I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
Are you arguing for nationwide proportional representation ? The Democrats would probably go for that and take their chances; I'm pretty sure the GOP wouldn't.
Neither party would support that because there would be too many individual politicians who would lose out.
Anyway there wouldn't be nationwide proportional representation but proportional representation for each state.
That has already been imposed by SCOTUS in Alabama and Louisiana on racial grounds - to the benefit of the Dems.
If it was applied everywhere it would likely benefit the GOP though having Dem Reps from Utah, Nebraska and Oklahoma would be a good thing as would having GOP Reps from all of the New England states (except Vermont).
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
Are you arguing for nationwide proportional representation ? The Democrats would probably go for that and take their chances; I'm pretty sure the GOP wouldn't.
The results of the last six House elections have been highly proportionate to nationwide vote share.
2012 was the last House election that the Republicans won, despite finishing slightly behind the Democrats in vote share.
Partisan gerrymandering cancels itself out, at national level.
It’s hard to see how Newsom could make the California electoral map any more favourable to the Democrats than it already is.
There is a gerrymander that gives the Dems every seat in California
Lots of very thin strands emerging from Los Angeles.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Taxes are higher than ever, so where's the money going?
Pensions and debt interest, mostly.
In the 80s, we had a very favourable dependency ratio, and any idiot could have made the fiscal sums work. Now we don't, and not even a genius could.
(Plus, most of the wealth generated in recent years seems to have gone into inflating house prices. Pay rises faster than prices for a bit, rents go up a lot. That's not going to be easy to fix.)
If you want healthy public finances, I wouldn't be starting from here, sir.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
If the 25th wasn't used when Biden's mental state was as it was, I doubt it will be invoked under Trump.
Sadly, though, groundless wishful thinking has always been a curse of anti-Trumpists, and a blessing for Trump.
Not me and I'm as anti-Trump as you can get outside Michelle Obama. I hold close to zero hopes for him being removed on incapacity grounds. He is and remains supremely capable of doing the job as he sees it - that of exploiting the enormous power of the US presidency for personal gain.
He has certainly declined compared to when you see his media appearances in say the 90s, but we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
The amazing thing is a 5 year would know he is lying through his teeth as they are such whoppers but he is impervious to shame or embarrassment and the nodding donkeys just let him away with it and even repeat the lies as gospel. It is bizarre.
Read up on General Boulanger - history repeating….
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
I think if you read my post you will see the words "hindsight is easy". I fully accept that at the time (2020 pre vaccines) given the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns the government had to act.
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
The evidence is (from countries that didn’t react) that the sick and dying would overwhelm the hospitals.
See Northern Italy.
As @rcs1000 keeos pointing out - after that, countries that didn’t “lock down” did impromptu “lock downs” - people stayed home on their own.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Taxes are higher than ever, so where's the money going?
Morning all Homelessness minister 'misunderstands' brief More freebie tickets for the PMs missus 50 billion reasons to sack Rachel
They are already like the fag end 1992 and 2019 Tories
Concern for Labour over and above just getting humped in 202(9?) Is the electorate deciding that reducing a governing party to 121 seats clearly isnt a big enough stick.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
Morning all Homelessness minister 'misunderstands' brief More freebie tickets for the PMs missus 50 billion reasons to sack Rachel
They are already like the fag end 1992 and 2019 Tories
Concern for Labour over and above just getting humped in 202(9?) Is the electorate deciding that reducing a governing party to 121 seats clearly isnt a big enough stick.
Labour will beat the 121 seats but lose to Reform. Reform will be well below 121 seats after their turn to fix it.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
The ratio of seats between each party is an utterly useless statistic - it tells you nothing. What is important is the relationship between seat advantage and popular vote.
It doesn’t matter if the GOP in Texas only got 190% more seats than the Dems if they only got 10% more votes. I don’t know those numbers, but I imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse.
Neither side should gerrymander though. It’s an absolute stain on democracy.
You imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse because that's what you want to believe.
The worst gerrymander in relation to actual votes is the one the Dems have done in Illinois.
Though the Dem gerrymander in Nevada has achieved results of 3 Dem, 1 GOP in 2022 and 2024 even though the GOP received more overall votes.
The most extreme gerrymander the GOP have is in North Carolina, although that reversed a gerrymander which previously favoured the Dems.
Overall though the gerrymanders are roughly balancing out nationally but having the effects of causing increased resentments both between states and within states.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Taxes are higher than ever, so where's the money going?
The old The poor The old poor The sick The sick old The sick poor The sick old poor Debt interest
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Some of us pointed out that we were overreacting at the time.
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
The reason why we have a soaring market in property is that the Government rations home construction.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
I think if you read my post you will see the words "hindsight is easy". I fully accept that at the time (2020 pre vaccines) given the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns the government had to act.
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
This is true in the post-vaccine world.
Pre vaccine? No.
The case fatality rate for Covid-19 in a naive population (i.e., no previous vaccination or infection) was about 1% across all ages, worldwide. The case fatality rate across all ages for Influenza is about 0.1%.
Covid-19 was much, much worse than a Flu epidemic: Catching Covid-19 unvaccinated roughly doubled your actuarial chance of dying in a given year by age.
The UK health service nearly fell over completely multiple times during successive infection waves even with lockdowns pre-vaccination & that was with dragging every person with any medical training whatsoever into work & abandoning all non-essential surgery or treatment. Without the locakdowns, it seems inevitable that the service would have failed completely & many, many more people would have died. Yes, those would have been predominantly older, but would have included large numbers of younger, working age people too. The Nightingale Hospitals were built to warehouse these dying people. Fortunately they were never used.
Morning all Homelessness minister 'misunderstands' brief More freebie tickets for the PMs missus 50 billion reasons to sack Rachel
They are already like the fag end 1992 and 2019 Tories
Concern for Labour over and above just getting humped in 202(9?) Is the electorate deciding that reducing a governing party to 121 seats clearly isnt a big enough stick.
Labour will beat the 121 seats but lose to Reform. Reform will be well below 121 seats after their turn to fix it.
Im not convinced Labour beat 121 yet. I don't see a recovery and they are about to lose what remains of the Labour left Reform will implode in government for sure
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
The reason why we have a soaring market in property is that the Government rations home construction.
Partly. Partly inequality. Partly population growth. Partly the legacy of low interest rates. Partly the last big crash being out of recent memory.
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
I think if you read my post you will see the words "hindsight is easy". I fully accept that at the time (2020 pre vaccines) given the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns the government had to act.
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
The government was both too interventionist on some things and not interventionist enough on other things.
More restrictions on international travel would have allowed fewer restrictions on activity within the country for example.
There should also have been more encouragement for healthy eating and living and less handing out money to layabouts.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
That would be a Big Picture policy. We are desperately in need of Big Picture politics. And I don't think Labour are capable of it.
5 Missions: Work that Pays your Bills Public Services that work for You A Million new Affordable Homes in this parliament Lower Energy Bills to Lower Inflation Rebuild the Social Fabric that makes us British
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
The reason why we have a soaring market in property is that the Government rations home construction.
Partly. Partly inequality. Partly population growth. Partly the legacy of low interest rates. Partly the last big crash being out of recent memory.
In a functioning housing market, something like 10% of properties are empty at any one time. The shit ones are unrentable/unsellable.
It’s so long since we had a decent housing market that people have forgotten what it’s like.
A chap I used to work with had inherited the old family flat in Vienna. Very nice place, good location, modernised. He couldn’t rent it out - because there was enough housing in that bracket. The market had cleared. So it was empty for years.
I’ve lost touch with him - wonder what happened in the end.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Some of us pointed out that we were overreacting at the time.
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
Yes @TOPPING, and I in all honesty was not consistently one of them. The pictures and stories from Northern Italy referred to down thread were genuinely frightening and there were a lot of unknowns in the early months. But this quotation from the House of Commons Library puts it in perspective:
"The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in very high levels of public spending. Current estimates of the total cost of government Covid-19 measures range from about £310 billion to £410 billion. This is the equivalent of about £4,600 to £6,100 per person in the UK."
In other words roughly 1/5th of our current debt and debt interest bill arises from the money we spent on Covid. Some additional spending was inevitable. £410bn? I think not. Our grandchildren will have a lower standard of living because of that spending.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
The ratio of seats between each party is an utterly useless statistic - it tells you nothing. What is important is the relationship between seat advantage and popular vote.
It doesn’t matter if the GOP in Texas only got 190% more seats than the Dems if they only got 10% more votes. I don’t know those numbers, but I imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse.
Neither side should gerrymander though. It’s an absolute stain on democracy.
You imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse because that's what you want to believe.
The worst gerrymander in relation to actual votes is the one the Dems have done in Illinois.
Though the Dem gerrymander in Nevada has achieved results of 3 Dem, 1 GOP in 2022 and 2024 even though the GOP received more overall votes.
The most extreme gerrymander the GOP have is in North Carolina, although that reversed a gerrymander which previously favoured the Dems.
Overall though the gerrymanders are roughly balancing out nationally but having the effects of causing increased resentments both between states and within states.
Where the Republicans are much worse than the Democrats is in terms of attempts at voter suppression.
In terms of partisan gerrymandering, there is nothing to choose between the two. Democrats can't claim that they do it only in response to the Republicans, since the practice dates back to the early nineteenth century.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
The ratio of seats between each party is an utterly useless statistic - it tells you nothing. What is important is the relationship between seat advantage and popular vote.
It doesn’t matter if the GOP in Texas only got 190% more seats than the Dems if they only got 10% more votes. I don’t know those numbers, but I imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse.
Neither side should gerrymander though. It’s an absolute stain on democracy.
You imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse because that's what you want to believe.
The worst gerrymander in relation to actual votes is the one the Dems have done in Illinois.
Though the Dem gerrymander in Nevada has achieved results of 3 Dem, 1 GOP in 2022 and 2024 even though the GOP received more overall votes.
The most extreme gerrymander the GOP have is in North Carolina, although that reversed a gerrymander which previously favoured the Dems.
Overall though the gerrymanders are roughly balancing out nationally but having the effects of causing increased resentments both between states and within states.
Where the Republicans are much worse than the Democrats is in terms of attempts at voter suppression.
In terms of partisan gerrymandering, there is nothing to choose between the two. Democrats can't claim that they do it only in response to the Republicans, since the practice dates back to the early nineteenth century.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Some of us pointed out that we were overreacting at the time.
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
Why would I need to shoehorn in the IDF when PB’s antisemite finder general (well, subaltern retd.) does it for me?
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
Yes, FPTP can produce very lop-sided results, as we know.
Gerrymandering, to create very safe seats for each party, has the effect of reducing the number of marginal seats, and producing results that are proportional at national level.
Morning all Homelessness minister 'misunderstands' brief More freebie tickets for the PMs missus 50 billion reasons to sack Rachel
They are already like the fag end 1992 and 2019 Tories
Concern for Labour over and above just getting humped in 202(9?) Is the electorate deciding that reducing a governing party to 121 seats clearly isnt a big enough stick.
Labour will beat the 121 seats but lose to Reform. Reform will be well below 121 seats after their turn to fix it.
Im not convinced Labour beat 121 yet. I don't see a recovery and they are about to lose what remains of the Labour left Reform will implode in government for sure
Plenty of LD and Green voters will tactically vote Labour in Labour held marginals to keep out Reform
Morning all Homelessness minister 'misunderstands' brief More freebie tickets for the PMs missus 50 billion reasons to sack Rachel
They are already like the fag end 1992 and 2019 Tories
Concern for Labour over and above just getting humped in 202(9?) Is the electorate deciding that reducing a governing party to 121 seats clearly isnt a big enough stick.
Labour will beat the 121 seats but lose to Reform. Reform will be well below 121 seats after their turn to fix it.
Im not convinced Labour beat 121 yet. I don't see a recovery and they are about to lose what remains of the Labour left Reform will implode in government for sure
Plenty of LD and Green voters will tactically vote Labour in Labour held marginals to keep out Reform
Greens yes, but there are very few Lib Dem voters left in Labour/Reform marginals.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Some of us pointed out that we were overreacting at the time.
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
Why would I need to shoehorn in the IDF when PB’s antisemite finder general (well, subaltern retd.) does it for me?
I don't think you are an antisemite I think you are fixated on Israel and the IDF.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
IIRC California has a “bipartisan” rather than “independent” commission, as Brits would understand it.
There’s five smaller states that have something Brits would recognise as similar to the Boundary Commission, the rest are either bipartisan (which usually results in stitchups designed to keep seats safe for the incumbents and reduce the number of marginals) or run by the State government on a single-sided partisan basis.
There’s also anomolies such as “minority majority” seats in urban areas, that came out of the Civil Rights Act and create some very unusual shapes.
'Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school.
In a wide-ranging interview with Amol Rajan, the Tory leader speaks about how her childhood in Nigeria shaped her politics and character.
Speaking about her hatred of rule-breakers, she said she was "about 14 or 15" when she stood up in an exam and said "'he's cheating, he's the one that's doing it', and that boy ended up getting expelled".
She added: "I didn't get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said 'why did you do that, why would you do it?'
'Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school.
In a wide-ranging interview with Amol Rajan, the Tory leader speaks about how her childhood in Nigeria shaped her politics and character.
Speaking about her hatred of rule-breakers, she said she was "about 14 or 15" when she stood up in an exam and said "'he's cheating, he's the one that's doing it', and that boy ended up getting expelled".
She added: "I didn't get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said 'why did you do that, why would you do it?'
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
'Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school.
Nobody like a grass. It does seem very on-brand for The Keminator though.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
Yes, even if you don't like who most US voters have currently elected
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Some of us pointed out that we were overreacting at the time.
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
Why would I need to shoehorn in the IDF when PB’s antisemite finder general (well, subaltern retd.) does it for me?
I don't think you are an antisemite I think you are fixated on Israel and the IDF.
Phew, PB’s antisemite finder subaltern, retd. has passed judgment, I can rest easy. I'm encouraged that you seem to have evolved from the position that all criticism of Israel is antisemitic because Israel is a Jewish state. Long may it last.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Some of us pointed out that we were overreacting at the time.
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
Why would I need to shoehorn in the IDF when PB’s antisemite finder general (well, subaltern retd.) does it for me?
I don't think you are an antisemite I think you are fixated on Israel and the IDF.
Phew, PB’s antisemite finder subaltern, retd. has passed judgment, I can rest easy. I'm encouraged that you seem to have evolved from the position that all criticism of Israel is antisemitic because Israel is a jewish state. Long may it last.
My position has been entirely consistent but I really don't have the inclination to start one of those threads right now so you will have to content yourself with your own thoughts on this one.
Plus loving the subaltern dig. It befits your posting style and content. More please.
'Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school.
In a wide-ranging interview with Amol Rajan, the Tory leader speaks about how her childhood in Nigeria shaped her politics and character.
Speaking about her hatred of rule-breakers, she said she was "about 14 or 15" when she stood up in an exam and said "'he's cheating, he's the one that's doing it', and that boy ended up getting expelled".
She added: "I didn't get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said 'why did you do that, why would you do it?'
'Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school.
Nobody like a grass. It does seem very on-brand for The Keminator though.
Yep, Kemi thinking this will somehow endear her to the great British voter is her characteristic tone deafness on rocket boosters.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
So you think what our economy needs is more consumption and less investment?
'Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school.
In a wide-ranging interview with Amol Rajan, the Tory leader speaks about how her childhood in Nigeria shaped her politics and character.
Speaking about her hatred of rule-breakers, she said she was "about 14 or 15" when she stood up in an exam and said "'he's cheating, he's the one that's doing it', and that boy ended up getting expelled".
She added: "I didn't get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said 'why did you do that, why would you do it?'
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
There are many that will argue that it’s actually a constitutional republic, a federation of states.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
Perhaps Yougov could poll the electorate of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for their opinion?
Currently the USA is a democracy but no longer a western liberal democracy or substantive democracy, which it was pre Trump.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
Indeed. Over 200,000 people in the UK were killed. Long COVID, from people who caught the virus back then, remains a major health problem today and a contributor to NHS waiting lists and disability claims.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
So you think what our economy needs is more consumption and less investment?
Interesting.
More consumption, more productive investment, less asset speculation and asset stripping.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
Yes, even if you don't like who most US voters have currently elected
I'm thinking about the fiddling of the FPTP constituencies. Plenty of democracies have leaders I don't really care for...... Argentina for example.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
Indeed. Over 200,000 people in the UK were killed. Long COVID, from people who caught the virus back then, remains a major health problem today and a contributor to NHS waiting lists and disability claims.
Big G is finding out the more jabs you get..the worse your "long COVID" will be though..💩
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
I think if you read my post you will see the words "hindsight is easy". I fully accept that at the time (2020 pre vaccines) given the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns the government had to act.
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
You can't protect the elderly and those at greater risk by letting the virus burn through the rest of the population, because the rest of the population necessarily interact with the elderly and those at greater risk. Without measures to control infections, the NHS would have been overwhelmed by severe cases, which would have been disastrous for everyone needing healthcare.
'Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has told the BBC how she stood up in an exam and accused a fellow pupil of cheating, leading to him being expelled from school.
In a wide-ranging interview with Amol Rajan, the Tory leader speaks about how her childhood in Nigeria shaped her politics and character.
Speaking about her hatred of rule-breakers, she said she was "about 14 or 15" when she stood up in an exam and said "'he's cheating, he's the one that's doing it', and that boy ended up getting expelled".
She added: "I didn't get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said 'why did you do that, why would you do it?'
It is a strange anecdote to bring up when part of her current spiel seems to be the Tory govt persistently did the wrong things but I couldn't speak up because of collective responsibility.
It's not the same plan. The EU plan, AIUI, is about overseas processing, but some people will be let into the EU at the end of the process, whereas the UK plan involved no-one ever being let into the UK.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
Indeed. Over 200,000 people in the UK were killed. Long COVID, from people who caught the virus back then, remains a major health problem today and a contributor to NHS waiting lists and disability claims.
Big G is finding out the more jabs you get..the worse your "long COVID" will be though..💩
Neither my wife or I have had long covid, and despite having had 2 nasty bouts of i, we are grateful for all our vaccinations and for future protection
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
“Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We massively overreacted to a virus for which we didn't have a vaccine?
Yes.
As you suggest the certainty of hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Some of us pointed out that we were overreacting at the time.
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
Yes @TOPPING, and I in all honesty was not consistently one of them. The pictures and stories from Northern Italy referred to down thread were genuinely frightening and there were a lot of unknowns in the early months. But this quotation from the House of Commons Library puts it in perspective:
"The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in very high levels of public spending. Current estimates of the total cost of government Covid-19 measures range from about £310 billion to £410 billion. This is the equivalent of about £4,600 to £6,100 per person in the UK."
In other words roughly 1/5th of our current debt and debt interest bill arises from the money we spent on Covid. Some additional spending was inevitable. £410bn? I think not. Our grandchildren will have a lower standard of living because of that spending.
We could have spent less with better and earlier measures to restrict spread. Countries like Japan avoided the need for a national lockdown and had far fewer cases, because they dealt with infections early and quickly. Johnson delayed and prevaricated.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
Among the 'struggling' are complex differences. These are exemplified by our extremely left wing resident doctors association, the BMA. What these socialists are actually campaigning about is that their pay is insufficiently higher than that of the proletariat. This arises out of the gigantic increase in wages at the lower level due to the minimum wage being about (FTE) £25,000. This of course raises the issue of differentials at every level. Not long ago £25K was quite a lot.
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
So you think what our economy needs is more consumption and less investment?
Interesting.
More consumption, more productive investment, less asset speculation and asset stripping.
But if that £1000 is in the hands of a poor person it is not going to be productively invested, it is going to get spent. Productive investment comes from those who have savings and if you redistribute their income they will invest less. Short term gain (because the consumption will boost demand, and imports of course) long term pain. I think we have had too much of that already.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
Indeed. Over 200,000 people in the UK were killed. Long COVID, from people who caught the virus back then, remains a major health problem today and a contributor to NHS waiting lists and disability claims.
Big G is finding out the more jabs you get..the worse your "long COVID" will be though..💩
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
So you think what our economy needs is more consumption and less investment?
Interesting.
More consumption, more productive investment, less asset speculation and asset stripping.
But if that £1000 is in the hands of a poor person it is not going to be productively invested, it is going to get spent. Productive investment comes from those who have savings and if you redistribute their income they will invest less. Short term gain (because the consumption will boost demand, and imports of course) long term pain. I think we have had too much of that already.
It will all be meaningless when we’re all unemployed
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
So you think what our economy needs is more consumption and less investment?
Interesting.
More consumption, more productive investment, less asset speculation and asset stripping.
But if that £1000 is in the hands of a poor person it is not going to be productively invested, it is going to get spent. Productive investment comes from those who have savings and if you redistribute their income they will invest less. Short term gain (because the consumption will boost demand, and imports of course) long term pain. I think we have had too much of that already.
If you give that £1000 to someone with savings, much of it will probably sit in savings doing very little. Reducing wealth inequality boost growth.
Wales Lab hold, Ref gain in Cannock and hold in Easington
I wouldn't be certain of any labour hold in Wales at present
Im not certain but Reform have slightly underperformed in Wales lately. Maybe Plaid take it but given the Lab hold a fortnight ago I'll go with Lab hold and we will see
Did we do the Farage-Finch press conference? AFAICS all the national broadcasters refused to cover it because of the legal situation.
George Finch is the 19 year old leading Warwickshire County Council. He did more or less what Lee Anderson did on Twitter when he was stirring the Ashfield demonstration, but at a press conference. That is, talk about the immigration status of a charged suspect.
He sat next to Farage and said that he was perhaps breaking the law by doing this, then did it anyway. That was after a confidential briefing, which confidence he deliberately breached from a public platform.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
Indeed. Over 200,000 people in the UK were killed. Long COVID, from people who caught the virus back then, remains a major health problem today and a contributor to NHS waiting lists and disability claims.
Big G is finding out the more jabs you get..the worse your "long COVID" will be though..💩
Piss off, RFK Jr.
I have no idea why he came to his absurd conclusion
My wife and I are very grateful for all our vaccinations and do not suffer from long covid
Goodness knows what would have happened without them
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
I find it funny that so many people ignore the actual policy success, to instead make a point over something he misspoke about.
He could cure cancer tomorrow and there would be millions of people on the side of the disease.
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
Of course its not, but show me any politician who isn't economic with the truth
It's not the same plan. The EU plan, AIUI, is about overseas processing, but some people will be let into the EU at the end of the process, whereas the UK plan involved no-one ever being let into the UK.
A lot of the public actually thought the UK scheme was processing and then return if the asylum application was successful . I expect the right wing press to misrepresent any EU scheme as migrants being shipped off with no return . Indeed the YouGov poll on immigration highlights how misinformed/clueless half the public is . I fear the pandemic of idiocy effecting the USA is now taking hold in the UK .
Did we do the Farage-Finch press conference? AFAICS all the national broadcasters refused to cover it because of the legal situation.
George Finch is the 19 year old leading Warwickshire County Council. He did more or less what Lee Anderson did on Twitter when he was stirring the Ashfield demonstration, but at a press conference. That is, talk about the immigration status of a charged suspect.
He sat next to Farage and said that he was perhaps breaking the law by doing this, then did it anyway. That was after a confidential briefing, which confidence he deliberately breached from a public platform.
I wonder where this will go.
If Zia Yusuf doesn't like him, he will be thrown under the bus with all the others that offend Zias sight
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
I think if you read my post you will see the words "hindsight is easy". I fully accept that at the time (2020 pre vaccines) given the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns the government had to act.
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
And what would have happened if 'ultimately' it had not proved to be a 'minor' (*) disease?
I would refer you to the 2020/2021 series of the BBC's Ambulance, which highlighted the pressure the ambulance service was under during the second wave. Far from all patients were elderly, frail, or immunodeficient, and that did not matter if you were fit and healthy, but had an accident that an ambulance could not respond to because the service was under too much pressure.
In early and mid 2020, we knew f-all about Covid. The idea that we should have 'with hindsight' have 'got on with it' is horseshit. Plenty of outwardly fit and healthy people were getting it, and many were dying.
I would agree later lockdowns became increasingly unnecessary and ineffectual, but the first, and possibly the second, were.
And this matters, because we will be hit by another contagion in the future. Maybe not this decade; maybe not in our lifetimes, but one will come. And if the lesson from Covid is 'Meh. Only people who were not me died, so it didn't matter," and the next bug turns out to be much worse, then we'll be screwed.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
Yes, even if you don't like who most US voters have currently elected
I'm thinking about the fiddling of the FPTP constituencies. Plenty of democracies have leaders I don't really care for...... Argentina for example.
Whilst PR gives you Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu...
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
So you think what our economy needs is more consumption and less investment?
Interesting.
More consumption, more productive investment, less asset speculation and asset stripping.
But if that £1000 is in the hands of a poor person it is not going to be productively invested, it is going to get spent. Productive investment comes from those who have savings and if you redistribute their income they will invest less. Short term gain (because the consumption will boost demand, and imports of course) long term pain. I think we have had too much of that already.
It is very rarely productively invested by giving it to the asset rich. The richest 1% took 2/3 of all growth between 2020 and 2023 - that money just drives asset speculation, which makes your average Joe and Jane poorer. It is an absurd state of affairs that this is rarely challenged.
It is miles away from even Thatcherite capitalism.
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
Of course its not, but show me any politician who isn't economic with the truth
There are many types of ' truth' in politics.
There is the 'truth' that is actually true and 100% supported by evidence, and which everyone agrees on. There is the 'truth' that is actually true and 100% supported by evidence, but which opponents call a lie because they don't like it. There is the 'truth' that is mostly true, or a future projection, and a strong argument can be made for it based on evidence. There is the 'truth' that is probably false, but an argument can be made for it based on evidence. There is the 'truth' that is just hope and prayers. There is the 'truth' that is utterly untrue, and which has no actual evidence, and which is designed to just appeal to a certain part of the population.
Far to many of Trump's 'economy with the truth' lie in that last category. They are not a 'truth'; they are lies.
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
Of course its not, but show me any politician who isn't economic with the truth
About as rare as the ones who are truthful about the economic. However there is a special category of pols whose lying is part of their make up (therefore with an orangey tinge in Trump’s case).
Did we do the Farage-Finch press conference? AFAICS all the national broadcasters refused to cover it because of the legal situation.
George Finch is the 19 year old leading Warwickshire County Council. He did more or less what Lee Anderson did on Twitter when he was stirring the Ashfield demonstration, but at a press conference. That is, talk about the immigration status of a charged suspect.
He sat next to Farage and said that he was perhaps breaking the law by doing this, then did it anyway. That was after a confidential briefing, which confidence he deliberately breached from a public platform.
I wonder where this will go.
If Zia Yusuf doesn't like him, he will be thrown under the bus with all the others that offend Zias sight
I quite like "Farage will hang him out to dry like a kipper."
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
I think if you read my post you will see the words "hindsight is easy". I fully accept that at the time (2020 pre vaccines) given the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns the government had to act.
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
And what would have happened if 'ultimately' it had not proved to be a 'minor' (*) disease?
I would refer you to the 2020/2021 series of the BBC's Ambulance, which highlighted the pressure the ambulance service was under during the second wave. Far from all patients were elderly, frail, or immunodeficient, and that did not matter if you were fit and healthy, but had an accident that an ambulance could not respond to because the service was under too much pressure.
In early and mid 2020, we knew f-all about Covid. The idea that we should have 'with hindsight' have 'got on with it' is horseshit. Plenty of outwardly fit and healthy people were getting it, and many were dying.
I would agree later lockdowns became increasingly unnecessary and ineffectual, but the first, and possibly the second, were.
And this matters, because we will be hit by another contagion in the future. Maybe not this decade; maybe not in our lifetimes, but one will come. And if the lesson from Covid is 'Meh. Only people who were not me died, so it didn't matter," and the next bug turns out to be much worse, then we'll be screwed.
(*) hint: it was not 'minor') ?
I have already acknowledged that with the uncertainties that the government had no choice but to act in 2020. It could have turned out to be a lot worse than it did and precautions were appropriate.
The point about the next time is really where I started. A possible view of a future government is that we cannot afford to spend another £400bn on this disease and it turns out to be a lot worse. There is a risk we learn the wrong lessons by focusing on the wrong things and then apply these conclusions to a different scenario. I have friends working on the Scottish Covid inquiry. What I am hearing from them troubles me greatly.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
The ratio of seats between each party is an utterly useless statistic - it tells you nothing. What is important is the relationship between seat advantage and popular vote.
It doesn’t matter if the GOP in Texas only got 190% more seats than the Dems if they only got 10% more votes. I don’t know those numbers, but I imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse.
Neither side should gerrymander though. It’s an absolute stain on democracy.
You imagine the GOP gerrymanders are much worse because that's what you want to believe.
The worst gerrymander in relation to actual votes is the one the Dems have done in Illinois.
Though the Dem gerrymander in Nevada has achieved results of 3 Dem, 1 GOP in 2022 and 2024 even though the GOP received more overall votes.
The most extreme gerrymander the GOP have is in North Carolina, although that reversed a gerrymander which previously favoured the Dems.
Overall though the gerrymanders are roughly balancing out nationally but having the effects of causing increased resentments both between states and within states.
Where the Republicans are much worse than the Democrats is in terms of attempts at voter suppression.
In terms of partisan gerrymandering, there is nothing to choose between the two. Democrats can't claim that they do it only in response to the Republicans, since the practice dates back to the early nineteenth century.
Voter suppression is the opposite side of the coin to illegal voting.
I don't think there is anything satisfactory to elections in the USA.
American elections are like their food, cars and health services - over expensive and low quality.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
Yes, even if you don't like who most US voters have currently elected
I'm thinking about the fiddling of the FPTP constituencies. Plenty of democracies have leaders I don't really care for...... Argentina for example.
Whilst PR gives you Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu...
Fair point. I'd put LOL.but Bibi's nothing to laugh about!
Labour Party 6051 Conservative 4326 Liberal Democrats 3203 Green Party (E&W) 866 Reform UK 862 Scottish National Party 417 Plaid Cymru 201 Sinn Féin 144 Democratic Unionist Party 121 Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 66
Sky News reported that the new Corbyn/Sultana party had 200 councillors lined up, and nearly a dozen more have pledged support since. That would catapult them into 7th. If all of the Independent Alliance come over, they'll be 6th in Commons seats.
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
I find it funny that so many people ignore the actual policy success, to instead make a point over something he misspoke about.
He could cure cancer tomorrow and there would be millions of people on the side of the disease.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
we are miles away from the sad state of affairs that was Biden, so he can ride it out as still able to say look at the other guy.
Also, his whole shtick is clearly and obviously lying and changing like the wind, so its not like the bar is set where if he falls from some high pedestal of perceived honesty because his mental decline doesn't allow him to keep the plates spinning of half truths.
We really aren't
And while Trump lies almost as easily as BoZo, the problem with his mental decline is that he is starting to believe his own confabulations.
He told a story a few weeks ago that his uncle taught the Unabomber.
Yes, his uncle was a university professor.
Yes, the unabomber went to university.
Not the same university. Not at the same time. They never met.
Biden was (mostly) harmless. Trump is a clear and present danger.
I don't think that is evidence of decline. Trump through out his life loves to tell absolutely BS stories and also just openly lie about either being friends with people or never heard of them (despite loads of photos of them together). He was doing it 10 years ago on the campaign trail, easily fact checkable stories he would spew.
Biden couldn't do 5 minute appearances. Trump in comparison is still out there muck spreading his BS like some kid with ADHD.
Trump said he reduced drug prices by 1500%
That's not just a lie. That's a mathematical impossibility that he no longer understands.
He has mentally declined "by 1500% (sic) " since he was last in office
The problem is there is no way of knowing whether he really thinks that drug price can be reduced by 1000% or whether he knows most of his base haven't the foggiest about even basic maths (and % are always something a lot of people struggle to truly grasp) and so it sounds plausible and a very good thing to say and "yeh - let's stick it to them elite fat cat drug companies" is a hit.
It’s an American version of “£350m a week” written on the side of a bus.
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
Is there no action by Trump you won't support? He flat out lies and you say it's just a clever strategy to get people talking about something.
I think that a significant lowering of drug prices in the US is a good thing, irrespective of who is doing it!
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
Do you think it is OK for Trump to say things that are not remotely true?
Of course its not, but show me any politician who isn't economic with the truth
There's being economic with the truth and then there's the huge torrent of falsehoods that come from Trump every day.
Only over 75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed to be given Covid vax this Autumn.
Good morning
My wife and I have had a total of 10 covid vax, had covid itself twice and was really ill, and it looks like more to follow !!!!!!!!!!
The thing is still about. Had COVID last week.
It is indeed. And yet society operates as normal without lockdowns, without masks and with education. Hindsight is easy but I think the argument that we massively overreacted to a relatively moderate virus is now overwhelming. Of course, next time, we will have something far more severe and go the opposite way.
We don't need extra measures because we have the vaccine, and because many of us have already had the virus.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
I think if you read my post you will see the words "hindsight is easy". I fully accept that at the time (2020 pre vaccines) given the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns the government had to act.
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
And what would have happened if 'ultimately' it had not proved to be a 'minor' (*) disease?
I would refer you to the 2020/2021 series of the BBC's Ambulance, which highlighted the pressure the ambulance service was under during the second wave. Far from all patients were elderly, frail, or immunodeficient, and that did not matter if you were fit and healthy, but had an accident that an ambulance could not respond to because the service was under too much pressure.
In early and mid 2020, we knew f-all about Covid. The idea that we should have 'with hindsight' have 'got on with it' is horseshit. Plenty of outwardly fit and healthy people were getting it, and many were dying.
I would agree later lockdowns became increasingly unnecessary and ineffectual, but the first, and possibly the second, were.
And this matters, because we will be hit by another contagion in the future. Maybe not this decade; maybe not in our lifetimes, but one will come. And if the lesson from Covid is 'Meh. Only people who were not me died, so it didn't matter," and the next bug turns out to be much worse, then we'll be screwed.
(*) hint: it was not 'minor') ?
Very probably in our lifetimes (presuming I'm around the media PB age!).
Labour Party 6051 Conservative 4326 Liberal Democrats 3203 Green Party (E&W) 866 Reform UK 862 Scottish National Party 417 Plaid Cymru 201 Sinn Féin 144 Democratic Unionist Party 121 Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 66
Sky News reported that the new Corbyn/Sultana party had 200 councillors lined up, and nearly a dozen more have pledged support since. That would catapult them into 7th. If all of the Independent Alliance come over, they'll be 6th in Commons seats.
If we add the Reform Derby guys to Reform they sneak past the Greens, although defections have probably,y already done that
As an aside, Goodwood reported a healthy increase in crowd numbers for its Festival meeting last week, The Public Enclosure (the cheap seats) had crowd numbers up 10% from 2024 while even the posh areas saw a 5% rise and that was despite last Thursdy's biblical deluge.
Attendances at race meetings are doing well and some evidence there's still plenty of discretionary income out there to be spent despite the notion we are on our knees, society is broken and we are one step away from anarchy and barbarism under Labour.
It's all much more nuanced than that - it always has been.
Inequality is increasing, despite what politicians say. If you are retired, self employed, have a skilled trade or don’t have young children or a large mortgage, the chances are you will be comfortably off. If you are renting, have a young family, have no useful skills, or on minimum wage, you will be ever poorer.
Yes, and I'd like to see more focus on it. A Labour government should have 'reduce inequality' at the top of its priorities. It's what the party is for.
I'll do it in Keir X speak:
Britain is a wealthy country but too much of it is held by the few. This leaves many people struggling. We need a better and fairer way. My government will leave no stone unturned to find it. Oh yes.
I think if he does that he also needs to make the connection between reducing inequality and a healthy economy. £1,000 in the hands of a poor person gets spent and recycled many times. £1,000 in the hands of the elite goes into speculative assets including housing, pushing assets further away from the reach of those reliant on a wage.
Elite such as the person who benefits from this law ?
The Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013
The problem is that the elite can transfer their money easily around the world and so governments end up taxing those who are skilled, worked hard and invested so becoming 'everyday millionaires'.
I imagine Governor Newsom has done his Presidential chances no harm by his reponse to the threateed Texas gerrymander - which is in turn to threaten have California lead a mass of blue states in a similar effort to eradicate the opposition from Congress.
The squealing from Republicans at this threat is a thing to behold....
I think you need to check the 2024 results to see how much the Dems have already gerrymandered their states.
The balance of gerrymandering (and vote rigging) benefited the Dems in 2024.
Which is why the GOP only had a House majority of 5 despite their 3% lead in the popular vote.
To be honest I know little about this so I am reluctant to stick my oar in, but I thought California used an independent organisation to set the boundaries and aren't some of these extreme cases a result of FPTP.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
They’ve all been at it for more than a century, accompanied by the usual American extremist language when anyone tries to do anything that might favour their own side.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Is it really correct to refer to the USA as a democracy?
Yes, even if you don't like who most US voters have currently elected
I'm thinking about the fiddling of the FPTP constituencies. Plenty of democracies have leaders I don't really care for...... Argentina for example.
Whilst PR gives you Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu...
I don't think FPTP would've avoided Netanyahu. Israel is an unusual country with deep political divisions.
It's not the same plan. The EU plan, AIUI, is about overseas processing, but some people will be let into the EU at the end of the process, whereas the UK plan involved no-one ever being let into the UK.
Read, and weep. Or kick the cat
“Germany is in talks with Rwanda to replicate the UK scheme, according to two people familiar with the discussions, though it is unclear how advanced the negotiations are given previous legal objections.
“Rwanda also said this week it had agreed to take 250 migrants deported from the US, according to the government in Kigali.
“The Netherlands, meanwhile, has been in talks with Uganda — a country that sentences LGBT+ people to death — about setting up a “transit hub”, according to the Dutch ministry of asylum and migration.
“Denmark’s Dybvad said centres would be ideally set up in “countries in north Africa” or other “stable countries, with stable governments”
Comments
Anyway there wouldn't be nationwide proportional representation but proportional representation for each state.
That has already been imposed by SCOTUS in Alabama and Louisiana on racial grounds - to the benefit of the Dems.
If it was applied everywhere it would likely benefit the GOP though having Dem Reps from Utah, Nebraska and Oklahoma would be a good thing as would having GOP Reps from all of the New England states (except Vermont).
In the 80s, we had a very favourable dependency ratio, and any idiot could have made the fiscal sums work. Now we don't, and not even a genius could.
(Plus, most of the wealth generated in recent years seems to have gone into inflating house prices. Pay rises faster than prices for a bit, rents go up a lot. That's not going to be easy to fix.)
If you want healthy public finances, I wouldn't be starting from here, sir.
If you really think that we 'massively overreacted' in early-mid 2020, or that the virus was 'relatively moderate', then you are being really, really silly, and also acting with a massive dollop of hindsight.
I recently watched the BBC 'Ambulance' series that was recorded in 2020/2021, and it was a shocking reminder of how much of a strain the NHS was under during even the second wave.
https://youtu.be/yzLT6_TQmq8?si=B0E7DtHUhblkH1Iz
But ultimately Covid proved a minor disease for most, no worse than the flu (which of course kills many people every year). The mortality rate was very low but it was also very focused on the elderly, the frail and the those with immunodeficiency. Clearly steps were necessary to protect them as much as possible. The rest of us should, with hindsight, have got on with it.
See Northern Italy.
As @rcs1000 keeos pointing out - after that, countries that didn’t “lock down” did impromptu “lock downs” - people stayed home on their own.
https://obr.uk/docs/Brief_guide_March_2025.pdf
Homelessness minister 'misunderstands' brief
More freebie tickets for the PMs missus
50 billion reasons to sack Rachel
They are already like the fag end 1992 and 2019 Tories
Concern for Labour over and above just getting humped in 202(9?) Is the electorate deciding that reducing a governing party to 121 seats clearly isnt a big enough stick.
Reform will be well below 121 seats after their turn to fix it.
Given how much power Trump is acquiring for th Administration, hard to see the Dems feeling much need for restraint.
The worst gerrymander in relation to actual votes is the one the Dems have done in Illinois.
Though the Dem gerrymander in Nevada has achieved results of 3 Dem, 1 GOP in 2022 and 2024 even though the GOP received more overall votes.
The most extreme gerrymander the GOP have is in North Carolina, although that reversed a gerrymander which previously favoured the Dems.
Overall though the gerrymanders are roughly balancing out nationally but having the effects of causing increased resentments both between states and within states.
The poor
The old poor
The sick
The sick old
The sick poor
The sick old poor
Debt interest
But of course you were in an isolation tank at the time taking food and drink intravenously so probably didn't notice the discussions raging outside in the real world.
And of course I expect you to shoehorn the evil IDF into this conversation somehow - I'm sure you will find a way.
Pre vaccine? No.
The case fatality rate for Covid-19 in a naive population (i.e., no previous vaccination or infection) was about 1% across all ages, worldwide. The case fatality rate across all ages for Influenza is about 0.1%.
Covid-19 was much, much worse than a Flu epidemic: Catching Covid-19 unvaccinated roughly doubled your actuarial chance of dying in a given year by age.
The UK health service nearly fell over completely multiple times during successive infection waves even with lockdowns pre-vaccination & that was with dragging every person with any medical training whatsoever into work & abandoning all non-essential surgery or treatment. Without the locakdowns, it seems inevitable that the service would have failed completely & many, many more people would have died. Yes, those would have been predominantly older, but would have included large numbers of younger, working age people too. The Nightingale Hospitals were built to warehouse these dying people. Fortunately they were never used.
Reform will implode in government for sure
https://www.ft.com/content/e38a5400-5e45-49b7-92bd-569fa3c3e1a0
It’s got everyone talking about a massive reduction in drug prices, which to be fair to the administration has been a problem for decades in the US.
More restrictions on international travel would have allowed fewer restrictions on activity within the country for example.
There should also have been more encouragement for healthy eating and living and less handing out money to layabouts.
5 Missions:
Work that Pays your Bills
Public Services that work for You
A Million new Affordable Homes in this parliament
Lower Energy Bills to Lower Inflation
Rebuild the Social Fabric that makes us British
No chance of any action on that lot.
It’s so long since we had a decent housing market that people have forgotten what it’s like.
A chap I used to work with had inherited the old family flat in Vienna. Very nice place, good location, modernised. He couldn’t rent it out - because there was enough housing in that bracket. The market had cleared. So it was empty for years.
I’ve lost touch with him - wonder what happened in the end.
"The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in very high levels of public spending. Current estimates of the total cost of government Covid-19 measures range from about £310 billion to £410 billion. This is the equivalent of about £4,600 to £6,100 per person in the UK."
In other words roughly 1/5th of our current debt and debt interest bill arises from the money we spent on Covid. Some additional spending was inevitable. £410bn? I think not. Our grandchildren will have a lower standard of living because of that spending.
In terms of partisan gerrymandering, there is nothing to choose between the two. Democrats can't claim that they do it only in response to the Republicans, since the practice dates back to the early nineteenth century.
With CPI at 3.6%, the talk should be whether the rate rise is a half point rather than a quarter point.
Having said all of that the gerrymandering is rife in the States and by both sides and shouldn't happen. By chance they do seem generally to cancel one another out, but that is no excuse.
https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2024/07/gerrymandering-the-origin-story/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/06/join-the-scouts-to-beat-phone-addiction-starmer-tells-young/
Gerrymandering, to create very safe seats for each party, has the effect of reducing the number of marginal seats, and producing results that are proportional at national level.
The chaos in Texas this week is possibly the greatest example in recent memory of how silly the whole concept has become, both sides acting for nakedly partisan reasons while extolling their own virtue.
Happy birthday!
There’s five smaller states that have something Brits would recognise as similar to the Boundary Commission, the rest are either bipartisan (which usually results in stitchups designed to keep seats safe for the incumbents and reduce the number of marginals) or run by the State government on a single-sided partisan basis.
There’s also anomolies such as “minority majority” seats in urban areas, that came out of the Civil Rights Act and create some very unusual shapes.
In a wide-ranging interview with Amol Rajan, the Tory leader speaks about how her childhood in Nigeria shaped her politics and character.
Speaking about her hatred of rule-breakers, she said she was "about 14 or 15" when she stood up in an exam and said "'he's cheating, he's the one that's doing it', and that boy ended up getting expelled".
She added: "I didn't get praised for it. I was a relatively popular kid at school, and people said 'why did you do that, why would you do it?'
"I said 'because he was doing the wrong thing'."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80d7l03137o
I'm encouraged that you seem to have evolved from the position that all criticism of Israel is antisemitic because Israel is a Jewish state. Long may it last.
Plus loving the subaltern dig. It befits your posting style and content. More please.
Interesting.
Currently the USA is a democracy but no longer a western liberal democracy or substantive democracy, which it was pre Trump.
You can't protect the elderly and those at greater risk by letting the virus burn through the rest of the population, because the rest of the population necessarily interact with the elderly and those at greater risk. Without measures to control infections, the NHS would have been overwhelmed by severe cases, which would have been disastrous for everyone needing healthcare.
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
https://andrewspreviews.substack.com/p/previewing-the-three-council-by-elections-142
The Big Phama lobby is one of the worst, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to politicans to vote to keep prices high.
George Finch is the 19 year old leading Warwickshire County Council. He did more or less what Lee Anderson did on Twitter when he was stirring the Ashfield demonstration, but at a press conference. That is, talk about the immigration status of a charged suspect.
He sat next to Farage and said that he was perhaps breaking the law by doing this, then did it anyway. That was after a confidential briefing, which confidence he deliberately breached from a public platform.
I wonder where this will go.
My wife and I are very grateful for all our vaccinations and do not suffer from long covid
Goodness knows what would have happened without them
He could cure cancer tomorrow and there would be millions of people on the side of the disease.
I would refer you to the 2020/2021 series of the BBC's Ambulance, which highlighted the pressure the ambulance service was under during the second wave. Far from all patients were elderly, frail, or immunodeficient, and that did not matter if you were fit and healthy, but had an accident that an ambulance could not respond to because the service was under too much pressure.
In early and mid 2020, we knew f-all about Covid. The idea that we should have 'with hindsight' have 'got on with it' is horseshit. Plenty of outwardly fit and healthy people were getting it, and many were dying.
I would agree later lockdowns became increasingly unnecessary and ineffectual, but the first, and possibly the second, were.
And this matters, because we will be hit by another contagion in the future. Maybe not this decade; maybe not in our lifetimes, but one will come. And if the lesson from Covid is 'Meh. Only people who were not me died, so it didn't matter," and the next bug turns out to be much worse, then we'll be screwed.
(*) hint: it was not 'minor') ?
It is miles away from even Thatcherite capitalism.
There is the 'truth' that is actually true and 100% supported by evidence, and which everyone agrees on.
There is the 'truth' that is actually true and 100% supported by evidence, but which opponents call a lie because they don't like it.
There is the 'truth' that is mostly true, or a future projection, and a strong argument can be made for it based on evidence.
There is the 'truth' that is probably false, but an argument can be made for it based on evidence.
There is the 'truth' that is just hope and prayers.
There is the 'truth' that is utterly untrue, and which has no actual evidence, and which is designed to just appeal to a certain part of the population.
Far to many of Trump's 'economy with the truth' lie in that last category. They are not a 'truth'; they are lies.
The point about the next time is really where I started. A possible view of a future government is that we cannot afford to spend another £400bn on this disease and it turns out to be a lot worse. There is a risk we learn the wrong lessons by focusing on the wrong things and then apply these conclusions to a different scenario. I have friends working on the Scottish Covid inquiry. What I am hearing from them troubles me greatly.
I don't think there is anything satisfactory to elections in the USA.
American elections are like their food, cars and health services - over expensive and low quality.
Labour Party 6051
Conservative 4326
Liberal Democrats 3203
Green Party (E&W) 866
Reform UK 862
Scottish National Party 417
Plaid Cymru 201
Sinn Féin 144
Democratic Unionist Party 121
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland 66
Sky News reported that the new Corbyn/Sultana party had 200 councillors lined up, and nearly a dozen more have pledged support since. That would catapult them into 7th. If all of the Independent Alliance come over, they'll be 6th in Commons seats.
The Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013
The problem is that the elite can transfer their money easily around the world and so governments end up taxing those who are skilled, worked hard and invested so becoming 'everyday millionaires'.
“Germany is in talks with Rwanda to replicate the UK scheme, according to two people familiar with the discussions, though it is unclear how advanced the negotiations are given previous legal objections.
“Rwanda also said this week it had agreed to take 250 migrants deported from the US, according to the government in Kigali.
“The Netherlands, meanwhile, has been in talks with Uganda — a country that sentences LGBT+ people to death — about setting up a “transit hub”, according to the Dutch ministry of asylum and migration.
“Denmark’s Dybvad said centres would be ideally set up in “countries in north Africa” or other “stable countries, with stable governments”
FT ££