie trade stand at a food expo a few months back. They were pushing the "made by monks" line really hard and getting "ooh that's interesting" responses from trade buyers. FFS no, you really don't need Buckfast punters in your shop. Its like being a proud seller of Lambrini and McEwan's Export.

Buckie punters are actually *upmarket* by the standards of your average jaikie on Union Street or the Sautmarket. Before the alcohol pricing controls came in in particular, you could get smashed far more cheaply on other stuff, and I believe the differential is still there even now if not so marked. (Sudden thought: does the origin of Buckie correlate with its sales in Glasgow to different football club supporters? Never heard of such a thing, though.)

Hard to see how anyone can drink it.

TOPPING said:

I don't agree that drunkenness in the UK is frowned upon. It (drunkenness) is often seen as a badge of honour and the vernacular around getting drunk shows that it is perceived as at least not socially unacceptable.

bondegezou said:

"The third party at Westminster is allowed two questions every week at PMQs. The fourth party gets one every five weeks so this is very important."

Feels like maybe the fourth party should be given slightly more questions.

I wondered who the fourth party has been historically.

1959: the only fourth party was a solitary independent Conservative
1964: no fourth party
1966: Republican Labour (with 1 MP)
1970: Unity (with 2 MPs)
Feb 1974: UUP/SNP tie
Oct 1974: SNP
1979-2001: UUP
2005: DUP
2010: DUP
2015: LibDem/DUP tie (who got the question?)
2017 onwards: LibDem

Theuniondivvie said:

eek said:

Gardenwalker said:

The Orkney news is being carried by worldwide news outlets, which shows just how much tripe is pumped out by the news media.

It’s silly season stuff.

On one level it silly season, but on another level I can see why they are doing it - they've never really regarded themselves as Scottish, hate the lack of money the Scottish Government gives them and need a whole new set of ferries in a hurry because the old ones are dying

A deracinated Orcadian tweets.

Cookie said:

kinabalu said:

TOPPING said:

kinabalu said:

turbotubbs said:

Farooq said:

turbotubbs said:

Any odds on some twunks from Just Stop Oil trying to orange centre court? Anyone know what kind of paint they use and if its oil based?

The hypocrisy you're looking for wouldn't be there in any case. If your point is that oil is ruining everything, and you used an oil-based product to ruin something, that's a good way of making your point.

Which isn't to say they'd be doing the right thing, but the palpable desperation of some people to find some superficial hypocrisy ("HE'S GOT AN IPHONE!!!2!!") to avoid engaging in the substance of the issue is... weak.

I don't think it is impossible to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. I harbour a nasty suspicion that many of the just stop oil louts are scientifically illiterate, in it for the attention, and often from wealthy backgrounds. Its like celebs flying in from the US to join marches against climate change.

True. But I also think 'oh they're all just precious rich kids' is often a mental technique people use to mitigate the guilt they might otherwise feel about not caring as much or doing as much about the issue as a big part of them knows they really ought to. Similar to 'they'll just spend it on booze and fags' to justify not giving money to beggars.

BiB

What are we to do when the lumpen proletariat doesn't give a flying fuck about the imminent catastrophic climate change and just want to drive their white van to work?

Well that's a specific of the general tension which often arises between what people want to do individually and what's best for society. One of the important functions of democratic politics and government is to resolve this tension in a way that fuses personal freedom and collective responsibility, and is informed by evidence and facts. Oh yes.

What we do to get the lumpen proletariat on board is what the grown-ups have been doing for about 20 years i.e. gradually making the non-oil offer better and cheaper than the oil offer.

I'd say what we don't do is send the worst people in the world in to make their commutes a misery and/or disrupt sporting events they may be watching. I'm no marketer, but I suspect that might be counterproductive. Cutting oil use is a not inconsiderable part of my job and is something I feel quite keen on. And yet when some p*ssed-up nutter barges into a JSO protest with a chant of "We love you oil, we do", I know whose side I am instinctively on. Because JSO are just so bloody dislikeable.

Dura_Ace said:

Malmesbury said:

turbotubbs said:

Stocky said:

My reactionary father-in-law was in a lather yesterday but for once he seems to have a point.

He's been on 20mg statins for over ten years and went to collect his repeat prescription at the usual chemist to be told that there is a national shortage of 20mg statin tablets. The chemist said they had tried to source in multiple places but none can be found. The answer, he said, is simple enough - have two 10mg tablets instead, there are plenty of those available.

But - guess what - the chemist refused to dispense as the repeat prescription states 20mg tablet rather than 2x 10mg tablets and sent father-in-law back to his GP for a new prescription (this was Saturday and surgery was closed and he had almost run out of tablets).

Good use of GP time there then.

Will change in a few years as all qualifying pharmacists become able to prescribe - they would change that prescription for him. They cannot legally do that at the current time.

Because the size of the tablets was on the original prescription. As opposed to “20mg per day”. The latter is possible - had it done for a family prescription.

A comic example of the effect of literalism - on a firearms certificate there may or may not be a limit on calibre. These days one is always put in. Older certificates often don’t have them. There is no process for the police to *force* adding a calibre limit.

The main gun of a tank is, legally, a really big manual firearm - you have to do a bunch of steps at each shot. So, if you have a firearms certificate without calibre limit, it is completely legal to own a tank with a “live” main gun.

HE and AP ammo is explicitly banned for purchase by FAC holders. So unless your tank can fire round shot (it can't) it's useless as a weapon.

BartholomewRoberts said:

Andy_JS said:

"New Conservatives
Common Sense for the Common Good

Gareth Bacon MP, Duncan Baker MP, Jack Brereton MP, Paul Bristow MP, Miriam Cates MP,
Brendan Clarke-Smith MP, James Daly MP, Anna Firth MP, Nick Fletcher MP, Chris Green MP,
James Grundy MP, Jonathan Gullis MP, Eddie Hughes MP, Tom Hunt MP, Mark Jenkinson MP,
Danny Kruger MP, Andrew Lewer MP, Marco Longhi MP, Robin Millar MP, Lia Nici MP"

https://www.thenewconservatives.co.uk/

The whole webpage seems to be an anti-immigration rant.

Ideally those "new Conservatives" should be amongst the first to lose their seat at the next election if that is all they care about.