Thursday 20th February 2020

[refitman]

Morning all.

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... abies-post" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[frog222]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... abies-post

David Curtis, an honorary professor in the UCL Genetics Institute at University College London, said Cummings had “fundamentally misunderstood key concepts in genetics and his suggestions are wildly unrealistic”.

He said: “He seems to have got his ideas from a physicist rather than the genetics researchers who have a more thorough understanding of these topics. Cummings is proposing a form of eugenics which we actually know would never be effective. Measurable genetic variants have only a tiny influence on IQ and the testing he is proposing would be worse than useless.”

Interesting that Cummings was implying an increase in NHS spending !
PS, also that he argues that the rich should not have an unfair advantage, which doesn't sit well with a Tory government like this shower !

[AnatolyKasparov]

He will be gone sooner rather than later methinks.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Confusingly Rita nobly declines to endorse any leadership candidates, not wanting to "damage anyone by supporting them" (4,5).

[AnatolyKasparov]

Ah, some self-awareness at last

(though on that thinking, you might half expect him to "endorse" RLB)

[PaulfromYorkshire]

@AK

[AnatolyKasparov]

Bit quiet today, innit?

[frog222]

Bit quiet today, innit?

The sort of day when I wonder momentarily whether there's been a catastrophic event that I've somehow missed.

Stopped raining so out to do some healthy exercise (woodcutting) before dark !

[HindleA]

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/c ... -transport" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[HindleA]

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

[HindleA]

Apparently,purposefully negating the chances of Labour being in government is a "value"

[HindleA]

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[frog222]

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/c ... -transport

Living alone in the country, a 26 mile round-trip in a taxi is exactly what I was provided as a stroke rehab outpatient after ten weeks in hospital. Pretty bloody expensive for the 'system' !
I wonder in the English system if other possibilities than that 'taxi' exist ? Here, if you can find a nearby family or neighbour to drive you the mileage is paid, which costs half as much (or less IIRC) , but my kids were some distance away AND very occupied and the neighbours too.
I suspect that parents reducing their hours to do the taxiing would still come out cheaper for the collectivity, even IF they were compensated for it ?
Spending a month in Austerity-squared Puerto Rico in November, we could NOT have got around without Uber. The potholes are (so far...) deeper there than in Johnson's England, but the people use much ingenuity to get by .
They have to. Our friends are thinking hard on what to do if their pensions are slashed ...

[AnatolyKasparov]

Apparently,purposefully negating the chances of Labour being in government is a "value"

Is that what was said, though?

Perfectly reasonable piece IMO, Blair's apparent demand today that the current Labour membership abolishes itself is far stranger by any definition.

[HindleA]

Hospital transport,but given the extortionate rate relayed to me ,there wasn't much difference in cost (dependent on how many patients),if only two or three the cost would have been comparable.A "single"is cheaper and why many hospitals use taxis firms,especially for dialysis etc.

[HindleA]

Maintaining your own self defined purity and being perfectly willing to throw others under a bus I don't regard much of a "value"

[HindleA]

I am referring to the quoted 14% selfish pricks(IMHO) in the article.

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ation-plan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Looks like Question Time tonight is coming from Weymouth. I actually used to know someone from Weymouth who portrayed it in what can only be described as extremely unflattering terms. He worked in casinos in Moscow in the early 2000's and saw a man get his arm cut off with a machete which he described as 'not as bad as Weymouth'.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Panelists.

George Eustice - Tory
Alison McGovern - Labour
Sir Howard Davies - RBS
Ash Sarkar - Lefty journo
Michael Portillo - Twat

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Yay a loony woman in a bad wig goes on an immediate racist rant and to be fair to Weymouth gets zero applause.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Portillo reckons it will bring us 'national dignity' to get British people working in social care so we aren't reliant on foreigners driving wages down.

Obvious piffle as social care wages are low because local authorities can't afford to pay more as their budgets have been slashed so it doesn't make the slightest difference where the workers come from.

[frog222]

Portillo reckons it will bring us 'national dignity' to get British people working in social care so we aren't reliant on foreigners driving wages down.

Obvious piffle as social care wages are low because local authorities can't afford to pay more as their budgets have been slashed so it doesn't make the slightest difference where the workers come from.

SGO -- no TV here being a longtime forriner , but you have an appreciative following of your wise an witty commenting . XX

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Onto Caroline Flack's suicide framed as 'Have we forgotten how to be kind?'

Mostly platitudes, Portillo and Eustice refuse to criticise the press. Alison McGovern gives best answer including being nicer to people on UC.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Now on to why no Cobra meeting about floods?

Eustice blathers as if they've done all the hard work after the last floods that curiously got a cobra meeting during the election.

Tell that to his fellow Tory MP in Hebden Bridge who's spitting feathers because his constituents are furious at both the unfinished defences and the heather burning on the grouse moors around them letting the water run straight off the hills.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Should the BBC licence fee continue?

Portillo talking shite again, he claims 'young people' don't watch the BBC because they have to put a name and postcode into the IPlayer. When in fact you can put any name and postcode in. I'm watching QT on the IPlayer right now and apparently my name is 'Flib Pooble' and as far as I recall I entered a random postcode. I'm pretty sure the kids have sussed that one out.

I maintain the position that any Tory PM who made the home counties have to pay to listen to The Archers would find themselves out of office quick smart.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

SGO -- no TV here being a longtime forriner , but you have an appreciative following of your wise an witty commenting . XX

Thanks Froggy, sorry I didn't do a proper full review tonight. Working my way back in after a justifiable hiatus I feel. I shall endeavour to do better next week now that I've dipped my toe back in that filthy, mucky water.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

As for the floods I was watching the news with my family at the weekend and a Sky reporter was interviewing a woman somewhere in South Wales. She claimed to be a representative of a group of women who called themselves 'The lions' who apparently did something or other to counteract large masses of water. I found myself wondering aloud quite how effective lions were in this particular field and continued waffling until I decided beavers would be the animal of choice when it came to flood defences. At which point my brother perked up and said 'Why don't they call themselves 'The Dykes?'

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Yes I know 'Dykes' is an offensive term and all that and yes I know young gay women are being attacked on the street and having that term thrown at them along with kicks and punches, I saw what happened to a young lass in Sunderland recently.

Maybe I should just delete that post and pretend it never happened.

But I'm so tired of this so called 'culture war'.

My only lesbian friend is a dyke, she calls herself a dyke, she looks like the lass from 'This country', she's a big burly woman who could probably kick my arse in a fight.

Then I have a friend from school who's moved to Canada so he can legally claim to be a woman despite having male generative organs, no tits, and basically just still being my friend from school in drag. He insisted I refer to him using feminine pronouns so I told him to fuck off. If you want to go through the whole process then fine but just dressing up in women's clothes while keeping your tackle. I think not.

Women have enough to put up with without men deciding just putting on some eyeliner and a dress makes them female.

As far as that argument goes I'm firmly on the side of the old school feminists.

I believe absolutely in individual freedom as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, I'm a classic John Stuart Mill Liberal and I'm not going to deny the intricacies of sexual politics are making things really fucking difficult, but when I go to IMDB and see multiple 1 star reviews of Star Trek Picard (which is really good) left by the alt right morons because it has some female characters so is furthering some feminist agenda I despair. It's not like Star Trek had previously hidden its progressive inclinations. And the lead isn't a bloke in his seventies.

Maybe they just need to get laid.

Maybe we all do.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Anyway I got my bloke in his 40's NHS health check blood test results today and remarkably all is well.

So I'm afraid this nonsense may continue for some time.

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[Sky'sGoneOut]

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[Sky'sGoneOut]

They went all middle of the road and popular after that.

Fucking sellouts.

What's selling loads of albums and playing Glastonbury compared to maintaining your psychedelic indie purity.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

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[Sky'sGoneOut]

[youtube]0htZ7ocCk-Q[/youtube]

[Sky'sGoneOut]

The country right now, it wants to be soothed
And told it doesn't have to pay or sacrifice or learn