Biden signs emergency declaration as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4919619-biden-signs-disaster-declaration-florida/ ...Milton on Monday strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane as it approached Florida, with officials warning of a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and urging certain areas to evacuate. The Associated Press reported the storm could make landfall on Wednesday. It is expected to move across Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean, which would mean other states would largely be spared from its impact. Milton is arriving in Florida as the Sunshine State, as well as Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, are still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene. That stormed killed more than 200 people after hitting the United States a little more than one week ago...
I wonder whether this will harm the climate change deniers standing in the November election.
Trump is about 4% ahead in Florida and Scott also 4% ahead for the Senate. Florida lost to GOP is a game changer.
Whether the Florida hurricane leads more people to vote Dem or Rep, will depend entirely on whether it’s the State or Federal governments seen to be leading the relief efforts.
The view from the Helene aftermath was not in the Feds’ favour.
It also depends on whether some GOP supporters change their mind on the dangers of climate change and reject the deniers.
Preposterous to put down freak weather events down to climate change. That’s little more than blaming angry gods for an earth quake.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says hurricane is steered by "them".
This is your frequent friendly reminder that the USA does have a weather army.
Does it?
Yes.
Details, please.
From Wikipedia:
U.S. Weather Force
The United States Weather Force (USWF) is a top-secret, specialized military unit established to leverage advanced climate-control technologies for national defense and strategic military operations. Formed in the late 20th century, the USWF utilizes cutting-edge weather manipulation tools, including space-based lasers, artificial storm generation, and atmospheric disruption devices, to target enemy forces and infrastructure. This elite division, officially part of the U.S. Department of Defense, has been at the forefront of global military dominance through non-conventional warfare methods. While its existence remains shrouded in controversy and secrecy, leaked reports and declassified documents suggest that the USWF's capabilities are unparalleled, able to weaponize natural phenomena such as hurricanes, droughts, and even lightning storms. Critics of the program argue that the militarization of weather poses significant ethical and environmental risks, while supporters maintain that it is a vital tool for maintaining U.S. security in a rapidly evolving global threat landscape.
I've never read that before. I just knew they had a huge weather division with generals etc. They probably have more people in their weather army than we do in our army army.
Rumour has it that Ian McCaskill ran it for a while but was sacked when he deployed it just to spite Michael Fish.
Aww. You're really very funny - I don't care what people say.
I don't know if you're joking or if you really believe it...
Back in March, a hit-and-run driver seriously injured a 15-year old boy in our village. In June, he was jailed for one year and eleven months. He has already been released, after serving just eleven weeks.
And is now living in the village, near where the boy and his family live. The boy has still not recovered from the injuries sustained.
This sort of story, local as it is, does the court and justice system no favours at all.
Driving at 37mph in a 20mph zone albeit leaving the scene, plus a 5 year driving ban, doesn't seem that far off given the offence. Albeit maybe a bit more for leaving the scene.
It was of course the Starmer government that let him out early as a non violent offender with a less than 4 year sentence, not the judges
Torched his own car as well. I can understand 1 year 11 months, serving half for good behaviour. But 11 weeks - less than three months - is far too little given the injuries it has given the kid.
I think the important thing is the disqualification from driving. 5 years and 4 months is longer than in a lot of cases, but still feels far too short, and the government wouldn't need to spend £££ on accommodating the guy at His Majesty's Pleasure to double or triple the period of disqualification, or even to make it for life.
Back in March, a hit-and-run driver seriously injured a 15-year old boy in our village. In June, he was jailed for one year and eleven months. He has already been released, after serving just eleven weeks.
And is now living in the village, near where the boy and his family live. The boy has still not recovered from the injuries sustained.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
She does have a point on alcoholic drinks and expensive hotels. They are not a necessary part of the legal expenses
It's not really that interesting and argument. Having costs awarded against you in any case doesn't mean writing a blank cheque. The winner has to show they are reasonable and legitimately incurred. That's fair enough and well established.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The age of the British Empire died the better part of a century ago now.
The only reason we have an interest in Chagos is the interest in the Diego Garcia base which we have with the Americans.
If it meets all their concerns, what extra concerns do we have that they don't?
Are you not concerned about the direction of American politics?
I am, yes.
But that doesn't address my question.
If the future of Diego Garcia is secure, for the UK and USA, then what other concerning matter is there for Chagos?
Your most well-known policy position is that people should be able to build whatever they want on land that they own. That ought to inform your view of whether it's desirable to give up territory.
Back in March, a hit-and-run driver seriously injured a 15-year old boy in our village. In June, he was jailed for one year and eleven months. He has already been released, after serving just eleven weeks.
And is now living in the village, near where the boy and his family live. The boy has still not recovered from the injuries sustained.
This sort of story, local as it is, does the court and justice system no favours at all.
Driving at 37mph in a 20mph zone albeit leaving the scene, plus a 5 year driving ban, doesn't seem that far off given the offence. Albeit maybe a bit more for leaving the scene.
It was of course the Starmer government that let him out early as a non violent offender with a less than 4 year sentence, not the judges
Torched his own car as well. I can understand 1 year 11 months, serving half for good behaviour. But 11 weeks - less than three months - is far too little given the injuries it has given the kid.
Did he get time off for being remanded in custody? it does look as if he got more tarrif off than usual.
No idea. Seems wrong to me though, particularly as it was a hit-and-run and he torched the car afterwards.
Usual poor journalism that fails to tell us what he was actually convicted of. Was it just failing to stop after an accident?
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The age of the British Empire died the better part of a century ago now.
The only reason we have an interest in Chagos is the interest in the Diego Garcia base which we have with the Americans.
If it meets all their concerns, what extra concerns do we have that they don't?
Also "base we have with the Americans" is something of a polite fiction. It is an American base to all intents and purposes that our assets sometimes use.
As close allies it is a substantial quid for their quo. Or to put it another way, the Americans don't give us access to nuclear weapon and other technologies for nothing.
It's weird. I have a friend, doing fine, old money, few thousand acres blah, blah who, when he was in Shanghai, went specifically to whichever (well-known) knock off market it is to have an exact replica of some kind of smart watch made. It's got a fancy movement so is as accurate as, er, a watch, and costs about £500 to look (exactly) like something that costs about £5,000.
I do have to ask (but didn't ask him) what was the point.
The latest Chinese copies are basically a clone of an actual Rolex, complete with a copy of the movement (and packaging!), not a fancy face plate with a quartz watch behind it.
It’s almost impossible to tell them apart until you put them next to each other, you could probably fool second-hand watch dealers in many parts of the world.
Rolex now have a database of serial numbers that you have to use to confirm it's original. If you head off to replica forums you will see people checking literally everything down to 1/2 a mm...
It sounds a remarkable amount of faff for what's a mere status symbol. Rolex have pulled off a great con trick.
Plus danger of being mugged ? Jeez.
Don't all luxury brands ultimately come down to a con? They're not really scarce and even if very high quality you could get the same quality for less, but we want the brand.
Yes. Generally speaking the companies with the highest profit margins are those selling luxury goods, because their brand value means they can charge a large premium over the cost of production.
The interesting one to look at in that respect is the companies behind skincare products who not only make a huge profit margin, but about half their costs are the advertising that creates their brand value.
It's not just luxury goods.
7 out of the top 10 big pharma companies spend more on marketing than on R&D. And by a long way -
Johnson and Johnson spending $22bn on marketing vs $12bn on R&D for example. For GSK, the figure is $15bn on marketing vs $7bn on R&D.
And you wonder why I buy the generic paracetamol...
Your last bit is sleight of hand, as you’ve changed sales-and-marketing to marketing. One comprises much more than the other, of course.
It’s always been the case that pharma spends a lot on marketing, of course. Who’s going to spend a billion on developing a drug, for which they will have a relatively short period of patent protection, and not market the hell out of it ?
Every industry in existence spends far more on sales and marketing than they do on R&D. But the pharma industry spends a larger part of its revenue on R&D than any other.
Back in March, a hit-and-run driver seriously injured a 15-year old boy in our village. In June, he was jailed for one year and eleven months. He has already been released, after serving just eleven weeks.
And is now living in the village, near where the boy and his family live. The boy has still not recovered from the injuries sustained.
This sort of story, local as it is, does the court and justice system no favours at all.
Driving at 37mph in a 20mph zone albeit leaving the scene, plus a 5 year driving ban, doesn't seem that far off given the offence. Albeit maybe a bit more for leaving the scene.
It was of course the Starmer government that let him out early as a non violent offender with a less than 4 year sentence, not the judges
If he'd come clean at the scene, that would all seems reasonable enough. Locking people up for long periods for being unlucky whilst driving moderately badly is almost certainly counter-productive. However, for a hit and run, plus arson, it seems unduly lenient, before Starmer let him out early.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The age of the British Empire died the better part of a century ago now.
The only reason we have an interest in Chagos is the interest in the Diego Garcia base which we have with the Americans.
If it meets all their concerns, what extra concerns do we have that they don't?
Are you not concerned about the direction of American politics?
I am, yes.
But that doesn't address my question.
If the future of Diego Garcia is secure, for the UK and USA, then what other concerning matter is there for Chagos?
Your most well-known policy position is that people should be able to build whatever they want on land that they own. That ought to inform your view of whether it's desirable to give up territory.
Its not our territory.
Getting rid of the colonial legacy of Empire I've got absolutely no qualms with. If the Chagossians want to build on their own land, good for them.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The age of the British Empire died the better part of a century ago now.
The only reason we have an interest in Chagos is the interest in the Diego Garcia base which we have with the Americans.
If it meets all their concerns, what extra concerns do we have that they don't?
Are you not concerned about the direction of American politics?
I am, yes.
But that doesn't address my question.
If the future of Diego Garcia is secure, for the UK and USA, then what other concerning matter is there for Chagos?
Your most well-known policy position is that people should be able to build whatever they want on land that they own. That ought to inform your view of whether it's desirable to give up territory.
Its not our territory.
Getting rid of the colonial legacy of Empire I've got absolutely no qualms with. If the Chagossians want to build on their own land, good for them.
Final and conclusive proof that you're a cretin. So for that, much thanks
Back in March, a hit-and-run driver seriously injured a 15-year old boy in our village. In June, he was jailed for one year and eleven months. He has already been released, after serving just eleven weeks.
And is now living in the village, near where the boy and his family live. The boy has still not recovered from the injuries sustained.
This sort of story, local as it is, does the court and justice system no favours at all.
Driving at 37mph in a 20mph zone albeit leaving the scene, plus a 5 year driving ban, doesn't seem that far off given the offence. Albeit maybe a bit more for leaving the scene.
It was of course the Starmer government that let him out early as a non violent offender with a less than 4 year sentence, not the judges
If he'd come clean at the scene, that would all seems reasonable enough. Locking people up for long periods for being unlucky whilst driving moderately badly is almost certainly counter-productive. However, for a hit and run, plus arson, it seems unduly lenient, before Starmer let him out early.
For being unlucky? Driving at 37mph in a 20mph zone is driving "moderately badly"?
It was dangerous and reckless and he was lucky that he didn't kill the child he hit.
He's self-evidently not safe to be in control of a car, but the law will allow him to drive again before the end of the decade. That's absurd.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
The age of the British Empire died the better part of a century ago now.
The only reason we have an interest in Chagos is the interest in the Diego Garcia base which we have with the Americans.
If it meets all their concerns, what extra concerns do we have that they don't?
Are you not concerned about the direction of American politics?
I am, yes.
But that doesn't address my question.
If the future of Diego Garcia is secure, for the UK and USA, then what other concerning matter is there for Chagos?
Your most well-known policy position is that people should be able to build whatever they want on land that they own. That ought to inform your view of whether it's desirable to give up territory.
Its not our territory.
Getting rid of the colonial legacy of Empire I've got absolutely no qualms with. If the Chagossians want to build on their own land, good for them.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
By asylum seekers, do they literally mean people who are seeking asylum and are still waiting for a decision, or are they including people who were granted refugee status 20 years ago?
Back in March, a hit-and-run driver seriously injured a 15-year old boy in our village. In June, he was jailed for one year and eleven months. He has already been released, after serving just eleven weeks.
And is now living in the village, near where the boy and his family live. The boy has still not recovered from the injuries sustained.
This sort of story, local as it is, does the court and justice system no favours at all.
Driving at 37mph in a 20mph zone albeit leaving the scene, plus a 5 year driving ban, doesn't seem that far off given the offence. Albeit maybe a bit more for leaving the scene.
It was of course the Starmer government that let him out early as a non violent offender with a less than 4 year sentence, not the judges
If he'd come clean at the scene, that would all seems reasonable enough. Locking people up for long periods for being unlucky whilst driving moderately badly is almost certainly counter-productive. However, for a hit and run, plus arson, it seems unduly lenient, before Starmer let him out early.
The article does not tell us he was convicted of speeding, nor of a driving offence such as causing death by dangerous driving. So I suspect there was no admissibke evidence of the speed he was going, nor that his actions caused the collision, after all the child could have scootered out into his path leaving him no room to stop
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
By asylum seekers, do they literally mean people who are seeking asylum and are still waiting for a decision, or are they including people who were granted refugee status 20 years ago?
There are 224,700 open asylum cases, so it will clearly be the latter.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
Of course he was negotiating for the Americans. When has the UK done anything else except follow American instructions on Diego Garcia?
The assertions on here about Chagos are completely disconnected from reality.
Assertions all over, I expect. I don't think anyone in the dispute gives two shits about the historic Chagossians or their descendants for example. Not us, not the USA, and not Mauritius. It's a useful place for a military base, and handy for a diplomatic argument about sovereignty, influence, and rent. It's on that basis that I presume a deal has been done.
The views opposed to the deal at least are less likely to present it is a moral issue, so it is less grating.
Biden signs emergency declaration as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4919619-biden-signs-disaster-declaration-florida/ ...Milton on Monday strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane as it approached Florida, with officials warning of a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and urging certain areas to evacuate. The Associated Press reported the storm could make landfall on Wednesday. It is expected to move across Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean, which would mean other states would largely be spared from its impact. Milton is arriving in Florida as the Sunshine State, as well as Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, are still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene. That stormed killed more than 200 people after hitting the United States a little more than one week ago...
I wonder whether this will harm the climate change deniers standing in the November election.
Trump is about 4% ahead in Florida and Scott also 4% ahead for the Senate. Florida lost to GOP is a game changer.
Whether the Florida hurricane leads more people to vote Dem or Rep, will depend entirely on whether it’s the State or Federal governments seen to be leading the relief efforts.
The view from the Helene aftermath was not in the Feds’ favour.
It also depends on whether some GOP supporters change their mind on the dangers of climate change and reject the deniers.
Preposterous to put down freak weather events down to climate change. That’s little more than blaming angry gods for an earth quake.
Marjorie Taylor Greene says hurricane is steered by "them".
This is your frequent friendly reminder that the USA does have a weather army.
Does it?
Yes.
Details, please.
From Wikipedia:
U.S. Weather Force
The United States Weather Force (USWF) is a top-secret, specialized military unit established to leverage advanced climate-control technologies for national defense and strategic military operations. Formed in the late 20th century, the USWF utilizes cutting-edge weather manipulation tools, including space-based lasers, artificial storm generation, and atmospheric disruption devices, to target enemy forces and infrastructure. This elite division, officially part of the U.S. Department of Defense, has been at the forefront of global military dominance through non-conventional warfare methods. While its existence remains shrouded in controversy and secrecy, leaked reports and declassified documents suggest that the USWF's capabilities are unparalleled, able to weaponize natural phenomena such as hurricanes, droughts, and even lightning storms. Critics of the program argue that the militarization of weather poses significant ethical and environmental risks, while supporters maintain that it is a vital tool for maintaining U.S. security in a rapidly evolving global threat landscape.
In only a few years time it might be almost impossible to fact check that sort of post, thanks to the massive growth in AI generated dreck.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
By asylum seekers, do they literally mean people who are seeking asylum and are still waiting for a decision, or are they including people who were granted refugee status 20 years ago?
Surely nearer the latter. Quite amazing it is even close to being true, and a condemnation of our sluggish system AND our lack of control of the borders
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
Wouldn't argue with that. They are in the business of clickbaiting: it is TV news as provocation not information. But for it to work, you need a germ of truth. Seems like they have a germ of truth, here
Before the midwit PB dads get all huffy, remember that both sides do this. The Guardian or the BBC will happily spew out all kinds of garbage, with only a kernel of truth, to show that X or Y is "racist"
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
Worth noting too that it is not illegal to enter the country to seek asylum.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
How can he win amongst the members unless he faces Tugenhadt?
Surely Jenrick vs Cleverly with the members means Jenrick?
Isn't it just possibe the members will reflect on their previous disastrous choices and go for the more sensible option this time? Yes, I know these are mostly brain-addled Daily Mail readers, bit even they are capable of learning from mistakes, aren't they?
It is the MPs who made disastrous choices. Members selected from two poor options. You can argue they chose the worse of the two options, but that's hardly borne out by subsequent events, is it?
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I think the people of Sheffield need to have to make the case why we shouldn't just swap them out - and send them all to Rwanda.
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys. But again - what have they done recently?
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I think the people of Sheffield need to have to make the case why we shouldn't just swap them out - and send them all to Rwanda.
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
Of course he was negotiating for the Americans. When has the UK done anything else except follow American instructions on Diego Garcia?
The assertions on here about Chagos are completely disconnected from reality.
Assertions all over, I expect. I don't think anyone in the dispute gives two shits about the historic Chagossians or their descendants for example. Not us, not the USA, and not Mauritius. It's a useful place for a military base, and handy for a diplomatic argument about sovereignty, influence, and rent. It's on that basis that I presume a deal has been done.
The views opposed to the deal at least are less likely to present it is a moral issue, so it is less grating.
That's the size of it, I think. The Americans see their base secured for the foreseeable future. And the international law issues (which are significant) are resolved. Mauritius gets nominal sovereignty and a useful rent. In theory they can populate the islands but are not going to. No-one cares about the Chagossians but at least they are no worse off. China won't build a base in the islands, not just because it would break the treaty agreed to by Mauritius. The Americans won't allow it and they have heft.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
Wouldn't argue with that. They are in the business of clickbaiting: it is TV news as provocation not information. But for it to work, you need a germ of truth. Seems like they have a germ of truth, here
Before the midwit PB dads get all huffy, remember that both sides do this. The Guardian or the BBC will happily spew out all kinds of garbage, with only a kernel of truth, to show that X or Y is "racist"
I mean, what sad fuck flagged this. Desperate times
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I think the people of Sheffield need to have to make the case why we shouldn't just swap them out - and send them all to Rwanda.
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys.
Human League ABC
So no great loss. Versus who knows what musicians or actors we might get from importing 670,000.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I think the people of Sheffield need to have to make the case why we shouldn't just swap them out - and send them all to Rwanda.
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys.
Human League ABC
So no great loss. Versus who knows what musicians or actors we might get from importing 670,000.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I saw a remarkable stat last week about Lebanon, in the context of the Hezbollah-Israel war.
It’s estimated that Lebanon houses around 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Out of a total population of 5.5 million. Nevermind 1% or 0.6%, that’s 27%. No wonder the country is struggling.
We should be paying wads and wads of cash to Lebanon for doing the Middle East and the world this service.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I think the people of Sheffield need to have to make the case why we shouldn't just swap them out - and send them all to Rwanda.
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys. But again - what have they done recently?
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
Wouldn't argue with that. They are in the business of clickbaiting: it is TV news as provocation not information. But for it to work, you need a germ of truth. Seems like they have a germ of truth, here
Before the midwit PB dads get all huffy, remember that both sides do this. The Guardian or the BBC will happily spew out all kinds of garbage, with only a kernel of truth, to show that X or Y is "racist"
I mean, what sad fuck flagged this. Desperate times
I see we are no longer the cozy, semi-dozing pub we were this afternoon.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
Of course he was negotiating for the Americans. When has the UK done anything else except follow American instructions on Diego Garcia?
The assertions on here about Chagos are completely disconnected from reality.
Assertions all over, I expect. I don't think anyone in the dispute gives two shits about the historic Chagossians or their descendants for example. Not us, not the USA, and not Mauritius. It's a useful place for a military base, and handy for a diplomatic argument about sovereignty, influence, and rent. It's on that basis that I presume a deal has been done.
The views opposed to the deal at least are less likely to present it is a moral issue, so it is less grating.
That's the size of it, I think. The Americans see their base secured for the foreseeable future. And the international law issues (which are significant) are resolved. Mauritius gets nominal sovereignty and a useful rent. In theory they can populate the islands but are not going to. No-one cares about the Chagossians but at least they are no worse off. China won't build a base in the islands, not just because it would break the treaty agreed to by Mauritius. The Americans won't allow it and they have heft.
And it is the Americans should pay for it. It's an intriguing social study how utterly dickless PB commentors have got that they have no objection to our taxpayers (ie you and me) being forced to pay 99 years of rent for an astronomically richer country to have the use of a strategic military asset. We just politely grin through it like someone has just farted at the vicarage tea party. No other country is like this. IRELAND wouldn't take this sort of shit and they don't have an army to speak of. Monaco probably has bigger balls in the face of Uncle Sam than we do.
As a teenager I was obsessed by remote islands. I used to stand staring at the world map and wonder what people were doing now in Muckle Flugga, or Baffin Island, or Cape Verde (back then untouristed), but the most fascinating was the Indian Ocean. The Andamans, the Laccadives, and the Chagos archipelago.
Never realised back then there was a fuck off great big American airbase on them.
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
Of course he was negotiating for the Americans. When has the UK done anything else except follow American instructions on Diego Garcia?
The assertions on here about Chagos are completely disconnected from reality.
Assertions all over, I expect. I don't think anyone in the dispute gives two shits about the historic Chagossians or their descendants for example. Not us, not the USA, and not Mauritius. It's a useful place for a military base, and handy for a diplomatic argument about sovereignty, influence, and rent. It's on that basis that I presume a deal has been done.
The views opposed to the deal at least are less likely to present it is a moral issue, so it is less grating.
That's the size of it, I think. The Americans see their base secured for the foreseeable future. And the international law issues (which are significant) are resolved. Mauritius gets nominal sovereignty and a useful rent. In theory they can populate the islands but are not going to. No-one cares about the Chagossians but at least they are no worse off. China won't build a base in the islands, not just because it would break the treaty agreed to by Mauritius. The Americans won't allow it and they have heft.
And it is the Americans should pay for it. It's an intriguing social study how utterly dickless PB commentors have got that they have no objection to our taxpayers (ie you and me) being forced to pay 99 years of rent for an astronomically richer country to have the use of a strategic military asset. We just politely grin through it like someone has just farted at the vicarage tea party. No other country is like this. IRELAND wouldn't take this sort of shit and they don't have an army to speak of. Monaco probably has bigger balls in the face of Uncle Sam than we do.
The USA are our close allies, with all that entails. We won't be arguing with them while they have the key to our nuclear deterrent etc etc etc.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I think the people of Sheffield need to have to make the case why we shouldn't just swap them out - and send them all to Rwanda.
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys.
Human League ABC
So no great loss. Versus who knows what musicians or actors we might get from importing 670,000.
Some encouragement for Harris supporters in terms of voter demographics and whose more likely to vote .
Latest polling shows her 18 points ahead in white with a college degree or higher . That puts her 3 points ahead of Biden in 2020 at this stage .
That demographic is likely to be around 41% of the vote, the highest on record . That group also votes at a higher rate .
In total Harris is ahead 21 points in all those with a college degree or higher .
And women are more likely to vote, and there are more of them
Estimating turnout by demographic is key. It's not clear how the pollsters do that. Simply asking people how likely they are to vote is not very accurate. People feel pressured to say they'll vote when they won't.
The difference between graduate turnout and non graduate turnout is massive, and Kamala is gaining over Trump with graduates. White graduates made up 24% of eligible voters but 33% of actual voters.
Kamala also has an advantage with women but I can't find any estimate of differential turnout by sex.
As a teenager I was obsessed by remote islands. I used to stand staring at the world map and wonder what people were doing now in Muckle Flugga, or Baffin Island, or Cape Verde (back then untouristed), but the most fascinating was the Indian Ocean. The Andamans, the Laccadives, and the Chagos archipelago.
Never realised back then there was a fuck off great big American airbase on them.
I’m STILL obsessed by remote islands. I think it is a hallmark of the born traveler. The hunger to know what they are like
Kerguelen? Clipperton? Pitcairn? The Summerisles?
That island where I fucked REDACTED over an altar? Herm? Lundy? Stromboli? The Iles des Saintes?
Generally, they repay visiting. eg Easter Island is absolutely extraordinary, and worth all the hassle
NOAA recon flight just logged 898hpa in hurricane Milton.
It was a tropical storm only 24 hours ago. Mental.
I don't understand any of the charts, data or models but the people who do are freaking out on social media.
It’s really quite something. As Flatlander says, more like a giant tornado than a normal hurricane.
Meanwhile in Brockley I arrived at the station to be greeted by a torrential downpour and have decided to wait it out given my lack of umbrella and the too-late hour to call for a lift. 20 minutes and counting while I watch the radar.
NOAA recon flight just logged 898hpa in hurricane Milton.
It was a tropical storm only 24 hours ago. Mental.
I don't understand any of the charts, data or models but the people who do are freaking out on social media.
It is certainly freaky.
It doesn't look like it will survive at anything like this strength on the way to Florida (although sometimes intense storms can modify their environment to some degree) but I doubt more rain will be welcome.
As a teenager I was obsessed by remote islands. I used to stand staring at the world map and wonder what people were doing now in Muckle Flugga, or Baffin Island, or Cape Verde (back then untouristed), but the most fascinating was the Indian Ocean. The Andamans, the Laccadives, and the Chagos archipelago.
Never realised back then there was a fuck off great big American airbase on them.
I’m STILL obsessed by remote islands. I think it is a hallmark of the born traveler. The hunger to know what they are like
Kerguelen? Clipperton? Pitcairn? The Summerisles?
That island where I fucked REDACTED over an altar? Herm? Lundy? Stromboli? The Iles des Saintes?
Generally, they repay visiting. eg Easter Island is absolutely extraordinary, and worth all the hassle
My major birthdays have involved Atlantic islands. It’s a bit of a tradition now. Last two were Iceland and the Azores - the latter a big old stone house right in the middle of Sete Cidades. Next one, where? It’s between Fogo on Cape Verde and El Hierro, I think. In due course (for a later birthday) Sao Tome & Principe, then maybe the Falklands.
As a teenager I was obsessed by remote islands. I used to stand staring at the world map and wonder what people were doing now in Muckle Flugga, or Baffin Island, or Cape Verde (back then untouristed), but the most fascinating was the Indian Ocean. The Andamans, the Laccadives, and the Chagos archipelago.
Never realised back then there was a fuck off great big American airbase on them.
I’m STILL obsessed by remote islands. I think it is a hallmark of the born traveler. The hunger to know what they are like
Kerguelen? Clipperton? Pitcairn? The Summerisles?
That island where I fucked REDACTED over an altar? Herm? Lundy? Stromboli? The Iles des Saintes?
Generally, they repay visiting. eg Easter Island is absolutely extraordinary, and worth all the hassle
I once sailed around the Summer Isles in a little boat. The captain was dolling out whisky as it was a cold day.
NOAA recon flight just logged 898hpa in hurricane Milton.
It was a tropical storm only 24 hours ago. Mental.
I don't understand any of the charts, data or models but the people who do are freaking out on social media.
It is certainly freaky.
It doesn't look like it will survive at anything like this strength on the way to Florida (although sometimes intense storms can modify their environment to some degree) but I doubt more rain will be welcome.
Looks like it’ll be ripped apart by shear on its way in but could still cause a record storm surge.
As a teenager I was obsessed by remote islands. I used to stand staring at the world map and wonder what people were doing now in Muckle Flugga, or Baffin Island, or Cape Verde (back then untouristed), but the most fascinating was the Indian Ocean. The Andamans, the Laccadives, and the Chagos archipelago.
Never realised back then there was a fuck off great big American airbase on them.
I’m STILL obsessed by remote islands. I think it is a hallmark of the born traveler. The hunger to know what they are like
Kerguelen? Clipperton? Pitcairn? The Summerisles?
That island where I fucked REDACTED over an altar? Herm? Lundy? Stromboli? The Iles des Saintes?
Generally, they repay visiting. eg Easter Island is absolutely extraordinary, and worth all the hassle
South Georgia. Enderby Island. Gough Island with 7m pairs of breeding Seabirds. Inaccessible Island. The Galapagos. St. Helena. The extraordinary endemic plants of Campbell Island. The Chatham Islands with their informal time zone 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand - and most of their men called Bruce. Robben Island. Macquarie Island with its history of violence amongst the whalers. The Prince's Islands off Istanbul. The Thousand Islands, Jakarta Bay. Ring of Brodgar standing stones, Orkney. Bioko Island (Fernando Po as was).
As a teenager I was obsessed by remote islands. I used to stand staring at the world map and wonder what people were doing now in Muckle Flugga, or Baffin Island, or Cape Verde (back then untouristed), but the most fascinating was the Indian Ocean. The Andamans, the Laccadives, and the Chagos archipelago.
Never realised back then there was a fuck off great big American airbase on them.
I’m STILL obsessed by remote islands. I think it is a hallmark of the born traveler. The hunger to know what they are like
Kerguelen? Clipperton? Pitcairn? The Summerisles?
That island where I fucked REDACTED over an altar? Herm? Lundy? Stromboli? The Iles des Saintes?
Generally, they repay visiting. eg Easter Island is absolutely extraordinary, and worth all the hassle
South Georgia. Enderby Island. Gough Island with 7m pairs of breeding Seabirds. Inaccessible Island. The Galapagos. St. Helena. The extraordinary endemic plants of Campbell Island. The Chatham Islands with their informal time zone 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand - and most of their men called Bruce. Robben Island. Macquarie Island with its history of violence amongst the whalers. The Prince's Islands off Istanbul. The Thousand Islands, Jakarta Bay. Ring of Brodgar standing stones, Orkney.
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I think the people of Sheffield need to have to make the case why we shouldn't just swap them out - and send them all to Rwanda.
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys.
Human League ABC
So no great loss. Versus who knows what musicians or actors we might get from importing 670,000.
The removal of Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff will do little to assuage doubts over his leadership and the government’s effectiveness after months of scandal"
It's weird. I have a friend, doing fine, old money, few thousand acres blah, blah who, when he was in Shanghai, went specifically to whichever (well-known) knock off market it is to have an exact replica of some kind of smart watch made. It's got a fancy movement so is as accurate as, er, a watch, and costs about £500 to look (exactly) like something that costs about £5,000.
I do have to ask (but didn't ask him) what was the point.
The latest Chinese copies are basically a clone of an actual Rolex, complete with a copy of the movement (and packaging!), not a fancy face plate with a quartz watch behind it.
It’s almost impossible to tell them apart until you put them next to each other, you could probably fool second-hand watch dealers in many parts of the world.
Rolex now have a database of serial numbers that you have to use to confirm it's original. If you head off to replica forums you will see people checking literally everything down to 1/2 a mm...
It sounds a remarkable amount of faff for what's a mere status symbol. Rolex have pulled off a great con trick.
Plus danger of being mugged ? Jeez.
Don't all luxury brands ultimately come down to a con? They're not really scarce and even if very high quality you could get the same quality for less, but we want the brand.
Yes. Generally speaking the companies with the highest profit margins are those selling luxury goods, because their brand value means they can charge a large premium over the cost of production.
The interesting one to look at in that respect is the companies behind skincare products who not only make a huge profit margin, but about half their costs are the advertising that creates their brand value.
My industry makes 60%+ profit contribution margins.
How can he win amongst the members unless he faces Tugenhadt?
Surely Jenrick vs Cleverly with the members means Jenrick?
Isn't it just possibe the members will reflect on their previous disastrous choices and go for the more sensible option this time? Yes, I know these are mostly brain-addled Daily Mail readers, bit even they are capable of learning from mistakes, aren't they?
Tory members have never voted for a general election loser, since 2001 they have picked IDS, Cameron, Johnson and Truss none of whom lost a general election.
It was Tory MPs alone who picked Hague, Howard, May and Sunak
The clip of Jonathan Powell defending the Chagos deal is quite extraordinary. He boasts about meeting all of the American’s red lines as if he were negotiating for them and not us.
Of course he was negotiating for the Americans. When has the UK done anything else except follow American instructions on Diego Garcia?
The assertions on here about Chagos are completely disconnected from reality.
Assertions all over, I expect. I don't think anyone in the dispute gives two shits about the historic Chagossians or their descendants for example. Not us, not the USA, and not Mauritius. It's a useful place for a military base, and handy for a diplomatic argument about sovereignty, influence, and rent. It's on that basis that I presume a deal has been done.
The views opposed to the deal at least are less likely to present it is a moral issue, so it is less grating.
That's the size of it, I think. The Americans see their base secured for the foreseeable future. And the international law issues (which are significant) are resolved. Mauritius gets nominal sovereignty and a useful rent. In theory they can populate the islands but are not going to. No-one cares about the Chagossians but at least they are no worse off. China won't build a base in the islands, not just because it would break the treaty agreed to by Mauritius. The Americans won't allow it and they have heft.
And it is the Americans should pay for it. It's an intriguing social study how utterly dickless PB commentors have got that they have no objection to our taxpayers (ie you and me) being forced to pay 99 years of rent for an astronomically richer country to have the use of a strategic military asset. We just politely grin through it like someone has just farted at the vicarage tea party. No other country is like this. IRELAND wouldn't take this sort of shit and they don't have an army to speak of. Monaco probably has bigger balls in the face of Uncle Sam than we do.
America pays rent to the UK - they sub lease it from us.
If Mauritius and the US had the direct relationship there would be no role for us.
You may think that would be a good thing but it’s a policy decision not a self evident truth
GBNews is claiming that 1% of the British population is now asylum seekers
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
That would be around 670,000 people. I think it depends a lot on what you count as an asylum seeker. As most of us would understand it I think that is a long way out. But it depends on whether they are including the 250,000 Ukrainians currently here. They are not in the asylum system. Same goes for the 144,000 former inhabitants of Hong Kong who have settled here. Does it include the remaining Indians who came here from Uganda in the 1970s?
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
That 670,000 is near enough the population of Sheffield.
That's a heart-rending dilemma. Would we rather have 670k asylum seekers or the people of Sheffield? Thankfully it's above my pay grade.
I saw a remarkable stat last week about Lebanon, in the context of the Hezbollah-Israel war.
It’s estimated that Lebanon houses around 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Out of a total population of 5.5 million. Nevermind 1% or 0.6%, that’s 27%. No wonder the country is struggling.
We should be paying wads and wads of cash to Lebanon for doing the Middle East and the world this service.
Yes, the long term consequences of the Iraq invasion - which created ISIS - have been disastrous for the region.
And now Lebanon has another million internal refugees thanks to the Israeli bombing.
The removal of Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff will do little to assuage doubts over his leadership and the government’s effectiveness after months of scandal"
The accusations in that dog attack link are quite something.
One thin that intrigues me about the BBC is statements and the like. Sometimes they link to the whole thing, sometime they do not, and only partially quote. If it is a statement to a news organisation, I would think the person giving the statement has given permission for the whole thing to be broadcast.
But it does sound as if the BBC are being utterly played by terrorists.
Comments
And it's also Thom Yorke's birthday
That should be a candidate for a life ban, IMO. I'm no fan of jail, but you need a much stronger deterrent than that combination of punishments.
Total horseshit as quick review of US media commentary demonstrates.
The age of the British Empire died the better part of a century ago now.
The only reason we have an interest in Chagos is the interest in the Diego Garcia base which we have with the Americans.
If it meets all their concerns, what extra concerns do we have that they don't?
But that doesn't address my question.
If the future of Diego Garcia is secure, for the UK and USA, then what other concerning matter is there for Chagos?
Yes we could probably play this game all night long and come up with 364 better singers..
It contains the world's largest coral atoll and is one of the least spoiled on the planet.
I fear that will not remain the case.
As close allies it is a substantial quid for their quo. Or to put it another way, the Americans don't give us access to nuclear weapon and other technologies for nothing.
It’s always been the case that pharma spends a lot on marketing, of course.
Who’s going to spend a billion on developing a drug, for which they will have a relatively short period of patent protection, and not market the hell out of it ?
Every industry in existence spends far more on sales and marketing than they do on R&D.
But the pharma industry spends a larger part of its revenue on R&D than any other.
However, for a hit and run, plus arson, it seems unduly lenient, before Starmer let him out early.
Getting rid of the colonial legacy of Empire I've got absolutely no qualms with. If the Chagossians want to build on their own land, good for them.
I find that hard to believe but a recent and reliable stat from 2022 says 0.6%.... so maybe it is true now - or true enough
Really astonishing data
It was dangerous and reckless and he was lucky that he didn't kill the child he hit.
He's self-evidently not safe to be in control of a car, but the law will allow him to drive again before the end of the decade. That's absurd.
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/exclusive-world-s-most-pristine-waters-are-polluted-by-us-navy-human-waste-9193596.html
It's not just human sewage either, it's coral mining, oil spills etc too.
https://medium.com/@charles.menzie/environmental-journeys-3-diego-garcia-da91e58eca9f#:~:text=Our studies of Diego Garcia,and was smothering the coral.
The views opposed to the deal at least are less likely to present it is a moral issue, so it is less grating.
For the stat to have gone from 0.6% to 1% in 2 years would require over a quarter of a million in that time which doesn't match the data.
I think the real point is that GB News are using an emotionally and politically charged term - asylum seeker - which has a specific imagery in the minds of many but that imagery is rather remoived from reality.
Before the midwit PB dads get all huffy, remember that both sides do this. The Guardian or the BBC will happily spew out all kinds of garbage, with only a kernel of truth, to show that X or Y is "racist"
I mean, a couple of very medioocre football teams. Sean Bean and Dominic West - we'd probably miss Michael Palin more, but face it, he's very old and his best work is behind him. Pulp would be a loss. Arctic Monkeys. But again - what have they done recently?
Latest polling shows her 18 points ahead in white with a college degree or higher . That puts her 3 points ahead of Biden in 2020 at this stage .
That demographic is likely to be around 41% of the vote, the highest on record . That group also votes at a higher rate .
In total Harris is ahead 21 points in all those with a college degree or higher .
ABC
It’s estimated that Lebanon houses around 1.5 million Syrian refugees. Out of a total population of 5.5 million. Nevermind 1% or 0.6%, that’s 27%. No wonder the country is struggling.
We should be paying wads and wads of cash to Lebanon for doing the Middle East and the world this service.
Never realised back then there was a fuck off great big American airbase on them.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr54z4q11qvo
Unforgivable: BBC deliberately deceives with dog attack story
https://david-collier.com/unforgivable-bbc-deliberately-skewed-the-dog-attack-story/
The Atlanta and Philadelphia suburbs at least also have plenty of college graduates
I fear this may be the Starmerdammerung
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/10/07/mel-stride-backing-james-cleverly-conservative-leadership/
https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/putins-merchant-of-death-is-back-in-the-arms-business-this-time-selling-to-the-houthis-10b7f521?mod=hp_lead_pos1
Remember the US traded him for the release of female basketball player who had broken Russian law.
It was a tropical storm only 24 hours ago. Mental.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/oct/07/boris-johnson-unleashed-memoir-digested-read-john-crace
First time I have heard the place mentioned since the plague hit us in 2020.
https://x.com/jonathancoe/status/1843307572721532935
The difference between graduate turnout and non graduate turnout is massive, and Kamala is gaining over Trump with graduates. White graduates made up 24% of eligible voters but 33% of actual voters.
Kamala also has an advantage with women but I can't find any estimate of differential turnout by sex.
Kerguelen? Clipperton? Pitcairn? The Summerisles?
That island where I fucked REDACTED over an altar? Herm? Lundy? Stromboli? The Iles des Saintes?
Generally, they repay visiting. eg Easter Island is absolutely extraordinary, and worth all the hassle
Meanwhile in Brockley I arrived at the station to be greeted by a torrential downpour and have decided to wait it out given my lack of umbrella and the too-late hour to call for a lift. 20 minutes and counting while I watch the radar.
It doesn't look like it will survive at anything like this strength on the way to Florida (although sometimes intense storms can modify their environment to some degree) but I doubt more rain will be welcome.
Indeed, it was dreich.
Anderson, Stuart / Andrew, Stuart / Baldwin, Harriett / Barclay, Steve / Bhatti, Saqib
Blackman, Bob / Brandreth, Aphra / Braverman, Suella / Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey / Costa, Alberto
Cox, Geoffrey / Dinenage, Caroline / Dowden, Oliver / Duncan Smith, Iain / Evans, Luke
French, Louie / Fuller, Richard / Gale, Roger / Garnier, Mark / Ghani, Nus
Glen, John / Griffiths, Alison / Harris, Rebecca / Hinds, Damian / Holden, Richard
Holmes, Paul / Hudson, Neil / Hunt, Jeremy / Jenkin, Bernard / Jopp, Lincoln
Lewis, Julian / Malthouse, Kit / Mayhew, Jerome / Moore, Robbie / Morrissey, Joy
Morton, Wendy / Mundell, David / Murrison, Andrew / Nokes, Caroline / Patel, Priti
Paul, Rebecca / Robertson, Joe / Simmonds, David / Smith, Julian / Smith, Rebecca
Stafford, Greg / Stuart, Graham / Sunak, Rishi / Vickers, Martin / Whittingdale, John
Williamson, Gavin / Wood, Mike / Wright, Jeremy
Another is up for sale (along with a house opposite if you want it):
https://www.galbraithgroup.com/media/x3mbilh3/ebrochure-mullagrach-house-island.pdf
£500k for a shed and an island without a sandy beach seems a bit steep, although it would make a nice habitat restoration project.
The removal of Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff will do little to assuage doubts over his leadership and the government’s effectiveness after months of scandal"
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sue-gray-sacking-will-not-fix-systemic-no-10-issues-officials-warn-ll9mdmbqt
The government is the government
Cleverly starting discussions is not proof that he would have agreed this deal
If Mauritius and the US had the direct relationship there would be no role for us.
You may think that would be a good thing but it’s a policy decision not a self evident truth
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/uk-attitudes-to-immigration-among-most-positive-internationally-1018742-pub01-115
And now Lebanon has another million internal refugees thanks to the Israeli bombing.
Get policy right, and presentation doesn't really matter.
Get it badly wrong, and presentation definitely doesn't matter.
Unless you're going Trump style politics - but even then it will only take you so far.
https://x.com/mattturck/status/1842698452817543441
https://x.com/USA_Polling/status/1843417929141961080
(Redfield & Wilton 18.8k polled)
One thin that intrigues me about the BBC is statements and the like. Sometimes they link to the whole thing, sometime they do not, and only partially quote. If it is a statement to a news organisation, I would think the person giving the statement has given permission for the whole thing to be broadcast.
But it does sound as if the BBC are being utterly played by terrorists.