FlyTheNest

The last day of May!

If only....

Good morning

I agree with Sayeeda.

And I never thought I'd say that!

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I agree with Sayeeda.

And I never thought I'd say that!

I've actually agreed with her a few times recently - what's this latest one?

AnatolyKasparov wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:I agree with Sayeeda.

And I never thought I'd say that!

I've actually agreed with her a few times recently - what's this latest one?

Islamophobia in the Tory party.

She said some fairly predictable Warsi stuff, but she had a real go at Goldsmith's mayoral campaign.

Good for her.

Kevin Maguire on Twitter this morning not too impressed by this:

https://inews.co.uk/news/brexit/nigel-l ... leave/amp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nigel Lawson, leading Brexit campaigner, is applying for residency in France

These Brexiters are really taking the piss.

[Re Warsi] Actually I'm not sure it's new, because I know she has said this before.

I caught it in a news report, but perhaps it was a clip from a couple of months back.

Anyway, Islamophobia in the Tory party seems to be "news" this morning and she has said some good stuff.

Morning all.

Most free schools open in areas of need, and 4 other things we learned

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/most-free-sch ... from-nfer/

The majority of free schools opened in areas of need, research has found, but they are usually neither innovative nor opened by parents, and they do not take in enough poor pupils.

The National Foundation for Educational Research, together with the Sutton Trust, have conducted an in-depth analysis of the 311 free schools open as of September 2017, seven years after the coalition government made them its flagship education policy.

Free schools are new schools which, like academies, are outside local authority control and directly funded by the government, and can be set up by groups such as charities, universities, teachers, parents or academy trusts.

Given their raison d'etre was supposed to be (I) opened mainly by parent groups and (ii) innovative, that's a bit of a failure.

As you know I pointed out the DfE's confusion over whether to call and group new schools under the Free School or Academies banner as largely a nonsense ages ago.

We now have a situation whereby if you want to know which MATs control which schools you have to combine two separate bits of data together.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:[Re Warsi] Actually I'm not sure it's new, because I know she has said this before.

I caught it in a news report, but perhaps it was a clip from a couple of months back.

Anyway, Islamophobia in the Tory party seems to be "news" this morning and she has said some good stuff.

B-but...........I thought Labour were meant to be the real nasty party these days??!!?

We will indeed be first in the queue...to get shafted.

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Donald Trump set to slap Britain with devastating tariffs on steel exports as EU exemption is allowed to expire
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... n-12626969" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; …

Wonder when the scales will start falling from Trumpites' eyes?

If anybody hasn't seen it yet, Alex Nunns on Twitter totally eviscerating Chris Leslie's infamous interview 3 years ago in the Observer really is a must read.

For all its failings, that site still has its uses sometimes.

And it is a reminder to us, even if Corbyn is far from our ideal Labour leader - THIS is what he saved the party from.

Good-afternoon, everyone

The same to you.

Another quiet day today, it seems.

Where has Hindle got to? Hope they are all OK......

AnatolyKasparov wrote:The same to you.

Another quiet day today, it seems.

Where has Hindle got to? Hope they are all OK......

I think HindleA is taking time away the politics thread. I miss him here.

It's just been confirmed (on Sky TV News) that the US is to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico, starting tomorrow (from midnight tonight, US time).

(10% on aluminium and 25% on steel, I think.)

I'm fine.I avoid work sixty hours a week and in the middle of four half marathons in five weeks,not a moan,no one is forcing me,I have less time than previously and 20,000 posts (+1)seemed an appropriate juncture to stop boring the arse of people.I still read.

@HindleA

Hello!

Anyway,the appearance money was derisory.

HindleA wrote:I'm fine.I avoid work sixty hours a week and in the middle of four half marathons in five weeks,not a moan,no one is forcing me,I have less time than previously and 20,000 posts (+1)seemed an appropriate juncture to stop boring the arse of people.I still read.

PorFavor wrote:It's just been confirmed (on Sky TV News) that the US is to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico, starting tomorrow (from midnight tonight, US time).

(10% on aluminium and 25% on steel, I think.)

no more bicycle manufacturing factory

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/wea ... 2018-05-31" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Amber warning - RAIN
between Thu 16:00 and Fri 06:00

Regions and local authorities affected:
- London & South East England
- South West England
- Wales
- West Midlands

Stoke air quality is currently unhealthy
lack of clean air is depressing as hell

@HindleA

Your "appearance money" was my first laugh of the day. Thank you

Not that I've had a bad day, just very quiet.

citizenJA wrote:Stoke air quality is currently unhealthy
lack of clean air is depressing as hell

At least it rains!

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:

citizenJA wrote:Stoke air quality is currently unhealthy
lack of clean air is depressing as hell

At least it rains!

Not yet

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ike-robots" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Amazon accused of treating UK warehouse staff like robots.....

.....The GMB added that four-fifths of the 200 union members working for the American firm who had responded to a survey said they suffered pain as a result of their workload, with one pregnant woman complaining she had been forced to stand for her entire 10-hour shift.

No one should be standing 10 hours a day without breaks, pregnant or otherwise. Why do shifts even need to be 10 hours long anyway? The last few hours are always going to be extremely inefficient and unproductive, because people become physically tired and unfocused. There may be good logistical reasons for some long shifts - e.g. A lorry driver, because of the time it takes to drive somewhere and back again - but in a warehouse?

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/d ... sider-hJeb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Lund Donald Trump is scared of the Mueller investigation. As a D.C. outsider, he's right to be afraid."

A cornered animal becomes more fierce because it knows it's in a position where it has likelier than not come to its end. Trump isn't lashing out because he can't stop counterpunching and masterfully changing the narrative. Unlike the rest of us, he's had a tickle at the back of his brain, an anticipation of what is possible in a world where we have not savvily and cynically foreclosed on the idea of the nation choosing, at its founders intended, to bring parts of itself to justice. It is not silly to demand that we realize a dream so unlikely that it clearly daily haunts the dumbest chief executive in American history: After a long list of extraordinarily deserving, very very beautiful, very very talented runners-up — from Jefferson Davis, to Warren Harding, to Richard Nixon, to Ronald Reagan, to George W. Bush — Donald Trump can become the first president from the United States to die in prison.

I'd settle for him being out of office, as a first step.

The BBC News has covered the US's imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium almost in passing. Good to see that they're on form.

Corbyn wades into Chuka Umunna 'unpaid intern' row

[BBC]

They really can't help themselves can they? I haven't even read the piece, but wading in isn't something Corbyn usually does. Let's see....

The Labour leader's office then sent a reminder to Labour MPs of the party's commitment to ban unpaid internships.

"Wade in" = make a vigorous attack or intervention

[youtube][/youtube]

Willow904 wrote:https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ike-robots

Amazon accused of treating UK warehouse staff like robots.....

.....The GMB added that four-fifths of the 200 union members working for the American firm who had responded to a survey said they suffered pain as a result of their workload, with one pregnant woman complaining she had been forced to stand for her entire 10-hour shift.

No one should be standing 10 hours a day without breaks, pregnant or otherwise. Why do shifts even need to be 10 hours long anyway? The last few hours are always going to be extremely inefficient and unproductive, because people become physically tired and unfocused. There may be good logistical reasons for some long shifts - e.g. A lorry driver, because of the time it takes to drive somewhere and back again - but in a warehouse?

I think it's another American work practice. My daughter says 12 hour shifts are normal.

tinybgoat wrote:https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/d ... sider-hJeb Lund Donald Trump is scared of the Mueller investigation. As a D.C. outsider, he's right to be afraid."

A cornered animal becomes more fierce because it knows it's in a position where it has likelier than not come to its end. Trump isn't lashing out because he can't stop counterpunching and masterfully changing the narrative. Unlike the rest of us, he's had a tickle at the back of his brain, an anticipation of what is possible in a world where we have not savvily and cynically foreclosed on the idea of the nation choosing, at its founders intended, to bring parts of itself to justice. It is not silly to demand that we realize a dream so unlikely that it clearly daily haunts the dumbest chief executive in American history: After a long list of extraordinarily deserving, very very beautiful, very very talented runners-up — from Jefferson Davis, to Warren Harding, to Richard Nixon, to Ronald Reagan, to George W. Bush — Donald Trump can become the first president from the United States to die in prison.

I'd settle for him being out of office, as a first step.

Hope this works !

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/d ... ncna877681" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Power at any price in play....

The Tories are 'paying a private smear factory' with links to Donald Trump 'to dig up dirt on Labour'
Employees of the company dig into the personal histories, online videos and posts of Labour candidates, collecting dossiers to be handed to the Tory party, according to sources

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... ar_twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Luke Akehurst is standing for the NEC. He's got a website where you can show your support (http://www.luke4nec.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). I think some people may be making up names: (They scroll across the bottom of the page)

(Credit to Ephie for this)

tinybgoat wrote:https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/d ... sider-hJeb Lund Donald Trump is scared of the Mueller investigation. As a D.C. outsider, he's right to be afraid."

A cornered animal becomes more fierce because it knows it's in a position where it has likelier than not come to its end. Trump isn't lashing out because he can't stop counterpunching and masterfully changing the narrative. Unlike the rest of us, he's had a tickle at the back of his brain, an anticipation of what is possible in a world where we have not savvily and cynically foreclosed on the idea of the nation choosing, at its founders intended, to bring parts of itself to justice. It is not silly to demand that we realize a dream so unlikely that it clearly daily haunts the dumbest chief executive in American history: After a long list of extraordinarily deserving, very very beautiful, very very talented runners-up — from Jefferson Davis, to Warren Harding, to Richard Nixon, to Ronald Reagan, to George W. Bush — Donald Trump can become the first president from the United States to die in prison.

I'd settle for him being out of office, as a first step.

Can I use this to very tangentially recommend 'Carter Beats The Devil' by Glen David Gold for any fans of the Harding presidency/erea, or, even more, of early 20th Century America and the 'golden age' of stage magic.

(Although really for that time you should read John Dos Passos's 'USA' trilogy although I do accept that it's about 1100 pages long. It is very very good.)

adam wrote:

tinybgoat wrote:https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/d ... sider-hJeb Lund Donald Trump is scared of the Mueller investigation. As a D.C. outsider, he's right to be afraid."

A cornered animal becomes more fierce because it knows it's in a position where it has likelier than not come to its end. Trump isn't lashing out because he can't stop counterpunching and masterfully changing the narrative. Unlike the rest of us, he's had a tickle at the back of his brain, an anticipation of what is possible in a world where we have not savvily and cynically foreclosed on the idea of the nation choosing, at its founders intended, to bring parts of itself to justice. It is not silly to demand that we realize a dream so unlikely that it clearly daily haunts the dumbest chief executive in American history: After a long list of extraordinarily deserving, very very beautiful, very very talented runners-up — from Jefferson Davis, to Warren Harding, to Richard Nixon, to Ronald Reagan, to George W. Bush — Donald Trump can become the first president from the United States to die in prison.

I'd settle for him being out of office, as a first step.

Can I use this to very tangentially recommend 'Carter Beats The Devil' by Glen David Gold for any fans of the Harding presidency/erea, or, even more, of early 20th Century America and the 'golden age' of stage magic.

(Although really for that time you should read John Dos Passos's 'USA' trilogy although I do accept that it's about 1100 pages long. It is very very good.)

"Carter Beats the Devil" - an absolutely brilliant book! I thoroughly recommend it.

(Edited to tidy up. Bigly.)

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... ssion=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Woman left in limbo for a decade because Home Office lost her passport

The first story in this article has echoes of the fictitious Tom Hanks film "The Terminal". Quite remarkable.

What is clear from all these stories is that the Home Office has been cocking up and under performing for years. However, before 2012, at least the people at the centre of these cock-ups and difficulties were able to carry on with some kind of life. They could work, claim benefits, rent a home and access health care, even if they couldn't travel or experienced other difficulties. The emphasis was on the Home office to prove they had no right to be here. Innocent until proved guilty, so to speak. Since 2012, the burden of proof has clearly changed and now falls on the individual, even when the Home Office were responsible for losing the passport that proved who they were. Even when a fostered child is failed by a council who omitted to apply for British citizenship at the appropriate time. And so on and so forth. Since when did incomplete paperwork constitute such a heinous crime that the victims of such misfortune no longer quality for basic human rights? Since the Tories started courting the UKIP vote, it seems. And you know what really worries me? I can't even be certain that the voters the Tories won over with their "hostile environment" aren't viewing these heartbreaking stories as some kind of policy success and a job well done. As such, I find the cynical expediting of cases that have hit the papers as oddly reassuring. That the government seems embarrassed by them offers a tiny crumb of hope.

Certainly, I would add, it seems likely the vast majority of the public would have understood the "hostile environment" to apply to people who had knowingly and deliberately smuggled themselves into the country on the back of a lorry.

And perhaps that was even the intention.

The problem is how do you tell the difference between a legal person with no paperwork and an illegal person with no paperwork?

Not easily, appears the answer, and that has implications for all of us, if we continue along this road.

Willow904 wrote:Certainly, I would add, it seems likely the vast majority of the public would have understood the "hostile environment" to apply to people who had knowingly and deliberately smuggled themselves into the country on the back of a lorry.

And perhaps that was even the intention.

The problem is how do you tell the difference between a legal person with no paperwork and an illegal person with no paperwork?

Not easily, appears the answer, and that has implications for all of us, if we continue along this road.

I've been going through my handwritten journals. I've kept them for years. Just five years ago, I'd greater creativity, my writing reflected my feelings of overall safety. I was periodically anxious but it passed away. It's not a good time for our community. There's anger and fear. I often feel fearful.

I'm not altogether comfortable admitting I'm often afraid.

edited to add

friends and love help a lot
thank you

Goodnight, everyone
love,
cJA

So the Sun (hmmm) is reporting a David Davis breakthrough on N Ireland.

As far as I can see this essentially means moving the de facto border 10 miles further into N Ireland, so the official geographical border has no infrastructure or checks.

Amusingly, according to someone on Twitter, this will essentially move Arlene Foster's house into the Republic

Tonight we had Question Time from 'Och aye the noo' land held in the rather beautiful city of Perth.

And I must declare my own bias from the start as a supporter of Scottish independence.

So for the government we had Kwasi Kwarteng who appeared to be some kind of puppet with a Tory whip's hand up his arse moving his mouth around. For Labour we had Caroline Flint who put in a perfectly decent performance. And it pains me to say that because I've never liked Caroline Flint, she's always been a full on acolyte of Blairism and yet, she knows how to work a crowd which is something Labour desperately needs. For the SNP we had Kate Forbes who was gorgeous and everything she said was as melodious as the dawn chorus on Loch Lomond. Actually I've heard said chorus and it involves many loud honking geese. But anyway we also had Brian Souter the chief exec of Stagecoach who once again made me wonder how complete idiots get to run companies and finally Darren 'Loki' McGarvey, a Scottish rapper who was superb.

Sky'sGoneOut wrote:Tonight we had Question Time from 'Och aye the noo' land held in the rather beautiful city of Perth.

And I must declare my own bias from the start as a supporter of Scottish independence.

So for the government we had Kwasi Kwarteng who appeared to be some kind of puppet with a Tory whip's hand up his arse moving his mouth around. For Labour we had Caroline Flint who put in a perfectly decent performance. And it pains me to say that because I've never liked Caroline Flint, she's always been a full on acolyte of Blairism and yet, she knows how to work a crowd which is something Labour desperately needs. For the SNP we had Kate Forbes who was gorgeous and everything she said was as melodious as the dawn chorus on Loch Lomond. Actually I've heard said chorus and it involves many loud honking geese. But anyway we also had Brian Souter the chief exec of Stagecoach who once again made me wonder how complete idiots get to run companies and finally Darren 'Loki' McGarvey, a Scottish rapper who was superb.

I used to love Perth but it seems shabby by its own standards these days.

Is that the fault of the Tories, or the SNP? Or both?

One of the questions they talked about was minimum pricing of alcohol.

Now I'm mostly drunk when I turn up here, I mean I'm currently quite pissed now, and I'm not rich.

And I absolutely agree with minimum pricing.

In Scotland it will add 50p at most to the cheapest bottle of wine, the only thing it will effect will be stupidly strong and cheap cider.

Seriously though I've drunk that shit. A couple of quid for 2 litres of 10 percent oblivion juice.

You cant blame people for trying to escape the misery of their lives.

But you can try to dissuade the next generation from folowing the same path.

I was in Perth last year and it didn't seem shabby to me, what made you think that?

Anyway stopping alcoholics buying stupidly strong alcohol at prices below cost makes sense.

Now, shall we talk about cannabis?