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  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    F1: Raining in Barcelona, although it may be dry later. Having lost more than half the test to the weather, I think with the benefit of hindsight everyone will be annoyed not to have gone with the option of a flyaway test in Bahrain, rather than stay in Europe in February.
  • YorkcityYorkcity Posts: 4,382

    Roger said:

    Tony Blair on Radio 4 showing the contrast between the minnows who are leading Brexit and Colossi who are opposing them.

    And remain still lost to these so called minnows.
    It did , to many though me included , it was an internal conservative dog fight..
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,776
    On topic, I'd consider it almost certain, at this stage, that the Democrats will win the House, while the Republicans retain the Senate.

    Given that every State returns two Senators, regardless of population, the Republicans ought to have a hammer-lock on it, given how many White rural States there are. But, they sportingly choose enough freak candidates to give the Democrats a chance.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 18,891

    Never heard of the guy and I don't know which party he belongs to, but he clearly shouldn't be an MP. If he wants to be a melodramatic tart he should go on the stage.
    'Back in your box' gives it away. Who but a Tory would be so unself-aware as to parade their arrogance and ignorance towards a senior European politician? Well maybe Farage and his bunch of spivs
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Mr. Sandpit, yeah, but, to be fair, the weather is pretty unusual.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,812
    Jonathan said:

    It is a clear co-ordinated attack on Brexit by those who consider themselves superior to the ordinary voter but TM will stand firm as she showed to popular acclaim yesterday
    That was a party political broadcast by the Theresa May fanzine.
    Authorised by Big G, Chairman - Llandudno chapter.
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,776
    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Tony Blair on Radio 4 showing the contrast between the minnows who are leading Brexit and Colossi who are opposing them.

    And remain still lost to these so called minnows.
    A point which astounds me anew several times a day, still. One could make a fortune selling the remoaners T shirts saying OUTWITTED BY A MORON, THRASHED BY A 9 STONE WEAKLING, or just ICELAND 2, ENGLAND 1.
    BEATEN BY A BUS.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 18,891

    Roger said:

    Tony Blair on Radio 4 showing the contrast between the minnows who are leading Brexit and Colossi who are opposing them.

    And remain still lost to these so called minnows.
    Eat shit. 20,000,000 flies can't be wong
  • RoyalBlueRoyalBlue Posts: 3,223
    Trust Norman Smith to uncritically quote Tusk’s views as if they were law.

    No sensible transition deal = no money. Simple.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,812

    daodao said:

    Roger said:

    Tony Blair on Radio 4 showing the contrast between the minnows who are leading Brexit and Colossi who are opposing them.

    He merely contrasted the consequences of a hard vs soft Brexit, albeit with his preference evident. Unfortunately, the EU is clear in its position, whereas the shambolic Westminster administration is behaving like a rabbit caught in the headlights. The choice, as in 1940, is between confronting an autocratic European empire, at great cost, or meekly accepting its suzerainty. The nature of the European empire may be very different from 1940, but the concept is the same.
    And this is the truth.
    Utterly, certifiably bonkers.
  • YorkcityYorkcity Posts: 4,382
    JackW said:

    It's a mute point from Nick Robinson because this riven government doesn't have the fantest idea what BREXIT actually means. A soundbite does not a policy make.
    Ambitious managed divergence , is the one for the masses.
  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,136
    edited March 2018
    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776
    Is anyone else finding the site really "sticky" this morning? I keep finding it frozen (in sympathy with outside perhaps) when I try to read down the thread. Wondering if it is my computer or something else.
  • TykejohnnoTykejohnno Posts: 7,362
    Roger said:

    Roger said:

    Tony Blair on Radio 4 showing the contrast between the minnows who are leading Brexit and Colossi who are opposing them.

    And remain still lost to these so called minnows.
    Eat shit. 20,000,000 flies can't be wong
    Lol
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,723
    edited March 2018
    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 15,547

    There's an objective problem, as everyone concedes, and the Commission has done nothing more than quote back the fudge that Mrs May agreed in December
    Not quite - its 'interpreted' what was agreed - with some significant omissions.......like removing the reference to 'nothing shall interfere with NI-GB trade'.......

    Nothing need interfere with GB NI trade. That’s an internal matter for the British government.
    Why was it in the agreement but removed from the legal text? Why take it out?
    It's worth reminding ourselves what the joint report actually said on EU - NI relations. The onus for avoiding NI - GB barriers is explicitly on the UK government. Equally the UK government committed to developing workable alternatives to the backstop. The EU possibly is saying, we have done what we're responsible for, now it's up to the UK government to come up with concrete, workable alternatives.

    49. The United Kingdom remains committed to protecting North-South cooperation and to
    its guarantee of avoiding a hard border. Any future arrangements must be compatible
    with these overarching requirements. The United Kingdom's intention is to achieve
    these objectives through the overall EU-UK relationship. Should this not be possible,
    the United Kingdom will propose specific solutions to address the unique
    circumstances of the island of Ireland. In the absence of agreed solutions, the United
    Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the
    Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-
    island economy and the protection of the 1998 Agreement.

    50. In the absence of agreed solutions, as set out in the previous paragraph, the United
    Kingdom will ensure that no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern
    Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, unless, consistent with the 1998
    Agreement, the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly agree that distinct
    arrangements are appropriate for Northern Ireland. In all circumstances, the United
    Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's
    businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market.

  • JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400
    Lol, shocking that the Irish are indulging in politics with regard to Brexit. As opposed to the UKs pure and rational Brexit process utterly untainted by such skullduggery.

    Ultimately, the UK was originally hoping to use the Irish border as a way to cherry pick frictionless trade with the rest of the EU but keep control of our own trade arrangements. The EU has simply called our bluff and gone all in.
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901
    edited March 2018

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Come on Remain had Lord Stuart Rose saying that people need to vote to Remain because otherwise their wages would rise if we left.

    With titans like that in charge, how did they lose?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    Jonathan said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
    Yeah because Blair did so well any time he negotiated with Europeans didn't he?

    He had those great successes under his belt like giving away half our rebate in exchange for a promise to look down the line at reforming CAP which never happened. And ummm .... errr ....
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614

    Mr. Sandpit, yeah, but, to be fair, the weather is pretty unusual.

    Hindsight is a wonderful thing! The issue is that the season now starts earlier than a few years ago, so the testing has crept back into February when it used to be in the middle of March.

    To make matters worse, there have been a lot of discussions over the past couple of years about the pros and cons of a Bahrain test, with the decision being made that the cost of the flyaway outweighed the chance of poor weather in Barcelona.

    £10 says they’ll now decide go to the sandpit for testing next year!
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901

    Jonathan said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
    Yeah because Blair did so well any time he negotiated with Europeans didn't he?

    He had those great successes under his belt like giving away half our rebate in exchange for a promise to look down the line at reforming CAP which never happened. And ummm .... errr ....
    He got what he wanted.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Come on Remain had Lord Stuart Rose saying that people need to vote to Remain because otherwise their wages would rise if we left.

    With titans like that in charge, how did they lose?
    That was hillarious, Day 1 of the campaign and Rose didn’t understand that his comments to a room of business leaders would be reported somewhat more widely!
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,713
    edited March 2018

    Never heard of the guy and I don't know which party he belongs to, but he clearly shouldn't be an MP. If he wants to be a melodramatic tart he should go on the stage.
    Boles was a moderniser before it was fashionable, a supporter of Portillo and then Cameron who set up a think tank with Francis Maude. He has also recently recovered from cancer
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,044
    Yorkcity said:

    JackW said:

    It's a mute point from Nick Robinson because this riven government doesn't have the fantest idea what BREXIT actually means. A soundbite does not a policy make.
    Ambitious managed divergence , is the one for the masses.
    What about the Quiet Bat people?
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    Jonathan said:

    Jonathan said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
    Yeah because Blair did so well any time he negotiated with Europeans didn't he?

    He had those great successes under his belt like giving away half our rebate in exchange for a promise to look down the line at reforming CAP which never happened. And ummm .... errr ....
    He got what he wanted.
    Which was what exactly? What did we as a nation get that he wanted?
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,776

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    They had Bob Geldof shouting abuse at fishermen.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 30,846
    Sandpit said:

    Mr. Sandpit, yeah, but, to be fair, the weather is pretty unusual.

    Hindsight is a wonderful thing! The issue is that the season now starts earlier than a few years ago, so the testing has crept back into February when it used to be in the middle of March.

    To make matters worse, there have been a lot of discussions over the past couple of years about the pros and cons of a Bahrain test, with the decision being made that the cost of the flyaway outweighed the chance of poor weather in Barcelona.

    £10 says they’ll now decide go to the sandpit for testing next year!
    Um No.

    When I went to watch the 1999 Australian Grand Prix - the first race of the season - it was on 7th March. This year the Australian Grand Prix is on 25th March. Which is almost 3 weeks later.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Jonathan said:

    Jonathan said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
    Yeah because Blair did so well any time he negotiated with Europeans didn't he?

    He had those great successes under his belt like giving away half our rebate in exchange for a promise to look down the line at reforming CAP which never happened. And ummm .... errr ....
    He got what he wanted.
    They did agree to soft pedal - so he could win that bike race and grab some PR.
  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901

    Yorkcity said:

    JackW said:

    It's a mute point from Nick Robinson because this riven government doesn't have the fantest idea what BREXIT actually means. A soundbite does not a policy make.
    Ambitious managed divergence , is the one for the masses.
    What about the Quiet Bat people?
    May = Nicola Murray
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776
    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,404

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    And that's with only 11 GW of leccy being generated by CCGTs. If we didn't have another 11 GW coming out of the remaining coal stations we'd be a bit buggered.

    When they say 'ship' presumably they are referring to LNG. I guess Grain, South Hook and Dragon are all vaporising and sticking gas into the grid at full pelt. And some LNG speculators are making £££.
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 30,846

    Wow - Trump appears to take on the NRA:

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/28/trump-background-checks-gun-control

    I always hoped that his naturally combative nature wouldn't let him be exclusively right-wing- populists respond to popular moods. If he sticks to it (if big if) that'd be a bit of a game-changer for gun reform and perhaps for Trump's image.

    I had this discussion with someone last week. Pointing out that this could be the Nixon in China moment. But with far bigger implications for the lives of US citizens.
  • SquareRootSquareRoot Posts: 7,095
    Jonathan said:

    Jonathan said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
    Yeah because Blair did so well any time he negotiated with Europeans didn't he?

    He had those great successes under his belt like giving away half our rebate in exchange for a promise to look down the line at reforming CAP which never happened. And ummm .... errr ....
    He got what he wanted.
    and stuffed the taxpayer in so doing.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,585

    Wow - Trump appears to take on the NRA:

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/28/trump-background-checks-gun-control

    I always hoped that his naturally combative nature wouldn't let him be exclusively right-wing- populists respond to popular moods. If he sticks to it (if big if) that'd be a bit of a game-changer for gun reform and perhaps for Trump's image.

    We'll see, Nick. Remember he made similar noises about backing Democrat bills at the immigration summit, and quickly abandoned that. It could be different this time around, but Trump is nothing if not fickle.

    https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/03/donald-trumps-gun-control-meeting-was-a-nightmare-for-republicans.html?
    Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who got a hearty endorsement from Trump for her bill to restrict gun sales to domestic abusers, thought this meeting was different from the immigration summit. “You saw the president clearly saying not once, not twice, not three times but, like, 10 times that he wanted to see a strong universal background check bill,” she said. “He didn’t mince words about it. So I don’t understand how, then, he could back away from that.”

    This could be a failure of imagination on Sen. Klobuchar’s part...

  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    And that's with only 11 GW of leccy being generated by CCGTs. If we didn't have another 11 GW coming out of the remaining coal stations we'd be a bit buggered.

    When they say 'ship' presumably they are referring to LNG. I guess Grain, South Hook and Dragon are all vaporising and sticking gas into the grid at full pelt. And some LNG speculators are making £££.
    Interesting to see much derided wind power making a critical contribution.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,404
    Jonathan said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
    Blair used to holiday in Berlusconi's villa on Sardinia. I don't know what deals were sweetened while he was out there.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    Politics is driving the UK government’s Brexit approach. May is terrified of the Loons on the Tory right and so is incapable of coming up with any coherent solution to the Irish border problems the Leave vote created - and which, of course, the Leave campaign said did not exist. The same terror caused ger to trigger Article 50 without having nailed down the UK’s strategy for departure and creating the red lines which are now so constraining her.


    Lord Trimble argues that politics is driving the Irish government's approach - or did you not read that, just pasted one of your 'loons' posts?
    Carlotta not like you to be a contender for asinine comment of the day.

    Of course it’s effing well about politics.

    So was 1916. So was 1922. So was 1969.

    What the **** do you think it’s about?
  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,745
    Morning all :)

    Light snow here in East London this morning but plenty of heat if not light on matters A50 yesterday it would seem.

    While the Prime Minister, to "popular acclaim" (well, in parts of North Wales at least), did her usual Britannia (the symbol, not the impressive cruise ship) act and tried to galvanise her political base by standing up to "Johnny Foreigner", she was also caving in on immigration as apparently any EU national who comes during Transition will have the right to stay indefinitely - strange how that's not been mentioned but stridency over Ulster gets all the coverage.

    Back to the Irish Border Question - Barnier's proposal is not the EU position but it's what would or could happen if other solutions put forward by the UK were not possible. The onus is, as it has been from the outset of A50 negotiation, on the UK to come up with a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of the border between Ulster and Eire. I don't doubt there are technological options and the like but it's an issue that needs resolution rather than the usual British response of public defiance and private capitulation.

    There seem to have been some differences of interpretation between the EU and UK over what was agreed in December (hailed by the usual suspects as a "triumph for Mrs May") and that's inevitable but if those differences seem to be in the areas which have been portrayed as "successes" by one side it does make you wonder whether the definition of "success" needs to be more than "she got through the week".

    Major's comments last evening didn't amount to much more than a frustrated ex-PM putting the boot in to those who made his last years in office purgatory. MPs will get a vote on the A50 Treaty (if there is one) and it remains to be seen if we will seen principle crushed by loyalty or long-held beliefs trampled by cajolery or coercion from the Whips' offices.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    That doesn’t sound good. Even with a lot of schools and businesses closed there’s still a shortfall - and with most of Northern Europe also snowed in, those we usually rely on for extra supplies are not going to be able to deliver. Gridwatch show demand for the past three days more than 10% up on previous weekdays in Feb. http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk
  • Jonathan said:

    It is a clear co-ordinated attack on Brexit by those who consider themselves superior to the ordinary voter but TM will stand firm as she showed to popular acclaim yesterday
    That was a party political broadcast by the Theresa May fanzine.
    Authorised by Big G, Chairman - Llandudno chapter.
    I like my promotion but if you have followed my recent postings I only support TM to do Brexit, thereafter someone new is required
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    St David's Day poll:

    The stark contrast between the continuing turmoil in the political world - over issues as diverse as Brexit and the future of Carwyn Jones - and the seeming immovability in the electorate's voting intentions is, to say the least, puzzling.

    In assembly terms, support for Labour has increased despite all the questions surrounding the death of Carl Sargeant, while at the Westminster level the Conservatives are holding steady despite the infighting in the UK government over Brexit.

    The likeliest explanation for the electoral stasis is the polarisation caused by the EU referendum with the Conservative Leave voters providing the party with a floor beneath which the party's support can't drop.


    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-43230062
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    stodge said:



    Back to the Irish Border Question - Barnier's proposal is not the EU position but it's what would or could happen if other solutions put forward by the UK were not possible.

    It's nonsense though - 1) it's not the only position 2) of the positions its a ridiculous one and 3) it gives the EU no incentive to agree to a new system (and this is an organisation that hates change) and 4) it smells like one of their duplicitous plots.


    As spotted by well anyone who isn't a remainer

    https://twitter.com/EuroBriefing/status/969124532878495744

  • JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901
    Sandpit said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    That doesn’t sound good. Even with a lot of schools and businesses closed there’s still a shortfall - and with most of Northern Europe also snowed in, those we usually rely on for extra supplies are not going to be able to deliver. Gridwatch show demand for the past three days more than 10% up on previous weekdays in Feb. http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk
    Biomass providing enough to drive s flux capacitor.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,404
    edited March 2018
    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    And that's with only 11 GW of leccy being generated by CCGTs. If we didn't have another 11 GW coming out of the remaining coal stations we'd be a bit buggered.

    When they say 'ship' presumably they are referring to LNG. I guess Grain, South Hook and Dragon are all vaporising and sticking gas into the grid at full pelt. And some LNG speculators are making £££.
    Interesting to see much derided wind power making a critical contribution.
    Solar, less so. But that will be generating flat out at lunchtime in July when we don't need the power. Solar only makes sense in locations where the peak power load is for air conditioning. Otherwise you are just idling dispatchable capacity in the summer, which then has to be given capacity payments (i.e. subsidies) to keep it available for the winter. The solar plant receives a subsidy to generate electricity, the CCGT receives a subsidy because it doesn't generate electricity. I do not believe this is the most cost effective way to reduce our CO2 emissions.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    TOPPING said:

    Politics is driving the UK government’s Brexit approach. May is terrified of the Loons on the Tory right and so is incapable of coming up with any coherent solution to the Irish border problems the Leave vote created - and which, of course, the Leave campaign said did not exist. The same terror caused ger to trigger Article 50 without having nailed down the UK’s strategy for departure and creating the red lines which are now so constraining her.


    Lord Trimble argues that politics is driving the Irish government's approach - or did you not read that, just pasted one of your 'loons' posts?
    Carlotta not like you to be a contender for asinine comment of the day.

    Of course it’s effing well about politics.

    So was 1916. So was 1922. So was 1969.

    What the **** do you think it’s about?
    Blair was implying that the British were playing politics while the Irish had the purest of motives......
  • Richard_TyndallRichard_Tyndall Posts: 30,846
    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    Yet you are the one who continually indulges in personality politics against the Leaver politicians.

    Your continued utter hypocrisy is both reassuring and hilarious.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 15,547
    David Allen-Green makes the interesting point that the draft agreement contains nothing that's controversial apart from the Ireland issue, because it was all (money, citizens rights, ECJ etc) cleared out the way in December, and because the EU is vastly better organised than our government.

    The Irish issue remains because our government isn't serious about some commitments it reluctantly entered into in December. So the EU has upped the ante. It is an intractable issue though. My guess is that the withdrawal agreement will go through with the three options remaining as options and the third backstop spelt out as in the draft. The focus will be on option A (overall UK EU solution) as part of the post Brexit future relationship negotiation.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/davidallengreen/status/968862975665803266
  • DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
  • Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    It won't. Fake news.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614

    Sandpit said:

    Mr. Sandpit, yeah, but, to be fair, the weather is pretty unusual.

    Hindsight is a wonderful thing! The issue is that the season now starts earlier than a few years ago, so the testing has crept back into February when it used to be in the middle of March.

    To make matters worse, there have been a lot of discussions over the past couple of years about the pros and cons of a Bahrain test, with the decision being made that the cost of the flyaway outweighed the chance of poor weather in Barcelona.

    £10 says they’ll now decide go to the sandpit for testing next year!
    Um No.

    When I went to watch the 1999 Australian Grand Prix - the first race of the season - it was on 7th March. This year the Australian Grand Prix is on 25th March. Which is almost 3 weeks later.
    Ah, that got me looking! Yes, from 1996 (when the event moved from the end of the season to the start of the season) until 2005 it was in early March, then moved to late March or early April until 2011, before coming back a couple of weeks again.
    http://www.allf1.info/history/australia.php
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    And that's with only 11 GW of leccy being generated by CCGTs. If we didn't have another 11 GW coming out of the remaining coal stations we'd be a bit buggered.

    When they say 'ship' presumably they are referring to LNG. I guess Grain, South Hook and Dragon are all vaporising and sticking gas into the grid at full pelt. And some LNG speculators are making £££.
    Interesting to see much derided wind power making a critical contribution.
    Solar, less so. But that will be generating flat out at lunchtime in July when we don't need the power. Solar only makes sense in locations where the peak power load is for air conditioning. Otherwise you are just idling dispatchable capacity in the summer, which then has to be given capacity payments (i.e. subsidies) to keep it available for the winter. The solar plant receives a subsidy to generate electricity, the CCGT receives a subsidy because it doesn't generate electricity. I do not believe this is the most cost effective way to reduce our CO2 emissions.
    The key to effective solar in the UK is storage. Until we can do that efficiently it is a bit of a subsidised nonsense. Thinking over my earlier comments however I suspect the more important part of our wind capacity is at sea these days making it less vulnerable to icing.
  • Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    And that's with only 11 GW of leccy being generated by CCGTs. If we didn't have another 11 GW coming out of the remaining coal stations we'd be a bit buggered.

    When they say 'ship' presumably they are referring to LNG. I guess Grain, South Hook and Dragon are all vaporising and sticking gas into the grid at full pelt. And some LNG speculators are making £££.
    Interesting to see much derided wind power making a critical contribution.
    Wind also contributing strongly to Germany's power generation:

    https://www.agora-energiewende.de/de/themen/-agothem-/Produkt/produkt/76/Agorameter/
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,713
    Jonathan said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Roger said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Mortimer said:

    Jonathan said:

    Tories/Leavers still ever so slightly frit when it comes to Blair. Sweet.

    Dream on.

    Blair would be Leave's biggest asset.

    The more you protest ...
    No. I actively encourage him to get back into the fray. Would be hilarious, and almost certainly split the Labour vote. Would be hilarious to see him see how far his star has fallen...
    Does it ever occur to you that people listen to the arguments? There are very few who advocate their position as persuasively and with such erudition as Blair. Certainly not IDS!
    The question was about trust, though. There is no one in or out of public life about whom I would be less certain than I am about Blair that he said only what he believed to be true or that if he said he would in the future do something, he fully intended to do it. People pay attention to where the arguments are coming from.
    These are both right - on the one hand he's a war criminal and being on the same side as him should make you suspect you're wrong, but on the other, he's a genuinely great communicator.

    One of the problems with the Remain campaign was that they didn't really have anyone who could reach out to the waverers; Cameron already looked mildly ridiculous after the "renegotiation", and they ended up getting represented by people like Eddy Izzard who only appealed to the people they appeal to.
    Ironically the government could do with prime Blair leading the Brexit negotiations. If he was , the UK would probably come away with everything and a few nice Mediterranean islands to sweeten the deal.
    It was partly thanks to Blair's failure to impose transition controls on free movement from the new accession countries in 2004 that Leave won
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    TOPPING said:

    Politics is driving the UK government’s Brexit approach. May is terrified of the Loons on the Tory right and so is incapable of coming up with any coherent solution to the Irish border problems the Leave vote created - and which, of course, the Leave campaign said did not exist. The same terror caused ger to trigger Article 50 without having nailed down the UK’s strategy for departure and creating the red lines which are now so constraining her.


    Lord Trimble argues that politics is driving the Irish government's approach - or did you not read that, just pasted one of your 'loons' posts?
    Carlotta not like you to be a contender for asinine comment of the day.

    Of course it’s effing well about politics.

    So was 1916. So was 1922. So was 1969.

    What the **** do you think it’s about?
    Blair was implying that the British were playing politics while the Irish had the purest of motives......
    The British are playing politics with Irish politics which is a very dangerous and stupid ploy. Or rather, the Conservative Party is playing politics with...
  • Ishmael_Z said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    It won't. Fake news.
    It is similar to holidaymakers who travel to areas not approved by the foreign office. And by the way it is not fake news, it was a responsible discussion by an insurance expert
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    F1: Gasly ripped his suit on the halo the other day. Quite a laundry list of reasons to dislike it now.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,812
    stodge said:

    Morning all :)

    Light snow here in East London this morning but plenty of heat if not light on matters A50 yesterday it would seem.

    While the Prime Minister, to "popular acclaim" (well, in parts of North Wales at least), did her usual Britannia (the symbol, not the impressive cruise ship) act and tried to galvanise her political base by standing up to "Johnny Foreigner", she was also caving in on immigration as apparently any EU national who comes during Transition will have the right to stay indefinitely - strange how that's not been mentioned but stridency over Ulster gets all the coverage.

    Back to the Irish Border Question - Barnier's proposal is not the EU position but it's what would or could happen if other solutions put forward by the UK were not possible. The onus is, as it has been from the outset of A50 negotiation, on the UK to come up with a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of the border between Ulster and Eire. I don't doubt there are technological options and the like but it's an issue that needs resolution rather than the usual British response of public defiance and private capitulation.

    There seem to have been some differences of interpretation between the EU and UK over what was agreed in December (hailed by the usual suspects as a "triumph for Mrs May") and that's inevitable but if those differences seem to be in the areas which have been portrayed as "successes" by one side it does make you wonder whether the definition of "success" needs to be more than "she got through the week".

    Major's comments last evening didn't amount to much more than a frustrated ex-PM putting the boot in to those who made his last years in office purgatory. MPs will get a vote on the A50 Treaty (if there is one) and it remains to be seen if we will seen principle crushed by loyalty or long-held beliefs trampled by cajolery or coercion from the Whips' offices.

    Very good summary.

    More heat than light at present, but we have learned this week

    - Because of internal divides in Westminster, the EU are being forced to do the running to define our transition and end state (even though we are the ones exiting).

    - May doesn’t have the numbers for a hard-as-fuck Brexit (even if she wanted it, which seems unlikely)

    - But she also knows the loon bars (autocorrect, but good neologism) can bring her down if sufficiently incensed.

    - She will continue to concede when she thinks she can get away with it, as she did this week on the rights of EU nationals.

    The final deal will be whatever the EU can get through May, who in turn needs to get it through both ERG *and* Parliament.

    Expect global fudge supplies will be severely depleted by the end of all this.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    And that's with only 11 GW of leccy being generated by CCGTs. If we didn't have another 11 GW coming out of the remaining coal stations we'd be a bit buggered.

    When they say 'ship' presumably they are referring to LNG. I guess Grain, South Hook and Dragon are all vaporising and sticking gas into the grid at full pelt. And some LNG speculators are making £££.
    Interesting to see much derided wind power making a critical contribution.
    Solar, less so. But that will be generating flat out at lunchtime in July when we don't need the power. Solar only makes sense in locations where the peak power load is for air conditioning. Otherwise you are just idling dispatchable capacity in the summer, which then has to be given capacity payments (i.e. subsidies) to keep it available for the winter. The solar plant receives a subsidy to generate electricity, the CCGT receives a subsidy because it doesn't generate electricity. I do not believe this is the most cost effective way to reduce our CO2 emissions.
    The key to effective solar in the UK is storage. Until we can do that efficiently it is a bit of a subsidised nonsense. Thinking over my earlier comments however I suspect the more important part of our wind capacity is at sea these days making it less vulnerable to icing.
    Tesla recently built a massive battery in Australia for solar storage which seems to be working well, but as @Sandyrentool points out below solar works better in environments where the load is for air conditioning in the summer rather than heating in the winter.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 18,891

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    Trump would get the Siberans to pay
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    edited March 2018

    Ishmael_Z said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    It won't. Fake news.
    It is similar to holidaymakers who travel to areas not approved by the foreign office. And by the way it is not fake news, it was a responsible discussion by an insurance expert
    Has there actually been a state of emergency declared by the government, with people *ordered* not to drive? If not, it just sounds like insurance companies trying to wriggle out of claims.

    Still bloody silly to drive if you don’t have snow chains or winter tyres though.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,004
    edited March 2018
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police this morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently.

    Of course it only applies to the red weather zones
  • Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police thid morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently
    And what would the use be of a car insurance policy which excluded claims arising from one's own negligence?
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 15,547

    stodge said:

    Morning all :)

    Light snow here in East London this morning but plenty of heat if not light on matters A50 yesterday it would seem.

    While the Prime Minister, to "popular acclaim" (well, in parts of North Wales at least), did her usual Britannia (the symbol, not the impressive cruise ship) act and tried to galvanise her political base by standing up to "Johnny Foreigner", she was also caving in on immigration as apparently any EU national who comes during Transition will have the right to stay indefinitely - strange how that's not been mentioned but stridency over Ulster gets all the coverage.

    SNIP ***********

    Major's comments last evening didn't amount to much more than a frustrated ex-PM putting the boot in to those who made his last years in office purgatory. MPs will get a vote on the A50 Treaty (if there is one) and it remains to be seen if we will seen principle crushed by loyalty or long-held beliefs trampled by cajolery or coercion from the Whips' offices.

    Very good summary.

    More heat than light at present, but we have learned this week

    - Because of internal divides in Westminster, the EU are being forced to do the running to define our transition and end state (even though we are the ones exiting).

    - May doesn’t have the numbers for a hard-as-fuck Brexit (even if she wanted it, which seems unlikely)

    - But she also knows the loon bars (autocorrect, but good neologism) can bring her down if sufficiently incensed.

    - She will continue to concede when she thinks she can get away with it, as she did this week on the rights of EU nationals.

    The final deal will be whatever the EU can get through May, who in turn needs to get it through both ERG *and* Parliament.

    Expect global fudge supplies will be severely depleted by the end of all this.
    I don't expect a lot of fudge. There will be some on Ireland, but less than before. The EU are being very assertive, but I expect May to take her minute victories where she can. Even the headbangers.don't seem to think there's an alternative that works for them. They would have gone for it by now if there were

    Caveat. Scope for nasty accident however.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police this morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently.

    Of course it only applies to the red weather zones
    I am pretty sure that those people who spent their night stuck on the A80 would see the sense in your argument.
  • swing_voterswing_voter Posts: 1,435
    FF43 said:

    stodge said:

    Morning all :)

    Light snow here in East London this morning but plenty of heat if not light on matters A50 yesterday it would seem.

    While the Prime Minister, to "popular acclaim" (well, in parts of North Wales at least), did her usual Britannia (the symbol, not the impressive cruise ship) act and tried to galvanise her political base by standing up to "Johnny Foreigner", she was also caving in on immigration as apparently any EU national who comes during Transition will have the right to stay indefinitely - strange how that's not been mentioned but stridency over Ulster gets all the coverage.

    SNIP ***********

    Major's comments last evening didn't amount to much more than a frustrated ex-PM putting the boot in to those who made his last years in office purgatory. MPs will get a vote on the A50 Treaty (if there is one) and it remains to be seen if we will seen principle crushed by loyalty or long-held beliefs trampled by cajolery or coercion from the Whips' offices.

    Very good summary.

    More heat than light at present, but we have learned this week

    - Because of internal divides in Westminster, the EU are being forced to do the running to define our transition and end state (even though we are the ones exiting).

    - May doesn’t have the numbers for a hard-as-fuck Brexit (even if she wanted it, which seems unlikely)

    - But she also knows the loon bars (autocorrect, but good neologism) can bring her down if sufficiently incensed.

    - She will continue to concede when she thinks she can get away with it, as she did this week on the rights of EU nationals.

    The final deal will be whatever the EU can get through May, who in turn needs to get it through both ERG *and* Parliament.

    Expect global fudge supplies will be severely depleted by the end of all this.
    I don't expect a lot of fudge. There will be some on Ireland, but less than before. The EU are being very assertive, but I expect May to take her minute victories where she can. Even the headbangers.don't seem to think there's an alternative that works for them. They would have gone for it by now if there were

    Caveat. Scope for nasty accident however.
    Interesting discussion........scope for a new PM and possible Gen Election I think
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    I would wager that 90% of the 4WDs you see on the road have street tyres. So of course the 4-wheel helps but they have no more grip than a Ford Mondeo.
  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,745
    TGOHF said:

    stodge said:



    Back to the Irish Border Question - Barnier's proposal is not the EU position but it's what would or could happen if other solutions put forward by the UK were not possible.

    It's nonsense though - 1) it's not the only position 2) of the positions its a ridiculous one and 3) it gives the EU no incentive to agree to a new system (and this is an organisation that hates change) and 4) it smells like one of their duplicitous plots.
    As someone who voted LEAVE, I'm well aware this is a negotiating ploy. The EU have come up with something so completely unacceptable to the UK (as they knew it would be) that it prompts us to come up with some alternative suggestions.

    It focuses (as it should) the UK and everyone on the notion of a Customs Union and how operating without a Customs Union might look. Obviously, the EU want us to be in the CU - clearly, we can't if we want a truly internationalist UK post-EU - but if we can't, the EU is at least forcing the issue and is as well aware of the politics of the CU as we all are.
  • Ishmael_Z said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police thid morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently
    And what would the use be of a car insurance policy which excluded claims arising from one's own negligence?
    You make a good point but it does seem that driver's could be running the risk of their insurer rejecting a claim, it does not take much for them to try to find a way out of claims payments
  • TOPPING said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    I would wager that 90% of the 4WDs you see on the road have street tyres. So of course the 4-wheel helps but they have no more grip than a Ford Mondeo.
    4WD helps with going, but not with stopping!
  • Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police this morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently.

    Of course it only applies to the red weather zones
    I am pretty sure that those people who spent their night stuck on the A80 would see the sense in your argument.
    there are 2 different issues, 1. is it wise to drive in these conditions and 2. would doing so affect one's right to claim on one's insurance, and the answer to both is an emphatic no. There's the danger that people stuck on the A80 hear and believe this sort of misinformation, and freeze to death because they daren't drive home even when the snow plough has been and freed them, and so freeze to death.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776
    TOPPING said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    I would wager that 90% of the 4WDs you see on the road have street tyres. So of course the 4-wheel helps but they have no more grip than a Ford Mondeo.
    Very true. Garages around here used to offer a service to switch your car to winter tyres but very few do now because demand is so low. Its another part of the infrastructure designed to deal with bad weather that is falling into desuetude.

    My Audi has broad low profile tyres. They're not great in this. Thank goodness for the internet and the ability to work at home.
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    DavidL said:

    Mike’s point about the different polling methods is important. You can’t assume either is right. Probably a good idea to ignore the media narrative too if it’s not backed up clearly by polling.

    What does that leave? A market that we should leave alone?

    Given that the media narrative indicated that President Clinton was a relatively easy victor I see your point. They don't really seem to have come to terms with both the fact that Trump won and, more specifically, how he won.
    I wouldn't say that. It might well be wise to bet against the narrative.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    edited March 2018
    TOPPING said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    Just had a Guardian newsflash to say that the National Grid doesn’t, today, have enough gas to meet demand.
    'It is thought unlikely that the situation will affect supply to households, but if enough extra gas supplies by pipeline or ship are not forthcoming, it could affect industrial users.'

    http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

    Coal is nearly maxed out. We need to chuck a couple of lumps of uranium on the fire.
    Quite impressed by the wind contribution. Certainly in Scotland I would have expected many of the blades to be so iced up they couldn't move. Our Chief Executive instructed staff not to try to come to work today in Edinburgh.
    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    I would wager that 90% of the 4WDs you see on the road have street tyres. So of course the 4-wheel helps but they have no more grip than a Ford Mondeo.
    Yup. Most of their drivers also have little experience or training in driving in snow and ice. Skid pan training should really be compulsory, as should winter tyres.

    It’s the same here in Dubai when we have rain - loads of accidents caused by people driving too close, cornering too fast and cars with worn out tyres aquaplaning on the very smooth roads - roads that are designed for the summer heat, rather than the few days a year when they get wet.
  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,745
    edited March 2018
    As the weather is in everyone's thoughts currently, I'm going to say something positive (which will come as a surprise to the Government apologists).

    I travelled back from Guildford to East London yesterday evening and while the weather wasn't pleasant, I was able to work on gritted pavements virtually door-to-door and both South Western Railway (who have their detractors and it's not hard to see why) and the Underground were running perfectly well.

    I'm sure a number of people chose to work flexibly yesterday and it's encouraging to see people thinking sensibly and not living up to the British stereotype of "carrying on" and ending up spending the night in a car on some motorway or elsewhere.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776
    Ishmael_Z said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police this morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently.

    Of course it only applies to the red weather zones
    I am pretty sure that those people who spent their night stuck on the A80 would see the sense in your argument.
    there are 2 different issues, 1. is it wise to drive in these conditions and 2. would doing so affect one's right to claim on one's insurance, and the answer to both is an emphatic no. There's the danger that people stuck on the A80 hear and believe this sort of misinformation, and freeze to death because they daren't drive home even when the snow plough has been and freed them, and so freeze to death.
    The people on the A80 show another problem. Many people are deluded into believing that they were really some Nordic rally driver in a prior life who can cope in conditions mere mortals can't. And then they get stuck behind a jack knifed lorry.

    I agree I am not aware of any term in an insurance policy that excludes idiotic behaviour and I don't think such a term would be compatible with the Road Traffic Acts.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    Irish nationalists and the Dublin government, with whom many remainers are making common cause, prefer to focus on hazy concepts like the spirit of the accord and loose interpretations of its passages on identity, rather than more concrete provisions on sovereignty.......

    In the constitutional clauses that form the core of the document, the signatories acknowledged that “the present wish of a majority of the people in Northern Ireland, freely exercised and legitimate, is to maintain the Union and, accordingly, that Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom reflects and relies upon that wish; and that it would be wrong to make any change in the status of Northern Ireland save with the consent of a majority of its people”.

    The current threat to that principle comes, not from implementing Brexit, but from the idea that Northern Ireland might stay in the Customs Union or the Single Market while the rest of the UK leaves.


    https://capx.co/will-brexit-scupper-the-good-friday-agreement/
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    DavidL said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police this morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently.

    Of course it only applies to the red weather zones
    I am pretty sure that those people who spent their night stuck on the A80 would see the sense in your argument.
    there are 2 different issues, 1. is it wise to drive in these conditions and 2. would doing so affect one's right to claim on one's insurance, and the answer to both is an emphatic no. There's the danger that people stuck on the A80 hear and believe this sort of misinformation, and freeze to death because they daren't drive home even when the snow plough has been and freed them, and so freeze to death.
    The people on the A80 show another problem. Many people are deluded into believing that they were really some Nordic rally driver in a prior life who can cope in conditions mere mortals can't. And then they get stuck behind a jack knifed lorry.

    LOL that is so true. I, for example, am the best driver on the road by a country mile. Challenging road conditions that occur once a decade? I was born to it! :wink:
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,776

    DavidL said:

    Mike’s point about the different polling methods is important. You can’t assume either is right. Probably a good idea to ignore the media narrative too if it’s not backed up clearly by polling.

    What does that leave? A market that we should leave alone?

    Given that the media narrative indicated that President Clinton was a relatively easy victor I see your point. They don't really seem to have come to terms with both the fact that Trump won and, more specifically, how he won.
    I wouldn't say that. It might well be wise to bet against the narrative.
    I really struggle to see the GOP holding the House. I think they will hold the Senate. But the data, as you and the thread point out, is unreliable.

    President Trump taking on the NRA would be an interesting move. It just might move the generic vote back a bit and give some cover to some Republicans who want to do something about this madness.
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 12,883

    Jonathan said:

    It is a clear co-ordinated attack on Brexit by those who consider themselves superior to the ordinary voter but TM will stand firm as she showed to popular acclaim yesterday
    That was a party political broadcast by the Theresa May fanzine.
    Authorised by Big G, Chairman - Llandudno chapter.
    I like my promotion but if you have followed my recent postings I only support TM to do Brexit, thereafter someone new is required
    Why? The only way you'd want someone new after is if it's going to be a disaster and you need May to take the blame.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 15,547

    FF43 said:

    stodge said:

    Morning all :)

    Light snow here in East London this morning but plenty of heat if not light on matters A50 yesterday it would seem.

    While the Prime Minister, to "popular acclaim" (well, in parts of North Wales at least), did her usual Britannia (the symbol, not the impressive cruise ship) act and tried to galvanise her political base by standing up to "Johnny Foreigner", she was also caving in on immigration as apparently any EU national who comes during Transition will have the right to stay indefinitely - strange how that's not been mentioned but stridency over Ulster gets all the coverage.

    SNIP ***********

    Major's comments last evening didn't amount to much more than a frustrated ex-PM putting the boot in to those who made his last years in office purgatory. MPs will get a vote on the A50 Treaty (if there is one) and it remains to be seen if we will seen principle crushed by loyalty or long-held beliefs trampled by cajolery or coercion from the Whips' offices.

    Very good summary.

    More heat than light at present, but we have learned this week

    - Because of internal divides in Westminster, the EU are being forced to do the running to define our transition and end state (even though we are the ones exiting).

    - May doesn’t have the numbers for a hard-as-fuck Brexit (even if she wanted it, which seems unlikely)

    - But she also knows the loon bars (autocorrect, but good neologism) can bring her down if sufficiently incensed.

    - She will continue to concede when she thinks she can get away with it, as she did this week on the rights of EU nationals.

    The final deal will be whatever the EU can get through May, who in turn needs to get it through both ERG *and* Parliament.

    Expect global fudge supplies will be severely depleted by the end of all this.
    I don't expect a lot of fudge. There will be some on Ireland, but less than before. The EU are being very assertive, but I expect May to take her minute victories where she can. Even the headbangers.don't seem to think there's an alternative that works for them. They would have gone for it by now if there were

    Caveat. Scope for nasty accident however.
    Interesting discussion........scope for a new PM and possible Gen Election I think
    Possible. Like the second of the 2015 Greek government elections where Tsipras, having called a referendum to reject the EU bailout, agreed to it anyway and then called an election to boost his sagging authority. Which he won.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    UK not doing too badly - some European countries have shockingly high levels of non-native born unemployment - in Sweden's case that may lie behind a lot of their troubles:

    https://twitter.com/alexandreafonso/status/968872649651826688
  • Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981



    You make a good point but it does seem that driver's could be running the risk of their insurer rejecting a claim, it does not take much for them to try to find a way out of claims payments

    It doesn't seem that way, it really doesn't. There is far too much of the appeal to authority on this site, but I used to be a solicitor who used to spend all day every day thinking about marine insurance, and I have just now looked at my own car policy, and this is just not an issue.

    For a robust rebuttal from someone else, "A spokesman for the AA told the Record: "It's total nonsense to say you would not be covered during a red weather warning. "If you were caught up in the red warning on the road, are you supposed to pull over and freeze?

    "If you were to do something reckless, like drive at speed on treacherous roads, and that led to an accident that would be taken into account.

    "However, to say that people on the road currently in the red warning should somehow pull over and not drive, is silly.

    "We urge common sense, no one wants to be stuck in these conditions and it may be that instead of visiting relatives and plan to go home, postponing going home might be more sensible.

    "The Scottish government is asking for employers to have sympathy for the plight of employees in terms of getting in and getting home and we would wholeheartedly agree with that."

    https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/925665/red-weather-warning-car-insurance-invalidated-driving-snow-UK-Scotland
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 12,883
    TOPPING said:



    I would wager that 90% of the 4WDs you see on the road have street tyres. So of course the 4-wheel helps but they have no more grip than a Ford Mondeo.

    Mondeos have been available with 4WD since 2015.

    My wife has Pirelli Sottozeros on her Panamera and they are terrific on snow and ice. My car hasn't moved under its own power for nearly two years so I am untroubled by the difficulties of winter tyre selection.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    DavidL said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police this morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently.

    Of course it only applies to the red weather zones
    I am pretty sure that those people who spent their night stuck on the A80 would see the sense in your argument.
    there are 2 different issues, 1. is it wise to drive in these conditions and 2. would doing so affect one's right to claim on one's insurance, and the answer to both is an emphatic no. There's the danger that people stuck on the A80 hear and believe this sort of misinformation, and freeze to death because they daren't drive home even when the snow plough has been and freed them, and so freeze to death.
    The people on the A80 show another problem. Many people are deluded into believing that they were really some Nordic rally driver in a prior life who can cope in conditions mere mortals can't. And then they get stuck behind a jack knifed lorry.

    I agree I am not aware of any term in an insurance policy that excludes idiotic behaviour and I don't think such a term would be compatible with the Road Traffic Acts.
    Completely agree with the first paragraph.

    On the second, have insurance companies not refused claims from their clients who were subsequently prosecuted under the Road Traffic Acts, for dangerous driving or being under the influence? I think they would still meet third party claims even under those circumstances though.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    Barnier is freelancing, overstepped his authority, he doesn't have the backing of...

    https://twitter.com/gdnpolitics/status/969152419836846080
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    TOPPING said:

    DavidL said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Jonathan said:

    An interesting conversation on the radio this mornimg suggested that if anyone tries to drive their car in a red weather zone they will negate their insurance. Bet not many have thought of that
    Not sure I believe that but that doesn't mean it is not an idiotic thing to do, certainly without 4 wheel driver and considerable experience. It scares me when on snow and you still see peoples' brake lights coming on to control the speed of the car. Some of them will be automatics and have limited choice but others you need to stay away from.

    I made a late run to Tescos last night. The roads here were distinctly tricky and there were vehicles stuck all over the place. And we are to the north of the worst affected parts. Its more than 5 years since we had snow like this.
    It does make sense. A red weather zone is an explicit request not to travel and listening to the Police this morning thay are saying do not travel so if you ignore that you could be considered to be acting negligently.

    Of course it only applies to the red weather zones
    I am pretty sure that those people who spent their night stuck on the A80 would see the sense in your argument.
    there are 2 different issues, 1. is it wise to drive in these conditions and 2. would doing so affect one's right to claim on one's insurance, and the answer to both is an emphatic no. There's the danger that people stuck on the A80 hear and believe this sort of misinformation, and freeze to death because they daren't drive home even when the snow plough has been and freed them, and so freeze to death.
    The people on the A80 show another problem. Many people are deluded into believing that they were really some Nordic rally driver in a prior life who can cope in conditions mere mortals can't. And then they get stuck behind a jack knifed lorry.

    LOL that is so true. I, for example, am the best driver on the road by a country mile. Challenging road conditions that occur once a decade? I was born to it! :wink:
    Don't most drivers rate themselves as 'above average'?
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    Morning all. Been snowing constantly since our director sent us home today and not much to do tbh ATM (Auditors have finished up)
    Bread and milk in but still have to head out to look after the fiancée's two horses (She is 100 miles away due to circumstances lol). Lots of carrots for 20 yr old Ging out on the top.
  • Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981
    Pulpstar said:

    Morning all. Been snowing constantly since our director sent us home today and not much to do tbh ATM (Auditors have finished up)
    Bread and milk in but still have to head out to look after the fiancée's two horses (She is 100 miles away due to circumstances lol). Lots of carrots for 20 yr old Ging out on the top.

    Remember to take a lump hammer for ice in the troughs.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,961
    Scott_P said:

    Barnier is freelancing, overstepped his authority, he doesn't have the backing of...

    https://twitter.com/gdnpolitics/status/969152419836846080

    Oh, he has the Boards/boss's/manager's support does he? We know how well that usually plays out.....
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    edited March 2018
    Dura_Ace said:

    TOPPING said:



    I would wager that 90% of the 4WDs you see on the road have street tyres. So of course the 4-wheel helps but they have no more grip than a Ford Mondeo.

    Mondeos have been available with 4WD since 2015.

    My wife has Pirelli Sottozeros on her Panamera and they are terrific on snow and ice. My car hasn't moved under its own power for nearly two years so I am untroubled by the difficulties of winter tyre selection.
    Scorpions for me.

    There is also the precautionary principle at play. When I used to ride my bike (Bandit) in a suit and puffa jacket, I would take things easy, very few pizza delivery moments, etc. When I was in the full robocop protection kit, I'd ride like a maniac.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 60,933
    Mr. P, anybody supporting judicial imperialism whereby the EU takes regulatory control of Northern Ireland and an internal trade barrier is imposed within the territory of the United Kingdom is against the British interest.

    Suppose we demanded the same for Brittany, that it should have regulations set by the UK and have a customs barrier with the rest of France (unless France also agreed to have its customs dictated by us). Does that sound remotely reasonable?

    It is a contemptible position for the EU to adopt.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,812
    FF43 said:

    FF43 said:

    stodge said:

    Morning all :)

    Light snow here in East London this morning but plenty of heat if not light on matters A50 yesterday it would seem.

    While the Prime Minister, to "popular acclaim" (well, in parts of North Wales at least), did her usual Britannia (the symbol, not the impressive cruise ship) act and tried to galvanise her political base by standing up to "Johnny Foreigner", she was also caving in on immigration as apparently any EU national who comes during Transition will have the right to stay indefinitely - strange how that's not been mentioned but stridency over Ulster gets all the coverage.

    SNIP ***********

    Major's comments last evening didn't amount to much more than a frustrated ex-PM putting the boot in to those who made his last years in office purgatory. MPs will get a vote on the A50 Treaty (if there is one) and it remains to be seen if we will seen principle crushed by loyalty or long-held beliefs trampled by cajolery or coercion from the Whips' offices.

    Very good summary.

    More heat than light at present, but we have learned this as she did this week on the rights of EU nationals.

    The final deal will be whatever the EU can get through May, who in turn needs to get it through both ERG *and* Parliament.

    Expect global fudge supplies will be severely depleted by the end of all this.
    I don't expect a lot of fudge. There will be some on Ireland, but less than before. The EU are being very assertive, but I expect May to take her minute victories where she can. Even the headbangers.don't seem to think there's an alternative that works for them. They would have gone for it by now if there were

    Caveat. Scope for nasty accident however.
    Interesting discussion........scope for a new PM and possible Gen Election I think
    Possible. Like the second of the 2015 Greek government elections where Tsipras, having called a referendum to reject the EU bailout, agreed to it anyway and then called an election to boost his sagging authority. Which he won.
    Unlikely, unless May is in a total bind.
    As you say, there actually isn’t a coherent headbanger plan to leave the EU. There are enough of them (and loon bar supporting media) to cause trouble, but there’s no vision to capture hearts and minds.

    The Singapore of the North Atlantic has submerged into the deep, being an altogether flimsy construction anyway.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,404
    The trouble with travel warnings is that they usually say "Don't make non-essential journeys". Then we all have to decide whether or not going to work is an essential or non-essential journey.

    Better advice would be "Don't go to work unless peoples safety depends on you being there" or something similar. The paperclips can be counted tomorrow.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 38,879

    UK not doing too badly - some European countries have shockingly high levels of non-native born unemployment - in Sweden's case that may lie behind a lot of their troubles:

    https://twitter.com/alexandreafonso/status/968872649651826688

    Very interesting.

    In the UK most people come specifically to work here. In the Scandinavian countries they are much more likely arrive as refugees, so maybe have a very different mind-set - at least initially.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 49,961
    Dura_Ace said:

    Jonathan said:

    It is a clear co-ordinated attack on Brexit by those who consider themselves superior to the ordinary voter but TM will stand firm as she showed to popular acclaim yesterday
    That was a party political broadcast by the Theresa May fanzine.
    Authorised by Big G, Chairman - Llandudno chapter.
    I like my promotion but if you have followed my recent postings I only support TM to do Brexit, thereafter someone new is required
    Why? The only way you'd want someone new after is if it's going to be a disaster and you need May to take the blame.
    Or to bed in someone who isn't a complete dud at fighting elections....
  • AndyJSAndyJS Posts: 29,395
    The weather's not too bad in the Midlands at the moment. 35 mile drive this morning was surprisingly trouble-free despite it being -3 degrees.
This discussion has been closed.