Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Options

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Salmond acquitted on all charges

1356712

Comments

  • Options
    SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,603
    The Rentool formula says current infection level is between 268,000 and 536,000.
  • Options

    Scott_xP said:
    I think Priti's 'points-based system' will be stone dead after this - when it's revealed how many wouldn't have been on the frontline had it been in place now.
    I'm sure the low skilled Food and Retail workers will welcome more wage suppressing Immigration.
  • Options
    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,658
    MaxPB said:

    DWP site 10 mins ago

    You will need to:

    designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
    submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
    HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers.

    Is there a betting market for "word of the year 2020"? I am plumping for "furlough".
    I'm going for epidemiologist. Of the armchair variety.
    Er... coronavirus?
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,881

    DWP site 10 mins ago

    You will need to:

    designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
    submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
    HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers.

    Is there a betting market for "word of the year 2020"? I am plumping for "furlough".
    I'll go for "coronavirus". :)
  • Options
    RobD said:

    FCO advising all British tourists to return home immediately. Lockdown/full border closure imminent, by the looks of it.

    I'm just hoping I can come home for Christmas. :D
    Our one family member abroad was perfectly happy to not return, when I spoke to him last week. He's probably safer where he is.
  • Options
    RobD said:

    Looks as if they anticipate a worldwide grounding of flights
    That's mostly happened already.
    You do wonder just how long US planes will be allowed to fly out of the US on international routes
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,263
    PM now due at 8.30pm
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,263

    RobD said:

    Looks as if they anticipate a worldwide grounding of flights
    That's mostly happened already.
    You do wonder just how long US planes will be allowed to fly out of the US on international routes
    Within is now the bigger problem IMO
  • Options
    TheWhiteRabbitTheWhiteRabbit Posts: 12,387

    Looks as if they anticipate a worldwide grounding of flights
    Germany will unexpectedly hit its 2020 emission targets and BoJo might yet deliver net immigration in the tens of thousands!!
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,263
    Sandpit said:

    DWP site 10 mins ago

    You will need to:

    designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
    submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
    HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers.

    Is there a betting market for "word of the year 2020"? I am plumping for "furlough".
    I'll go for "coronavirus". :)
    Social distancing

    No contest
  • Options
    DougSealDougSeal Posts: 11,137
    edited March 2020

    1000 new cases over last 24hrs on ~6000 tests....Time for Boris to pull that big emergency break lever.

    While I am wholly aware of the gravity of the situation we are in and would not wish to downplay it...this take is so hot you could build an igloo on the Sun by comparison
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,718
    Sandpit said:

    DWP site 10 mins ago

    You will need to:

    designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
    submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
    HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers.

    Is there a betting market for "word of the year 2020"? I am plumping for "furlough".
    I'll go for "coronavirus". :)
    Bum-wipe?
  • Options
    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962

    RobD said:

    FCO advising all British tourists to return home immediately. Lockdown/full border closure imminent, by the looks of it.

    I'm just hoping I can come home for Christmas. :D
    Our one family member abroad was perfectly happy to not return, when I spoke to him last week. He's probably safer where he is.
    Was he visiting Southern Thule?
  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,189

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Which season do you think they should cancel?

    The right thing is to do nothing until it becomes clear when football might resume.
  • Options
    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,658
    edited March 2020
    Sandpit said:

    DWP site 10 mins ago

    You will need to:

    designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
    submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
    HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers.

    Is there a betting market for "word of the year 2020"? I am plumping for "furlough".
    I'll go for "coronavirus". :)
    Nabbed it just before you! :wink:
  • Options
    Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,576
    edited March 2020
    "Coronaviruses: The Next Disease X?
    Nov 5, 2019"

    https://thenativeantigencompany.com/coronaviruses-the-next-disease-x/


    "Disease X dummy run: World health experts prepare for a deadly pandemic and its fallout
    21 OCTOBER 2019"

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/disease-x-dummy-run-world-health-experts-prepare-deadly-pandemic/
  • Options
    IanB2 said:

    RobD said:

    Looks as if they anticipate a worldwide grounding of flights
    That's mostly happened already.
    You do wonder just how long US planes will be allowed to fly out of the US on international routes
    Within is now the bigger problem IMO
    It is both really. The US looks as if it is becoming a nightmare
  • Options
    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    kinabalu said:

    Olympics off, I hear.

    Gutted.

    Dick Pound has just confirmed.
    Was just about to post a mindless political point but realized we are beyond that.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,285
    edited March 2020
    So which journalist is going to stand up and say Mr Prime Minster, don't you think your measures are going too far, they are borderline authoritarian and racist...they discriminate against the poor and the disabled.
  • Options
    FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195

    kinabalu said:

    Olympics off, I hear.

    Gutted.

    Dick Pound has just confirmed.
    Now there's a chap who should know how to entertain himself while self isolating.
    There was a guy in my industry called Richard Head.... how can any parent be that dense?
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Far different types of event, particularly behind closed doors. Not to say it won't be entirely called off, but one major event being off doesn't automatically rule out carefully controlled other events.
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,718

    The Rentool formula says current infection level is between 268,000 and 536,000.
    So, over 90% of those tested do not have Covid-19. What`s going on? Are folk going to NHS to get tested when they just have a cold?
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871

    DougSeal said:

    Does this verdict change much? People make their own minds up as to guilt or innocence and a verdict won’t change their minds. See OJ Simpson where the reaction to the verdict was split on racial lines. In this case I would imagine that reaction will be similarly polarised according to your own view of the individual.

    The presence of the "not proven" verdict option in Scotland ought to give more weight to a "not guilty" verdict. In other jurisdictions, "not proven" and "not guilty" get lumped together under "not guilty".
    It is NOT GUILTY and sticks in unionists craws
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,881

    RobD said:

    FCO advising all British tourists to return home immediately. Lockdown/full border closure imminent, by the looks of it.

    I'm just hoping I can come home for Christmas. :D
    Our one family member abroad was perfectly happy to not return, when I spoke to him last week. He's probably safer where he is.
    Yep, I'm staying put somewhere hot and humid, with few cases and good healthcare, thanks FCO.
  • Options
    DougSealDougSeal Posts: 11,137

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    It is relatively straightforward to play out the remainder of the season behind closed doors on short if the situation improves. The logistical nightmare of cancelling the Olympics late in the day is of a degree of magnitude more serious.
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,959
    Stocky said:

    The Rentool formula says current infection level is between 268,000 and 536,000.
    So, over 90% of those tested do not have Covid-19. What`s going on? Are folk going to NHS to get tested when they just have a cold?
    At the beginning of the CV-19 pandemic, it was 95+% negative. In Italy it peaked in the mid-30s, but is now down to the low 20s.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,285
    Word(s) of the year should definitely be Toilettenpapierrolle Hamsterkauf !!!
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962
    malcolmg said:

    DougSeal said:

    Does this verdict change much? People make their own minds up as to guilt or innocence and a verdict won’t change their minds. See OJ Simpson where the reaction to the verdict was split on racial lines. In this case I would imagine that reaction will be similarly polarised according to your own view of the individual.

    The presence of the "not proven" verdict option in Scotland ought to give more weight to a "not guilty" verdict. In other jurisdictions, "not proven" and "not guilty" get lumped together under "not guilty".
    It is NOT GUILTY and sticks in unionists craws
    But there was one where it was not proven, wasn't there?
  • Options
    tlg86 said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Which season do you think they should cancel?

    The right thing is to do nothing until it becomes clear when football might resume.
    The current season in all competitions thereby providing space for next season

    And give Liverpool the de facto title
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871
    FF43 said:

    kinabalu said:

    DavidL said:

    Gordon Jackson is a phenomenal criminal lawyer but this must be close to his greatest triumph. His jury speech seems to have swung it. Something just didn't smell right he said. Not going to waste my breath saying he is a nice man. But he is facing serious criminal charges in the High Court.

    Or to paraphrase the late great Johnnie -

    The man's a shit. But you must acquit.
    The reputational problem for Salmond is that he has been acquitted but he's still a shit. Or at least his behaviour was.
    He will still have shedloads of supporters, he has been proven totally innocent. Unionists hate it but tough luck.
  • Options
    eristdooferistdoof Posts: 4,890
    edited March 2020

    Foxy said:

    Floater said:

    Boris Johnson will address the nation this evening and announce a new, stricter lockdown policy for the UK, the Telegraph understands.

    Mr Johnson will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee at 5pm today, then update the country on the latest social distancing measures Downing Street will impose.

    The address, which is expected at around 7pm this evening, will likely include the closure of all shops except supermarkets, food stores and pharmacies.

    The new measures come as the NHS announced 46 more people have died from Covid-19 in England in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of UK deaths to 335

    281 (Sunday's total) + 54 = 335

    So 54 = 46 (Eng.) + 8 (other parts of UK)

    would be my interpretation of that.
    Its key to remember again that is deaths with Covid 19, not necessarily because of Covid 19
    I would be cautious. Until we get testing up to speed and enough reagents to test more patients, we may be significantly under measuring too.
    I will just post this graph again from the ONS

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/highestnumberofexcesswinterdeathssince19992000/2015-11-25

    2014/15 Excess Winter deaths due to flu were 44000, thats between 400-500 extra deaths each day. It didn't even make the news.
    Did 19 Doctors in one developed country die from flu in 2014/15? In one month?
    That is one reason why this disease is so much worse than flu.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962
    Also, based on that poll 90% of people are following government advice in one way or another.
  • Options
    HYUFD said:
    Of course, he would have said that after a guilty verdict, too.
  • Options
    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Football is in mid season whereas the olympics haven’t started it is probably just a desire to find an equitable way out of an unprecedented set of circumstances. They will get there eventually and come up with something Which I'm sure some will be unhappy with.
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871

    In private, much of the Scottish political and media class already had him hanged, drawn and quartered and so this verdict is being met with a mixture of shock, horror and contempt. But the law is the law and the law says he didn’t do it. The consequences of this are far-reaching. Salmond is not a man who parts with grudges readily. The reckoning that is about to hit will make the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs look like a pebble dropped in a puddle.....

    Whatever his opponents inside and outside the SNP may think of him, he has a compelling story to tell. He has cleared his name of serious charges. His assertion that he was a victim of a political conspiracy now appears to carry the imprimatur of a High Court jury. Alex Salmond is back from the dead and he will have his revenge.


    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/get-ready-for-the-salmond-reckoning

    Will be a good few ruing the day right enough.
  • Options
    RobD said:

    malcolmg said:

    DougSeal said:

    Does this verdict change much? People make their own minds up as to guilt or innocence and a verdict won’t change their minds. See OJ Simpson where the reaction to the verdict was split on racial lines. In this case I would imagine that reaction will be similarly polarised according to your own view of the individual.

    The presence of the "not proven" verdict option in Scotland ought to give more weight to a "not guilty" verdict. In other jurisdictions, "not proven" and "not guilty" get lumped together under "not guilty".
    It is NOT GUILTY and sticks in unionists craws
    But there was one where it was not proven, wasn't there?
    Malc. This is an internal civil war in the SNP

    This unionist is confident that with covid 19 and the SNP tearing itself apart independence is disappearing over the horizon
  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,189
    edited March 2020

    tlg86 said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Which season do you think they should cancel?

    The right thing is to do nothing until it becomes clear when football might resume.
    The current season in all competitions thereby providing space for next season

    And give Liverpool the de facto title
    I think that is a really bad idea. Imagine we did that, and next season starts in August. And then in November the virus numbers start going back up. What happens then? We lose another season.

    The sensible thing to do is to sit tight until we know when football can come back. Personally I would finish this season and run a truncated 2020-21 season. That leaves plenty of room for further interruptions.
  • Options
    Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,413
    Nicola is coming over very well in this crisis. Not sure if she would want it, but a peerage at the end of this wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. She clearly wants an escape route.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962

    Nicola is coming over very well in this crisis. Not sure if she would want it, but a peerage at the end of this wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. She clearly wants an escape route.
    SNP types don't take peerages, and I doubt she would be the first to break that tradition.
  • Options
    Jesus, this report on the BBC Six O'Clock from Madrid is shocking.
  • Options
    Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,413

    1000 new cases over last 24hrs on ~6000 tests....Time for Boris to pull that big emergency break lever.

    No. We are looking at results of actions from two weeks ago. How many times does this need explaining?
  • Options
    ParistondaParistonda Posts: 1,819
    So is the Salmond acquittal good or bad news for Sturgeon?
  • Options
    ABZABZ Posts: 441
    kinabalu said:

    There is absolutely no chance of Covid-19 deaths in the UK getting anywhere near 50,000. I won't post for a month as a divergent opinion is not welcome amongst the field of virology experts on here.

    The focus on death toll misses the USP of this virus. Which is that it spreads like a forest fire AND puts a double digit % of those who get it into hospital - thus knocking over health systems. In this sense - that of creating maximum disruption - it is damn nigh perfect. If the Big Controller wanted to design a bug to torment its playthings this is what it would come up with. It's not too hot, not too cold. It's right in the kisser. Just contagious enough but not too much. Just deadly enough but not too much. If you ignore it, there's a health catastrophe. And to avoid that you have to wreck your economy and impoverish yourselves. It's a thing of beauty.
    Yes - that's a very fair summary!! on the plus side, next time round we will be much better prepared (ventilators / mass testing / anti-virals) so it will not cripple us to the same extent. Having said that, we will have to practice a degree of social distancing for quite a while and, I'd guess, avoid conferences / flying / poorly ventilated spaces for a good period. Of course, next time a chunk of people will also have a degree of immunity - we just don't know - at present, how big that chunk is. So, yes, it has messed up the economy but we should be able to slowly start ramping back up in a few weeks, once the 'hard' lockdown has finished.
  • Options
    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,658
    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    "Boris has said..." Well that's alright then, bound to be over by June!
  • Options
    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,055

    Nicola is coming over very well in this crisis. Not sure if she would want it, but a peerage at the end of this wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. She clearly wants an escape route.
    The SNP has a policy of not accepting peerages.
  • Options
    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    Get real.

    Boris saying he wants peak in three months does not make it happen and countries are already withdrawing from the olympics including Canada

    If you think we will be back to normal by mid summer you are a fiction writer
  • Options

    So is the Salmond acquittal good or bad news for Sturgeon?

    To be honest it won't matter, she like a lot of politicians, will only be judged on her response to Covid-19.
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871
    tlg86 said:

    DougSeal said:

    Does this verdict change much? People make their own minds up as to guilt or innocence and a verdict won’t change their minds. See OJ Simpson where the reaction to the verdict was split on racial lines. In this case I would imagine that reaction will be similarly polarised according to your own view of the individual.

    The presence of the "not proven" verdict option in Scotland ought to give more weight to a "not guilty" verdict. In other jurisdictions, "not proven" and "not guilty" get lumped together under "not guilty".
    I think it's unhelpful. All it does in this case is suggest that the jury thought there might have been something to the most serious allegation.
    That was not the most serious allegation by a country mile, can you not hide your unionist bias.
  • Options
    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483
    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    You are behind the curve on this I’m not sure what boris has to do with it
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    edited March 2020
    Notice no congratulations from Sturgeon to Salmond there, no welcome back to the SNP either.

    Salmond will not forget that or being hung out to dry by Sturgeon and will want to be the nationalist Boris to Sturgeon's May as he plots his revenge and his comeback
  • Options

    Nicola is coming over very well in this crisis. Not sure if she would want it, but a peerage at the end of this wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. She clearly wants an escape route.
    Nicola has been excellent in this crisis
  • Options
    FloaterFloater Posts: 14,195

    Jesus, this report on the BBC Six O'Clock from Madrid is shocking.

    Did they mention taking over the ice rink to use as extra mortuary space
  • Options
    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,959
    So, I've run my ruler over the Italy numbers, and there's one big bit of good news, one bit of OK news, and one bit of bad news.

    Firstly, the good news is that the number of new cases, at 3,780, is the lowest since last Tuesday. In Lombardy, yesterday's good number was beaten, with 1,555 cases (down from 1,691). In Veneto, the drop was even bigger to 383 from 505.

    The OK news is that this in the context of a test positive percentage of 22%, the same as yesterday, and well down on the 33% reached six days ago.

    The bad news is that there is almost certainly a weekend effect in there. The number of tests, which had been running in the mid-20,000s range dropped to 17,000. This means that a lot of the drop off is probably due to fewer tests. (However, it is still worth remembering that the last time there were 17,000 tests - last Weds - they got more than 5,000 positive results. So, there is still clearly an improvement.)

    Basically, one would expect to see the number of tests rise again tomorrow towards the mid 20,000s. This will almost certainly result in a higher number of positive results - I wouldn't be surprised to see it come out in the 4-4,500 range. However, this will likely be in the context of a positive rate that drops below 20% for the first time in weeks.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    nichomar said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    You are behind the curve on this I’m not sure what boris has to do with it
    No big events have yet been postponed beyond June and that applies globally as well as the UK
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871
    HYUFD said:
    The Tories are always found guilty of their cases, old carcrash should perhaps keep it quiet.
  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,189
    From Wikipedia:

    Both in the "solemn" and the "summary" acquittals, not proven is interpreted as indicating that the jury or judge, respectively, is not convinced of the innocence of the accused; in fact, they may be morally convinced that the accused is guilty, but do not find the proofs sufficient for a conviction. One reason for this is the rule that in such cases the evidence for the prosecution must be corroborated in order to permit a conviction. Thus, there might be a single plaintiff or witness for the prosecution, which the jury or judge believes is both truthful and trustworthy, but no other witness or circumstances against the accused. By Scottish law, the accused then should be acquitted, but often will be so by the verdict not proven.
  • Options
    Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,413
    RobD said:

    Nicola is coming over very well in this crisis. Not sure if she would want it, but a peerage at the end of this wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. She clearly wants an escape route.
    SNP types don't take peerages, and I doubt she would be the first to break that tradition.
    You never know. With our departure from the EU, that source of second career has been closed off (heart of stone etc.). Salmond's acquittal is a stay of execution, but probably only temporary.
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871

    So is the Salmond acquittal good or bad news for Sturgeon?

    Very Bad
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    edited March 2020

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    Get real.

    Boris saying he wants peak in three months does not make it happen and countries are already withdrawing from the olympics including Canada

    If you think we will be back to normal by mid summer you are a fiction writer
    We cannot cancel everything for the rest of the year, provided the peak is over by June normal service should resume as much as possible from then, certainly until the next likely peak next Winter
  • Options
    On topic, whoever advised Alex Salmond to say that he's no angel deserves a good shooing.
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871

    RobD said:

    malcolmg said:

    DougSeal said:

    Does this verdict change much? People make their own minds up as to guilt or innocence and a verdict won’t change their minds. See OJ Simpson where the reaction to the verdict was split on racial lines. In this case I would imagine that reaction will be similarly polarised according to your own view of the individual.

    The presence of the "not proven" verdict option in Scotland ought to give more weight to a "not guilty" verdict. In other jurisdictions, "not proven" and "not guilty" get lumped together under "not guilty".
    It is NOT GUILTY and sticks in unionists craws
    But there was one where it was not proven, wasn't there?
    Malc. This is an internal civil war in the SNP

    This unionist is confident that with covid 19 and the SNP tearing itself apart independence is disappearing over the horizon
    I would not put money on that G, delayed but will be top of the agenda as soon as the Virus is beaten.
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,881

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
    A lot of sports have also had their national and international qualifying tournaments cancelled, so who should even turn up in the first place?
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,285

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
    Perhaps we could replace it with a real life Battle Royale remake. Send the idiots that were seen in Tenerife causing trouble, along with dickheads from all the other nations. You get caught breaking the lockdown rules, you are going to be new Olympics...
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962
    edited March 2020
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    Get real.

    Boris saying he wants peak in three months does not make it happen and countries are already withdrawing from the olympics including Canada

    If you think we will be back to normal by mid summer you are a fiction writer
    We cannot cancel everything for the rest of the year, provide the peak is over by June normal service should resume as much as possible, certainly until the next likely peak next Winter
    Remember, at the peak of the outbreak only half of those that will eventually be infected have got it.
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871
    RobD said:

    malcolmg said:

    DougSeal said:

    Does this verdict change much? People make their own minds up as to guilt or innocence and a verdict won’t change their minds. See OJ Simpson where the reaction to the verdict was split on racial lines. In this case I would imagine that reaction will be similarly polarised according to your own view of the individual.

    The presence of the "not proven" verdict option in Scotland ought to give more weight to a "not guilty" verdict. In other jurisdictions, "not proven" and "not guilty" get lumped together under "not guilty".
    It is NOT GUILTY and sticks in unionists craws
    But there was one where it was not proven, wasn't there?
    In Scotland that is exactly the same as Innocent.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    malcolmg said:

    HYUFD said:
    The Tories are always found guilty of their cases, old carcrash should perhaps keep it quiet.
    Nigel Evans for example was found innocent
  • Options
    Sandpit said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
    A lot of sports have also had their national and international qualifying tournaments cancelled, so who should even turn up in the first place?
    Quite.

    Perhaps the athletes should have a vote on who should represent Team GB at the Olympics.

    Perhaps conduct it under AV, the fairest voting system in the world.
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,718
    malcolmg said:

    So is the Salmond acquittal good or bad news for Sturgeon?

    Very Bad
    Can you just summarise why? (Sorry, I should know this.)
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
    For a smaller scale Olympics they can, everyone will be in the same boat anyway
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871
  • Options
    BannedinnParisBannedinnParis Posts: 1,884
    RobD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    Get real.

    Boris saying he wants peak in three months does not make it happen and countries are already withdrawing from the olympics including Canada

    If you think we will be back to normal by mid summer you are a fiction writer
    We cannot cancel everything for the rest of the year, provide the peak is over by June normal service should resume as much as possible, certainly until the next likely peak next Winter
    Remember, at the peak of the outbreak only half of those that will eventually be infected have got it.
    Not sure that's the case.

    There's a fundamental difference between halving the area under a curve vs picking the maximum point and splitting it that way.
  • Options
    BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,434

    In private, much of the Scottish political and media class already had him hanged, drawn and quartered and so this verdict is being met with a mixture of shock, horror and contempt. But the law is the law and the law says he didn’t do it. The consequences of this are far-reaching. Salmond is not a man who parts with grudges readily. The reckoning that is about to hit will make the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs look like a pebble dropped in a puddle.....

    Whatever his opponents inside and outside the SNP may think of him, he has a compelling story to tell. He has cleared his name of serious charges. His assertion that he was a victim of a political conspiracy now appears to carry the imprimatur of a High Court jury. Alex Salmond is back from the dead and he will have his revenge.


    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/get-ready-for-the-salmond-reckoning

    Yep. The verdict stands.
    Therefore we have to say that millions have been spent adjudicating on a politically inspired bunfight within the SNP if we are to believe, as we must, the comments of the defence counsel.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    edited March 2020
    RobD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    Get real.

    Boris saying he wants peak in three months does not make it happen and countries are already withdrawing from the olympics including Canada

    If you think we will be back to normal by mid summer you are a fiction writer
    We cannot cancel everything for the rest of the year, provide the peak is over by June normal service should resume as much as possible, certainly until the next likely peak next Winter
    Remember, at the peak of the outbreak only half of those that will eventually be infected have got it.
    There will be further peaks to come but we cannot realistically see the whole world go into solitary confinement for up to 2 years or longer if a vaccine is not found, certainly beyond the peak periods of Covid 19.

    If the death rate was 95% maybe but it is 5%
  • Options
    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 41,871
    HYUFD said:

    Notice no congratulations from Sturgeon to Salmond there, no welcome back to the SNP either.

    Salmond will not forget that or being hung out to dry by Sturgeon and will want to be the nationalist Boris to Sturgeon's May as he plots his revenge and his comeback
    Her tea is oot.
  • Options
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
    For a smaller scale Olympics they can, everyone will be in the same boat anyway
    No they won't.

    Different countries have different rates of infection and are further/lower down the curve.

    Plus a lot of Team GB athletes go overseas for warm weather/altitude training, something they cannot do, and gives an advantage to countries with warmer weather/higher altitudes.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,263
    Stocky said:

    The Rentool formula says current infection level is between 268,000 and 536,000.
    So, over 90% of those tested do not have Covid-19. What`s going on? Are folk going to NHS to get tested when they just have a cold?
    There was an item on the lunchtime news from GPs reporting that some people are apparently exaggerating or making up their symptoms and/or travel history in order to get in to see a doctor and ask for a test. Some of them confess once they get the appointment they are wanting.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962

    RobD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    Get real.

    Boris saying he wants peak in three months does not make it happen and countries are already withdrawing from the olympics including Canada

    If you think we will be back to normal by mid summer you are a fiction writer
    We cannot cancel everything for the rest of the year, provide the peak is over by June normal service should resume as much as possible, certainly until the next likely peak next Winter
    Remember, at the peak of the outbreak only half of those that will eventually be infected have got it.
    Not sure that's the case.

    There's a fundamental difference between halving the area under a curve vs picking the maximum point and splitting it that way.
    Most of the projections looks roughly symmetric. So if you are near the peak you are probably quite close to 50% of the total area.
  • Options
    BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,434
    RobD said:

    Nicola is coming over very well in this crisis. Not sure if she would want it, but a peerage at the end of this wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. She clearly wants an escape route.
    SNP types don't take peerages, and I doubt she would be the first to break that tradition.
    Not quite right. Donald Stewart, former leader of the SNP and MP for the Western Isles, accepted a peerage.
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,718
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
    For a smaller scale Olympics they can, everyone will be in the same boat anyway
    Maybe they can do a mini-olympics in their own homes. Press-ups, star jumps, burpees that sort of thing?
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,285
    A number of French fashion houses have announced they will be producing coronavirus masks

    Design houses Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga will shift their attentions from high fashion to producing surgical face masks to aid the global coronavirus assault, their parent company Kering said.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,263
    edited March 2020
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    But the athletes have a training schedule between now and July that they cannot adhere to.

    They can't turn up to the Olympics with just a month's training.
    For a smaller scale Olympics they can, everyone will be in the same boat anyway
    That’s not going to be much of a race, is it?
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,186
    IanB2 said:

    Sandpit said:

    DWP site 10 mins ago

    You will need to:

    designate affected employees as ‘furloughed workers,’ and notify your employees of this change - changing the status of employees remains subject to existing employment law and, depending on the employment contract, may be subject to negotiation
    submit information to HMRC about the employees that have been furloughed and their earnings through a new online portal (HMRC will set out further details on the information required)
    HMRC will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. HMRC are working urgently to set up a system for reimbursement. Existing systems are not set up to facilitate payments to employers.

    Is there a betting market for "word of the year 2020"? I am plumping for "furlough".
    I'll go for "coronavirus". :)
    Social distancing

    No contest
    That’s two words.
  • Options

    A number of French fashion houses have announced they will be producing coronavirus masks

    Design houses Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga will shift their attentions from high fashion to producing surgical face masks to aid the global coronavirus assault, their parent company Kering said.

    Ooh.
  • Options
    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,285
    Panama has confirmed the death of a 13-year-old girl from Covid-19.
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,959
    RobD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Olympics off does raise the question why football is messing around and not cancelling the season

    Indeed it may be late autumn before any football can be played if even then

    Olympics is not yet confirmed to be off, Boris has said he wants the peak over by the end of June, the Olympics does not begin until the end of July
    Get real.

    Boris saying he wants peak in three months does not make it happen and countries are already withdrawing from the olympics including Canada

    If you think we will be back to normal by mid summer you are a fiction writer
    We cannot cancel everything for the rest of the year, provide the peak is over by June normal service should resume as much as possible, certainly until the next likely peak next Winter
    Remember, at the peak of the outbreak only half of those that will eventually be infected have got it.
    That rather assumes the curve will look like a normal distribution.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,962

    RobD said:

    Nicola is coming over very well in this crisis. Not sure if she would want it, but a peerage at the end of this wouldn't be entirely unwarranted. She clearly wants an escape route.
    SNP types don't take peerages, and I doubt she would be the first to break that tradition.
    Not quite right. Donald Stewart, former leader of the SNP and MP for the Western Isles, accepted a peerage.
    According to wikipedia he refused it.
  • Options
    Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,317
    RobD said:

    Also, based on that poll 90% of people are following government advice in one way or another.

    Of course they are.

    The only ones I've seen out and about who haven't been are young men. Anyone over about 45 years old takes it very seriously.
This discussion has been closed.