People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
France released its StopCovid app on 2 June to help track and trace infected people across the country. Digital Minister Cédric O declared it had got off to a "very good start" the next day, with more than 600,000 downloads.
In a press conference today, the minister said this was now up to 1.9 million people. This is less than 3% of France's population of roughly 67 million people.
Of those users, only 68 have declared themselves positive with the virus through the app. Nearly half a million have deleted the app since downloading it.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
Next US president (projected EC votes as result of election), midprices: Biden 1.745 Trump 2.67
Republican candidate (as result of convention), last matched prices: Trump 1.07 Pence 30 Haley 70 Romney 170 Ryan 490 Kasich 590 D Johnson 700 C Rice 710 Sasse 800 Owens 810 Cruz 850
Trump today will address "Students for Trump" at a church in Phoenix, Arizona. Organisers say they expect 3000, whom they will ask but not require to wear masks.
They don't get it, do they? If they did, they'd choose from the following options:
* make masks compulsory * don't hold such events * "double down" on "We're not pussies. We don't need no stinking masks! Infection figures are fake news!" and hope the (surviving) wrestling fan vote overwhelms the rest of the population in four and a half months' time.
Not sure if this has been mentioned - Fox got a big audience bump off Trump's speech. So even if his supports weren't there, he probably reached his base quite well
(hat-tip Foxy for a tweet pointing it out). Summary: Yes to BLM, yes to peaceful demos, no to disorder, yes to troops if necessary, yes to most police and no to defunding, but also yes black people do experience bias, and finally yes to Biden vs Trump on both bringng people together and law&order. Hard to disagree with most of that.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
France released its StopCovid app on 2 June to help track and trace infected people across the country. Digital Minister Cédric O declared it had got off to a "very good start" the next day, with more than 600,000 downloads.
In a press conference today, the minister said this was now up to 1.9 million people. This is less than 3% of France's population of roughly 67 million people.
Of those users, only 68 have declared themselves positive with the virus through the app. Nearly half a million have deleted the app since downloading it.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Both are waging it but the big difference is the cause. The generals of the Left are doing it to change society. The generals of the Right are doing it to win "silent majority" elections under false pretences.
The amazing thing is that I think you actually believe this dangerous nonsense. Where was 'the spiteful vandalism of places of worship' in your explanation that the real aim of Woke was to reduce racism in personal interactions? This kind of wanton wrecking will achieve the exact opposite, if anything.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
It came back to sanity when it dumped Theresa May.
June is going to be another month with a £50bn+ deficit. Anyone who claims that we are coming out of the lockdown too soon is just completely ignoring the economic realities of the situation. The government cannot continue to pay its 5m employees and another 8m furloughed without income coming in. It is of course highly regrettable that after 3 months of this we have still not got much of a trace and test system in place. I am not sure that there is anything inevitable about a second wave but such a system would have reduced the risk. In my experience people take social distancing at least as seriously as they should, arguably much more so given the relatively modest number of cases in the community right now but the lockdown has collapsed around the edges with families and friends once again visiting each other relatively freely and kids meeting up with their pals as a matter of routine. Scotland is in serious danger of being left behind in all this with an overly cautious and maternalistic government being much more equivocal about normal life starting again. This will cost hundreds of Scottish businesses and thousands of Scottish jobs. Ironically, the additional weakening of the Scottish economy and the inevitably greater reliance upon English subsidy just might save the Union.
You are dreaming David, the shambles from Tories has already cost many Scottish lives , we should not allow their greed to cause more. The sooner we are free of these criminals and shysters the better. Given the state they have made of Scotland we can do no worse on our own , trying to pretend we are subsidised is pathetic.
The key to independence is a viable economy but a bureaucratic, public service dominated Scottish government has never seen that, being much more focused on "freebies" than the economic results. Our University sector is facing devastation as a result of such policies but it is not alone. The Highlands will be economically destroyed by Nicola's reluctance to follow suite and we will sadly have a legacy of semi-derelict hotels, cafes and shops for a long time to come. In my own line of work the Scottish Courts system is already at least 8 weeks behind England in terms of opening up again and announcement after announcement by Scottish Courts is followed by really pitiful amounts of action on the ground and the odd token hearing with no jury trials until next month at the earliest and then only 2 set down. I'm afraid that you are the one that is dreaming Malcolm if you think such caution and hesitancy comes without a price.
The irony is that to be a viable independent nation Scotland really needs to be led by a party like the Tories with a focus on the economy.
But unless Scotland goes independent they're never going to get that.
It's a Catch 22 dilemma.
I once knew a Welsh nationalist who desperately wanted independence because he thought the only way to remove the sclerotic and desperately corrupt Welsh public sector was an economic collapse followed by a total rebuild from first principles.
He thought independence was the best and possibly only way to achieve that.
He'd get the economic collapse bit.
He wouldn't get the total rebuild from first principles.
Why not?
Without the Welsh getting fiscal transfers from England anymore they'd have no choice but to rebuild the economy.
It sounds like you should be a fan of the way the Eurozone is structured.
Not a bit.
Countries should have control of their own monetary policy. I am saying that the Welsh would be better off controling their own nation and responsible for themselves so how the fudge do you think that means I think that dozens of nations should abdicate responsibility for a critical part of their own nation?
I'd sooner support a Welsh currency than a pan European one.
What about a British one with full fiscal autonomy for each nation and a central government with a much smaller budget?
Britain will always be too dominated by England. Either the UK is one nation or it is not - and if it is not then a 3 or 4 nations within 1 model doesn't work.
The UK is as if the EU were made of just France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg and that was it. In such a scenario the Benelux nations would be totally outnumbered by France. Fine if they view themselves as a province of the larger union, not fine if they're meant to be equal nations.
Yes, which is why I advocate an administrative division of England into a pseudo-Heptarchy for a federal UK. England remains as an identity, of course, but in a federal UK with Yorkshire, Wessex, et al, established on a similar basis to Wales/Scotland, the diversity of political opinion within England would be revealed, and the Scottish Nationalists would have a harder time pretending that shire Tories were the authentic voice of England.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
It is still halving the probability even in the pseudo-equation you mentioned.
Next US president (projected EC votes as result of election), midprices: Biden 1.745 Trump 2.67
Republican candidate (as result of convention), last matched prices: Trump 1.07 Pence 30 Haley 70 Romney 170 Ryan 490 Kasich 590 D Johnson 700 C Rice 710 Sasse 800 Owens 810 Cruz 850
Trump today will address "Students for Trump" at a church in Phoenix, Arizona. Organisers say they expect 3000, whom they will ask but not require to wear masks.
They don't get it, do they? If they did, they'd choose from the following options:
* make masks compulsory * don't hold such events * "double down" on "We're not pussies. We don't need no stinking masks! Infection figures are fake news!" and hope the (surviving) wrestling fan vote overwhelms the rest of the population in four and a half months' time.
Not sure if this has been mentioned - Fox got a big audience bump off Trump's speech. So even if his supports weren't there, he probably reached his base quite well
(hat-tip Foxy for a tweet pointing it out). Summary: Yes to BLM, yes to peaceful demos, no to disorder, yes to troops if necessary, yes to most police and no to defunding, but also yes black people do experience bias, and finally yes to Biden vs Trump on both bringng people together and law&order. Hard to disagree with most of that.
You mean people can look at a set of demands and think "we'll support you on the first two, but the others are unreasonable- you're on your own there"?
France released its StopCovid app on 2 June to help track and trace infected people across the country. Digital Minister Cédric O declared it had got off to a "very good start" the next day, with more than 600,000 downloads.
In a press conference today, the minister said this was now up to 1.9 million people. This is less than 3% of France's population of roughly 67 million people.
Of those users, only 68 have declared themselves positive with the virus through the app. Nearly half a million have deleted the app since downloading it.
I'm fairly sure there were better uses for the time and money wasted on these apps.
I think the German app has been downloaded more than 10m times in the first week.
Which is a lot better, but the adoption of these sorts of apps needs to be quite high, at around 60% of the population to be really effective. It's also no use if the app is suspended by the OS or the user.
Not a bad idea, but better for the Churches to disappear altogether. Jesus is a fictional character but even if he wasn't he wouldn't have been white.
Don´t Jews ount as white?
No, European Jews can be white but Middle Eastern Jews tend to not be white. Middle Eastern Jews tend to have a more olive to a bit darker skin colour.
They're not typically either white or black and if the character known as Jesus were to have been real that's surely what his ethnicity would have been.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
Will that war ever end? Will there ever be a stable end state? Or will cultural evolution continue until the last human being dies?
France released its StopCovid app on 2 June to help track and trace infected people across the country. Digital Minister Cédric O declared it had got off to a "very good start" the next day, with more than 600,000 downloads.
In a press conference today, the minister said this was now up to 1.9 million people. This is less than 3% of France's population of roughly 67 million people.
Of those users, only 68 have declared themselves positive with the virus through the app. Nearly half a million have deleted the app since downloading it.
I'm fairly sure there were better uses for the time and money wasted on these apps.
I think the issue in France is the same as what we would have had, the app is rubbish and destroys battery life. With a proper app there would be better uptake, Germany has shown the way here.
The German app is over 10m downloads now, which shows it can be successful if done properly. Out of 83m in the population that's well over 10%, of those who are most likely to get it from social contact it's probably up to 20% by now and growing everyday.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Both are waging it but the big difference is the cause. The generals of the Left are doing it to change society. The generals of the Right are doing it to win "silent majority" elections under false pretences.
The amazing thing is that I think you actually believe this dangerous nonsense. Where was 'the spiteful vandalism of places of worship' in your explanation that the real aim of Woke was to reduce racism in personal interactions? This kind of wanton wrecking will achieve the exact opposite, if anything.
There are things said and done in the name of movements I support - e.g. "blacklivesmatter" and "metoo" and "timesup" which I find OTT and counterproductive. This will almost always be the case. You don't get powerful moments of sweeping change without excesses and pendulum overswing. It just doesn't work like that. So I need to weigh it up in the round and ask myself if I see the movement as a net plus or not. If it's the latter I will cease to support it. Otherwise, I keep rooting for it and that is the case for the ones I've referenced here.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
It is still halving the probability even in the pseudo-equation you mentioned.
The names and addresses for pubs should be a laugh. I am often away from my address for prolonged periods and it often takes a while before letters and mail catch up with me.
At the same time, I usually use an email for signing up for stuff or services that demand an email and I only check that mailbox periodically. If they demand an email that is the one they will get because I am not handing my usual email out to a pub chain on the door so they can either lose the list or give it to spammers or use it for their own campaigns.
I presume that they will all be made aware of their legal responsibilities regarding data protection, personal data and GDPR?
Those with lawyers for mothers will. 🙂
This may be easier for pubs with regular clients: Daughter knows pretty much everyone who comes in and while it will be a pain having to write down everyone’s names and a contact number so be it.
Any app cannot be made compulsory because the internet is simply not strong enough here to allow everyone to use it - whether for ordering drinks or anything else.
Only those pubs which have already been preparing will be ready to open on the 4th. Not every pub around here will be doing so. Daughter is. She is going to give it until no later than September to see if she can make it but is going to give it her best shot.
She’s got the PPE for staff. Incidentally she said that wearing masks for hours in a hot kitchen is a nightmare. Hand sanitizers at entrances / exits / loos. Screen at the bar. Tables 2 metres apart outside and the boules playing area used for tables. Village hall and local firm are lending/building her a temporary gazebo so that she can have more covered tables. Outside heaters. Alcohol off licence for those wanting to drink on the green. Lots of lovely new hanging baskets and colourful flowers (courtesy of Mum and provided the marauding lambs don’t eat them first). Everything is being cleaned to within an inch of its life.
Just pray that Boris does not come up with some daft rules and for good weather for the next 3 months!
On the PPE in kitchens - this kind of thing was why I was asking Foxy about the usage of non-disposable masks with a belt air-pump.
People use them in welding - the forced air means that they, effectively, have built in air-conditioning.
Yes they are quite comfortable, the ICU teams report. The problem is communication as the wearer is rendered deaf. ICU has its own language of hand signals now.
If I were in charge of education (and you should all be thankful that I am not) I would make British Sign Language a compulsory part of the curriculum, at least enough to be able to conduct a simple conversation. There are a huge number of times in crowed or noisy places where it would be really helpful to be able to say something quickly and unambiguously.
Not to mention the social inclusion benefits for those deaf people who use BSL.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
It is still halving the probability even in the pseudo-equation you mentioned.
Depends on the parameters.
the other parameters maybe, but just doubling distance is halving the probability
June is going to be another month with a £50bn+ deficit. Anyone who claims that we are coming out of the lockdown too soon is just completely ignoring the economic realities of the situation. The government cannot continue to pay its 5m employees and another 8m furloughed without income coming in. It is of course highly regrettable that after 3 months of this we have still not got much of a trace and test system in place. I am not sure that there is anything inevitable about a second wave but such a system would have reduced the risk. In my experience people take social distancing at least as seriously as they should, arguably much more so given the relatively modest number of cases in the community right now but the lockdown has collapsed around the edges with families and friends once again visiting each other relatively freely and kids meeting up with their pals as a matter of routine. Scotland is in serious danger of being left behind in all this with an overly cautious and maternalistic government being much more equivocal about normal life starting again. This will cost hundreds of Scottish businesses and thousands of Scottish jobs. Ironically, the additional weakening of the Scottish economy and the inevitably greater reliance upon English subsidy just might save the Union.
You are dreaming David, the shambles from Tories has already cost many Scottish lives , we should not allow their greed to cause more. The sooner we are free of these criminals and shysters the better. Given the state they have made of Scotland we can do no worse on our own , trying to pretend we are subsidised is pathetic.
The key to independence is a viable economy but a bureaucratic, public service dominated Scottish government has never seen that, being much more focused on "freebies" than the economic results. Our University sector is facing devastation as a result of such policies but it is not alone. The Highlands will be economically destroyed by Nicola's reluctance to follow suite and we will sadly have a legacy of semi-derelict hotels, cafes and shops for a long time to come. In my own line of work the Scottish Courts system is already at least 8 weeks behind England in terms of opening up again and announcement after announcement by Scottish Courts is followed by really pitiful amounts of action on the ground and the odd token hearing with no jury trials until next month at the earliest and then only 2 set down. I'm afraid that you are the one that is dreaming Malcolm if you think such caution and hesitancy comes without a price.
The irony is that to be a viable independent nation Scotland really needs to be led by a party like the Tories with a focus on the economy.
But unless Scotland goes independent they're never going to get that.
It's a Catch 22 dilemma.
I once knew a Welsh nationalist who desperately wanted independence because he thought the only way to remove the sclerotic and desperately corrupt Welsh public sector was an economic collapse followed by a total rebuild from first principles.
He thought independence was the best and possibly only way to achieve that.
He'd get the economic collapse bit.
He wouldn't get the total rebuild from first principles.
Why not?
Without the Welsh getting fiscal transfers from England anymore they'd have no choice but to rebuild the economy.
The economy would stabilise at a level that would be smaller, with greatly reduced spending on public services and a drop in living standards.
I'm not sure that what he's after.
It might be. Especially since his thinking seems to mirror mine - sclerotic is a word I use a lot though mainly to describe the EU. The Welsh need greatly reduced spending on public services, the public sector is sclerotic and crowds out the private sector.
If the Welsh have to cut their cloth according to what they can afford (as opposed to what the English can afford) then they will need to adjust with a sharp shock but can then do what they need to do to try and grow and catch up with England on their own two feet.
If they can do that then they will be far better off and be able to afford the public services in reality rather than have simply having whatever charity of fiscal transfers they can get crowding out the private sector.
A public sector outspending what the private sector can afford is not a good thing. It crowds out the private sector and forces a brain drain so that people join the public sector rather than innovate and develop private businesses which are required to pay for the public sector.
The private sector doesn't pay for the public sector. They pay for and support each other in a state of symbiosis. The trick is to get the optimum balance.
The private sector absolutely pays for the public sector. The amount of taxes businesses have to pay is eyewateringly incredible and without a successful private sector the public sector can not be afforded.
Balance is required but that was my point: Wales hasn't got balance. Wales has a public sector disproportionately much bigger than what the Welsh private sector can pay for. If Wales were to go independent then the Welsh government would be forced to cut its public sector - most people assume that is a bad thing because bigger is better supposedly, I on the other hand do not.
If the private sector pays for the public sector it implies that without a private sector there could not be a public one. This is clearly not the case. An economy can be 100% private or 100% public. Both are feasible although of course there is little support for such extremes. Hence the challenge of striking a good balance.
I'll pass on whether austerity would be great for Wales other than to say that if I lived there I would probably not be welcoming it.
That's the problem. Austerity is rarely welcomed even when its the right thing to do.
People prefer the easy option of spending more instead. Like an alcoholic trying to get rid of their problems by drinking more.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
We are forever winning this "war" since societies do tend to progress and we are not called progressives for nothing.
But it would be nice - as we're in the process of doing all this winning - to pick up an election or two every so often.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
It is still halving the probability even in the pseudo-equation you mentioned.
Depends on the parameters.
the other parameters maybe, but just doubling distance is halving the probability
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
Will that war ever end? Will there ever be a stable end state? Or will cultural evolution continue until the last human being dies?
Society is always evolving. The internet has been revolutionary, for example. How we manage that is up for debate.
But certain things probably won’t change. Paedophilia, for example, is unlikely to be viewed in anything other than a very negative light. That didn’t stop some nutcases arguing otherwise.
The issue with BLM is that it’s an American thing. Quite how it’s relevant to the UK, I don’t know. And I think that’s what’s wound up a lot of people.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
It is still halving the probability even in the pseudo-equation you mentioned.
Depends on the parameters.
the other parameters maybe, but just doubling distance is halving the probability
But whether paying the price of doubling the distance is worth it depends upon the other parameters.
Doubling the distance halves the risks but also doubles the cost in hospitality and related settings.
The names and addresses for pubs should be a laugh. I am often away from my address for prolonged periods and it often takes a while before letters and mail catch up with me.
At the same time, I usually use an email for signing up for stuff or services that demand an email and I only check that mailbox periodically. If they demand an email that is the one they will get because I am not handing my usual email out to a pub chain on the door so they can either lose the list or give it to spammers or use it for their own campaigns.
I presume that they will all be made aware of their legal responsibilities regarding data protection, personal data and GDPR?
Those with lawyers for mothers will. 🙂
This may be easier for pubs with regular clients: Daughter knows pretty much everyone who comes in and while it will be a pain having to write down everyone’s names and a contact number so be it.
Any app cannot be made compulsory because the internet is simply not strong enough here to allow everyone to use it - whether for ordering drinks or anything else.
Only those pubs which have already been preparing will be ready to open on the 4th. Not every pub around here will be doing so. Daughter is. She is going to give it until no later than September to see if she can make it but is going to give it her best shot.
She’s got the PPE for staff. Incidentally she said that wearing masks for hours in a hot kitchen is a nightmare. Hand sanitizers at entrances / exits / loos. Screen at the bar. Tables 2 metres apart outside and the boules playing area used for tables. Village hall and local firm are lending/building her a temporary gazebo so that she can have more covered tables. Outside heaters. Alcohol off licence for those wanting to drink on the green. Lots of lovely new hanging baskets and colourful flowers (courtesy of Mum and provided the marauding lambs don’t eat them first). Everything is being cleaned to within an inch of its life.
Just pray that Boris does not come up with some daft rules and for good weather for the next 3 months!
On the PPE in kitchens - this kind of thing was why I was asking Foxy about the usage of non-disposable masks with a belt air-pump.
People use them in welding - the forced air means that they, effectively, have built in air-conditioning.
Yes they are quite comfortable, the ICU teams report. The problem is communication as the wearer is rendered deaf. ICU has its own language of hand signals now.
If I were in charge of education (and you should all be thankful that I am not) I would make British Sign Language a compulsory part of the curriculum, at least enough to be able to conduct a simple conversation. There are a huge number of times in crowed or noisy places where it would be really helpful to be able to say something quickly and unambiguously.
Not to mention the social inclusion benefits for those deaf people who use BSL.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
I have never been a party member but my sympathies lie in much the same direction as yours. I will not be supporting Boris's UKIP-lite
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
I have never been a party member but my sympathies lie in much the same direction as yours. I will not be supporting Boris's UKIP-lite
Did you support Theresa May's Tories?
I don't like UKIP but I'd rather be UKIP-lite than BNP-lite.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Both are waging it but the big difference is the cause. The generals of the Left are doing it to change society. The generals of the Right are doing it to win "silent majority" elections under false pretences.
The amazing thing is that I think you actually believe this dangerous nonsense. Where was 'the spiteful vandalism of places of worship' in your explanation that the real aim of Woke was to reduce racism in personal interactions? This kind of wanton wrecking will achieve the exact opposite, if anything.
There are things said and done in the name of movements I support - e.g. "blacklivesmatter" and "metoo" and "timesup" which I find OTT and counterproductive. This will almost always be the case. You don't get powerful moments of sweeping change without excesses and pendulum overswing. It just doesn't work like that. So I need to weigh it up in the round and ask myself if I see the movement as a net plus or not. If it's the latter I will cease to support it. Otherwise, I keep rooting for it and that is the case for the ones I've referenced here.
So we're back to omelettes and eggs, aren't we? What if the voters and politicians who disagree with you decide to take an 'omelettes and eggs' approach when it comes to preventing this wonderful 'sweeping change'? Hostility and entrenchment on both sides - an outcome as predictable as it is corrosive.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
Will that war ever end? Will there ever be a stable end state? Or will cultural evolution continue until the last human being dies?
Society is always evolving. The internet has been revolutionary, for example. How we manage that is up for debate.
But certain things probably won’t change. Paedophilia, for example, is unlikely to be viewed in anything other than a very negative light. That didn’t stop some nutcases arguing otherwise.
The issue with BLM is that it’s an American thing. Quite how it’s relevant to the UK, I don’t know. And I think that’s what’s wound up a lot of people.
I don't think it's fair to say there is no relevance to the UK, there is a large aspect of UK society that is still racist. Look at the top of any company or the civil service and you will see the same old white male faces cloned thousands of times. There is a glass ceiling in this country, especially in the public sector for people who look like me that doesn't exist for people who don't. I'm not saying that the ceiling isn't much higher here than in the US and we are successfully raising it, but to pretend it doesn't exist helps no one.
June is going to be another month with a £50bn+ deficit. Anyone who claims that we are coming out of the lockdown too soon is just completely ignoring the economic realities of the situation. The government cannot continue to pay its 5m employees and another 8m furloughed without income coming in. It is of course highly regrettable that after 3 months of this we have still not got much of a trace and test system in place. I am not sure that there is anything inevitable about a second wave but such a system would have reduced the risk. In my experience people take social distancing at least as seriously as they should, arguably much more so given the relatively modest number of cases in the community right now but the lockdown has collapsed around the edges with families and friends once again visiting each other relatively freely and kids meeting up with their pals as a matter of routine. Scotland is in serious danger of being left behind in all this with an overly cautious and maternalistic government being much more equivocal about normal life starting again. This will cost hundreds of Scottish businesses and thousands of Scottish jobs. Ironically, the additional weakening of the Scottish economy and the inevitably greater reliance upon English subsidy just might save the Union.
You are dreaming David, the shambles from Tories has already cost many Scottish lives , we should not allow their greed to cause more. The sooner we are free of these criminals and shysters the better. Given the state they have made of Scotland we can do no worse on our own , trying to pretend we are subsidised is pathetic.
The key to independence is a viable economy but a bureaucratic, public service dominated Scottish government has never seen that, being much more focused on "freebies" than the economic results. Our University sector is facing devastation as a result of such policies but it is not alone. The Highlands will be economically destroyed by Nicola's reluctance to follow suite and we will sadly have a legacy of semi-derelict hotels, cafes and shops for a long time to come. In my own line of work the Scottish Courts system is already at least 8 weeks behind England in terms of opening up again and announcement after announcement by Scottish Courts is followed by really pitiful amounts of action on the ground and the odd token hearing with no jury trials until next month at the earliest and then only 2 set down. I'm afraid that you are the one that is dreaming Malcolm if you think such caution and hesitancy comes without a price.
The irony is that to be a viable independent nation Scotland really needs to be led by a party like the Tories with a focus on the economy.
But unless Scotland goes independent they're never going to get that.
It's a Catch 22 dilemma.
I once knew a Welsh nationalist who desperately wanted independence because he thought the only way to remove the sclerotic and desperately corrupt Welsh public sector was an economic collapse followed by a total rebuild from first principles.
He thought independence was the best and possibly only way to achieve that.
He'd get the economic collapse bit.
He wouldn't get the total rebuild from first principles.
Why not?
Without the Welsh getting fiscal transfers from England anymore they'd have no choice but to rebuild the economy.
The economy would stabilise at a level that would be smaller, with greatly reduced spending on public services and a drop in living standards.
I'm not sure that what he's after.
It might be. Especially since his thinking seems to mirror mine - sclerotic is a word I use a lot though mainly to describe the EU. The Welsh need greatly reduced spending on public services, the public sector is sclerotic and crowds out the private sector.
If the Welsh have to cut their cloth according to what they can afford (as opposed to what the English can afford) then they will need to adjust with a sharp shock but can then do what they need to do to try and grow and catch up with England on their own two feet.
If they can do that then they will be far better off and be able to afford the public services in reality rather than have simply having whatever charity of fiscal transfers they can get crowding out the private sector.
A public sector outspending what the private sector can afford is not a good thing. It crowds out the private sector and forces a brain drain so that people join the public sector rather than innovate and develop private businesses which are required to pay for the public sector.
The private sector doesn't pay for the public sector. They pay for and support each other in a state of symbiosis. The trick is to get the optimum balance.
The private sector absolutely pays for the public sector. The amount of taxes businesses have to pay is eyewateringly incredible and without a successful private sector the public sector can not be afforded.
Balance is required but that was my point: Wales hasn't got balance. Wales has a public sector disproportionately much bigger than what the Welsh private sector can pay for. If Wales were to go independent then the Welsh government would be forced to cut its public sector - most people assume that is a bad thing because bigger is better supposedly, I on the other hand do not.
If the private sector pays for the public sector it implies that without a private sector there could not be a public one. This is clearly not the case. An economy can be 100% private or 100% public. Both are feasible although of course there is little support for such extremes. Hence the challenge of striking a good balance.
I'll pass on whether austerity would be great for Wales other than to say that if I lived there I would probably not be welcoming it.
That's the problem. Austerity is rarely welcomed even when its the right thing to do.
People prefer the easy option of spending more instead. Like an alcoholic trying to get rid of their problems by drinking more.
Indeed. That's people for you. Let's see if Sunak is one such.
Anyway great news - since you dropping the matter surely indicates this - that you get my main point that "the private sector pays for the public sector" is not an accurate reflection of reality.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Both are waging it but the big difference is the cause. The generals of the Left are doing it to change society. The generals of the Right are doing it to win "silent majority" elections under false pretences.
The amazing thing is that I think you actually believe this dangerous nonsense. Where was 'the spiteful vandalism of places of worship' in your explanation that the real aim of Woke was to reduce racism in personal interactions? This kind of wanton wrecking will achieve the exact opposite, if anything.
There are things said and done in the name of movements I support - e.g. "blacklivesmatter" and "metoo" and "timesup" which I find OTT and counterproductive. This will almost always be the case. You don't get powerful moments of sweeping change without excesses and pendulum overswing. It just doesn't work like that. So I need to weigh it up in the round and ask myself if I see the movement as a net plus or not. If it's the latter I will cease to support it. Otherwise, I keep rooting for it and that is the case for the ones I've referenced here.
So we're back to omelettes and eggs, aren't we? What if the voters and politicians who disagree with you decide to take an 'omelettes and eggs' approach when it comes to preventing this wonderful 'sweeping change'? Hostility and entrenchment on both sides - an outcome as predictable as it is corrosive.
What about it?
Nothings ever been static and never should be. If we want progress we need to change.
I couldn't care less if my opponents become entrenched - if I don't stand for what I believe in then they get what they want anyway so what's the difference?
Your argument is like suggesting pre-referendum that Brexiteers should have just shut up about Europe as otherwise they would provoke Remainers into supporting Europe more. Its illogical.
Not a bad idea, but better for the Churches to disappear altogether. Jesus is a fictional character but even if he wasn't he wouldn't have been white.
Don´t Jews ount as white?
No, European Jews can be white but Middle Eastern Jews tend to not be white. Middle Eastern Jews tend to have a more olive to a bit darker skin colour.
They're not typically either white or black and if the character known as Jesus were to have been real that's surely what his ethnicity would have been.
I have heard of studies showing perception of ones own race changing over time. In my local area theres apparently also a big change between 1st and subsequent generations from north Africa, with more of the latter being white other in the census than their predecessors.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
It is still halving the probability even in the pseudo-equation you mentioned.
Depends on the parameters.
the other parameters maybe, but just doubling distance is halving the probability
No. The distance parameter is almost certainly not linear. It may be based on area or volume or somewhere between. No-one actually knows. In either case reducing distance from 2m to 1m more than doubles the chances of infection. But the other behavioural changes in the last 3 months have made 1m a reasonable compromise.
I'm getting bored at the sight of people crossing the street to avoid me. Passing a stranger for 1 second within 1m in the open air is not dangerous. Sitting in a noisy pub with 20 others for an hour on the other hand...
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Both are waging it but the big difference is the cause. The generals of the Left are doing it to change society. The generals of the Right are doing it to win "silent majority" elections under false pretences.
The amazing thing is that I think you actually believe this dangerous nonsense. Where was 'the spiteful vandalism of places of worship' in your explanation that the real aim of Woke was to reduce racism in personal interactions? This kind of wanton wrecking will achieve the exact opposite, if anything.
There are things said and done in the name of movements I support - e.g. "blacklivesmatter" and "metoo" and "timesup" which I find OTT and counterproductive. This will almost always be the case. You don't get powerful moments of sweeping change without excesses and pendulum overswing. It just doesn't work like that. So I need to weigh it up in the round and ask myself if I see the movement as a net plus or not. If it's the latter I will cease to support it. Otherwise, I keep rooting for it and that is the case for the ones I've referenced here.
So we're back to omelettes and eggs, aren't we? What if the voters and politicians who disagree with you decide to take an 'omelettes and eggs' approach when it comes to preventing this wonderful 'sweeping change'? Hostility and entrenchment on both sides - an outcome as predictable as it is corrosive.
I think most people are capable of supporting a movement whose cause they strongly approve of despite it sometimes saying or doing things they would prefer it didn't. Nothing special about me in this respect.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
Will that war ever end? Will there ever be a stable end state? Or will cultural evolution continue until the last human being dies?
It's a question of evolution or revolution. The latter is sometimes needed, but others are too impatient to let evolution happen on anything even if appropriate and revolution will provoke a counter revolution. I would not be surprised if most revolutionaries believe history is a never ending March of progress.
Of course it is. Common sense compromise. Let people use common sense - if you can reasonably keep a distance then there's no reason not to do so, if you can't then be a metre apart.
A measured move it sounds like, despite your attempts to make any decision made look like a failure. Mitigation measures will require top notch communication though so they need to be careful.
A measured move it sounds like, despite your attempts to make any decision made look like a failure. Mitigation measures will require top notch communication though so they need to be careful.
As I've said before the government could announce the successful completion of the vaccine trial and an immediate starting of a mass vaccination programme with 60m doses and the same people would be complaining about something. I say this as someone who have been fiercely critical of the whole virus approach which has been confused and rubbish.
The new measure seems fine though, 1m where 2m isn't possible.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
Will that war ever end? Will there ever be a stable end state? Or will cultural evolution continue until the last human being dies?
Society is always evolving. The internet has been revolutionary, for example. How we manage that is up for debate.
But certain things probably won’t change. Paedophilia, for example, is unlikely to be viewed in anything other than a very negative light. That didn’t stop some nutcases arguing otherwise.
The issue with BLM is that it’s an American thing. Quite how it’s relevant to the UK, I don’t know. And I think that’s what’s wound up a lot of people.
I don't think it's fair to say there is no relevance to the UK, there is a large aspect of UK society that is still racist. Look at the top of any company or the civil service and you will see the same old white male faces cloned thousands of times. There is a glass ceiling in this country, especially in the public sector for people who look like me that doesn't exist for people who don't. I'm not saying that the ceiling isn't much higher here than in the US and we are successfully raising it, but to pretend it doesn't exist helps no one.
But that’s different to the issue in America of racist police officers murdering black people (not Asian and not Hispanic people). Okay, I’m sure the issue you’ve raised applies there too, but that’s not the main issue as far as I can tell.
Also, you’re not black. Those wind up merchants flying that banner over the Etihad should have written Asian lives matter. That would have caused the media to have total malfunction.
To go back to your point about glass ceilings, as a civil servant, I know my place and that place is not above where I am now. Perhaps race (and gender) are issues, but I think personality is a much bigger issue. I’m not the right type of person. I’m too independent in terms of how I think. I can’t not call out bullshit. Those are not qualities desired for the senior civil service.
A measured move it sounds like, despite your attempts to make any decision made look like a failure. Mitigation measures will require top notch communication though so they need to be careful.
I think the likes of Miss Cyclefree Jr and their customers will hopefully be able to use their common sense and take measures that work for them despite the negativity of Scott wanting the lifting of a lockdown to be a disaster. As Cyclefree explained the "socially undistanceables" are a critical part of our life.
Staying in lockdown forever is equally a disaster.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Both are waging it but the big difference is the cause. The generals of the Left are doing it to change society. The generals of the Right are doing it to win "silent majority" elections under false pretences.
The amazing thing is that I think you actually believe this dangerous nonsense. Where was 'the spiteful vandalism of places of worship' in your explanation that the real aim of Woke was to reduce racism in personal interactions? This kind of wanton wrecking will achieve the exact opposite, if anything.
There are things said and done in the name of movements I support - e.g. "blacklivesmatter" and "metoo" and "timesup" which I find OTT and counterproductive. This will almost always be the case. You don't get powerful moments of sweeping change without excesses and pendulum overswing. It just doesn't work like that. So I need to weigh it up in the round and ask myself if I see the movement as a net plus or not. If it's the latter I will cease to support it. Otherwise, I keep rooting for it and that is the case for the ones I've referenced here.
So we're back to omelettes and eggs, aren't we? What if the voters and politicians who disagree with you decide to take an 'omelettes and eggs' approach when it comes to preventing this wonderful 'sweeping change'? Hostility and entrenchment on both sides - an outcome as predictable as it is corrosive.
I think most people are capable of supporting a movement whose cause they strongly approve of despite it sometimes saying or doing things they would prefer it didn't. Nothing special about me in this respect.
All right, so 'the ends justify the means' it is. At least Thucydides and Hobbes will be sardonically chuckling in their eternal rest.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
I have never been a party member but my sympathies lie in much the same direction as yours. I will not be supporting Boris's UKIP-lite
Did you support Theresa May's Tories?
I don't like UKIP but I'd rather be UKIP-lite than BNP-lite.
I did not support Mrs May. She was clueless. Cameron was the last Tory leader to get my support.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
I have never been a party member but my sympathies lie in much the same direction as yours. I will not be supporting Boris's UKIP-lite
Did you support Theresa May's Tories?
I don't like UKIP but I'd rather be UKIP-lite than BNP-lite.
I did not support Mrs May. She was clueless. Cameron was the last Tory leader to get my support.
That's entirely reasonable.
People who object to Boris but supported May leave me completely confused.
Very positive and constructive response from Starmer. Looks like he's learning in his job, especially his shambolic PMQs last week - there is no need to be critical every single week.
Remember, it's the right that's waging the culture war. Never the left, never the left...
Statues, though. Statues.
Generally, it's the right waging war against cultural change, with statues and stuff. Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
I thought it was an odd comment from Ayesha Hazarika on the podacst last week that the Left doesn't win culture wars. Evidence would suggest that they've had a lot of success over the last three decades.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
Will that war ever end? Will there ever be a stable end state? Or will cultural evolution continue until the last human being dies?
Society is always evolving. The internet has been revolutionary, for example. How we manage that is up for debate.
But certain things probably won’t change. Paedophilia, for example, is unlikely to be viewed in anything other than a very negative light. That didn’t stop some nutcases arguing otherwise.
The issue with BLM is that it’s an American thing. Quite how it’s relevant to the UK, I don’t know. And I think that’s what’s wound up a lot of people.
I don't think it's fair to say there is no relevance to the UK, there is a large aspect of UK society that is still racist. Look at the top of any company or the civil service and you will see the same old white male faces cloned thousands of times. There is a glass ceiling in this country, especially in the public sector for people who look like me that doesn't exist for people who don't. I'm not saying that the ceiling isn't much higher here than in the US and we are successfully raising it, but to pretend it doesn't exist helps no one.
+1
There is an interesting disconnect - "cognitive dissonance" maybe to throw in a fancy one - in a society that can on the one hand elect a black man to its highest office (and beforehand place others of colour such as Powell and Rice in very high stations indeed) and yet on the other tolerate such a high degree of racism in policing and in many aspects of everyday life.
Very positive and constructive response from Starmer. Looks like he's learning in his job, especially his shambolic PMQs last week - there is no need to be critical every single week.
So last week was good then, as we have to take about 90% off your hyperbolic nonsense
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
I have never been a party member but my sympathies lie in much the same direction as yours. I will not be supporting Boris's UKIP-lite
Did you support Theresa May's Tories?
I don't like UKIP but I'd rather be UKIP-lite than BNP-lite.
I did not support Mrs May. She was clueless. Cameron was the last Tory leader to get my support.
That's entirely reasonable.
People who object to Boris but supported May leave me completely confused.
Really? I normally find their motivations extremely clear.
Johnson 'welcomes the spirit and manner' of Starmer, while descending into partisan bullshittery.
On the particular point of schools, it's impossible to declare that full reopening is "safe", as we just don't know whether that's true or not. And that is "The Science".
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Infection probability = distance x time x environment x prevalence x activity x personal hygiene. Etc Etc
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
It is still halving the probability even in the pseudo-equation you mentioned.
Depends on the parameters.
the other parameters maybe, but just doubling distance is halving the probability
But whether paying the price of doubling the distance is worth it depends upon the other parameters.
Doubling the distance halves the risks but also doubles the cost in hospitality and related settings.
People criticise the government but I think they have done an amazing job in negotiating with Covid-19 to get it to agree limit its infection radius to 1 metres instead of 2 metres for the sake of the economy.
Are you an ex-Tory these days?
I resigned from the party last autumn.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
I have never been a party member but my sympathies lie in much the same direction as yours. I will not be supporting Boris's UKIP-lite
Did you support Theresa May's Tories?
I don't like UKIP but I'd rather be UKIP-lite than BNP-lite.
I did not support Mrs May. She was clueless. Cameron was the last Tory leader to get my support.
That's entirely reasonable.
People who object to Boris but supported May leave me completely confused.
19% of 2017 Tory voters who also backed Remain voted LD in 2019 so there are a few
Comments
In a press conference today, the minister said this was now up to 1.9 million people. This is less than 3% of France's population of roughly 67 million people.
Of those users, only 68 have declared themselves positive with the virus through the app. Nearly half a million have deleted the app since downloading it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-53146191
I'm fairly sure there were better uses for the time and money wasted on these apps.
Generally, it's the left that is driving cultural change, and, in the long run, winning the cultural wars.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/503982-poll-biden-leads-trump-by-more-than-20-points-on-race-and-policing?amp#click=https://t.co/tT7TJ4r5Vf
(hat-tip Foxy for a tweet pointing it out). Summary: Yes to BLM, yes to peaceful demos, no to disorder, yes to troops if necessary, yes to most police and no to defunding, but also yes black people do experience bias, and finally yes to Biden vs Trump on both bringng people together and law&order. Hard to disagree with most of that.
Not regretting it.
Hopefully one day it will come back to sanity but whilst Ken Clarke isn’t good enough for the party then it neither am I.
Reducing the distance from 2m to 1m is only a small part of the equation.
The problem, of course, is that they don't think that the war is ever won.
https://twitter.com/dannywittenberg/status/1275346870831808512?s=21
It'll never catch on.
https://twitter.com/PriyamvadaGopal/status/1272799813738934272
https://twitter.com/PriyamvadaGopal/status/1272800134267637760
https://twitter.com/mlipsitch/status/1275379611686354944
The German app is over 10m downloads now, which shows it can be successful if done properly. Out of 83m in the population that's well over 10%, of those who are most likely to get it from social contact it's probably up to 20% by now and growing everyday.
We can make this happen.
People prefer the easy option of spending more instead. Like an alcoholic trying to get rid of their problems by drinking more.
But it would be nice - as we're in the process of doing all this winning - to pick up an election or two every so often.
I guess Ayesha was referring to this aspect.
But certain things probably won’t change. Paedophilia, for example, is unlikely to be viewed in anything other than a very negative light. That didn’t stop some nutcases arguing otherwise.
The issue with BLM is that it’s an American thing. Quite how it’s relevant to the UK, I don’t know. And I think that’s what’s wound up a lot of people.
Doubling the distance halves the risks but also doubles the cost in hospitality and related settings.
I don't like UKIP but I'd rather be UKIP-lite than BNP-lite.
Anyway great news - since you dropping the matter surely indicates this - that you get my main point that "the private sector pays for the public sector" is not an accurate reflection of reality.
Nothings ever been static and never should be. If we want progress we need to change.
I couldn't care less if my opponents become entrenched - if I don't stand for what I believe in then they get what they want anyway so what's the difference?
Your argument is like suggesting pre-referendum that Brexiteers should have just shut up about Europe as otherwise they would provoke Remainers into supporting Europe more. Its illogical.
https://news.sky.com/story/nigel-farage-trip-to-attend-donald-trump-rally-investigated-by-homeland-security-committee-12012928
I'm getting bored at the sight of people crossing the street to avoid me. Passing a stranger for 1 second within 1m in the open air is not dangerous. Sitting in a noisy pub with 20 others for an hour on the other hand...
https://twitter.com/nickeardleybbc/status/1275393139973513222
The new measure seems fine though, 1m where 2m isn't possible.
Also, you’re not black. Those wind up merchants flying that banner over the Etihad should have written Asian lives matter. That would have caused the media to have total malfunction.
To go back to your point about glass ceilings, as a civil servant, I know my place and that place is not above where I am now. Perhaps race (and gender) are issues, but I think personality is a much bigger issue. I’m not the right type of person. I’m too independent in terms of how I think. I can’t not call out bullshit. Those are not qualities desired for the senior civil service.
Staying in lockdown forever is equally a disaster.
Apart from that, great post.
https://twitter.com/dailymirror/status/1275392659104894978?s=21
Even Starmer has just said he supports the measures
Interestingly even Starmer is welcoming the statement.
"Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people should remain 2m apart where possible but a "one metre plus" rule will be introduced"
Idiot.
People who object to Boris but supported May leave me completely confused.
Starmer asking about 15 questions, losing the will to live listening to him drone on.
On the evidence of the number of those currently wearing masks, there's considerable room for improvement.
There is an interesting disconnect - "cognitive dissonance" maybe to throw in a fancy one - in a society that can on the one hand elect a black man to its highest office (and beforehand place others of colour such as Powell and Rice in very high stations indeed) and yet on the other tolerate such a high degree of racism in policing and in many aspects of everyday life.
Urghhhhh
Remember it needs to be downloaded by 60% of the country to be fully functioning and I'm not aware of any country with anything close to that.
On the particular point of schools, it's impossible to declare that full reopening is "safe", as we just don't know whether that's true or not.
And that is "The Science".
What's he opposing?
The fact that BigG, Phillip T, and Contrarian etc are welcoming his non opposition says everything you need to know.
Boris: "time for political point scoring"
Boris Johnson once again interested in international comparisons when it suits him, funny that.
That's why he's so much more of a threat.
Just rejoice at that news.
https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/how-britain-voted-2019-election