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 is on another level I can see why they are doing it - they've never really regatded 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
Eh? Serco and a couple of private family firms operate the ferries to Orkney, and the council itself operates the inter-island services.
That is your PB Scotch experts for you , never miss a chance to talk bollox about things they know nothing about.
A row over funding for new ferries between the islands and Scotland has brought Orkney's situation to a head.
So who is talking bollox.....
I'm surprised people round here forget that I check facts before posting things...
WIONews that well known Scottish outlet posts some bollox from one unionist councillor , it ispicked up by a PB Scotch Expert who has Orkney part of Norway in a jiffy without even the need for a council meeting.
The Orcadians are p*ssed because they feel they get a poor deal from Holyrood. The Norwegian option is fanciful but provides them with a stick to prod ScotGov. The ability of the regime in Edinburgh to antagonise pretty well everyone in the Highlands and Islands is something to behold.
Everyone in Scotland never mind the Islands, they are a bunch of grifting gravy train imbecilic wrong un's.
The SNP could really suffer at the next election. The swing against them in the Central Belt could lose them several seats, but they could unexpectedly lose more seats in the Highlands and Islands to whoever is seen as the best challenger. It could be a good result for Scottish Lib Dems.
Time ripe for an Alba breakthrough surely?
No, but they could pick up enough votes to allow the SNP to lose to another party. The SNP vote is falling whereas independence support isn’t. Those votes have to go somewhere, and, outwith Glasgow and Edinburgh, it won’t be to the Greens.
20.1.2 The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.
The fielding side still regarded the ball as in play so it was not dead when Bairstow went walkabout
He was out of his crease when the bails came off.
Which part of that is "not out" ?
The umpire could (and should) have said Not Out on this cricket law basis:
a) 20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when
20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.
and
b) 20.2 Ball finally settled
Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.
So what counts is: that the ball is in the w/k's hands and the umpire AT THAT TIME (before the w/k does something with the ball) is in a mental state of believing that the ball is finally settled. Obviously the time will come when the w/k does something with the ball - but the ball is dead (even if it knocks the stumps) until the bowler makes it come alive again.
A sensible umpire would conclude that HE thought the ball was dead. Not Out. It matters not what the w/k thought.
Current mob are hostile to everybody except themselves and the weirdo greens as they fill their pockets as fast as they can.
See how one in twelve voters voted for the Greens, and one in sixty voted for Alba?
Just wondering what that means for Alba if the Greens are the weirdos.
The Greens are weirdos fullstop and obviously there are plenty of like minded thicko's who are too stupid to know that they are anything but Green , WTF have ALBA got to do with it.
Sigh. Missing the point. SNP (and Labour) committed to closing down oil and gas sector. Employs thousands across the north of Scotland. What other jobs are there? Thats why these communities are p*ssed. Ferries, undualled roads, Greens in govt., etc., also contributing. Its not just thst they are feeling neglected - used to that. Its that they actually feel ScotGov is actively hostile to their interests.
Current mob are hostile to everybody except themselves and the weirdo greens as they fill their pockets as fast as they can.
Well said Malcolm, I wholeheartedly agree.
The virtue signalling madness of shutting down North Sea oil and gas exploration while continuing to import hydrocarbons from abroad is both scientific and economic madness from the Labour Party.
But from the Scottish government? Or anyone who intends to govern for Scotland? Its truly insane.
The devolved government should be making the case for energy security and tackling emissions from consumption and imports before North Sea exploration is stopped, not engaging in this anti-scientific gibberish.
______________
I feel Kate Forbes would bring a fresh take to this.
If she gets the chance. There’s a lot of SNP insiders whose gravy train relies on the current lot remaining in charge.
I was about to ask what sort of a moron would think that now was the right time to launch an anti-immigration sub-group but then, rather depressingly, I pondered that I suppose they wouldn't have done it without some kind of demand from customers, ie their constituents.
Goodness knows I hope they weren't just sitting there one balmy evening and then just had the thought.
Sigh. Missing the point. SNP (and Labour) committed to closing down oil and gas sector. Employs thousands across the north of Scotland. What other jobs are there? Thats why these communities are p*ssed. Ferries, undualled roads, Greens in govt., etc., also contributing. Its not just thst they are feeling neglected - used to that. Its that they actually feel ScotGov is actively hostile to their interests.
Current mob are hostile to everybody except themselves and the weirdo greens as they fill their pockets as fast as they can.
Well said Malcolm, I wholeheartedly agree.
The virtue signalling madness of shutting down North Sea oil and gas exploration while continuing to import hydrocarbons from abroad is both scientific and economic madness from the Labour Party.
But from the Scottish government? Or anyone who intends to govern for Scotland? Its truly insane.
The devolved government should be making the case for energy security and tackling emissions from consumption and imports before North Sea exploration is stopped, not engaging in this anti-scientific gibberish.
______________
I feel Kate Forbes would bring a fresh take to this.
I am not convinced she is much different from the current mob apart from the GRR issue and fact that Highlands & Islands are ignored which has always been the case unfortunately. Not complained very much and followed them on every vote apart from ducking GRR.
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 is on another level I can see why they are doing it - they've never really regatded 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
Eh? Serco and a couple of private family firms operate the ferries to Orkney, and the council itself operates the inter-island services.
That is your PB Scotch experts for you , never miss a chance to talk bollox about things they know nothing about.
A row over funding for new ferries between the islands and Scotland has brought Orkney's situation to a head.
So who is talking bollox.....
I'm surprised people round here forget that I check facts before posting things...
WIONews that well known Scottish outlet posts some bollox from one unionist councillor , it ispicked up by a PB Scotch Expert who has Orkney part of Norway in a jiffy without even the need for a council meeting.
The Orcadians are p*ssed because they feel they get a poor deal from Holyrood. The Norwegian option is fanciful but provides them with a stick to prod ScotGov. The ability of the regime in Edinburgh to antagonise pretty well everyone in the Highlands and Islands is something to behold.
I would be Everyone in Scotland never mind the Islands, they are a bunch of grifting gravy train imbecilic wrong un's.
The SNP could really suffer at the next election. The swing against them in the Central Belt could lose them several seats, but they could unexpectedly lose more seats in the Highlands and Islands to whoever is seen as the best challenger. It could be a good result for Scottish Lib Dems.
Doubt it. They are now too far behind to gain any. However Jamie Stone should be safe in Caithness & Sutherland. Labour will surely gain the Western Isles. The new Nairn, Strathspey and Moray West seat will be an interesting scrap between SNP and Tories. I would be watching Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, and Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire.
20.1.2 The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.
The fielding side still regarded the ball as in play so it was not dead when Bairstow went walkabout
He was out of his crease when the bails came off.
Which part of that is "not out" ?
The umpire could (and should) have said Not Out on this cricket law basis:
a) 20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when
20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.
and
b) 20.2 Ball finally settled
Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.
So what counts is: that the ball is in the w/k's hands and the umpire AT THAT TIME (before the w/k does something with the ball) is in a mental state of believing that the ball is finally settled. Obviously the time will come when the w/k does something with the ball - but the ball is dead (even if it knocks the stumps) until the bowler makes it come alive again.
A sensible umpire would conclude that HE thought the ball was dead. Not Out. It matters not what the w/k thought.
Was the ball ever settled in the WK's hands though?
It looks like the WK throws it almost instantly, which is a stumping, like it or not. In which case its not settled any more than the day before catching the ball then running it along the ground means it was settled when you caught it before it hit the ground.
The SNP could really suffer at the next election. The swing against them in the Central Belt could lose them several seats, but they could unexpectedly lose more seats in the Highlands and Islands to whoever is seen as the best challenger. It could be a good result for Scottish Lib Dems.
Time ripe for an Alba breakthrough surely?
Must be joking. Just a Salmond vanity project. Has gone precisely nowhere.
The SNP could really suffer at the next election. The swing against them in the Central Belt could lose them several seats, but they could unexpectedly lose more seats in the Highlands and Islands to whoever is seen as the best challenger. It could be a good result for Scottish Lib Dems.
Time ripe for an Alba breakthrough surely?
Time for a real Independence party for sure but I do not have high hopes that we will get anywhere unless the SNP is cleared out completely but there does not seem anybody willing to put their big money at risk and criticise the current mafia running the show. Hard to see them not getting a real doing next WM election which might at least focus minds and stiffen some backbones for 2026 Holyrood elections.
I was about to ask what sort of a moron would think that now was the right time to launch an anti-immigration sub-group but then, rather depressingly, I pondered that I suppose they wouldn't have done it without some kind of demand from customers, ie their constituents.
Goodness knows I hope they weren't just sitting there one balmy evening and then just had the thought.
Thankfully I don't think their views are representative of the electorate and they'll be on a hiding to nothing at the next General Election.
These are MPs representing seats that didn't vote Tory when the Tories were pledging to cut migration down to the tens of thousands, but did vote Tory when that pledge was dropped and pledges like Levelling Up were given instead.
And what do these fools do? Forget levelling up, have absolutely nothing to say on that, lets bang the drum on immigration once more. This time if we bang the drum louder it'll work ...
Not one of these idiots deserves to hold onto their seat.
20.1.2 The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.
The fielding side still regarded the ball as in play so it was not dead when Bairstow went walkabout
He was out of his crease when the bails came off.
Which part of that is "not out" ?
The umpire could (and should) have said Not Out on this cricket law basis:
a) 20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when
20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.
and
b) 20.2 Ball finally settled
Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.
So what counts is: that the ball is in the w/k's hands and the umpire AT THAT TIME (before the w/k does something with the ball) is in a mental state of believing that the ball is finally settled. Obviously the time will come when the w/k does something with the ball - but the ball is dead (even if it knocks the stumps) until the bowler makes it come alive again.
A sensible umpire would conclude that HE thought the ball was dead. Not Out. It matters not what the w/k thought.
Was the ball ever settled in the WK's hands though?
It looks like the WK throws it almost instantly, which is a stumping, like it or not. In which case its not settled any more than the day before catching the ball then running it along the ground means it was settled when you caught it before it hit the ground.
I take that point, and the umpire would have been acting creatively but not irrationally to decide it had been dead. But his reasoning could and should have included the fact that the ball was complete and past the bat, the batter(s) were making no attempt at a run, the facing batter obviously believed the ball was dead by going for the traditional walk outside the crease, and the w/k must have known the batter believed the ball was dead by his actions. Not Out.
20.1.2 The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.
The fielding side still regarded the ball as in play so it was not dead when Bairstow went walkabout
He was out of his crease when the bails came off.
Which part of that is "not out" ?
The umpire could (and should) have said Not Out on this cricket law basis:
a) 20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when
20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.
and
b) 20.2 Ball finally settled
Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.
So what counts is: that the ball is in the w/k's hands and the umpire AT THAT TIME (before the w/k does something with the ball) is in a mental state of believing that the ball is finally settled. Obviously the time will come when the w/k does something with the ball - but the ball is dead (even if it knocks the stumps) until the bowler makes it come alive again.
A sensible umpire would conclude that HE thought the ball was dead. Not Out. It matters not what the w/k thought.
Was the ball ever settled in the WK's hands though?
It looks like the WK throws it almost instantly, which is a stumping, like it or not. In which case its not settled any more than the day before catching the ball then running it along the ground means it was settled when you caught it before it hit the ground.
I take that point, and the umpire would have been acting creatively but not irrationally to decide it had been dead. But his reasoning could and should have included the fact that the ball was complete and past the bat, the batter(s) were making no attempt at a run, the facing batter obviously believed the ball was dead by going for the traditional walk outside the crease, and the w/k must have known the batter believed the ball was dead by his actions. Not Out.
The ball is dead when the ball is settled in the WK's hands, not still in mid-air. It can't be dead in mid-air.
The batsman was stupid for what he did. It'd be sporting of Australia to withdraw the appeal, but I can't see any reasonable way for the Umpire to say anything other than Out, since the ball was never settled.
There were two very famous alcohol related deaths in the wars of the Roses.
Edward IV drank himself to death.
He had his brother drowned in a barrel of wine.
I think the truth of both those accounts are rather questionable.
Although the means of the Duke of Clarence's death was subject to those sorts of outlandish rumours at the time, it's fairly likely the more normal means of execution were used.
On Edward IV, he was prone to excess in all things, making heavy use of emetics to purge himself after eating binges, which was known to be dangerous even then. The boozing didn't help him, I suspect, but it sounds more like a massive heart attack or other organ failure against the backdrop of an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.
No shot had been played. The ball was in the keeper's hands and at the time the batsman was inside his crease.
If the batsman was in his crease when the ball was thrown by the keeper, if he had stood still he would not have been out.
He moved and is out.
Whose fault is that?
No one is arguing that. As Stokes himself said "yes he was out" - technically Australia were allowed to do that, but the thing is - you just don't do that, as Stokes also said. It's not sporting. Sport relies on these unspoken rules as much as the real ones
This, I think, is the key point – and one which non-cricket fans and part-time cricket fans don't seem to grasp.
The irony, of course, is that the outrageous cheating fired up Stokes. It was only after Bairstowgate that he went mad and hit seven trillion sixes. And the incensed crowd rattled the previously-composed Aussies to the extent they were dropping easy catches and making really bad fielding decisions
We probably would have a lost by a considerably LARGER margin without Ye Great Australyan Cheatynge
So 141 years on, WG Grace's conduct comes home to roost. Revenge really is a dish best served cold
I was about to ask what sort of a moron would think that now was the right time to launch an anti-immigration sub-group but then, rather depressingly, I pondered that I suppose they wouldn't have done it without some kind of demand from customers, ie their constituents.
Goodness knows I hope they weren't just sitting there one balmy evening and then just had the thought.
Alternatively this is not about constituents it's Lee Anderson showing a bit of prospective leg in the Tory leadership election, plus some useful idiots.
I was about to ask what sort of a moron would think that now was the right time to launch an anti-immigration sub-group but then, rather depressingly, I pondered that I suppose they wouldn't have done it without some kind of demand from customers, ie their constituents.
Goodness knows I hope they weren't just sitting there one balmy evening and then just had the thought.
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 is on another level I can see why they are doing it - they've never really regatded 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
Eh? Serco and a couple of private family firms operate the ferries to Orkney, and the council itself operates the inter-island services.
That is your PB Scotch experts for you , never miss a chance to talk bollox about things they know nothing about.
A row over funding for new ferries between the islands and Scotland has brought Orkney's situation to a head.
So who is talking bollox.....
I'm surprised people round here forget that I check facts before posting things...
WIONews that well known Scottish outlet posts some bollox from one unionist councillor , it ispicked up by a PB Scotch Expert who has Orkney part of Norway in a jiffy without even the need for a council meeting.
The Orcadians are p*ssed because they feel they get a poor deal from Holyrood. The Norwegian option is fanciful but provides them with a stick to prod ScotGov. The ability of the regime in Edinburgh to antagonise pretty well everyone in the Highlands and Islands is something to behold.
In the same way that Scotland feel they've had a bad deal regarding oil, Shetland and Orkney feel they've had a really bad deal regarding oil...
and the Ferries really are dire so I can understand why people are pushing the point...
The oil deal is down to UKG, you do realise?
None of the oil and gas extracted is in their 12 mile territorial limit.
Current mob are hostile to everybody except themselves and the weirdo greens as they fill their pockets as fast as they can.
See how one in twelve voters voted for the Greens, and one in sixty voted for Alba?
Just wondering what that means for Alba if the Greens are the weirdos.
The Greens are weirdos fullstop and obviously there are plenty of like minded thicko's who are too stupid to know that they are anything but Green , WTF have ALBA got to do with it.
Oi, Malc, I'm a Greenie! Scots Greens might well be weirdos, but down here I'd say we're saner than the Tories!
R & W Lab 46%, Con 28%, Lib Dem 11%, Green and Reform 5% each.
That implies SNP is about 3% of GB/UK, which again implies a drop. If we go into a GE with those numbers then Con is dead. The only thing stopping a Lab maj is swingback, and there's just 14 months to Oct 2024...
I would rate the LDs chances as less than evens, and more like 3-1.
First: this is mostly not about SNP-LD battles. Edinburgh West is still mostly Edinburgh West. Fife North East gains a bit of Glenrothes (and is technically an SNP seat), but the LDs should be favourites there. Orkney & Shetland is unchanged.
One LD seat - before the SNP's recent issues - looked to be a real struggle for the LDs to "hold", and that is the new Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. This gains almost half of Charles Kennedy's old Ross, Skye and Lochaber. According to Electoral Calculus, that seat now has a notional 3,700 SNP majority. Will the LDs "hold" it? Difficult to say.
Lastly, there's Bearsden and Campsie Fells. This is the successor seat to Jo Swinson's Dunbartonshire East, albeit it is only 80% of it, plus bits of a whole bunch of other seats. I would make this a 50/50 shot for the LDs, depending on their ability to attract the anti-SNP tactical vote.
So: in all probability no change to the LD count / SNP count in Scotland.
Secondly: the LDs will struggle to win more than 28 or 29 seats. Once you get to that level, they need to start overhauling 10,000 vote majorities, and the party is only going to be on 11-15% nationwide. Can they do it on occasion? Sure. Is it likely to be widespread? Nope.
Thirdly: the SNP will lose seats. They will almost certainly drop at least 10, and it could easily be 15. But their losses to the Conservatives are likely to be modest (if they exist at all). And their losses to the LibDems max out at 1, unless I've really miscalculated. Which means it's all on Lab-SNP battlegrounds. And there I can see Labour getting everything up to Glasgow South (11 gains), but then it gets tough.
My best guess is SNP 33 seats, LDs 26 seats. Could the SNP lose more? Yes. Could the LDs gain more? Sure. But is it evens? Nope. It's about a 3-1 shot right now.
Comments
No, but they could pick up enough votes to allow the SNP to lose to another party. The SNP vote is falling whereas independence support isn’t. Those votes have to go somewhere, and, outwith Glasgow and Edinburgh, it won’t be to the Greens.
a) 20.1.1 The ball becomes dead when
20.1.1.1 it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler.
and
b) 20.2 Ball finally settled
Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.
So what counts is: that the ball is in the w/k's hands and the umpire AT THAT TIME (before the w/k does something with the ball) is in a mental state of believing that the ball is finally settled. Obviously the time will come when the w/k does something with the ball - but the ball is dead (even if it knocks the stumps) until the bowler makes it come alive again.
A sensible umpire would conclude that HE thought the ball was dead. Not Out. It matters not what the w/k thought.
I feel Kate Forbes would bring a fresh take to this.
If she gets the chance. There’s a lot of SNP insiders whose gravy train relies on the current lot remaining in charge.
Goodness knows I hope they weren't just sitting there one balmy evening and then just had the thought.
I feel Kate Forbes would bring a fresh take to this.
I am not convinced she is much different from the current mob apart from the GRR issue and fact that Highlands & Islands are ignored which has always been the case unfortunately. Not complained very much and followed them on every vote apart from ducking GRR.
I would be watching Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, and Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire.
It looks like the WK throws it almost instantly, which is a stumping, like it or not. In which case its not settled any more than the day before catching the ball then running it along the ground means it was settled when you caught it before it hit the ground.
These are MPs representing seats that didn't vote Tory when the Tories were pledging to cut migration down to the tens of thousands, but did vote Tory when that pledge was dropped and pledges like Levelling Up were given instead.
And what do these fools do? Forget levelling up, have absolutely nothing to say on that, lets bang the drum on immigration once more. This time if we bang the drum louder it'll work ...
Not one of these idiots deserves to hold onto their seat.
For transparency, here's my list based on 2019:
Acceptable: Conservative, Labour Lib Dem, SNP, Green, Brexit, DUP, Sinn Fein, Plaid Cymru, Alliance, SDLP, Ulster Unionist, Yorkshire, Scottish Greens,
Unacceptable: Speaker, UKIP
(Everything below 15,000 votes in 2019 I haven't bothered with)
There's a lot of overlap between the two though, so he shouldn't be completely down on the Greens.
Seems improbable at the minute she'll hold on, and stuff like this nonsense shouldn't help.
The batsman was stupid for what he did. It'd be sporting of Australia to withdraw the appeal, but I can't see any reasonable way for the Umpire to say anything other than Out, since the ball was never settled.
Although the means of the Duke of Clarence's death was subject to those sorts of outlandish rumours at the time, it's fairly likely the more normal means of execution were used.
On Edward IV, he was prone to excess in all things, making heavy use of emetics to purge himself after eating binges, which was known to be dangerous even then. The boozing didn't help him, I suspect, but it sounds more like a massive heart attack or other organ failure against the backdrop of an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.
None of the oil and gas extracted is in their 12 mile territorial limit.
I would rate the LDs chances as less than evens, and more like 3-1.
First: this is mostly not about SNP-LD battles. Edinburgh West is still mostly Edinburgh West. Fife North East gains a bit of Glenrothes (and is technically an SNP seat), but the LDs should be favourites there. Orkney & Shetland is unchanged.
One LD seat - before the SNP's recent issues - looked to be a real struggle for the LDs to "hold", and that is the new Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. This gains almost half of Charles Kennedy's old Ross, Skye and Lochaber. According to Electoral Calculus, that seat now has a notional 3,700 SNP majority. Will the LDs "hold" it? Difficult to say.
Lastly, there's Bearsden and Campsie Fells. This is the successor seat to Jo Swinson's Dunbartonshire East, albeit it is only 80% of it, plus bits of a whole bunch of other seats. I would make this a 50/50 shot for the LDs, depending on their ability to attract the anti-SNP tactical vote.
So: in all probability no change to the LD count / SNP count in Scotland.
Secondly: the LDs will struggle to win more than 28 or 29 seats. Once you get to that level, they need to start overhauling 10,000 vote majorities, and the party is only going to be on 11-15% nationwide. Can they do it on occasion? Sure. Is it likely to be widespread? Nope.
Thirdly: the SNP will lose seats. They will almost certainly drop at least 10, and it could easily be 15. But their losses to the Conservatives are likely to be modest (if they exist at all). And their losses to the LibDems max out at 1, unless I've really miscalculated. Which means it's all on Lab-SNP battlegrounds. And there I can see Labour getting everything up to Glasgow South (11 gains), but then it gets tough.
My best guess is SNP 33 seats, LDs 26 seats. Could the SNP lose more? Yes. Could the LDs gain more? Sure. But is it evens? Nope. It's about a 3-1 shot right now.