Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th September 2021

[refitman]

Morning all.

[gilsey]

Good morning.


Fyi, apparently ch4 are going to show the US Open ladies final at 8pm.

[gilsey]

when a telegraphed policy throws 'Labour’s high command into a "mini nervous breakdown"' because it forgot to develop its own policy, you kinda wonder if there's any point to Starmer's people.

https://twitter.com/xzlod/status/1436614187816562690

[gilsey]

Our tv transmitter fire has made it to the G. We've been able to get a signal apart from a couple of days, not sure where from but they've beefed up some of the smaller transmitters to compensate.

Widespread incredulity that there seemed to be no contingency plan for mast failure, not even guaranteed access to the site. Capitalism, innit.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... 1631340691

[AnatolyKasparov]

when a telegraphed policy throws 'Labour’s high command into a "mini nervous breakdown"' because it forgot to develop its own policy, you kinda wonder if there's any point to Starmer's people.

https://twitter.com/xzlod/status/1436614187816562690

Though they seemed to get a handle on it before too long.

Also, you are quoting a #FBPEer who is themselves citing a Freedland article

[refitman]

[gilsey]

Also, you are quoting a #FBPEer who is themselves citing a Freedland article

That's why I didn't display it, of course.

Doesn't make him wrong on this occasion, stopped clock and all that.

[AnatolyKasparov]

But not convinced he is on even this occasion. Precisely because the Starmer team's handling of it *wasn't* totally chaotic, for once.

[refitman]

This is a thread and a half:

[AnatolyKasparov]

That is one hell of a thread, some of the replies too.

[refitman]

[refitman]

So...Trump spent the 20th anniversary of 9/11 doing commentary for an Evander Holyfield(!) boxing match, followed by this:

[tinyclanger2]

I've been largely or totally vegetarian since the age of about 7. I can't eat dead animals or things that are like them (including some mushrooms because of the texture). At the same time I have long disliked "professional" vegetarians who go on about being vegetarian as if it's some kind of personality trait. And now I have transferred (and intensified) that dislike to the modern generation of "vegans". 1) plant-based dairy is not better than animal dairy in energy terms; 2) I can't eat vegetarian alternatives that genuinely resemble meat. I spent my adolescence and early years struggling to get any kind of vegetarian option and now I'm in danger of not being able to eat the vegetarian option.

[refitman]

I've been largely or totally vegetarian since the age of about 7. I can't eat dead animals or things that are like them (including some mushrooms because of the texture). At the same time I have long disliked "professional" vegetarians who go on about being vegetarian as if it's some kind of personality trait. And now I have transferred (and intensified) that dislike to the modern generation of "vegans". 1) plant-based dairy is not better than animal dairy in energy terms; 2) I can't eat vegetarian alternatives that genuinely resemble meat. I spent my adolescence and early years struggling to get any kind of vegetarian option and now I'm in danger of not being able to eat the vegetarian option.

Found this just for you TC2

[tinyclanger2]

Also much as I love the Great North Run I despair of the general belief that The Pandemic is somehow in hand (never mind over).

[AnatolyKasparov]

On which topic, Johnson has reportedly scrapped plans for vaccine "passports". Which would leave Scotland in an interesting position.

[Willow904]

I've been largely or totally vegetarian since the age of about 7. I can't eat dead animals or things that are like them (including some mushrooms because of the texture). At the same time I have long disliked "professional" vegetarians who go on about being vegetarian as if it's some kind of personality trait. And now I have transferred (and intensified) that dislike to the modern generation of "vegans". 1) plant-based dairy is not better than animal dairy in energy terms; 2) I can't eat vegetarian alternatives that genuinely resemble meat. I spent my adolescence and early years struggling to get any kind of vegetarian option and now I'm in danger of not being able to eat the vegetarian option.

I'm happy to eat less meat and dairy to tackle climate change but I'm not keen on the current push to make veganism mainstream. A vegan diet often doesn't provide people with everything they need to be healthy. Humans are omnivores, we can survive on a vegan diet, sure, but it's far from optimal. It's fine for those who really want to but I don't like the way it's being touted as something we must all embrace to stop climate change. Especially as it seems to hinge on the proliferation of vegan "meat-free" alternatives to popular processed meat snacks like vegan sausage rolls or vegan burgers. None of which I can eat because I have an intolerance to soya and peas (both of which are popular meat substitutes). It's actually getting to the point that I have to be wary of vegetarian options in restaurants because the trend is to make them full on vegan which often involves using a soy-based vegan "cheese".

So "yes" to less meat and dairy and "yes" to lots more vegetable based dishes but a big fat "no" to the current trend for commercial vegan versions of meat and dairy products. It's not helpful and I doubt it's very healthy either.

[gilsey]

On which topic, Johnson has reportedly scrapped plans for vaccine "passports". Which would leave Scotland in an interesting position.

Javid changed tack between talking to Sky and talking to the BBC this morning.

UK health secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed that plans for vaccine passports in England are going to be scrapped, speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show.

Interestingly Javid was asked the same question about vaccine passports earlier on Sky News this morning and only went as far as saying he “hoped” the Government could avoid them.

Javid said to Sky News:

We have been looking at that. We’ve been open about that. Instinctively I don’t like the idea at all of people having to, let’s say, present papers to do basic things.

So if we do that, it has to be something that is looked at very carefully and something that we believe that has to be done with no alternative.

With the vaccination rates rising - for example with 16 and 17-year-olds we only started just last month, now over 50% of 16 and 17-year-olds are already vaccinated - I think we need to take that into account and make a final decision, but I hope we can avoid it.

He added:

I am not here today to rule that out. We haven’t made a final decision as a Government.

Wonder what happened between those two interveiws?

From the G.

[gilsey]

You have to feel for poor Joe Salisbury who won not one but two titles at the US Open and hardly gets a mention.

the first man to win both the men’s and mixed doubles titles at the US Open since Bob Bryan in 2010

[gilsey]

I agree with Liz Truss. <explodinghead>

[AnatolyKasparov]

There's an argument that taxes do need to go up, just not the way they have chosen.

[RogerOThornhill]

Good evening.

Spent the day in Cambridge meeting up with brother & his partner - first time all of us have met since...not sure when - quite a while.

After lunch we headed off to the Botanic Gardens, all except our daughter who couldn't find where she'd left her bike, and then couldn't find the entrance to the gardens so we didn't see her again! I should add that she actually lives in Cambridge which makes the story a bit more bizarre - she has literally no sense of direction.

The tax thing is odd - I've seen so many people claim that the current Government are a bunch of socialists just because they're putting up tax.

[gilsey]

There's an argument that taxes do need to go up, just not the way they have chosen.

Not if you want the economy to recover.

Taking money out of people's pockets at the moment is daft.
Unless you don't want an economic recovery, as we were discussing the other day.

[gilsey]

Djokovic lost.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Djokovic lost.

In straight sets!