Thursday 27th February 2020

[refitman]

Morning all.

[gilsey]

Heathrow third runway ruled illegal over climate change
Appeal court says decision to give go-ahead not consistent with Paris agreement

[gilsey]

'Go big or go home' to heal north-south divide, No 10 told

Bob Kerslake, who ran the civil service from 2011 to 2014, issued the ultimatum as head of the UK2070 commission, an independent inquiry into the deep–rooted geographical inequalities within the UK.

“Levelling up can’t just be about transport; it’s about skills, research and development, education and places, as well as local economies,” he said, before a report on Thursday detailing the findings of the 18-month inquiry.
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“The new government is committed to ‘levelling-up’ Britain. This is welcome. However, if the government wants to achieve this end, it will have to have the courage to deliver the means. Only a comprehensive, large-scale, and long-term approach is likely to make any meaningful difference. To use the vernacular, the government needs to ‘go big or go home’.”

In our dreams.

[Willow904]

Heathrow third runway ruled illegal over climate change
Appeal court says decision to give go-ahead not consistent with Paris agreement

Money where his mouth is time for Boris 'lie down in front of those bulldozers and stop the construction' Johnson.
Not to mention all his bluster about green government.

[Willow904]

Apologies for the spoiler yesterday, btw. The series ended 6 years ago, so I didn't really think anyone was still waiting to see it. The synopsis does rather give it all away, though. It's a good show, very thought-provoking.

[gilsey]

Rumour has it the govt don't plan to appeal.

[gilsey]

don't? doesn't?

[Willow904]

The BBC are saying Heathrow are a private company and may pursue an appeal and forge ahead regardless.

Is it just me or does this completely overlook the fact only a government can compulsory purchase homes to free up the land to do it?

What I really like about this is that it really challenges the warm words, no action approach so many governments have been taking to climate change. They all signed up to the Paris Agreement. It's good to see a court treating that as binding and non-negotiable. It won't stop them reneging but it does stop them pretending they aren't.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Well, must say I wasn't expecting that and it will certainly be interesting to see what happens now.

[Willow904]

This seems a strong possibility:

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Adam Wagner
@AdamWagner1
A guess here, and I haven't read the whole judgment, but it may be that the reason the govt isn't appealing is that a further decision will swiftly be made 'taking into account' Paris Agreement - this could be seen as a pretty technical victory and same result may well follow

It depends how much they have to prove Heathrow expansion is compatible with climate change targets or whether they can invent some fanciful scenario that could mitigate it somehow, maybe, if we're really lucky, best case scenario etc.

[PaulfromYorkshire]

Challenging Boris re Heathrow on Twitter. It's crazy, so Roger be gone! (6,7).

[AnatolyKasparov]

Andrew Adonis having another meltdown over this on Twitter, he is making Paul Mason appear sane and coherent at the moment

[citizenJA]

Good afternoon, everyone.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Who has had snow today? Still waiting for it here.

[RogerOThornhill]

We had what looked like snow this morning but wasn't settling. By the time we came out from swimming the sun was out.

In other news, the UK has decided that instead of having a perfectly good mechanism, for extraditing criminals who've skipped off abroad...we need to negotiate it all over again. Individually.

Darren Grimes thinks it's a great idea. Which tells you all you need to know.

[citizenJA]

Tories raised three times as much as Labour in pre-election donations
Conservatives reported £37.7m in last three months of 2019, as Labour received £10.7m
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -donations" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In 2019, political parties in Great Britain reported accepting more than £113,119,000 in donations, the largest value ever reported in one year.
This is almost £40m more than in 2017, the year with the previous largest value of donations.

Have a read where Tories got their money. What you all think about this? I don't think much of an election victory won by buying it.

[citizenJA]

Who has had snow today? Still waiting for it here.

None here today though I've seen a couple awe-inspiring blizzards on two separate occasions here within the last couple of weeks.
One of my best memories from years ago was standing with my dad watching his unguarded face, smiling in wonder at the snow coming down.

[AnatolyKasparov]

In other news, the UK has decided that instead of having a perfectly good mechanism, for extraditing criminals who've skipped off abroad...we need to negotiate it all over again. Individually.

Darren Grimes thinks it's a great idea. Which tells you all you need to know.

Its what the people voted for, apparently.

[citizenJA]

---
Its what the people voted for, apparently.

"You can’t crush ideas by suppressing them. You can only crush them by ignoring them. By refusing to think... .
---
Public opinion! That’s the power structure he’s part of, and knows how to use. The unadmitted, inadmissible government that rules the Odonian society by stifling the individual mind.”

Shevek leaned his hands on the window sill, looking through the dim reflections on the pane into the darkness outside. He said at last, “Crazy talk, Dap.”

“No, brother, I’m sane. What drives people crazy is trying to live outside reality. Reality is terrible. It can kill you. Given time, it certainly will kill you. The reality is pain — you said that! But it’s the lies, the evasions of reality, that drive you crazy."

- Bedap & Shevek
The Dispossessed
Ursula K. LeGuin

(cJA edit)

[citizenJA]

Living with injustice is bad. Denying it exists or that it can't be changed though it can is intolerable.

[citizenJA]

Stock market plunged but my bowl of Sussex apples are delicious
European apples are the best in the world

[adam]

Who has had snow today? Still waiting for it here.

None here today though I've seen a couple awe-inspiring blizzards on two separate occasions here within the last couple of weeks.
One of my best memories from years ago was standing with my dad watching his unguarded face, smiling in wonder at the snow coming down.

I've seen kids at school who have arrived here from Sudan or Eritrea who have never seen snow suddenly confronted with it for the first time- it's quite lovely.

[citizenJA]

"The catalyst for the latest deterioration in market sentiment has been the burgeoning belief that the coronavirus has arrived on US shores. Several reports broke in the last 24 hours suggesting that the possible cases of the disease has spiked, and has become spread wide across the country. A press conference held by US President Trump failed to quell concerns. Instead, traders have latched onto this morning reports that the state of California is monitoring 8,400 for the virus."

- Kyle Rodda, market analyst at IG Group

https://www.theguardian.com/business/li ... db2fb0005f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[citizenJA]

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA

[PorFavor]

Nadhim Zahawi. I knew it was a mistake (Question Time).

[frog222]

Laurie Garrett, science journalist and health policy analyst, talks with Rachel Maddow about the potential for the coronavirus to spread to the United States, and the steps for preparedness that are not being made that would better help the U.S. deal with the possibility of an emergency. Aired on 02/25/20.

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