Thursday 6th May 2021

[refitman]

Morning all.

[tinybgoat]

Boris Johnson’s Scotland headache is only going to get bigger

...with polls on a knife edge, SNP strategists have privately been discussing a fallback plan if the party falls narrowly short of a majority under its own colors: forming a coalition with the pro-independence Greens, who will likely improve on their current five MSPs and do better than former SNP leader Alex Salmond’s new Alba Party, which is struggling to make an impact.

After the last Scottish elections in 2016, the SNP opted to govern as a minority administration but could rely on the Greens in crucial votes. The thinking now is that forming a coalition in which Green MSPs took up ministerial posts would pile more pressure on Johnson to concede a referendum, as he would then be faced with a pro-independence government as well as parliament.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Have voted, only PCC election on here after the planned county council elections were scrapped.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the above, *very* quiet so far.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Well I'm off to do my democratic duty on this historic occasion.Voting for West Yorkshire's first elected Mayor. I can barely contain my excitement.

I have a tough decision to make. Do I put a coat on or not? One minute it's warm and sunny, the next it's freezing.

Maybe I can get away with a jumper.

[RogerOThornhill]

Good afternoon.

After yesterday's excitement, today is being spent sticking loads of photos of documents into the correct folders.

'Er indoors was due to start radiotherapy...except that when she got there after going elsewhere for a blood test, she was told that the machine was broke. Phone call just now and they can't start it until next Wednesday. presumably the repair man can't come until then...

Voted in the London Mayoral and Assembly elections. Saw Richard Tice on the ballot for the area - somewhere he has no connection to and doesn't live in. Great candidate...

[tinybgoat]

Did a shock £350,000 tax bill trigger Boris Johnson’s pleas for Downing St cash?

It all stems from a year of prolific — and lucrative — public speaking and writing after his resignation from Theresa May’s Cabinet as foreign secretary on July 9, 2018 to the day he marched triumphantly back in as Prime Minister on July 23, 2019.

In the space of just over 12 months the future PM pulled in £797,262.68 — putting him firmly inside the 45 per cent tax bracket for most of his extra-parliamentary earnings.

So he struggled to pay for curtains etc,
because he'd earnt £800k ...

(coincidentally, Mrs tinyb has just put up some John Lewis curtains, fresh from a charity shop,
wonder if this will be a trend)

[tinybgoat]

"At least the weather looks like it will be decent in most places tomorrow"
Not one of Anatoly's better predictions,
Just had a very cold looking Olivia Blake knock on the door,
Is now hailing.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I had to queue briefly to get in the polling station. There was a poor woman outside who had the job of letting people in and she was frozen despite wearing a big puffer jacket. She said it had been pretty quiet. I was asked if I wanted to vote in both the council and mayoral election which seemed a bit strange, why wouldn't you? Then was asked to wipe down the booth and clean the pencil after I was finished. I was tempted to ask what they thought I'd be doing to the booth and pencil to require such measures but decided against it. They didn't seem the types to be amused by my smuttiness. I did mean to take my own pencil but completely forgot.

Despite all my moaning about Labour they got both votes, with the Greens getting my mayoral second preference.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

"At least the weather looks like it will be decent in most places tomorrow"
Not one of Anatoly's better predictions,

Yes, it hasn't aged well. We've had sun, hailstones, grey windy freezingness and now it's chucking it down with rain.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Well it has been decent here, save for a few genuine showers. As recently as Monday it p***ed down pretty much all day.

(re your comment about ballot papers, there are a significant number of people who will vote in one sort of election but not another)

[tinyclanger2]

Well I'm off to do my democratic duty on this historic occasion.Voting for West Yorkshire's first elected Mayor. I can barely contain my excitement.

I have a tough decision to make. Do I put a coat on or not? One minute it's warm and sunny, the next it's freezing.

Maybe I can get away with a jumper.

Well that's the difference between Leeds and Newcastle isn't it.
In Newcastle it's illegal to own a coat.

[tinybgoat]

.. Then was asked to wipe down the booth and clean the pencil after I was finished. Ie.

https://www.leeds.gov.uk/your-council/e ... -elections

I think they're paid £200 for the day & part of the job (this year) is disinfecting the booths.

[tinybgoat]

Well I'm off to do my democratic duty on this historic occasion.Voting for West Yorkshire's first elected Mayor. I can barely contain my excitement.

I have a tough decision to make. Do I put a coat on or not? One minute it's warm and sunny, the next it's freezing.

Maybe I can get away with a jumper.

Well that's the difference between Leeds and Newcastle isn't it.
In Newcastle it's illegal to own a coat.

According to radio 4 (BBC so it must be true), it's not illegal, just that historically, if you went out & took your coat off & left it anywhere, it would get nicked.

[RogerOThornhill]

If this is true, then it's a big "Oops!"

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Well that's the difference between Leeds and Newcastle isn't it.
In Newcastle it's illegal to own a coat.

Or knickers.

At least in the Bigg Market.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Missed the start of Question Time, got in just in time to see John Bercow give Robert Jenrick an epic slap down.

[RogerOThornhill]

[Sky'sGoneOut]

What a pleasure it was to have Bercow on QT, he's an unashamed weirdo and he likes to work his ticket and our democracy desperately misses him.

In an hour did more to hold the government to account than Lindsay Hoyle has done in a year and a half.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I don't believe Robert Jenrick is entirely human.

No matter which brickbats were thrown at him, whether it be 150,000 deaths or being schooled on the basics of democratic accountability his facial expression never changed.

From a science fiction perspective this could indicate being infected by an alien brain parasite but I think there is a more mundane explanation.

The man is a psycopath.

Now I realise it's trendy to accuse the right of psycopathy but Jenrick's lack of response to emotional stimuli is genuinely disturbing. You can imagine if he had a brother (I can't be arsed to look up if he has) who was say, eaten by jackals while hiking, and they sent the jackal poo as his only remains, would Robert's expression change from its default position of smug superiority?

I doubt it. I reckon he'd put the remains of his brother in a plastic bag and hang it from a tree in the local park.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

[Sky'sGoneOut]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/ ... one-review

I've never understood the fascination with Van Morrison. He's always been a whining second rate troubador.

[tinybgoat]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/ ... one-review

I've never understood the fascination with Van Morrison. He's always been a whining second rate troubador.

Thanks, great comments to,
Think my favourite is
"The DUP has a vacancy, Van"