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Ukp is

felix said:

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

Cool - i'm way above the average for everywhere in Europe - think i'll have an extra biccy for tea

It is in dollars. Uk has appreciated about 25% in 2 Years vs the Euro area in that comparison, as the Euro has tanked vs the dollar.

MarkHopkins said:

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

"utterly dependent on primary industries"

Like banking and houses?

Iceland and Norway are very dependent on primary industries.

Iceland is fish and using low cost geothermal energy to purify silicon (and the like).
Norway is oil and gas and using low cost hydroelectric energy to purify silicon (and the like).

Switzerland is a services (banking) and manufacturing (pharmaceuticals, FMCG) economy,

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

Iceland, has a very free market economy, including a Flat Tax!

On the republican betting, why on earth is Mitt Romney on Betfair at 120/150 ?

I've laid him out as far as my biggest betfair red (Cruz) but I can't understand for the life of me why he isn't 1000.0 - this isn't a Clinton/Biden analogue.

eek said:

Cromwell said:

On the Topic of Donald Trump ; I have bet heavily on Rubio becoming president and don't lose any sleep over a goon like Trump ...he is just a political version of the WWF , a Hulk Hogan or a Jesse Ventura and the folks who support him to be to a WWF-like audience of low information voters
He never intended to be the nominee , he 's just an ego manic loving the limelight and attention ...the folks in the GOP will never allow this creep to ruin the best chance they have of not only winning the WH but the House and Senate too ...sooner or later he will push his luck too far and self destruct or they will find a way to get rid of him
Furthermore , America with its fascination with guns, does not suffer fools and demagogues lightly ...both Huey Long and George Wallace found that out ! Trump is an antagonistic rabble rouser who had best be careful what he is saying ...if some whack job takes a shot at him he will panic and then like most bullies he will fold

Jesse Ventura was Governor of Minnesota. And in an election where all the candidates are pigmies strange things happen

Allowing Ventura to be a governor of Minnesota is a world away from becoming president of the most powerful country on the planet ...Trump as President ? don't be daft

So within a few days of Britain joining up, the US-led coalition has bombed Syrian Government troops (half hearted denial issued) in Deir Ez Zor. In a straight fight between the two, we seem to prefer ISIS.

Cromwell said:

The Tories have already won two mayor races and that was without the benefit of a ''national security risk ''...Boris Johnson's donut strategy worked insomuch the Tory suburbs outvote the Labour centre but mayor's races tend to suffer low turnout ..when Lynton Crosby frames Khan as both a Corbynista and a Muslim ....a financial risk and a security risk , the voters in the suburbs will be spooked into turning out

Furthermore , Londoners like their mayors to be mavericks of sorts ; while Zac is no ''big personality ''like Boris ,he is still a maverick with his keen environmentalism that is sure to appeal to lots of young voters ...Khan , on the other hand , seems like a rather typical orthodox leftist MP

London is trending Labour, it has for some time, and the results of the GE show that, especially when compared to the rest of the country. Boris with his persona could overcome that, I'm not shore Zac will. We will see, but my instinct is that Labour victory in London, but move backwards (to a grater or lesser extent) elsewhere incoding Scotland.

Luckyguy1983 said:

So within a few days of Britain joining up, the US-led coalition has bombed Syrian Government troops (half hearted denial issued) in Deir Ez Zor. In a straight fight between the two, we seem to prefer ISIS.

Hang on, are you believing reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights now?

Only you've repeatedly rubbished it in the past...

blackburn63 said:

isam said:

blackburn63 said:

isam said:

Tissue_Price said:

Just been listening to the PM in Burton - he repeated the phrase "You ain't no Muslim bruv." Memetastic.

Aiiii!

Extraordinary, Ali G lives in number 10.

To be fair, if Farage, Corbyn or Farron said it I wouldn't be slating them

The problem is I fear that one person heard having a go at the attacker will lead to a meme from the liberal elite that there is no problem with the clash of cultures as its only a tiny minority going around killing/beheading/stabbing people

I would rather there was no stabbing and no need for the apology/disown

Oh come on, I appreciate you're trying to be charitable, next thing he'll be wearing a baseball cap back to front, blinged up at PMQs.

I've no idea what point he was trying to make but he's the PM not a journalist, this is a big mistake by Cameron.

Not just a mistake, but a 'big' mistake? My word.

Be serious. All it is is cringeworthy, but in fairness it is a quote and not something he would just say.

Pong said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

https://twitter.com/owenjbennett/status/673848245047713792

Dave, you ain't no bruv, bruv.

You've just completely ruined a perfectly good meme.

And so barely trying he has done some good then. The lucky PM once more.

rcs1000 said:

Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.

Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect their aluminium smelting industry.

Richard_Nabavi said:

rcs1000 said:

Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.

Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect the aluminium smelting industry.

It's 2,000 kms from Iceland to London. I'd be interested to know what the transmission losses on that look like.

Richard_Nabavi said:

Donald Tusk letter on EU renegotiation:

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/12/07-tusk-letter-to-28ms-on-uk/

I read that wrong and thought you'd written President Donald Trump !

New glasses time ! :-)

Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

It's a good model for everything.

And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.

However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.

Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.

Luckyguy1983 said:

So within a few days of Britain joining up, the US-led coalition has bombed Syrian Government troops (half hearted denial issued) in Deir Ez Zor. In a straight fight between the two, we seem to prefer ISIS.

Translation: Russia Today have made some outrageous claims hat have been denied. Our resident Soviet believes anything coming from RT so it must be true.

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

Iceland, has a very free market economy, including a Flat Tax!

Nevertheless, look at this: http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/isl/

Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.
And it exports fish.

And that's really about it.

We don't have geothermal energy. And even outside the EU, we don't have the extent of the territorial waters Iceland does. (And we have far more people.)

Iceland, with its small population and geographic position is always going to be a bit of a special case, And I started this line more as an amusing observation rather than to suggest it is core of an argument. But that sead, a free market (amongst other things) lets an area (or whole contrary) specialise in what it does best, which in Iceland's case may be Fish and Aluminium, and trade for other things, and by doing that it alawes more wealth to be created and raze living standards both for its people and those it trades with.

So in summary I recognise your point, but still think it lends wate for the Pre-Freedom, Pre-Free trade, Pro-Free Markets, and therefor, anti, the Bureaucratic, top down, rule based EU

TGOHF said:

rcs1000 said:

ThreeQuidder said:

TGOHF said:

Richard_Nabavi said:

TGOHF said:

Richard_Nabavi said:

TGOHF said:

Do either Zak or Khan have an opinion on whether there should be an extra runway anywhere ?

Sadiq has switched to backing Gatwick:

http://www.cityam.com/218067/sadiq-khan-we-need-better-heathrow-not-bigger-heathrow

I think Zac doesn't really like airports at all but particularly not Heathrow.

Not even Boris island ?

Heathrow is awful and 3 runways will surely only make it worse ?

Maybe, but on the other hand the transport links are vastly better than Gatwick and could be enhanced with relative ease.

Gatwick would also affect some areas of unspoilt countryside, which are scarce enough as it is in SE England.

Disclaimer: I live in Sussex, so I might not be entirely free of interest in this!

Living in Cambridge, Gatwick would be an awful choice for me - horrendous to get there.

Train to King's Cross then Thameslink direct to Gatwick, right? Surely that's easier than Heathrow.

Why bother with Heathrow, getting to Stansted is easy.

Can't fly to the US from Stansted.

Yes you can.

Of course, you'll need to bring you own plane, or charter.

FrancisUrquhart said:

AndyJS said:

"Germany has registered 964,574 new asylum-seekers in the first 11 months of the year, putting it on course for more than a million in 2015."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35027951

How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.

In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.

FrancisUrquhart said:

AndyJS said:

"Germany has registered 964,574 new asylum-seekers in the first 11 months of the year, putting it on course for more than a million in 2015."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35027951

How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.

Dunno, but if I had the capital, Berlin property looks a great bet.

Edit: @Philip_Thompson makes a good point about German population.

Mr. Thompson, when people are dying of malnutrition, feeding them can cause death as too much food is something they can't cope with. Germany can't magic it's way out of a demographic problem overnight (or over a couple of years). They're just swapping one demographic problem for another.

Philip_Thompson said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

AndyJS said:

"Germany has registered 964,574 new asylum-seekers in the first 11 months of the year, putting it on course for more than a million in 2015."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35027951

How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.

In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.

Germany's population started rising again in 2013.

"You ain't no PB Tory, bruv!"

rcs1000 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

It's a good model for everything.

And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.

However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.

Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.

Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....

DavidL said:

rcs1000 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

It's a good model for everything.

And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.

However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.

Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.

Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....

It makes Luxembourg;s aim of taking on London somewhat questionable.

rcs1000 said:

david_herdson said:

Cromwell said:

david_herdson said:

"I still find it hard to see Trump doing it but his position gets stronger as each day goes by and none of the other contenders have got near."

We're at the stage now where we should take it very seriously. Trump has sat at the top of the polling for long enough to demonstrate considerable resilience in the face of negative campaigning. What's surprising to me is how well Carson's held up, though his star does look to be on the wane.

It's far from sewn up though. Were the campaign calendar the same as last time, with Iowa in early January, it might be done and dusted but there's a lot of campaigning still to be done after the festivities. Even so, he ought to be a clear favourite.

==================
Only a bloody fool would bet on Trump ...sometime in the future when Trump goes back to reality TV, the folks who have been spooked by his campaign will look positively daft

Nate Silver gives him about a 5% chance and he is being generous

Of the nomination or of the general election? I'd make him around evens for the nomination, if only because if there was a decent challenger in the pack then they'd have already shown.

I think Trump could really struggle in Iowa. And if he takes a tumble there, he will never recover.

Don't forget, Iowa is all about organisation. You need to have people corralling supporters. And the discussions and arguments can really count against someone who seems un-Presidential (see Howard Dean).

I would sell Trump in Iowa (with maybe a covering bet for the nomination).

History suggests that you can recover from a poor performance in Iowa but a good performance in NH is essential (Iowa picks corn, NH picks presidents, or something like that?). Whether that extends to performing poorly *after being expected to win* may be a different matter.

DavidL said:

rcs1000 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

It's a good model for everything.

And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.

However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.

Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.

Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....

And England, given that the distribution of those banks is roughly proportional to population.

Carnyx said:

Morris_Dancer said:

Mr. Rich, I largely agree, but there's little room for Labour to go backwards in Scotland. They can go from 1 MP to 0, but that's the flickering doom of binary rather than the avalanche of woe that crushed Scottish Labour this year.

To be fair to Mr R., we do have the Scottish Parliament elections in May. And the local gmt ones, in 2019 is it?

2017, I thought? 2019 will be the Euros.

rcs1000 said:

Philip_Thompson said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

AndyJS said:

"Germany has registered 964,574 new asylum-seekers in the first 11 months of the year, putting it on course for more than a million in 2015."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35027951

How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.

In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.

Germany's population started rising again in 2013.

CIA Factbook says otherwise. Either way after years of decline and not by much if it is. Nothing like in the UK.

felix said:

rcs1000 said:

John_M said:

William_H said:

If you go by median wealth, which seems like it'd be more representative of the average citizen, then a UK adult is more than twice as wealthy than one from Germany or the USA.

I'd like to see figures on net wealth. A lot of my contemporaries are asset rich, but still have eye-wateringly large mortgages and personal debt.

That describes the UK perfectly.

Goodness - I just assumed it must mean net wealth - I don't owe a penny to anyone - can't see the point of paying debt interest if you don't need to.

Friends of mine are mortgaged to the hilt (on interest-only mortgages to boot). They've used their equity to fund school fees plus a (modestly) rock and roll lifestyle. We were always figures of of fun with our shabby, abstemious existence (e.g. 10 year old cars of the Ford/Vauxhall variety, holidays in exotic Sutherland etc). I don't think our friends are particularly unusual.

*edit* Grammar, idiot.

@scotspoond: FM Sturgeon explains at #COP21 that the best way to get drivers out of their cars is to allow the road network to collapse. #BothVotesSNP

logical_song said:

rcs1000 said:

Richard_Nabavi said:

rcs1000 said:

Iceland exports aluminium - because its geothermal energy makes it cheap to do so.

Interestingly, one of the political obstacles to the proposal to put in an undersea power cable to supply the UK with Icelandic geothermal electricity is a concern in Iceland that it will put up their domestic prices, and thus affect the aluminium smelting industry.

It's 2,000 kms from Iceland to London. I'd be interested to know what the transmission losses on that look like.

Hi looked this up out of interest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-voltage_direct_current

Apparently a DC line in Brazil is 2,375 km (1,476 mi).

Amusingly, that line is owned by Abengoa, which just went bankrupt :-)

Morris_Dancer said:

Mr. Thompson, when people are dying of malnutrition, feeding them can cause death as too much food is something they can't cope with. Germany can't magic it's way out of a demographic problem overnight (or over a couple of years). They're just swapping one demographic problem for another.

Not disagreeing. Just answering how can they find housing etc

Philip_Thompson said:

Cromwell said:

The Tories have already won two mayor races and that was without the benefit of a ''national security risk ''...Boris Johnson's donut strategy worked insomuch the Tory suburbs outvote the Labour centre but mayor's races tend to suffer low turnout ..when Lynton Crosby frames Khan as both a Corbynista and a Muslim ....a financial risk and a security risk , the voters in the suburbs will be spooked into turning out

Furthermore , Londoners like their mayors to be mavericks of sorts ; while Zac is no ''big personality ''like Boris ,he is still a maverick with his keen environmentalism that is sure to appeal to lots of young voters ...Khan , on the other hand , seems like a rather typical orthodox leftist MP

I really hope we don't attack Khan for his religion. That would sicken me.

We should attack him for his and his leaders disgraceful views. Is that not enough?

Hear Hear!

Mr. Nabavi, does Corbyn do fudge?

rcs1000 said:

Alanbrooke said:

DavidL said:

rcs1000 said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

rcs1000 said:

BigRich said:

DecrepitJohnL said:

Is there anything in the small print about why we do not need to send food parcels to Germany?

Plato_Says said:

Paul Kirkby
This is a staggering map. Net worth of individual adults, by European country. This is private wealth, not GDP data https://t.co/XCGCS94RuL

So the 3 richest contrary's are, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway. Best stay in the EU so we don't end up like them!!!

Alternatively, all three countries are part of Schengen! We need to join Schengen!

More seriously, I think Switzerland is a good compare for what we want our economy to be like. I'm not sure either Iceland or Norway - which are basically utterly dependent on primary industries - are that great comparisons.

It's a good model for everything.

And they invented milk chocolate. And they have great ski resorts.

However: there is a small fly in the ointment for the Swiss economy.

Credit Suisse and UBS are utterly giant relative to the size of the Swiss economy. Should either of them get into serious financial trouble, it could be a serious problem.

Yep. Just like Scotland with RBS and BoS really. In good times an excellent source of work and taxes but in bad....

It makes Luxembourg;s aim of taking on London somewhat questionable.

I don't think Luxembourg has any big banks, does it? I think - like Monaco or the BVI or the Bahamas - it tries to offer existing firms a low-tax, low-regulation environment in which to work.

None that I know of, was merely commenting on this article last week which struck me as hubris, chutzpah and egomania brought together in a heady new Euromix.

While no great fan of London I must say Luxembourg has to be one of the most boring dumps I've ever been to. There's bugger all of interest, the entertainment isn't entertaining and the people are pigfarmers with an accountancy degree on the side.

Never get stuck at the airport it's as exciting as Wigan railway station on a rainy Sunday .

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/12031340/Luxembourg-plots-to-steal-Londons-financial-crown.html

Trump is in fact symptomatic of American politics and the zeitgeist ; he represents the intertwining of politics , the entertainment industry and ''charisma ''
It started with radio in the 1930s and Roosevelt's fireside chats , Father Coughlin's broadcasts and the seduction by the medium of radio ! ...Incidentally , that was part of Hitler's success with his soft Viennese accent

The rise of cinema and then TV killed the radio star and put a premium on youth , being photogenic and Hollwood-esque that contributed to the success of Kennedy and the Camelot romance

The Hollywood connection rose again in 1980 when a charismatic communicator and handsome former actor Ronald Reagan rode onto the scene ...it resurfaced again in 1992 when a little known but charismatic governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton , was able to defeat an aging , respected President with the recent Gulf War success

It rose again in 2008 when a young inexperienced but charismatic Senator from Chicago took the Democratic nomination away from the aging Hillary and then soundly defeated the senior Senator and Vietnam war hero John Mccain

There is a pattern forming here whereby youth , charisma and Hollywood-esque ''Star Appeal '' beats age , experience and gravitas ...indeed , Obama was the first ''American Idol President ''..he was young , handsome , had good teeth and a seductive voice , was ''sexy '' and could even sing and dance ...what's not to like about that ? Many of the folks who voted for him used the same criteria they use when voting for A I ....I wonder if they even recognise the difference ? If Obama had not been president he would of been a talk show host like Oprah

America is fast becoming a ''Hollywood Nation '' ...a virtual reality where trash TV intertwines with all aspects of our lives ; a parallel universe of frivolous pleasure seeking , hedonism ...where vacuous words of Hollywood actors are taken more seriously than learned and wise men , where the phenomena of Trumpism dominates the election cycle ..the critical difference between Trump and Obama is that Trump has no experience whatsoever in politics, has very poor communicator skills and had no intention of ever becoming president


 

rcs1000 said:

Philip_Thompson said:

rcs1000 said:

Philip_Thompson said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

AndyJS said:

"Germany has registered 964,574 new asylum-seekers in the first 11 months of the year, putting it on course for more than a million in 2015."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35027951

How the f##k can a country cope with 1.5 million new people just like that. Housing, schools, etc etc etc.

In Germany's situation relatively easily. They're undergoing catastrophic population decline otherwise. This is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to discuss - the situation in Germany has no relationship to our own with healthily growing population.

Germany's population started rising again in 2013.

CIA Factbook says otherwise. Either way after years of decline and not by much if it is. Nothing like in the UK.

OECD is the bible: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DatasetCode=POP_FIVE_HIST

The OECD seems to think the UK's population dropped by 1.2 million between 2012 and 2013. I think we might have noticed that (I assume it's a correction based on census data, but even so, odd).

flightpath01 said:

kle4 said:

blackburn63 said:

isam said:

blackburn63 said:

isam said:

Tissue_Price said:

Just been listening to the PM in Burton - he repeated the phrase "You ain't no Muslim bruv." Memetastic.

Aiiii!

Extraordinary, Ali G lives in number 10.

To be fair, if Farage, Corbyn or Farron said it I wouldn't be slating them

The problem is I fear that one person heard having a go at the attacker will lead to a meme from the liberal elite that there is no problem with the clash of cultures as its only a tiny minority going around killing/beheading/stabbing people

I would rather there was no stabbing and no need for the apology/disown

Oh come on, I appreciate you're trying to be charitable, next thing he'll be wearing a baseball cap back to front, blinged up at PMQs.

I've no idea what point he was trying to make but he's the PM not a journalist, this is a big mistake by Cameron.

Not just a mistake, but a 'big' mistake? My word.

Be serious. All it is is cringeworthy, but in fairness it is a quote and not something he would just say.

Pong said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

https://twitter.com/owenjbennett/status/673848245047713792

Dave, you ain't no bruv, bruv.

You've just completely ruined a perfectly good meme.

And so barely trying he has done some good then. The lucky PM once more.

Cameron is just repeating what a muslim witness said to the maniac knifeman.

I'm aware - that's why it's fine. The cringeworthy bit is not really a slur against the man, just that such words sounds weird coming from him

Luckyguy1983 said:

Can any experts tell me whether Concorde could be rivived between London and Beijing?

There, would be two problems with that:

1) range, Concorde, could make the trans-Atlantick crossing but not much more, it could have to stop to refuel, but that would add time and cost.

2) It could only fly a super-sonic speeds over the sea, otherwise it 'Sonic Boom' would course problems, when flying over land, it just becomes a high fuel consumption/low passenger number Jet. I don't know the full constraints and it may be able to fly as supper-sonic speeds over the unpopulated bits of land that it would need to fly over.

Why do you ask? are there planes to bring it back?

The Saudis really are trying to bankrupt all other oil producing countries, it seems. The price has dropped by nearly 4% just today.

Venezuela government defeated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-35024619

AndyJS said:

The Saudis really are trying to bankrupt all other oil producing countries, it seems. The price has dropped by nearly 4% just today.

Venezuela government defeated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-35024619

Brent near 7 year low.....

http://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2015/dec/07/oil-price-opec-production-german-factories-live

Its a Unionist plot, I tell you!

I think Trump wouldn't stand a chance against another moderate Democrat candidate but against Clinton a lot of voters may decide they've had enough of the Bush/Clinton dynasties.

david_herdson said:

AndyJS said:

Latest averages:

Clinton: 46.8%
Trump: 43.6%

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

One question I've struggled to answer is how realistic is the prospect of a Trump win in November? On the one hand, the overall figures are close; on the other, Trump's scores with some demographics are dire - though Hillary's strengths and Trump's weaknesses are almost an exact overlap so may reinforce existing intention rather than swing votes.

My instinct is that Trump will simply scare too many moderate horses but if that is the case, why aren't the polls further apart now - it's not as if either is an unknown quantity. Very confusing.

BigRich your second reason is why Concorde made sense as a London to New York jet but not much more. Great across the Atlantic but any other direction is pointless.

Morris_Dancer said:

Mr. Isam, I hadn't heard that, though it doesn't surprise me. She's madder than Mad Jack McMad.

He prefers to be called Alex Salmond.

Pulpstar said:

AndyJS said:

The Saudis really are trying to bankrupt all other oil producing countries, it seems. The price has dropped by nearly 4% just today.

Venezuela government defeated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-35024619

The House of Saud digs its own grave.

http://www.thstailwinds.com/saudi-arabia-hobsons-choice/

Cromwell said:

Trump is in fact symptomatic of American politics and the zeitgeist ; he represents the intertwining of politics , the entertainment industry and ''charisma ''
It started with radio in the 1930s and Roosevelt's fireside chats , Father Coughlin's broadcasts and the seduction by the medium of radio ! ...Incidentally , that was part of Hitler's success with his soft Viennese accent

The rise of cinema and then TV killed the radio star and put a premium on youth , being photogenic and Hollwood-esque that contributed to the success of Kennedy and the Camelot romance

The Hollywood connection rose again in 1980 when a charismatic communicator and handsome former actor Ronald Reagan rode onto the scene ...it resurfaced again in 1992 when a little known but charismatic governor from Arkansas, Bill Clinton , was able to defeat an aging , respected President with the recent Gulf War success

It rose again in 2008 when a young inexperienced but charismatic Senator from Chicago took the Democratic nomination away from the aging Hillary and then soundly defeated the senior Senator and Vietnam war hero John Mccain

There is a pattern forming here whereby youth , charisma and Hollywood-esque ''Star Appeal '' beats age , experience and gravitas ...indeed , Obama was the first ''American Idol President ''..he was young , handsome , had good teeth and a seductive voice , was ''sexy '' and could even sing and dance ...what's not to like about that ? Many of the folks who voted for him used the same criteria they use when voting for A I ....I wonder if they even recognise the difference ? If Obama had not been president he would of been a talk show host like Oprah

America is fast becoming a ''Hollywood Nation '' ...a virtual reality where trash TV intertwines with all aspects of our lives ; a parallel universe of frivolous pleasure seeking , hedonism ...where vacuous words of Hollywood actors are taken more seriously than learned and wise men , where the phenomena of Trumpism dominates the election cycle ..the critical difference between Trump and Obama is that Trump has no experience whatsoever in politics, has very poor communicator skills and had no intention of ever becoming president


 

Interesting post, the one throwaway line which surprised me was the fact that Hitler had a "soft Viennese accent". We mostly see him in clips from the rallies where it's not much in evidence.

Pulpstar said:

AndyJS said:

The Saudis really are trying to bankrupt all other oil producing countries, it seems. The price has dropped by nearly 4% just today.

Venezuela government defeated:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-35024619

The House of Saud digs its own grave.

I suppose their cunning plan is to suddenly put the price back up again when other producers have gone out of business.

Mr. Felix, quite.

Mr. kle4, one does wonder whether the House of Saud is feeding a crocodile that's going to eat them sooner or later.

Mind you, it's not really my area.