Christmas week Monday 23rd to Friday 27th December

Post by **refitman** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 8:41 am

Morning all.

Thought I'd do a thread for the week, as I imagine it's gonna be rather quiet.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 9:08 am

Good morning, everyone.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 9:53 am

Titbits about the state of the nation at the G.

Sky Sports host apologises for 'shutting down' racism discussion

Johnson visit to Lebedev party after victory odd move for 'people's PM'

UK's number of doctors per capita is one of lowest in Europe

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 10:49 am

refitman wrote:Morning all.

Thought I'd do a thread for the week, as I imagine it's gonna be rather quiet.

Good thinking sir.

Hopefully we don't all go mad now

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 10:52 am

Good morfternoon.

Ed Miliband to join Labour inquiry into election defeat

Panel includes MPs and representatives from unions, local parties and community groups
(Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ion-defeat

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 1:24 pm

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Shaun Richards
@notayesmansecon
No doubt markets are thin but it has been another weak day for the UK Pound £ which has fallen below US $1.30 and is now US $1.292 #GBP
1:08 PM · Dec 23, 2019

Under Labour governments such things were taken to be indicators of poor handling of the economy. Economic competence seems such a silly, old fashioned standard to hold governments to these days. Now it's all about how many things you can promise without actually delivering without anyone noticing. A rather different game which, alas, I fear Boris Johnson is going to be particularly good at, although I doubt he'll surpass Cameron, who really was quite exceptional in this regard.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 1:54 pm

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news ... 06881.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The US ambassador to Britain has predicted the country will enter the “Roaring Twenties” after Brexit is delivered.

Um....he does know how the 'Roaring Twenties' ended, right?!

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 2:45 pm

Willow904 wrote:https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news ... 06881.html

The US ambassador to Britain has predicted the country will enter the “Roaring Twenties” after Brexit is delivered.
Um....he does know how the 'Roaring Twenties' ended, right?!

With Jimmy Cagney getting shot in the back?

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 3:33 pm

Love the replies to this...

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As to the original story...

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 4:37 pm

I think one of the issues for the social democrats - whoever they turn out to be - is how to take care of the vulnerable, without making a new cohort of vulnerable who are entrepreneurial, just doing OK, and worried about what the future (old age) might hold.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 4:39 pm

Moreover the narrative needs a complete overhaul. Nationalization and taxation are not the goals - they are the means to the goals. The goals are eg: good public transport and wider access to a reasonable standard of living; but as long as the means of funding these developments look like the goals, the more Labour just freak people out (rightly or wrongly)

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 4:41 pm

More moreover (or whatever the word for that would be - am sure PorFavor can help out here) the wider access to a better standard of living ends up meaning that everyone has improved living standards, because they no longer have to fork out so much for the horrendous social consequences of most people having a poor standard of living.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 4:44 pm

Guardian Story on Acorn is interesting and somewhat heartening.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 4:48 pm

Although its focus on ‘minorities’ is disappointing. We are all a minority in some sense. The vast majority of white blokes have no power. As in all crows are black but not everything that’s black is a crow.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 4:48 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:Moreover the narrative needs a complete overhaul. Nationalization and taxation are not the goals - they are the means to the goals

And that was once widely understood - being optimistic admittedly, there is no reason why it can't be again.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 5:06 pm

On other issues. Is there a reason that women need to be cast in male roles (a la Shakespeare) or might it be possible to create female characters that have whatever it is is felt is missing?

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 5:07 pm

Mind you casting a man to play Jane Eyre or something could be interesting.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 5:07 pm

What?

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 5:12 pm

Suit yourselves.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 5:14 pm

Adding: am not sure what ‘working class’ means. So perhaps I have misunderstood.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 5:15 pm

Education?
Wealth?
Post code?
Parents?
Accent?
Taste in food?
Taste in decor?
Types of holiday?

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 6:13 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:More moreover (or whatever the word for that would be - am sure PorFavor can help out here) the wider access to a better standard of living ends up meaning that everyone has improved living standards, because they no longer have to fork out so much for the horrendous social consequences of most people having a poor standard of living.

Furthermore?

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 6:30 pm

PorFavor wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:More moreover (or whatever the word for that would be - am sure PorFavor can help out here) the wider access to a better standard of living ends up meaning that everyone has improved living standards, because they no longer have to fork out so much for the horrendous social consequences of most people having a poor standard of living.
Furthermore?

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 6:49 pm

I thought Jane Eyre was a man,you live and unlearn.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 7:15 pm

PorFavor wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:More moreover (or whatever the word for that would be - am sure PorFavor can help out here) the wider access to a better standard of living ends up meaning that everyone has improved living standards, because they no longer have to fork out so much for the horrendous social consequences of most people having a poor standard of living.
Furthermore?

I like it.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 8:18 pm

How many Tory voters wanting the UK in the EU yet voted for Johnson's Tory government or didn't vote at all?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 8:18 pm

Come on, people! It's early.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 8:27 pm

Some interesting snippets in this OBR report, on whether they achieved Osborne's £12bn welfare savings.

https://obr.uk/wtr/welfare-trends-report-december-2019/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Disability benefits spending exceeded our forecast by £4.0 billion, with almost all the
difference related to the rollout of PIP, which failed to save the sums assumed at the
time – indeed, our January 2019 WTR suggested that it raised spending materially.

Higher mortality resulted in fewer-than-expected claimants of the state pension and
other pensioner benefits.

the most reliable sources of cuts were those that squeezed
average awards – notably the uprating freeze, which by 2019-20 will have cut the real
value of the affected benefit rates by 6.1 per cent (versus the 4.6 per cent planned).

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 9:28 pm

citizenJA wrote:Come on, people! It's early.

Or too late..

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 9:32 pm

Didn't exceed anybody with a scintilla of knowledge expectations

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 9:40 pm

Obvious consequence of to the most vulnerable bullshit,judicious time critical investment subject to "complex"circumstance, replaced by a general pernicious application this harming the most;making the needlessly vulnerable vulnerable thus more expense at the same time the interrelationship makes the deemed vulnerable more so.eg.removal of pinpoint evidence based introductions on the agreed simplifying line.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 10:41 pm

Matthew Lynn has written an article with a title formed into a question, the usual response to such an opening is "No":

COFFEE HOUSE

Is Tim Martin the man to salvage the CBI’s reputation after Brexit?

No, no he isn't.

So good at business he decided to risk pissing off nearly half his potential customers....and yes I know many Remainers wouldn't be seen dead in his pubs in the first place.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Mon 23 Dec, 2019 11:12 pm

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 12:17 pm

Good morefternoon, all.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 12:48 pm

Good afternoon, everyone.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 3:38 pm

Merry Christmas All!

I managed to drive the kids out of the kitchen / living room to start my preparations by threatening them with MY music. I suspect some here will appreciate it more, so here's a lovely resurrection of the almost forgotten carol 'All Hail to the Days' by local lass Kate Rusby.

[youtube]-mmw2l6vDS4[/youtube]

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 4:01 pm

Merry Christmas!

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 4:07 pm

I think that this is my favourite Christmas Carol -

[youtube]a2dNKv48WJQ[/youtube]

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 4:09 pm

Triple bah humbug.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 4:46 pm

We wish you a Wombling merry christmas

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 4:46 pm

A round of humbugs for everyone!

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 4:46 pm

Dan Jarvis not ruling out running for leadership

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 5:03 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:Dan Jarvis not ruling out running for leadership

Neither am I.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 5:21 pm

tinyclanger2 wrote:Dan Jarvis not ruling out running for leadership

My favourite so far is Conor McGinn saying he is interested in running for deputy leader.

Who???

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 5:26 pm

PorFavor wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:Dan Jarvis not ruling out running for leadership

Neither am I.

Sounds good

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 5:37 pm

A womble isn't just for Xmas.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 5:41 pm

I didn't know Great Uncle Bulgaria's position was up for grabs,you live and unlearn.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 5:46 pm

PorFavor wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:Dan Jarvis not ruling out running for leadership

Neither am I.

Patrick Yûle
‏
@patrickmoule
44m44 minutes ago
More
Fun fact: Dan Jarvis only exists during Labour leadership elections

I was thinking that - has he said anything any consequence over the past few years?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 6:04 pm

Dan Jarvis is the Labour MP getting work done by wearing the media invisibility cloak.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Tue 24 Dec, 2019 6:05 pm

Those cloaks don't come cheap.