Friday 12th May 2023

[refitman]

Morning all.

[frog222]

Morning refit

Another great QT Report, thankyou @sky .

For the Opposition we had --

[frog222]

I remember Blair being so enthusiastic about 'Targets' but expect the Others had already been down that road, possibly Thatcher even ?

A tiny bit of thinking might lead one to expect people subject to targets would be tempted to fiddle the figures if they could ... but that hasn't prevented successive govts from setting up very complex control systems based on Quango Regulators who THEN end up regulating bugger all .

TPE example --

" I only found out about p-coding when I wrote an opinion piece moaning about terrible northern trains, which mentioned that TPE had cancelled 5.8% of all trains in the previous 12 weeks. Someone in the know wrote in to say that the real figure was between 20% and 30%, and explained the chicanery behind p-coding.

In January, the Office of Rail and Road, the regulator, ordered TPE and other offenders to stop misusing p-codes and supply statistics that showed the full scale of misery experienced by passengers. The change was stark: for the four weeks between 5 February and 4 March, TPE’s cancellation score worsened from 7.2% to 23.8% when adjusted to include p-coding because of a shortage of available crew.

The result is an utterly miserable experience that is leading more and more people to give up on the railways altogether and learn how to drive, buy a car, or find a job that allows them to work from home. I’ve heard of people losing jobs, quitting college, moving house, all because of TPE’s scandalously bad service. "

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... express-is

For more, Christian Wolmar --

The government has had to take over yet another railway – and yet it still balks at full nationalisation

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... servatives

[frog222]

I hope she paid for her own bloody uniform !



Once upon a time a Reserve Sub-Lt, did a little square-bashing and that's it , and Honorary Captain RN prob because she was Def Sec for a few months or was it weeks ? ( Corr -- 85 days ! )

In her previous recent attempt to become PM, Penny Mordaunt talked a good deal about her past naval service as a qualification for high office. As this article records, Mordaunt allowed claims to be made about her that she had taken command of a naval vessel, actively served (while a minister) on another, and “helped to train Ukrainian forces during her time with the Royal Navy Reserve”. None of these claims were true.

“I’m incredibly proud of our armed forces.”

“I’ve been a member of our armed forces and I’m still pleased to be serving them as an Honorary Officer. I know perhaps better than any other candidate that it is our first duty to this country to defend them. People can be confident that this job is safe in my hands.”

This was said by Penny Mordaunt, Tory leadership candidate in July 2022.

https://northeastbylines.co.uk/from-bul ... l-service/

FFS Honorary Officers DO NOT SERVE !

[gilsey]

Thanks for the QT review, sky.

Watched the bit about the water cos. Ash was on good form and Bruce allowed her to say her piece for once.
What Debonnaire said about nationalisation 'costing billions' is financial/economic bollocks. Like not having time to repeal repellent tory legislation, it's the official party line covering for what they actually want to do, which is nothing.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Well tbh I think "repeal" is often just a slogan. Most of the time *changing* legislation is the way to go, and it seems TD said that would happen?

Though yes the "nationalisation would cost X zillion" line is often scaremongering, and cover for not doing something they don't want to do anyway.

[refitman]

[RogerOThornhill]

Good afternoon.

I seem to remember the Telegraph posting up a risible column from one of their stars complaining that Labour were going to going to make use of something the ONS have been doing for years - a full Government Balance Sheet - by claiming that nationalisation didn't actually cost anything since you were buying an asset with, as said above, an income stream.

They were a bit 'Down with this sort of thing' about doing that...

[AnatolyKasparov]

I hope she paid for her own bloody uniform !

FFS Honorary Officers DO NOT SERVE !

You have just discovered all this? It was common knowledge during her leadership bid last summer.

[RogerOThornhill]

Thing is, I can just imagine Henry Bolton doing this...typical "and I'll tell you something else" pub bore.

[frog222]

I hope she paid for her own bloody uniform !
FFS Honorary Officers DO NOT SERVE !

You have just discovered all this? It was common knowledge during her leadership bid last summer.

I knew it , it was known, but certainly not common knowledge . People out there who have not been following sometimes need reminding what a ghastly piece of work she is, so it's useful ammo for a wider audience than just ourselves. I think some elements of the Press are still attempting to build her up as a contender for offices, because they have so very little material to work with ?

OTOH, I followed this a year before his book came out last year, and it is still NOT common knowledge, and even you appear to be unaware of it --



A sad business when the UK together with most of the world is going through a number of epochal crises at the same time that an awful creature such as Starmer is proposed for the sole reason that he is not officially a Tory .

[tinyclanger2]

Well here we are, back where we started this 37-song odyssey around 2023's Eurovision entries. And I have to say that Mae Muller's "I wrote a song" (UK) sounds about a million times better than it did 5 weeks ago (when I hadn't yet heard the likes of the Netherlands', Romania's and Poland's turgid nonsense.)

Mae has seriously scary fingernails, but am now seeing this as another strong contender. Mind you - I was convinced Malta was a winner and look where that got them.

Clanger rating:
Was it fun: yes
Was it dancey: after enough vermouths
What would Terry have said about it: I think he might have liked it

[tinyclanger2]

So there we are. 37 countries, 37 songs, most of them shite.
Looking forward to tomorrow!

[AnatolyKasparov]

Thank you for doing these!

[gilsey]

I have to say that Mae Muller's "I wrote a song" (UK) sounds about a million times better than it did 5 weeks ago (when I hadn't yet heard the likes of the Netherlands', Romania's and Poland's turgid nonsense.)

Agreed.

Thanks for your heroic efforts.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Thing is, I can just imagine Henry Bolton doing this...typical "and I'll tell you something else" pub bore.

There's owning somebody on Twitter.......and then there is THIS.

[tinyclanger2]

Thanks for the thanks.
I miss Malta, but let's see what happens now.

I have news from people on the ground in the 'Pool - the city has turned blue and yellow. Plus Conchita.