"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
Correlation and causation.
We are at peace; young men and now women join up to go and fight. Something like 75% of the current army has no operational experience given the cessation of operations in Afghan and Iraq.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
I will be more concerned if 53+% of the public like the new star wars movie....
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
This discussion is better than the Daily Mash.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
Not far into it, but enjoying Sean McGlynn's Kill Them All (about the Albigensian Crusade).
I also rather like his approach of bloody realism, and (from a previous work) repudiation of those who seek to impose modern morality upon the medieval world.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
On the other hand, 48% consider the new Star Wars to be a dud.
There is some hope.
*Looks expectantly north-east to see a vast explosion in Sheffield*
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
I will be more concerned if 53+% of the public like the new star wars movie....
I disagree I have to say. Slogans are vapid and pointless things and hardly something specialised and technical that one needs to defer to the military expertise about. Marketers might say it's a problem, but marketing will say anything. Odds are if the problem is not enough people want to join the army it's because it looks unappealing to most people, and changing the slogan is exactly the kind of meaningless change someone comes up with to try to turn things around without actually addressing the root cause of the issue. Also because it should cost almost nothing. (Half a million is nothing for the people who waste billions long defence procurement - and still a stupid waste of money). I don't even know what the slogan of the RAF is, is that marketing failure a problem too?
Now, I don't mind if they do change it, but I really struggle to see the outrage here - it's precisely the sort of thing a politician can weigh in on without too much worry, it's not US politicians ordering tanks the army don't want as it creates jobs in their districts. Certainly calling it shabby seems unfair on Williamson, be if the right or wrong decision.
The logical endpoint would be that everyone must do what market researchers tell them to do, no matter what, because who are any of us to say otherwise.
Really not feeling the outrage at a politician daring to make such a minor call, and one geared around marketing at that.
It was posted earlier, but this is genuinely the plot of one episode of the Australian equivalent of The Thick of It.
The Army faces a recruitment problem. Some adverts are made that actually work, by showing the social aspects and advancement opportunities (which BTW look an awful lot like the current Royal Navy ads), but the politicians don't like them, and demand adverts that show people being shot at.
If research has shown that the current slogan puts people off, Williamson should keep his trap shut.
I realise of course this is more bout his career advancement than supporting the Army to actually be The Best...
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
This discussion is better than the Daily Mash.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
I disagree I have to say. Slogans are vapid and pointless things and hardly something specialised and technical that one needs to defer to the military expertise about. Marketers might say it's a problem, but marketing will say anything. Odds are if the problem is not enough people want to join the army it's because it looks unappealing to most people, and changing the slogan is exactly the kind of meaningless change someone comes up with to try to turn things around without actually addressing the root cause of the issue. Also because it should cost almost nothing. (Half a million is nothing for the people who waste billions long defence procurement - and still a stupid waste of money). I don't even know what the slogan of the RAF is, is that marketing failure a problem too?
Now, I don't mind if they do change it, but I really struggle to see the outrage here - it's precisely the sort of thing a politician can weigh in on without too much worry, it's not US politicians ordering tanks the army don't want as it creates jobs in their districts. Certainly calling it shabby seems unfair on Williamson, be if the right or wrong decision.
The logical endpoint would be that everyone must do what market researchers tell them to do, no matter what, because who are any of us to say otherwise.
Really not feeling the outrage at a politician daring to make such a minor call, and one geared around marketing at that.
It was posted earlier, but this is genuinely the plot of one episode of the Australian equivalent of The Thick of It.
The Army faces a recruitment problem. Some adverts are made that actually work, by showing the social aspects and advancement opportunities (which BTW look an awful lot like the current Royal Navy ads), but the politicians don't like them, and demand adverts that show people being shot at.
If research has shown that the current slogan puts people off, Williamson should keep his trap shut.
I realise of course this is more bout his career advancement than supporting the Army to actually be The Best...
Although I didn’t get all the cultural references - I actually thought hollow men was better than the thick of it - doesn’t need the swearing to be funny and didn’t take as long for the series to hit its stride.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
On the other hand, 48% consider the new Star Wars to be a dud.
There is some hope.
*Looks expectantly north-east to see a vast explosion in Sheffield*
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
I will be more concerned if 53+% of the public like the new star wars movie....
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
This discussion is better than the Daily Mash.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
Which bit in particular is the funny bit?
The Officer Material?
A male friend of mine who was a squaddie told me that the only thing he learnt in the army was that everyone masturbated.
To offer a probably unpopular rationale for why the marketing people will have told the Army to change - "Be the Best" ties in with quite a few other things about the Army's image to give the impression of a traditionalist establishment body in which, coming from an excellent school with private tutors and extensive sporting holidays, you can reasonably expect to have a fair shot at being the best physically, mentally and socially, and if you don't have those advantages, the Army might not want to know you. The package of measures suggested (this was just one of them) was to give a more open impression.
I come from an Army family on my dad's side - my cousin Anthony was Deputy Chief of Staff - and I think they do produce excellent performance from the pool of recruits that they get (and Anthony was always hostile to conscription in peacetime - "just as you've trained them up, they leave, what's the point?"), but widening the pool is a good idea and politicians should hesitate before scoring pointsoff them for trying.
A fair point. But surely the way to change that is to reach out to state schools etc not change a slogan. After all, there is no reason why someone who does not come from the sort of background you describe should not be physically fit or mentally able to cope etc.
Given an open impression is not the same - or should not be the same - as suggesting that being second-rate or mediocre is good enough. Everyone should aim high. “You too can be the best.”
Perhaps they could get soldiers who come from a less traditional background to go out and speak to possible recruits. Role models are more effective than slogans.
But, IMO, there is too much willingness to accept the second-rate and lower standards in an attempt to widen access. The two need not be in conflict. The aim should be to get the best people from wherever not just a limited pool. I agree on that. But it should not be at the expense of lowering standards, expectations or effectiveness.
Do you think the Mail may have only partiallly reported the story?
All we know is the Generals believed the slogan wasn't reaching their target audience so wanted to change it. I dare say they were changing other things as well
I disagree I have to say. Slogans are vapid and pointless things and hardly something specialised and technical that one needs to defer to the military expertise about. Marketers might say it's a problem, but marketing will say anything. Odds are if the problem is ithout actually addressing the root cause of the issue. Also because it should cost almost nothing. (Half a million is nothing for the people who waste billions long defence procurement - and still a stupid
Now, I don't mind if they do change it, but I really struggle to see the outrage here - it's precisely the sort of thing a politician can weigh in on without too much worry, it's not US politicians ordering tanks the army don't want as it creates jobs in their districts. Certainly calling it shabby seems unfair on Williamson, be if the right or wrong decision.
The logical endpoint would be that everyone must do what market researchers tell them to do, no matter what, because who are any of us to say otherwise.
Really not feeling the outrage at a politician daring to make such a minor call, and one geared around marketing at that.
It was posted earlier, but this is genuinely the plot of one episode of the Australian equivalent of The Thick of It.
The Army faces a recruitment problem. Some adverts are made that actually work, by showing the social aspects and advancement opportunities (which BTW look an awful lot like the current Royal Navy ads), but the politicians don't like them, and demand adverts that show people being shot at.
If research has shown that the current slogan puts people off, Williamson should keep his trap shut.
I realise of course this is more bout his career advancement than supporting the Army to actually be The Best...
That advert, many years ago, that showed a group of blokes in a cafe and then flashed away for one of them showing his many exploits (was it the RN one you were talking about?) was very effective.
But that was then. At the time the British Army had a dirty little secret whereby soldiers spent the night overwatching their fellow citizens, or better still, setting up ambushes for them.
Since then, the army, and its soldiers have become "heroes". They have been transformed in modern life from being purposefully hidden away, to being lauded at every opportunity.
But now the wars have run out, thank god. And the use it or lose it mentality remains amongst the generals. Hence they will do what works to get the numbers up. Whatever Williamson is up to, I don't see a problem with a politician insisting on a rigidly elite armed forces, if that is what he is doing.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
Surely "one's fellow failures in life" given that you have to be on the bus to see who else is?
Although I didn’t get all the cultural references - I actually thought hollow men was better than the thick of it - doesn’t need the swearing to be funny and didn’t take as long for the series to hit its stride.
It is superb, and there is a sensible amount of swearing in it.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
On the other hand, 48% consider the new Star Wars to be a dud.
There is some hope.
*Looks expectantly north-east to see a vast explosion in Sheffield*
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
I will be more concerned if 53+% of the public like the new star wars movie....
I see the grumpy old sods on here are out and about early - so much for the Christmas spirit.
I'll join in.
I've spent my whole life listening to the "I never took a day off in 35 years working" brigade. Yes, you just came in, performed well under par and infected half your colleagues with whatever illness you were carrying.
Perhaps that's our productivity issue in a nutshell - people report for work when manifestly unfit and incapable, spend the whole day telling everyone what martyrs they are and go home early. I do realise for many people no work means no pay and that can be a huge issue in terms of paying rent, eating and keeping warm.
You hear them and see them on the Tube - full of cold or flu or worse but going to work because they have no choice. It's no surprise people are disillusioned with capitalism and want an alternative.
I have never gone home early either.
And the one time I seriously considered taking time off I went in anyway because all my colleagues had been ill and if I hadn't gone in there would have been nobody to set cover.
Edit - in terms of teaching, oddly, taking days off also usually means extra work later to sort out the tangle created. So you do get more productivity going in unless you are absolutely unable to.
ydoethur, teachers get so many holidays it is statistically difficult to be sick on a work day so much less an issue.
Although I didn’t get all the cultural references - I actually thought hollow men was better than the thick of it - doesn’t need the swearing to be funny and didn’t take as long for the series to hit its stride.
It is superb, and there is a sensible amount of swearing in it.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
She never said it.
Attributed to her in Commons debates, 2003-07-02, column 407 and Commons debates, 2004-06-15 column 697. According to a letter to the Daily Telegraph by Alistair Cooke on 2 November 2006, this sentiment originated with Loelia Ponsonby, one of the wives of 2nd Duke of Westminster who said "Anybody seen in a bus over the age of 30 has been a failure in life". In a letter published the next day, also in the Daily Telegraph, Hugo Vickers claims Loelia Ponsonby admitted to him that she had borrowed it from Brian Howard. There is no solid evidence that Margaret Thatcher ever quoted this statement with approval, or indeed shared the sentiment.
I have found over the last 17 years that being self employed and paid for turning up does remarkable things for my health record. I have never missed a day in court due to ill health. I have had the odd day when not in court and had no consultations etc. when the duvet seemed a better bet.
28 years ago I did slip over to my work in the middle of the night and leave notes about a case that was calling that day which I was not able to deal with because my wife and about to be born daughter decided I really should be somewhere else.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
I will be more concerned if 53+% of the public like the new star wars movie....
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
This discussion is better than the Daily Mash.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
Which bit in particular is the funny bit?
The Officer Material?
A male friend of mine who was a squaddie told me that the only thing he learnt in the army was that everyone masturbated.
Maybe that should be the slogan?
Well you criticised the debate because it was being conducted by those who wouldn't contemplate their children becoming squaddies and now you decide to enter it with your only knowledge seemingly being that you have a friend who was one.
Secondly, yep all squaddies masturbate, most notoriously onto the binos for an incoming stag to pick up and use.
Thirdly, I don't think, that said, that your suggested slogan would fly.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
One of the things I do admire about the Labour left - and I think it is known on this forum that I am not their greatest fan (!) is their commitment. Until fairly recently Dennis Skinner, for example, had the best attendance of any MP in the Commons, because he genuinely believes that as an MP it is his duty to be present representing his constituents. This seems to have dipped recently, down to 83%, but given he is now 85 that is perhaps understandable. Corbyn has also I believe always been assiduous in parliamentary duties. It is further worth noting that both of these also had very low expenses claims - Corbyn is off course fairly well-off and a London MP, but neither point applies to Skinner. As a teacher, if I can stand, I go in. I have not taken a single day's absence since qualifying. While my job is tough, so is an MP's, so I have respect for those who treat their job with that level of professionalism especially since, unlike me, it doesn't cause chaos if they take a day off to recuperate.
It is therefore doubly disappointing to see the likes of Jared O'Mara treating his voters with utter contempt, or Emma Dent Coad speaking more or less only outside the Commons and having a poor attendance record despite living so close by, or Laura Pidcock deciding to miss a crucial vote on a welfare matter she claimed was close to her heart because it was her thirtieth birthday and she and her boyfriend decided to go to Italy for a week. (I worked right through my thirtieth birthday and for several weeks afterwards for literally a fraction of her pay. So do most people in low paid jobs. Her excuse was ridiculous and she shouldn't even have bothered to give it because she merely looked even smugger than usual.)
One reason why I expect Corbynism to burn out post-Corbyn is because even allowing for his faults the next generation of lefties are truly pathetic and not worth the effort of voting for (OK, I know Coad is old but O'Mara, Pidcock, Smith, Long-Bailey - they are young). Not, it should be said, that the other parties are better.
I think what we are seeing is in part the consequences of a surprise election, meaning rushed selections, but also a widening of the candidates. In recent years we have got very used to polished SPADS groomed into safe seats by the two main parties. Those days are over in Labour, and to a degree in the Tories too. We see in the three that you cite an injection of unpolished fresh blood into the body politic. This was something that had been called for for years, and when it appeared, we should not be surprised that they are not what we are used to.
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
This discussion is better than the Daily Mash.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
Which bit in particular is the funny bit?
The Officer Material?
A male friend of mine who was a squaddie told me that the only thing he learnt in the army was that everyone masturbated.
Maybe that should be the slogan?
Well you criticised the debate because it was being conducted by those who wouldn't contemplate their children becoming squaddies and now you decide to enter it with your only knowledge seemingly being that you have a friend who was one.
Secondly, yep all squaddies masturbate, most notoriously onto the binos for an incoming stag to pick up and use.
Thirdly, I don't think, that said, that your suggested slogan would fly.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
They’d wouldnt work on rural roads/areas with low bridges... but do they really not have them in Scottish cities?
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
Surely "one's fellow failures in life" given that you have to be on the bus to see who else is?
Nah. You just have to see those alighting/unlighting off the peasant wagon stops.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
I see them all the time in my town
Is that in your San Francisco pad or your stately Home Counties pile.
I see the grumpy old sods on here are out and about early - so much for the Christmas spirit.
I'll join in.
I've spent my whole life listening to the "I never took a day off in 35 years working" brigade. Yes, you just came in, performed well under par and infected half your colleagues with whatever illness you were carrying.
Perhaps that's our productivity issue in a nutshell - people report for work when manifestly unfit and incapable, spend the whole day telling everyone what martyrs they are and go home early. I do realise for many people no work means no pay and that can be a huge issue in terms of paying rent, eating and keeping warm.
You hear them and see them on the Tube - full of cold or flu or worse but going to work because they have no choice. It's no surprise people are disillusioned with capitalism and want an alternative.
That really does not apply to teaching, as schools are hotbeds of germs anyway (working parents do not willingly keep children at home for a bad cold, for example).
I am on ydoether's side here (particularly as he was criticising idle MPs).
I see the grumpy old sods on here are out and about early - so much for the Christmas spirit.
I'll join in.
I've spent my whole life listening to the "I never took a day off in 35 years working" brigade. Yes, you just came in, performed well under par and infected half your colleagues with whatever illness you were carrying.
Perhaps that's our productivity issue in a nutshell - people report for work when manifestly unfit and incapable, spend the whole day telling everyone what martyrs they are and go home early. I do realise for many people no work means no pay and that can be a huge issue in terms of paying rent, eating and keeping warm.
You hear them and see them on the Tube - full of cold or flu or worse but going to work because they have no choice. It's no surprise people are disillusioned with capitalism and want an alternative.
I have never gone home early either.
And the one time I seriously considered taking time off I went in anyway because all my colleagues had been ill and if I hadn't gone in there would have been nobody to set cover.
Edit - in terms of teaching, oddly, taking days off also usually means extra work later to sort out the tangle created. So you do get more productivity going in unless you are absolutely unable to.
ydoethur, teachers get so many holidays it is statistically difficult to be sick on a work day so much less an issue.
We have 199 official working days. The national maximum is 232. So not actually wildly below what most people get.
I'm not including part time in that because many teachers are part time as well.
I would be more interested in a politician who thought that an army of 80k doesn't require more than 1 general and that a Navy of about 17 ships probably doesn't require an admiral at all. There is so much to do in focussing the limited resources of the forces to the sharp end. Maybe if the focus was on that and the squaddies got decent pay and housing along with the admittedly excellent training they currently get recruitment would be less of an issue.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
I see them all the time in my town
I work in a Northern City which is said to be Europe’s busiest bus corridor.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
I see them all the time in my town
Is that in your San Francisco pad or your stately Home Counties pile.
The only double decker ones I've seen in the states are coaches. And no, it's neither a pile, nor in the Home Counties.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
She never said it.
Attributed to her in Commons debates, 2003-07-02, column 407 and Commons debates, 2004-06-15 column 697. According to a letter to the Daily Telegraph by Alistair Cooke on 2 November 2006, this sentiment originated with Loelia Ponsonby, one of the wives of 2nd Duke of Westminster who said "Anybody seen in a bus over the age of 30 has been a failure in life". In a letter published the next day, also in the Daily Telegraph, Hugo Vickers claims Loelia Ponsonby admitted to him that she had borrowed it from Brian Howard. There is no solid evidence that Margaret Thatcher ever quoted this statement with approval, or indeed shared the sentiment.
One of the things I do admire about the Labour left - and I think it is known on this forum that I am not their greatest fan (!) is their commitment. Until fairly recently Dennis Skinner, for example, had the best attendance of any MP in the Commons, because he genuinely believes that as an MP it is his duty to be present representing his constituents. This seems to have dipped recently, down to 83%, but given he is now 85 that is perhaps understandable. Corbyn has also I believe always been assiduous in parliamentary duties. It is further worth noting that both of these also had very low expenses claims - Corbyn is off course fairly well-off and a London MP, but neither point applies to Skinner. As a teacher, if I can stand, I go in. I have not taken a single day's absence since qualifying. While my job is tough, so is an MP's, so I have respect for those who treat their job with that level of professionalism especially since, unlike me, it doesn't cause chaos if they take a day off to recuperate.
It is therefore doubly disappointing to see the likes of Jared O'Mara treating his voters with utter contempt, or Emma Dent Coad speaking more or less only outside the Commons and having a poor attendance record despite living so close by, or Laura Pidcock deciding to miss a crucial vote on a welfare matter she claimed was close to her heart because it was her thirtieth birthday and she and her boyfriend decided to go to Italy for a week. (I worked right through my thirtieth birthday and for several weeks afterwards for literally a fraction of her pay. So do most people in low paid jobs. Her excuse was ridiculous and she shouldn't even have bothered to give it because she merely looked even smugger than usual.)
One reason why I expect Corbynism to burn out post-Corbyn is because even allowing for his faults the next generation of lefties are truly pathetic and not worth the effort of voting for (OK, I know Coad is old but O'Mara, Pidcock, Smith, Long-Bailey - they are young). Not, it should be said, that the other parties are better.
I think what we are seeing is in part the consequences of a surprise election, meaning rushed selections, but also a widening of the candidates. In recent years we have got very used to polished SPADS groomed into safe seats by the two main parties. Those days are over in Labour, and to a degree in the Tories too. We see in the three that you cite an injection of unpolished fresh blood into the body politic. This was something that had been called for for years, and when it appeared, we should not be surprised that they are not what we are used to.
Dent Coad is an experienced local politician. Don't know enough about the others to comment.
I would have said however that such people should be more, not less, committed to politics. Skinner was hardly a SPAD when he was elected.
I see the grumpy old sods on here are out and about early - so much for the Christmas spirit.
I'll join in.
I've spent my whole life listening to the "I never took a day off in 35 years working" brigade. Yes, you just came in, performed well under par and infected half your colleagues with whatever illness you were carrying.
Perhaps that's our productivity issue in a nutshell - people report for work when manifestly unfit and incapable, spend the whole day telling everyone what martyrs they are and go home early. I do realise for many people no work means no pay and that can be a huge issue in terms of paying rent, eating and keeping warm.
You hear them and see them on the Tube - full of cold or flu or worse but going to work because they have no choice. It's no surprise people are disillusioned with capitalism and want an alternative.
I have never gone home early either.
And the one time I seriously considered taking time off I went in anyway because all my colleagues had been ill and if I hadn't gone in there would have been nobody to set cover.
Edit - in terms of teaching, oddly, taking days off also usually means extra work later to sort out the tangle created. So you do get more productivity going in unless you are absolutely unable to.
ydoethur, teachers get so many holidays it is statistically difficult to be sick on a work day so much less an issue.
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps". ne that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
This discussion is better than the Daily Mash.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
Which bit in particular is the funny bit?
The Officer Material?
A male friend of mine who was a squaddie told me that the only thing he learnt in the army was that everyone masturbated.
Maybe that should be the slogan?
Well you criticised the debate because it was being conducted by those who wouldn't contemplate their children becoming squaddies and now you decide to enter it with your only knowledge seemingly being that you have a friend who was one.
Secondly, yep all squaddies masturbate, most notoriously onto the binos for an incoming stag to pick up and use.
Thirdly, I don't think, that said, that your suggested slogan would fly.
How do you know it is my "only knowledge" ?
Because if your knowledge was any more extensive you would have used some of it to make a sensible point.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Lots of double deckers in Gloucestershire. Strangely not so many in south Staffordshire, possibly because the rail network is much better. Don't recall seeing many in Aberystwyth but there were a lot of low bridges around there as well.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Lots of double deckers in Gloucestershire. Strangely not so many in south Staffordshire, possibly because the rail network is much better. Don't recall seeing many in Aberystwyth but there were a lot of low bridges around there as well.
Maybe they don't go past malc's Scottish country pile...
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
Correlation and causation.
We are at peace; young men and now women join up to go and fight. Something like 75% of the current army has no operational experience given the cessation of operations in Afghan and Iraq.
Marketing is operating at the fringes.
Possibly: I don't know.
To market effectively you need an appealing product and a targeted marketing strategy. We know the team thinks the second: we don't know what they think or are doing about the first
"Be The Best" is apparently not reaching the recruits sought, and I can understand why. If you are currently not all that confident in yourself - like many young men and women - you might not be able to imagine being the best, even if you might be. The army should be considering Gregory the Great's advice: "he who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps".
I had a conversation with my PT some years ago about what motivates people to go to the gym and why people might get a personal trainer. PTs often imagine that what motivates them is what motivates their potential customers. But customers at the bottom of the hill can't imagine committing to the kind of regime required and will not pick a trainer who has what they consider unrealistic or unattainable expectations of them. "Best" is unattainable for many, but "Better" is something we can all feel we can aim for, whatever "Better" might mean for each of us. He has "Be Better" on the back of his business cards and he does very good business indeed.
Whatever Britain’s position in the world (both perceived and real) its armed forces should consist of the best candidates possible.
Whatever conflict comes next (and, as Frank Kitson noted, it will be an unforeseen one) we need to face it as best prepared as possible.
And if that means with soldiers who were attracted to the idea of being, and have tried to be the best, then so much the better.
And if the marketing strategy isn't working then you should carry on anyway?
This discussion is better than the Daily Mash.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
I'm not discussing the strategy: I'm saying you hire professionals and leave them to do their job. I'm criticising Williamson's naked politicking. It's so transparent
The real problem in Australia has not really been the batting at all, its been the inability to take 20 wickets. Bowlers who are just not fast enough and don't make enough use of variable speed and bounce are too predictable and too easy to defend against on Australian wickets. Only impatience or carelessness threatens the Australian top order and Smith in particular has shown little sign of either.
We have had batting collapses but they are an inevitable consequence of the scoreboard pressure England have so relentlessly been under. I am a fan of Hales but Stoneman has done well as has Ballance. Only Vince has really failed to shine amongst the new boys. Root has disappointed hugely and seems to be finding the captaincy a strain. Cook has been terrible until now but has got an unbeaten century.
The real mystery has been Ali. Last summer he was vying with Ben Stokes and the captain for our most valuable player but he has failed with ball and bat in quite an epic way. Really not sure what is wrong there given the success of Lyon.
Ali got a blister on his spinning finger, an all too predictable ailment when a good part-time spinner is promoted to number one.
The absence of another credible spinner on the tour is inexcusable.
I would love to know what Adil Rashid has done to upset the selectors. This idea that he isn't picked because he doesn't offer control is the most unconvincing lie since Richard III said he didn't murder the Princes in the Tower. If he offers control in the one day game, and takes wickets in five day games, he's good enough. Sure, he bowls release balls when attacking but so has every spinner in history except Warne, who was just a freak. He and Moeen Ali at either end on a fifth day pitch would I think be a handful.
If there were a plausible alternative, I could understand it. But I fail to see the point in picking an implausible alternative just because the obvious one has flaws. If he's the best we have, the selectors cannot be blamed if he is not good enough. But there is no sense in picking somebody who is plainly not the best (applies to Dawson as well as Crane) simply to be different. Or if there is any sense, nobody has explained it.....
Added to which, it takes spinners some time to mature, particularly at test level.
Chopping and changing for no good reason risks wasting someone like Rashid who might just have the potential to become truly excellent (I am undecided, but he can certainly tweak the ball with the best of them).
Not far into it, but enjoying Sean McGlynn's Kill Them All (about the Albigensian Crusade).
I also rather like his approach of bloody realism, and (from a previous work) repudiation of those who seek to impose modern morality upon the medieval world.
What modern morality? I recently read Nick Turse's excellent "Kill anything that Moves" about US military policy in Vietnam:
Once people are defined as "the other", whether as heretics or as VC, it becomes acceptable to slaughter them. Any Vietnamese out in a Free Fire zone was fair game.
I am moving on to Nick Turse's new work: The Changing Face of Empire, concerning Americas hidden wars of assasination and drones.
I disagree I have to say. Slogans are vapid and pointless things and hardly something specialised and technical that one needs to defer to the military expertise about. Marketers might say it's a problem, but marketing will say anything. Odds are if the problem is ithout actually addressing the root cause of the issue. Also because it should cost almost nothing. (Half a million is nothing for the people who waste billions long defence procurement - and still a stupid
Now, I don't mind if they do change it, but I really struggle to see the outrage here - it's precisely the sort of thing a politician can weigh in on without too much worry, it's not US politicians ordering tanks the army don't want as it creates jobs in their districts. Certainly calling it shabby seems unfair on Williamson, be if the right or wrong decision.
The logical endpoint would be that everyone must do what market researchers tell them to do, no matter what, because who are any of us to say otherwise.
Really not feeling the outrage at a politician daring to make such a minor call, and one geared around marketing at that.
It was posted earlier, but this is genuinely the plot of one episode of the Australian equivalent of The Thick of It.
The Army faces a recruitment problem. Some adverts are made that actually work, by showing the social aspects and advancement opportunities (which BTW look an awful lot like the current Royal Navy ads), but the politicians don't like them, and demand adverts that show people being shot at.
If research has shown that the current slogan puts people off, Williamson should keep his trap shut.
I realise of course this is more bout his career advancement than supporting the Army to actually be The Best...
That advert, many years ago, that showed a group of blokes in a cafe and then flashed away for one of them showing his many exploits (was it the RN one you were talking about?) was very effective.
But that was then. At the time the British Army had a dirty little secret whereby soldiers spent the night overwatching their fellow citizens, or better still, setting up ambushes for them.
Since then, the army, and its soldiers have become "heroes". They have been transformed in modern life from being purposefully hidden away, to being lauded at every opportunity.
But now the wars have run out, thank god. And the use it or lose it mentality remains amongst the generals. Hence they will do what works to get the numbers up. Whatever Williamson is up to, I don't see a problem with a politician insisting on a rigidly elite armed forces, if that is what he is doing.
I don't think he's insisting on anything except keeping a marketing strategy that isn't working because it gets him good headlines in the Mail
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Did new bus 43 to Queensferry from Edinburgh back in September.
Osborne 'I was too partisan over referendum to run for leadership.' He also says he did not want to spend his 'time and effort on a project that I didn't believe in.'
To offer a probably unpopular rationale for why the marketing people will have told the Army to change - "Be the Best" ties in with quite a few other things about the Army's image to give the impression of a traditionalist establishment body in which, coming from an excellent school with private tutors and extensive sporting holidays, you can reasonably expect to have a fair shot at being the best physically, mentally and socially, and if you don't have those advantages, the Army might not want to know you. The package of measures suggested (this was just one of them) was to give a more open impression.
I come from an Army family on my dad's side - my cousin Anthony was Deputy Chief of Staff - and I think they do produce excellent performance from the pool of recruits that they get (and Anthony was always hostile to conscription in peacetime - "just as you've trained them up, they leave, what's the point?"), but widening the pool is a good idea and politicians should hesitate before scoring pointsoff them for trying.
A fair point. But surely the way to change that is to reach out to state schools etc not change a slogan. After all, there is no reason why someone who does not come from the sort of background you describe should not be physically fit or mentally able to cope etc.
Given an open impression is not the same - or should not be the same - as suggesting that being second-rate or mediocre is good enough. Everyone should aim high. “You too can be the best.”
Perhaps they could get soldiers who come from a less traditional background to go out and speak to possible recruits. Role models are more effective than slogans.
But, IMO, there is too much willingness to accept the second-rate and lower standards in an attempt to widen access. The two need not be in conflict. The aim should be to get the best people from wherever not just a limited pool. I agree on that. But it should not be at the expense of lowering standards, expectations or effectiveness.
Do you think the Mail may have only partiallly reported the story?
All we know is the Generals believed the slogan wasn't reaching their target audience so wanted to change it. I dare say they were changing other things as well
I didn’t read The Daily Mail. I was making a light-hearted point (I thought) about the way we often seem to be obsessed with the appearance of things (hence the reference to passports) rather than their substance.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
Surely "one's fellow failures in life" given that you have to be on the bus to see who else is?
Nah. You just have to see those alighting/unlighting off the peasant wagon stops.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
History has shown you need to nip these Jew baiting extremists in the bud before it escalates badly.
I have more faith in the British public and our institutions than you do
53% of the public like pineapple on pizza.
That's a great big warning sign that they have faulty judgement.
I will be more concerned if 53+% of the public like the new star wars movie....
I thought it was the best Star Wars film since the Empire Strikes Back. Though if you want a more original film 'All the Money in the World' which comes out next week looks interesting
Dr. Foxinsox, that was some time ago, not to mention it's wrong to take a specific area or incident and then suggest that reflects the general approach when that isn't the case (in the same way, burning prisoners alive isn't a modern way of treating captives, despite ISIS doing it).
Indeed, I'd also argue against those seeking to impose medieval morality on the modern world.
I see the grumpy old sods on here are out and about early - so much for the Christmas spirit.
I'll join in.
I've spent my whole life listening to the "I never took a day off in 35 years working" brigade. Yes, you just came in, performed well under par and infected half your colleagues with whatever illness you were carrying.
Perhaps that's our productivity issue in a nutshell - people report for work when manifestly unfit and incapable, spend the whole day telling everyone what martyrs they are and go home early. I do realise for many people no work means no pay and that can be a huge issue in terms of paying rent, eating and keeping warm.
You hear them and see them on the Tube - full of cold or flu or worse but going to work because they have no choice. It's no surprise people are disillusioned with capitalism and want an alternative.
I have never gone home early either.
And the one time I seriously considered taking time off I went in anyway because all my colleagues had been ill and if I hadn't gone in there would have been nobody to set cover.
Edit - in terms of teaching, oddly, taking days off also usually means extra work later to sort out the tangle created. So you do get more productivity going in unless you are absolutely unable to.
ydoethur, teachers get so many holidays it is statistically difficult to be sick on a work day so much less an issue.
We have 199 official working days. The national maximum is 232. So not actually wildly below what most people get.
I'm not including part time in that because many teachers are part time as well.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
Surely "one's fellow failures in life" given that you have to be on the bus to see who else is?
Nah. You just have to see those alighting/unlighting off the peasant wagon stops.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
I see them all the time in my town
Is that in your San Francisco pad or your stately Home Counties pile.
The only double decker ones I've seen in the states are coaches. And no, it's neither a pile, nor in the Home Counties.
Some would believe you Rob, you are living high on the hog
It is therefore doubly disappointing to see the likes of Jared O'Mara treating his voters with utter contempt, or Emma Dent Coad speaking more or less only outside the Commons and having a poor attendance record despite living so close by, or Laura Pidcock deciding to miss a crucial vote on a welfare matter she claimed was close to her heart because it was her thirtieth birthday and she and her boyfriend decided to go to Italy for a week. (I worked right through my thirtieth birthday and for several weeks afterwards for literally a fraction of her pay. So do most people in low paid jobs. Her excuse was ridiculous and she shouldn't even have bothered to give it because she merely looked even smugger than usual.)
One reason why I expect Corbynism to burn out post-Corbyn is because even allowing for his faults the next generation of lefties are truly pathetic and not worth the effort of voting for (OK, I know Coad is old but O'Mara, Pidcock, Smith, Long-Bailey - they are young). Not, it should be said, that the other parties are better.
I think what we are seeing is in part the consequences of a surprise election, meaning rushed selections, but also a widening of the candidates. In recent years we have got very used to polished SPADS groomed into safe seats by the two main parties. Those days are over in Labour, and to a degree in the Tories too. We see in the three that you cite an injection of unpolished fresh blood into the body politic. This was something that had been called for for years, and when it appeared, we should not be surprised that they are not what we are used to.
Dent Coad is an experienced local politician. Don't know enough about the others to comment.
I would have said however that such people should be more, not less, committed to politics. Skinner was hardly a SPAD when he was elected.
I think they are committed to politics, maybe not O'Mara!, but do not see it just as a Westminster club. Extraparliamentary campaigns as a way to put pressure on governments have been the way forward in recent years, whether Brexit, anti war or gay marriage. Street level activism is the permanent campaign that Corbyn relishes.
The real problem in Australia has not really been the batting at all, its been the inability to take 20 wickets. Bowlers who are just not fast enough and don't make enough use of variable speed and bas vying with Ben Stokes and the captain for our most valuable player but he has failed with ball and bat in quite an epic way. Really not sure what is wrong there given the success of Lyon.
Ali got a blister on his spinning finger, an all too predictable ailment when a good part-time spinner is promoted to number one.
The absence of another credible spinner on the tour is inexcusable.
I would love to know what Adil Rashid has done to upset the selectors. This idea that he isn't picked because he doesn't offer control is the most unconvincing lie since Richard III said he didn't murder the Princes in the Tower. If he offers control in the one day game, and takes wickets in five day games, he's good enough. Sure, he bowls release balls when attacking but so has every spinner in history except Warne, who was just a freak. He and Moeen Ali at either end on a fifth day pitch would I think be a handful.
If there were a plausible alternative, I could understand it. But I fail to see the point in picking an implausible alternative just because the obvious one has flaws. If he's the best we have, the selectors cannot be blamed if he is not good enough. But there is no sense in picking somebody who is plainly not the best (applies to Dawson as well as Crane) simply to be different. Or if there is any sense, nobody has explained it.....
Added to which, it takes spinners some time to mature, particularly at test level.
Chopping and changing for no good reason risks wasting someone like Rashid who might just have the potential to become truly excellent (I am undecided, but he can certainly tweak the ball with the best of them).
Whilst it is possible to argue the toss about the batsmen, it is not possible to find a soul outside of the England Selection Committee that thought Dawson was a better choice for the first test against South Africa. They then relegated Dawson to the bench after a match in which he neither excelled nor did badly. They kept him on the bench for a couple of games and then forgot about him. Instead they then picked his teammate at Hampshire, Crane, for the Ashes trip.
Nobody has attempted to explain that, presumably because nobody can.
Dr. Foxinsox, that was some time ago, not to mention it's wrong to take a specific area or incident and then suggest that reflects the general approach when that isn't the case (in the same way, burning prisoners alive isn't a modern way of treating captives, despite ISIS doing it).
Indeed, I'd also argue against those seeking to impose medieval morality on the modern world.
Turse makes the point that My Lai was in no way exceptional except in scale.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Lots of double deckers in Gloucestershire. Strangely not so many in south Staffordshire, possibly because the rail network is much better. Don't recall seeing many in Aberystwyth but there were a lot of low bridges around there as well.
Maybe they don't go past malc's Scottish country pile...
My pile of second hand bricks holding down my tent as the Tories have stolen all my hard earned salary you mean.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
I see them all the time in my town
I work in a Northern City which is said to be Europe’s busiest bus corridor.
Manchester Wilmslow Road?
Busiest bus corridor in Europe?
Wilmslow Road is often claimed to be the busiest bus corridor in Europe.[2][3][4] However, this is difficult to verify because:
No authoritative comparison is available. The bus frequency on Wilmslow Road varies at different points. This will be true of other corridors and hence the busiest corridor is likely to depend on how short a road can be considered. Bus frequencies vary over the day so the busiest corridor may depend on whether the peak frequency or average frequency is taken. No qualifier is given as to what constitutes 'busy' - whether frequency of buses or total passengers carried and when.
Dr. Foxinsox, that was some time ago, not to mention it's wrong to take a specific area or incident and then suggest that reflects the general approach when that isn't the case (in the same way, burning prisoners alive isn't a modern way of treating captives, despite ISIS doing it).
Indeed, I'd also argue against those seeking to impose medieval morality on the modern world.
Turse makes the point that My Lai was in no way exceptional except in scale.
Mr. Eagles, so Snoke's slothful, predictable and ill-prepared?
Disappointing.
Incidentally, Dodge agrees with me that Hannibal faced far stronger opponents both in terms of generals and soldiery than Caesar (and Alexander, although Porus was a top chap).
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Lots of double deckers in Gloucestershire. Strangely not so many in south Staffordshire, possibly because the rail network is much better. Don't recall seeing many in Aberystwyth but there were a lot of low bridges around there as well.
Maybe they don't go past malc's Scottish country pile...
My pile of second hand bricks holding down my tent as the Tories have stolen all my hard earned salary you mean.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
Surely "one's fellow failures in life" given that you have to be on the bus to see who else is?
Nah. You just have to see those alighting/unlighting off the peasant wagon stops.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Lots of double deckers in Gloucestershire. Strangely not so many in south Staffordshire, possibly because the rail network is much better. Don't recall seeing many in Aberystwyth but there were a lot of low bridges around there as well.
Maybe they don't go past malc's Scottish country pile...
My pile of second hand bricks holding down my tent as the Tories have stolen all my hard earned salary you mean.
Aren't the SNP in charge of taxation these days?
Not completely. Or he wouldn't have any bricks either.
"Daddy, what do all those stars mean?"
Malc (for it is he) "It means Nicola has nicked our tent son. But its all for the cause so its fine."
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
I see them all the time in my town
I work in a Northern City which is said to be Europe’s busiest bus corridor.
Manchester Wilmslow Road?
Busiest bus corridor in Europe?
Wilmslow Road is often claimed to be the busiest bus corridor in Europe.[2][3][4] However, this is difficult to verify because:
No authoritative comparison is available. The bus frequency on Wilmslow Road varies at different points. This will be true of other corridors and hence the busiest corridor is likely to depend on how short a road can be considered. Bus frequencies vary over the day so the busiest corridor may depend on whether the peak frequency or average frequency is taken. No qualifier is given as to what constitutes 'busy' - whether frequency of buses or total passengers carried and when.
Osborne 'I was too partisan over referendum to run for leadership.' He also says he did not want to spend his 'time and effort on a project that I didn't believe in.'
Interestingly Osborne has also refused to rule out a future run for London Mayor, which suggests he sees City Hall rather than Westminster and Downing Street as where his future lies if he does return to the political arena. That is probably wise given his socially liberal and pro EU views are probably more suited to the capital than the country as a whole and he could also use his editorship of the Evening Standard as a platform for a future mayoral run
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Lots of double deckers in Gloucestershire. Strangely not so many in south Staffordshire, possibly because the rail network is much better. Don't recall seeing many in Aberystwyth but there were a lot of low bridges around there as well.
Maybe they don't go past malc's Scottish country pile...
My pile of second hand bricks holding down my tent as the Tories have stolen all my hard earned salary you mean.
Aren't the SNP in charge of taxation these days?
Only one limited one that makes things worse unfortunately, why the dumplings agreed to accept the crappy deal on offer is inexplicable.
Mr. Eagles, so Snoke's slothful, predictable and ill-prepared?
Disappointing.
Incidentally, Dodge agrees with me that Hannibal faced far stronger opponents both in terms of generals and soldiery than Caesar (and Alexander, although Porus was a top chap).
Dodge is full of crap.
Hannibal's ineptness ultimately saw Carthage wiped from the face of the Earth.
Caesar contributed to the set up of the Roman Empire.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
Plenty of double deckers in Edinburgh and Dundee Malcolm. More rural routes don't need them as even a single decker is rarely full but they are not uncommon in Angus either.
Lots of double deckers in Gloucestershire. Strangely not so many in south Staffordshire, possibly because the rail network is much better. Don't recall seeing many in Aberystwyth but there were a lot of low bridges around there as well.
Maybe they don't go past malc's Scottish country pile...
My pile of second hand bricks holding down my tent as the Tories have stolen all my hard earned salary you mean.
Aren't the SNP in charge of taxation these days?
Only one limited one that makes things worse unfortunately, why the dumplings agreed to accept the crappy deal on offer is inexplicable.
I thought they could adjust income tax, which is what you were complaining about
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
I happily take a bus when it is the most convenient and cost effective mode of transport
On a sunny day - taking a double decker bus in London - especially if you can sit at the front with a panaramic glass front is a lovely way to travel.
Not so easy in the rest of the country where they are scarcer than hens teeth, as ever the majority suffer to subsidise plenty in London.
I see them all the time in my town
I work in a Northern City which is said to be Europe’s busiest bus corridor.
Manchester Wilmslow Road?
Busiest bus corridor in Europe?
Wilmslow Road is often claimed to be the busiest bus corridor in Europe.[2][3][4] However, this is difficult to verify because:
No authoritative comparison is available. The bus frequency on Wilmslow Road varies at different points. This will be true of other corridors and hence the busiest corridor is likely to depend on how short a road can be considered. Bus frequencies vary over the day so the busiest corridor may depend on whether the peak frequency or average frequency is taken. No qualifier is given as to what constitutes 'busy' - whether frequency of buses or total passengers carried and when.
The real problem in Australia has not really been the batting at all, its been the inability to take 20 wickets. Bowlers who are just not fast enough and don't make enough use of variable speed and bas vying with Ben Stokes and the captain for our most valuable player but he has failed with ball and bat in quite an epic way. Really not sure what is wrong there given the success of Lyon.
Ali got a blister on his spinning finger, an all too predictable ailment when a good part-time spinner is promoted to number one.
The absence of another credible spinner on the tour is inexcusable.
I would love to know what Adil Rashid has done to upset the selectors. This idea that he isn't picked because he doesn't offer control is the most unconvincing lie since Richard III said he didn't murder the Princes in the Tower. If he offers control in the one day game, and takes wickets in five day games, he's good enough. Sure, he bowls release balls when attacking but so has every spinner in history except Warne, who was just a freak. He and Moeen Ali at either end on a fifth day pitch would I think be a handful.
If there were a plausible alternative, I could understand it. But I fail to see the point in picking an implausible alternative just because the obvious one has flaws. If he's the best we have, the selectors cannot be blamed if he is not good enough. But there is no sense in picking somebody who is plainly not the best (applies to Dawson as well as Crane) simply to be different. Or if there is any sense, nobody has explained it.....
Added to which, it takes spinners some time to mature, particularly at test level.
Chopping and changing for no good reason risks wasting someone like Rashid who might just have the potential to become truly excellent (I am undecided, but he can certainly tweak the ball with the best of them).
Whilst it is possible to argue the toss about the batsmen, it is not possible to find a soul outside of the England Selection Committee that thought Dawson was a better choice for the first test against South Africa. They then relegated Dawson to the bench after a match in which he neither excelled nor did badly. They kept him on the bench for a couple of games and then forgot about him. Instead they then picked his teammate at Hampshire, Crane, for the Ashes trip....
Yes, anyone thinking Dawson has the potential to be excellent has been keeping very quiet.
Who knows how Crane might turn out. But the only reason to pick him for the Ashes trip was to signal selectoral favour for the future - which is no reason at all.
But has she considered to points highlighted above?
Yes the authors have considered those points.
Unless you are doubting the veracity of people who work for a university.
Where does it say that? She just asserts the corridor is busiest in Europe. Once again:
However, this is difficult to verify because:
No authoritative comparison is available. The bus frequency on Wilmslow Road varies at different points. This will be true of other corridors and hence the busiest corridor is likely to depend on how short a road can be considered. Bus frequencies vary over the day so the busiest corridor may depend on whether the peak frequency or average frequency is taken. No qualifier is given as to what constitutes 'busy' - whether frequency of buses or total passengers carried and when.
Farage and Godfrey Bloom confirming UKIP are the BNP in blazers is really troubling.
Time to proscribe UKIP like we do with Combat 18,
Don't you like political parties that disagree with you?
UKIP is deeply unpleasant, as is the BNP, but neither should be proscribed. Combat 18's leadership have been directly implicated in violence and, in some cases, murder.
he'll be banning buses next
No.
Buses are useful for identifying failures in life.
Cf Mrs Thatcher’s reputed comments on bus users. Even if she didn’t say it, the sentiment was right.
Surely "one's fellow failures in life" given that you have to be on the bus to see who else is?
Nah. You just have to see those alighting/unlighting off the peasant wagon stops.
No need to get on one.
Channeling your inner Jared O'Mara I see :-)
I’m just the voice of the Northern working class.
Son of a doctor? Public school educated?
Danny Baker tells the story of his childhood illness in a hospital's private room, because they'd misheard him when he said his father was a docker.
But has she considered to points highlighted above?
Yes the authors have considered those points.
Unless you are doubting the veracity of people who work for a university.
Where does it say that? She just asserts the corridor is busiest in Europe. Once again:
However, this is difficult to verify because:
No authoritative comparison is available. The bus frequency on Wilmslow Road varies at different points. This will be true of other corridors and hence the busiest corridor is likely to depend on how short a road can be considered. Bus frequencies vary over the day so the busiest corridor may depend on whether the peak frequency or average frequency is taken. No qualifier is given as to what constitutes 'busy' - whether frequency of buses or total passengers carried and when.
They conducted studies.
As I said originally, contact them for further details.
Osborne 'I was too partisan over referendum to run for leadership.' He also says he did not want to spend his 'time and effort on a project that I didn't believe in.'
Interestingly Osborne has also refused to rule out a future run for London Mayor, which suggests he sees City Hall rather than Westminster and Downing Street as where his future lies if he does return to the political arena. That is probably wise given his socially liberal and pro EU views are probably more suited to the capital than the country as a whole and he could also use his editorship of the Evening Standard as a platform for a future mayoral run
And in other news I don't rule out becoming England cricket captain or England football manager.
George Osborne was booed at the London Paralympics.
Since then his popularity has fallen even further and London become even more unlikely to elect a sterotypical ToryBoy.
Comments
We are at peace; young men and now women join up to go and fight. Something like 75% of the current army has no operational experience given the cessation of operations in Afghan and Iraq.
Marketing is operating at the fringes.
A group of people who would never contemplate their sons and daughters becoming squaddies are busy discussing the best marketing strategy to recruit 18 year-olds in the army.
I also rather like his approach of bloody realism, and (from a previous work) repudiation of those who seek to impose modern morality upon the medieval world.
There is some hope.
*Looks expectantly north-east to see a vast explosion in Sheffield*
Edit: Well, 52% do on those figures.
The Army faces a recruitment problem. Some adverts are made that actually work, by showing the social aspects and advancement opportunities (which BTW look an awful lot like the current Royal Navy ads), but the politicians don't like them, and demand adverts that show people being shot at.
If research has shown that the current slogan puts people off, Williamson should keep his trap shut.
I realise of course this is more bout his career advancement than supporting the Army to actually be The Best...
A male friend of mine who was a squaddie told me that the only thing he learnt in the army was that everyone masturbated.
Maybe that should be the slogan?
All we know is the Generals believed the slogan wasn't reaching their target audience so wanted to change it. I dare say they were changing other things as well
But that was then. At the time the British Army had a dirty little secret whereby soldiers spent the night overwatching their fellow citizens, or better still, setting up ambushes for them.
Since then, the army, and its soldiers have become "heroes". They have been transformed in modern life from being purposefully hidden away, to being lauded at every opportunity.
But now the wars have run out, thank god. And the use it or lose it mentality remains amongst the generals. Hence they will do what works to get the numbers up. Whatever Williamson is up to, I don't see a problem with a politician insisting on a rigidly elite armed forces, if that is what he is doing.
I have it on DVD. Rewatching it is rewarding
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_last_jedi/
Attributed to her in Commons debates, 2003-07-02, column 407 and Commons debates, 2004-06-15 column 697. According to a letter to the Daily Telegraph by Alistair Cooke on 2 November 2006, this sentiment originated with Loelia Ponsonby, one of the wives of 2nd Duke of Westminster who said "Anybody seen in a bus over the age of 30 has been a failure in life". In a letter published the next day, also in the Daily Telegraph, Hugo Vickers claims Loelia Ponsonby admitted to him that she had borrowed it from Brian Howard. There is no solid evidence that Margaret Thatcher ever quoted this statement with approval, or indeed shared the sentiment.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher
28 years ago I did slip over to my work in the middle of the night and leave notes about a case that was calling that day which I was not able to deal with because my wife and about to be born daughter decided I really should be somewhere else.
Secondly, yep all squaddies masturbate, most notoriously onto the binos for an incoming stag to pick up and use.
Thirdly, I don't think, that said, that your suggested slogan would fly.
No need to get on one.
I am on ydoether's side here (particularly as he was criticising idle MPs).
I'm not including part time in that because many teachers are part time as well.
I would be more interested in a politician who thought that an army of 80k doesn't require more than 1 general and that a Navy of about 17 ships probably doesn't require an admiral at all. There is so much to do in focussing the limited resources of the forces to the sharp end. Maybe if the focus was on that and the squaddies got decent pay and housing along with the admittedly excellent training they currently get recruitment would be less of an issue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loelia_Lindsay
And yet another example of the myth of Thatcher not corresponding to the reality.
I would have said however that such people should be more, not less, committed to politics. Skinner was hardly a SPAD when he was elected.
To market effectively you need an appealing product and a targeted marketing strategy. We know the team thinks the second: we don't know what they think or are doing about the first
Chopping and changing for no good reason risks wasting someone like Rashid who might just have the potential to become truly excellent (I am undecided, but he can certainly tweak the ball with the best of them).
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/2897858
Once people are defined as "the other", whether as heretics or as VC, it becomes acceptable to slaughter them. Any Vietnamese out in a Free Fire zone was fair game.
I am moving on to Nick Turse's new work: The Changing Face of Empire, concerning Americas hidden wars of assasination and drones.
Mind you, now I've taken up driving again, I might vary my means of transport more in future.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/26/partisan-brexit-become-tory-leader-says-george-osborne/
Indeed, I'd also argue against those seeking to impose medieval morality on the modern world.
Nobody has attempted to explain that, presumably because nobody can.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5213905/Lord-Heseltine-says-Brexit-worse-Corbyn.html
Busiest bus corridor in Europe?
Wilmslow Road is often claimed to be the busiest bus corridor in Europe.[2][3][4] However, this is difficult to verify because:
No authoritative comparison is available.
The bus frequency on Wilmslow Road varies at different points. This will be true of other corridors and hence the busiest corridor is likely to depend on how short a road can be considered.
Bus frequencies vary over the day so the busiest corridor may depend on whether the peak frequency or average frequency is taken.
No qualifier is given as to what constitutes 'busy' - whether frequency of buses or total passengers carried and when.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmslow_Road_bus_corridor
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/05/under-obama-men-killed-by-drones-are-presumed-to-be-terrorists/257749/
Disappointing.
Incidentally, Dodge agrees with me that Hannibal faced far stronger opponents both in terms of generals and soldiery than Caesar (and Alexander, although Porus was a top chap).
"Daddy, what do all those stars mean?"
Malc (for it is he) "It means Nicola has nicked our tent son. But its all for the cause so its fine."
From the University of Manchester study, you should contact the lady at the bottom of this article.
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/article/?id=14989
Hannibal's ineptness ultimately saw Carthage wiped from the face of the Earth.
Caesar contributed to the set up of the Roman Empire.
They've only ever done two really decent songs.
Creep and Karma Police.
After Pablo Honey they've been such a disappointment.
Robert's the Radiohead fan on PB.
Pro Windows, Pro Depeche Mode, Pro Last Jedi, Pro Die Hard is a Christmas move, Anti Pineapple in Biryani, Pro-Railways.
Unless you are doubting the veracity of people who work for a university.
Who knows how Crane might turn out.
But the only reason to pick him for the Ashes trip was to signal selectoral favour for the future - which is no reason at all.
I agree with MalcolmG
However, this is difficult to verify because:
No authoritative comparison is available.
The bus frequency on Wilmslow Road varies at different points. This will be true of other corridors and hence the busiest corridor is likely to depend on how short a road can be considered.
Bus frequencies vary over the day so the busiest corridor may depend on whether the peak frequency or average frequency is taken.
No qualifier is given as to what constitutes 'busy' - whether frequency of buses or total passengers carried and when.
As I said originally, contact them for further details.
George Osborne was booed at the London Paralympics.
Since then his popularity has fallen even further and London become even more unlikely to elect a sterotypical ToryBoy.