FlyTheNest

pk1 wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:

giselle97 wrote:Next UK solar eclipse: Country will be plunged into darkness next month in biggest blackout since 1999
18:37, 24 February 2015 By Chris Richards

Nearly 90 per cent of the sun's rays will be blocked in parts of Europe – with some of Scotland seeing 94 per cent darkness.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ne ... ry-5223674

The poor folk plunged into darkness will of course be fully aware that the solar eclipse is all Labour's fault!

Obviously

The last one in 1999 was amazing. I had just come out of the vets with my dog & the silence was all encompassing. Not a bird to be heard & even the wind was holding it's breath.

The memory of it still makes my spine tingle.

danesclose wrote:

ephemerid wrote:NHS - as a long-time worker in it, trained to the best standards in the world, and as a very grateful patient now, I know what I want.

I want a fully-funded NATIONAL health service, free at the point of use, with big decisions on its' operation made centrally by government.
I do NOT want regional/separate/combined/farted-about-with services that will be different wherever you happen to live and whoever happens to be in local/regional government at the time; I do not want to see a health postcode lottery in the same way we have LA funding grants now.

We need to have nationally agreed standards for medical/nursing/ancillary care and training; nationally co-ordinated commissioning and purchasing; and as well as funding allocated on a needs basis (eg. more in areas where chronic ill-health is an issue) we must also have centres of excellence where patients from anywhere in the UK can go for very specialised treatment.

It is not acceptable to me that one city will be dependent on the central government's block grant for both health and social care, when that grant may well be subject to cuts which will make it impossible for the LA to deliver and there will be no government oversight in the way we understand it now.

This smacks of Lansley - he changed the definition of what the NHS means, he is the reason why the NHS is struggling now. Bastard.

I wish I could thank you more than once for this. It sums up my thoughts and concerns precisely.

pk1 wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:

giselle97 wrote:Next UK solar eclipse: Country will be plunged into darkness next month in biggest blackout since 1999
18:37, 24 February 2015 By Chris Richards

Nearly 90 per cent of the sun's rays will be blocked in parts of Europe – with some of Scotland seeing 94 per cent darkness.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ne ... ry-5223674

The poor folk plunged into darkness will of course be fully aware that the solar eclipse is all Labour's fault!

Obviously

The last one in 1999 was amazing. I had just come out of the vets with my dog & the silence was all encompassing. Not a bird to be heard & even the wind was holding it's breath.

The memory of it still makes my spine tingle.

RogerOThornhill wrote:Whoops.

Net long-term migration to the UK was estimated to be 298,000 in the year ending September 2014, a statistically significant increase from 210,000 in the previous 12 months, but below the peak of 320,000 in the year ending June 2005.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration ... index.html

PorFavor wrote:Goodnight, everyone.

PorFavor wrote:Goodnight, everyone.

rebeccariots2 wrote:Can we make this simple - can someone tell me a target that the coalition set / pledged that they have actually met? Any policy area ... and I don't mean the ones where they've cooked the figures or 'reset' the targets.

ohsocynical wrote:

rebeccariots2 wrote:Can we make this simple - can someone tell me a target that the coalition set / pledged that they have actually met? Any policy area ... and I don't mean the ones where they've cooked the figures or 'reset' the targets.

I don't think there are any. Unless you count sell offs and hand overs like the PO and the NHS. Those seem to go exactly right especially for their chums.

ohsocynical wrote:

rebeccariots2 wrote:Can we make this simple - can someone tell me a target that the coalition set / pledged that they have actually met? Any policy area ... and I don't mean the ones where they've cooked the figures or 'reset' the targets.

I don't think there are any. Unless you count sell offs and hand overs like the PO and the NHS. Those seem to go exactly right especially for their chums.

Willow904 wrote:I've finally found a decent article on the Manchester devolution deal. It's not very reassuring, indeed it makes the whole thing look quite undemocratic:

http://www.tribunemagazine.org/2015/02/ ... -cromwell/

It is seen by Osborne’s opponents in Lancashire as over-stretching Britain’s unwritten constitution for the Exchequer to be re-organising local government. The task was last entrusted by Labour prime minister Harold Wilson to a 1966 royal commission headed by Lord Redcliff-Maud whose report was not enacted until 1974, under the Conservative prime minister Edward Heath.

In other words, Osborne is taking the p**s. I thought the whole thing seemed pretty rum from the start and I'm still trying to get my head around where the Labour councils come into this as they apparently haven't been keeping the Labour party informed. At least that's the impression. It's mostly a centrally imposed diktat cooked up with the help of unelected officials, though:

A recent report by Simon Jenkins of The Guardian revealed that unelected civil servants in London, led by Treasury second permanent secretary John Kingman, joined from Manchester by the unelected Sir Howard Bernstein, outnumbered the two elected politicians, George Osborne and the Labour leader of Manchester, Sir Richard Leese, in the secret ‘devoManc’ negotiations in London.

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Giselle, Virgin own "only" 10% of the franchise- the rest is Stagecoach. Virgin's brand is more prominent though, because lots of people think Branson is a cuddly "live and let live" guy, and Brian Souter (who I believe has stepped down from Stagecoach) a nasty homophobe.

Steve Fx ©2015 ‏@bitgit 4 mins4 minutes ago

Farage rubbing shoulders with Palin tea-party nutters and NRA. Looking for policy sponsors Nige'? #c4news

giselle97 wrote:

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Giselle, Virgin own "only" 10% of the franchise- the rest is Stagecoach. Virgin's brand is more prominent though, because lots of people think Branson is a cuddly "live and let live" guy, and Brian Souter (who I believe has stepped down from Stagecoach) a nasty homophobe.

Stagecoach has 49% stake in Virgin Rail Group - that means I boycott.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach_Group

Toby Latimer wrote:The full movie - Passport to Pimlico is online " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ScreenShot00257.jpg

Fraser Nelson ‏@FraserNelson 6m6 minutes ago
The SNP’s Stewart Hosie tells LBC listeners he’s on as a pundit because his party is about to decide how UK is governed. He’s probably right

HindleA wrote:PAC report into the Planning for the l Better Care Fund

http://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... care-fund/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"We are not convinced that it is possible to reduce emergency admissions and to deliver £532 million of savings in 2015–16, as the scale of the challenge in reversing the long-term upward trends in emergency admissions and delayed discharges is significant.

The Local Government Association considered that the redesigned scheme moved the integration agenda backwards and not forwards, and it told us that local government had contemplated walking away from the Fund. Local areas are now at greater risk of not being able to implement the policy.

It is not yet clear how all local authorities will protect adult social care services to the extent intended. At the time of the hearing, fourteen local plans presented serious concerns with regard to the protection of adult social care in those areas."

LadyCentauria wrote:

pk1 wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote: The poor folk plunged into darkness will of course be fully aware that the solar eclipse is all Labour's fault!

Obviously

The last one in 1999 was amazing. I had just come out of the vets with my dog & the silence was all encompassing. Not a bird to be heard & even the wind was holding it's breath.

The memory of it still makes my spine tingle.

I love solar eclipses – always get the telescope set up and a stack of paper and pencils so the local kids (including the grown-up ones) can trace the projection and enjoy the eclipse safely. Got really excited about this one 'til I checked and it's only visible as a total eclipse in Faroe and Iceland Still, Scotland, the island of Ireland, and parts of Northern England will see a >90% eclipse (possible a sliver of North Wales, too – and not forgetting Isle of Man.) The rest of Wales and England will get between 40% and 90%. Don't think I'll be able to get up to Faroe for it, much as I'd love to! Never mind, it'll still be fun

When is it?

It will be visible on the morning of March 20, with the eclipse visible from across Europe for approximately 90 minutes.

In London it will begin at 8.45am, hitting its peak at 9.31am.

Jackie Doyle-Price ‏@JackieDP 10h10 hours ago
Election forecast now placing Conservatives 4% ahead in Thurrock. Only I can defeat UKIP and Labour

Tubby Isaacs wrote:

giselle97 wrote:

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Giselle, Virgin own "only" 10% of the franchise- the rest is Stagecoach. Virgin's brand is more prominent though, because lots of people think Branson is a cuddly "live and let live" guy, and Brian Souter (who I believe has stepped down from Stagecoach) a nasty homophobe.

Stagecoach has 49% stake in Virgin Rail Group - that means I boycott.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach_Group

That's different from the ownership of this franchise. It's something called "Intercity Railways". The proportions work out at 90 Stagecoach, Virgin 10.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... nchise-win" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's not worth boycotting a train to where you need to go.

rebeccariots2 wrote:

Fraser Nelson ‏@FraserNelson 6m6 minutes ago
The SNP’s Stewart Hosie tells LBC listeners he’s on as a pundit because his party is about to decide how UK is governed. He’s probably right

giselle97 wrote:

Tubby Isaacs wrote:

giselle97 wrote: Stagecoach has 49% stake in Virgin Rail Group - that means I boycott.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach_Group

That's different from the ownership of this franchise. It's something called "Intercity Railways". The proportions work out at 90 Stagecoach, Virgin 10.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... nchise-win" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's not worth boycotting a train to where you need to go.

Either way, Branson and Virgin are involved. You'd be surprised at how uncomfortable I make my life by boycotting - I'm a real looney at it. I shall even be boycotting the UK if the wrong party/parties get in come May. And I'm not adding a jokey yellow thingy to this as I'm being absolutely serious.

Edward Miliband: The Prime Minister does not rule out further change, and he has a chance to vote for change tonight. This is what he wrote in 2009:
“Being a Member of Parliament”—[Interruption.]

Mr Speaker: Order. The questions will be heard, and the answers will be heard. It is a very simple point, which I hope everyone can grasp.

Edward Miliband: This is what he wrote in 2009:
“Being a Member of Parliament must be a full-time commitment…The public deserves nothing less.”
He went on to say:
“Double-jobbing MPs won’t get a look-in when I’m in charge”.
What has changed?

Sir Peter Tapsell (Louth and Horncastle) (Con): May I assure my right hon. Friend—[Interruption.]

Mr Speaker: Order. Sir Peter must be properly heard from start to finish.

Sir Peter Tapsell: May I assure my right hon. Friend that I am not a paid trade union official but I fear that if Members of the House are not allowed a second job, membership of it will soon be largely confined to the inheritors of substantial fortunes or to those with rich spouses, or to obsessive crackpots or those who are unemployable anywhere else?

Mr John Leech (Manchester, Withington) (LD): Does the Prime Minister agree with me that, hot on the heels of devolving powers on transport and housing, the welcome announcement that Manchester will take control of its £6 billion NHS budget shows the coalition’s commitment to local decision-making for Manchester, in stark contrast to the Labour Government that oversaw the closure of Withington hospital from Whitehall?

The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that this is an important breakthrough. It has been made possible by our reforms. It will help to bring the NHS and social care together. The shadow Health Secretary, who presumably knew absolutely nothing about this, does not understand that eight Labour authorities in Greater Manchester have been talking to us and working with us about how to make this a reality. What a contrast: people working together to improve the NHS, instead of trying to weaponise it across the Dispatch Box.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... 2580000343

Tubby Isaacs wrote:

Jackie Doyle-Price ‏@JackieDP 10h10 hours ago
Election forecast now placing Conservatives 4% ahead in Thurrock. Only I can defeat UKIP and Labour

The old "must keep out Labour and UKIP" demographic. I'd call these "Tories" and suggest they're voting for her already.

The figures, which will be the last before May’s general election, show that rough sleeping has increased by 55% in England, and 79% in London, since the coalition took power.


The figures for the capital will prove embarrassing for the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who six years ago pledged to end rough sleeping by 2012.

Tubby Isaacs wrote:I like the idea of Giselle being the next election's Jim Davidson. "If the wrong lot win, I'm off".

rebeccariots2 wrote:

ohsocynical wrote:

rebeccariots2 wrote:Can we make this simple - can someone tell me a target that the coalition set / pledged that they have actually met? Any policy area ... and I don't mean the ones where they've cooked the figures or 'reset' the targets.

I don't think there are any. Unless you count sell offs and hand overs like the PO and the NHS. Those seem to go exactly right especially for their chums.

Maybe for their chums ... but even so the PO one was a disaster for the public because of the dreadful pricing ... and re the NHS there have now been several instances of private companies who've won contracts / bought bits of it who have then had to give them back or pull out.

giselle97 wrote:

Tubby Isaacs wrote:I like the idea of Giselle being the next election's Jim Davidson. "If the wrong lot win, I'm off".

Ha! Ha! Ha! I rarely do rational Tubby ........ but the last time I was really stroppy but "well contained" was with David Laws and I so enjoyed making him feel smaller than the little short arse fart that he is. I was in the mood for it as we were handing the 38 degrees hospital closure clause petition in to No 10 and then meeting with Lord Phil Hunt and Andy B in the HoC, knowing I suppose we were on a road to failure, so I told him what I thought of him and his sh1tty enblers. He didn't know people like me come in little packages with wrinkles and grey hair so he was right off his guard when I started talking.

Anyway, I think that when you get to a certain stage in life, on the seriously steep downward slope, it provides a bit of freedom of attitude - and I take full advantage of it as it usually makes me feel better. (MissStroppy)

giselle97 wrote:

LadyCentauria wrote:

pk1 wrote: Obviously

The last one in 1999 was amazing. I had just come out of the vets with my dog & the silence was all encompassing. Not a bird to be heard & even the wind was holding it's breath.

The memory of it still makes my spine tingle.

I love solar eclipses – always get the telescope set up and a stack of paper and pencils so the local kids (including the grown-up ones) can trace the projection and enjoy the eclipse safely. Got really excited about this one 'til I checked and it's only visible as a total eclipse in Faroe and Iceland Still, Scotland, the island of Ireland, and parts of Northern England will see a >90% eclipse (possible a sliver of North Wales, too – and not forgetting Isle of Man.) The rest of Wales and England will get between 40% and 90%. Don't think I'll be able to get up to Faroe for it, much as I'd love to! Never mind, it'll still be fun

The other site seems to indicate it will be visible in London. Sorry, I'm not a teccy on this - I just follow NASA and ISS photos!

When is it?

It will be visible on the morning of March 20, with the eclipse visible from across Europe for approximately 90 minutes.

In London it will begin at 8.45am, hitting its peak at 9.31am.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ne ... ou-5225109

TheGrimSqueaker wrote:

Tubby Isaacs wrote:

Jackie Doyle-Price ‏@JackieDP 10h10 hours ago
Election forecast now placing Conservatives 4% ahead in Thurrock. Only I can defeat UKIP and Labour

The old "must keep out Labour and UKIP" demographic. I'd call these "Tories" and suggest they're voting for her already.

Which election forecast is she talking about? Everybody from Electoral Calculus to the Daily Telegraph are predicting Thurrock as a Labour gain.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland Electoral Statistics, 2014

The total number of parliamentary electors in 2014 was 37,831,600 in England, 2,225,700 in Wales and 1,232,400 in Northern Ireland

Between 2013 and 2014 the total number of parliamentary electors declined by 2.0% in England and 3.1% in Wales.
Northern Ireland had an increase of 1.2%

The total number of local government electors in 2014 was 39,185,000 in England, 2,254,200 in Wales and 1,257,000 in Northern Ireland

Between 2013 and 2014 the total number of local government electors declined by 2.0% in England and 3.2% in Wales.
Northern Ireland had an increase of 1.3%

The number of parliamentary electors declined in all regions of England between 2013 and 2014.
The largest decrease (-3.5%) was in the North East

Between 2013 and 2014, the number of local government electors declined in all regions of England.
The largest decrease (-3.6%) was in the North East

The 2014 electoral statistics are the first to have been produced following the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in England and Wales

Electoral statistics are used by Boundary Commissions, the Electoral Commission, and central government to help with the improvement of electoral policies and for statutory reviews of parliamentary constituency boundaries

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estim ... stics.html

Tubby Isaacs wrote:I like the idea of Giselle being the next election's Jim Davidson. "If the wrong lot win, I'm off".

AngryAsWell wrote:@giselle97
Have you been on the phone today ?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/wa ... io-5230183" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;