Saturday 29th February & Sunday 1st March 2020

Post by **refitman** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 8:12 am

Morning all.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 8:25 am

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... aincontent" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 10:08 am

Laura Kuenssberg
@bbclaurak
Breaking - Philip Rutnam, Home Office boss, quits saying he has been target of viscious and orchestrated campaign against him

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 10:14 am

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51687287" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Home Office boss quits over 'campaign against him'

He was just on BBC News and said he was offered a settlement to go quietly but turned it down. He's suing for constructive dismissal. In that his position and ability to do his job had been made impossible by his employer seems pretty clear. He could well win and he appears to be expecting an onslaught against him throughout the process and is going ahead anyway. Brave guy.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 10:32 am

and if you thought we were in trouble having an incompetent govt in charge during the covid-19 epidemic

Brian Klaas
@brianklaas
Trump’s campaign messaging is now officially that concerns over the spread of coronavirus are a political hoax launched by the Democrats. We’re in trouble.

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 10:34 am

Jill Rutter
@jillongovt
I think - from personal experience - that even when you feel really hard done by, you generally think its not worth the grief and better to go quietly.. so the fact that Philip isn;t doing this shows how far relations have broken down.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 12:30 pm

gilsey wrote:and if you thought we were in trouble having an incompetent govt in charge during the covid-19 epidemic

Brian Klaas
@brianklaas
Trump’s campaign messaging is now officially that concerns over the spread of coronavirus are a political hoax launched by the Democrats. We’re in trouble.

And a significant minority of American voters will buy this, that's the real killer.

(indeed, maybe quite literally in this case)

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 6:07 pm

Good morfternoon.

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds expecting summer baby

Prime minister and partner, who also lives at No 10, also announced their engagement
(Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... ummer-baby

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 6:11 pm

x + 1 = why?

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 6:19 pm

Well that's conveniently timed news isn't it......

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 6:23 pm

A baby squirrel...

And I note that Bercow is trending because...well, it's whataboutery really.

Love this one.

Rod Bishop
‏@rodbishop15
7h7 hours ago
More
Home Office boss quits over 'campaign against him' https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-51687287" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; … The left are outraged because a senior civil servant couldn’t stand the heat from Priti. But back Bercow the Bully for a peerage. #JustSoLefty

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 6:35 pm

Peter Jukes
‏Verified account

@peterjukes
43m43 minutes ago
More
True story. Was told a week ago there two rumours in Westminster. 1. Something bad for Johnson 2 that Carrie Symonds was pregnant and that 2 would be released to defuse 1

#justsayin

Paul Waugh
Verified account

@paulwaugh
48m48 minutes ago
More
Given that this has been long talked about within Westminster and Whitehall, it was always a question of just when they would time the announcement.
The PM wouldn't be so cynical to try and bury bad news (Patel/Rutnam) with, er, good news? Surely not.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 8:01 pm

PorFavor wrote:x + 1 = why?

"We are a father"

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 8:03 pm

Good evening, everyone.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 8:18 pm

Are there any Watford fans on here?

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 8:53 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:
Peter Jukes
‏Verified account

@peterjukes
43m43 minutes ago
More
True story. Was told a week ago there two rumours in Westminster. 1. Something bad for Johnson 2 that Carrie Symonds was pregnant and that 2 would be released to defuse 1

#justsayin

Paul Waugh
Verified account

@paulwaugh
48m48 minutes ago
More
Given that this has been long talked about within Westminster and Whitehall, it was always a question of just when they would time the announcement.
The PM wouldn't be so cynical to try and bury bad news (Patel/Rutnam) with, er, good news? Surely not.

Seriously? Two of the last three PMs have welcomed a baby into No 10. It's hardly a novelty is it,barely a footnote really. And this is the British public, remember. Only royalty is feted for the mere act of reproduction. Lesser celebs need to throw in at least a stupid name to garner some serious column inches. It won't distract for long.....

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 9:12 pm

How will we know if people are distracted or not? Mainstream media won't bother.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 9:14 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... aincontent" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"As the Institute for Fiscal Studies noted, at the last election Labour preferred to spend “considerably more” on making up the pensions of “relatively well off” Waspi women than on alleviating the all too genuine despair of the working poor"

And with absolutely no account for the effect on those on means tested benefits.To be strictly fair it was a rather desperate bung knowing I suspect they wouldn't have to implement and they lied in the presentation.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 9:17 pm

I have no problem with lying ,indeed sometimes essential.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 11:28 pm

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 11:32 pm

Willow904 wrote:
RogerOThornhill wrote:
Peter Jukes
‏Verified account

@peterjukes
43m43 minutes ago
More
True story. Was told a week ago there two rumours in Westminster. 1. Something bad for Johnson 2 that Carrie Symonds was pregnant and that 2 would be released to defuse 1

#justsayin

Paul Waugh
Verified account

@paulwaugh
48m48 minutes ago
More
Given that this has been long talked about within Westminster and Whitehall, it was always a question of just when they would time the announcement.
The PM wouldn't be so cynical to try and bury bad news (Patel/Rutnam) with, er, good news? Surely not.
Seriously? Two of the last three PMs have welcomed a baby into No 10. It's hardly a novelty is it,barely a footnote really. And this is the British public, remember. Only royalty is feted for the mere act of reproduction. Lesser celebs need to throw in at least a stupid name to garner some serious column inches. It won't distract for long.....

At least the two previous PMs knew how many kids they had......

Post by **refitman** » Sat 29 Feb, 2020 11:53 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote: At least the two previous PMs knew how many kids they had......

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 11:11 am

Good morning all, anything of interest this morning?

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 11:59 am

Italy is reported to have 105 covid-19 patients in intensive care.

Can't help but think they're fortunate to have that many available beds, certainly wouldn't be the case here.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 12:10 pm

Its morfternoon time.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 2:38 pm

Good afternoon, everyone.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 2:43 pm

gilsey wrote:Italy is reported to have 105 covid-19 patients in intensive care.

Can't help but think they're fortunate to have that many available beds, certainly wouldn't be the case here.

True
<thoroughly worried emoticon inserted here>

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 5:44 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Its morfternoon time.

PorFavor and Constance send their love to everyone.

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 6:04 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... aincontent" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 7:14 pm

https://amp.theguardian.com/society/202 ... ssion=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 7:18 pm

https://angelaraynerfordeputy.com/disability-manifesto/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 7:25 pm

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 7:28 pm

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 7:34 pm

(tweeted today,presumably date error)

HindleA · Post by **HindleA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 8:05 pm

"not feel institutional".Oh for the halycon non existing days pre-Thatcher/pre State interference (delete as equally inappropriate)

Laughing (not in a good way)until bollocks fell off

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 8:09 pm

http://moralmachine.mit.edu/

Hit the 'Start Judging' button and decide who gets to live or die when a driverless car has brake failure at a pedestrian crossing.

Apparently I hate old people, men in particular, am quite cavalier in my attitude to loss of life, am surprisingly law abiding, and like cats and dogs.

(I had to turn off my adblocker Ublock Origin to get it to work).

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 9:44 pm

I missed this from earlier...

Danny Shaw
‏
Verified account

@DannyShawBBC
Follow Follow @DannyShawBBC
More
BREAKING: A formal complaint about Priti Patel's conduct was made when she was Employment Minister at Department for Work and Pensions,@BBCNews has been told. Complaint is believed to have been made by a member of her private office...

12:25 PM - 1 Mar 2020

and from someone who tends to know people in Whitehall...

Sam Freedman
‏@Samfr
9h9 hours ago
MoreSam Freedman Retweeted Danny Shaw
As I was saying yesterday Patel has a long standing reputation in Westminster as, at best, a very difficult minister.

"at best"...

Post by **adam** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 9:46 pm

Sky'sGoneOut wrote:http://moralmachine.mit.edu/

Hit the 'Start Judging' button and decide who gets to live or die when a driverless car has brake failure at a pedestrian crossing.

Apparently I hate old people, men in particular, am quite cavalier in my attitude to loss of life, am surprisingly law abiding, and like cats and dogs.

(I had to turn off my adblocker Ublock Origin to get it to work).

I did this on the basis that you always take action to avoid the hazard immediately in front of you unless that means prioritising animals over people in which case you prioritise the people. I worked on an assumption that the car could tell if it had people or animals immediately in front of it but wouldn't know clearly who or what were off to the side. I thought it was an excellent argument for not having driverless cars.

Post by **adam** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 9:47 pm

RogerOThornhill wrote:I missed this from earlier...

Danny Shaw
‏
Verified account

@DannyShawBBC
Follow Follow @DannyShawBBC
More
BREAKING: A formal complaint about Priti Patel's conduct was made when she was Employment Minister at Department for Work and Pensions,@BBCNews has been told. Complaint is believed to have been made by a member of her private office...

12:25 PM - 1 Mar 2020
and from someone who tends to know people in Whitehall...

Sam Freedman
‏@Samfr
9h9 hours ago
MoreSam Freedman Retweeted Danny Shaw
As I was saying yesterday Patel has a long standing reputation in Westminster as, at best, a very difficult minister.
"at best"...

The guardian also has a story that Number 10 is entirely behing and alongside ministers working and leaking against the civil service.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 9:48 pm

Oh, just seen this from the same person...

Sam Freedman
‏@Samfr
Feb 29
MoreSam Freedman Retweeted BBC News (UK)
Unprecedented I think. Though not surprising given Patel's reputation in Westmister. Can't be many worse post-war cabinet ministers.

Those hitching themselves to Priti might want a rethink...

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 10:52 pm

adam wrote:I thought it was an excellent argument for not having driverless cars.

I found the link after listening to a science podcast, they were discussing driverless cars with an Oxford Uni computer science boffin who specialises in AI ethics and he completely agreed with you. Thankfully he didn't think completely autonomous driverless cars would be around for another 50 years so if he's right having an algorithm decide whether we live or die while crossing the road won't be our problem.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 10:59 pm

Goodnight, everyone.
love,
cJA

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 11:47 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... -claimants

This really does break my heart. Because that could easily have been me. A little over 10 years ago I was going through a pretty nasty bout of depression, didn't engage with the DWP as I was supposed to and lost everything, all my benefits just stopped, including housing benefit. And at that time under those circumstances my response was to simply hide, avoid everything and everyone and starve. If it hadn't been for a friend who refused to be put off by my bullshit excuses I'm not sure I'd still be here. Reading about Errol Graham I can absolutely understand his thinking. When you feel like that all you want to do is cocoon yourself off from the rest of the world and the longer that goes on the stronger the urge becomes. I'm still having to deal with family issues now from that time because it was easier to fuck people off so they would leave me alone rather than dealing with their concern. Isolating yourself is what depressed people do and a couple of texts and a quick knock on the door by the DWP after they've deprived someone of their entire income is a contemptuous lack of basic humanity (I received neither back then).

So I'm raising this glass to Errol Graham, a fellow traveller in a dark world who I wish I'd been able to help.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Sun 01 Mar, 2020 11:54 pm

Sorry if that was a bit grim.

[youtube]291ET6Py6H8[/youtube]

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Mon 02 Mar, 2020 12:09 am

Anyway usually on a Sunday I go to my mate's place in Calderdale for a rural stroll but today he claimed to have 'a shitty cold' and suggested we postpone said stroll until sometime mid-week.

Which I agreed to but obviously I'll be wearing at least a face mask and possibly a full hazmat suit if I can find one cheap on ebay.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Mon 02 Mar, 2020 1:18 am

Also I was listening to Radio 5 earlier and they were doing a review of the week's news with contributors from across the political spectrum including a right wing Yank and each and every one of them thought Toby Young's latest comical venture was an absolutely terrible idea.

I'd only heard of it in passing and ignored it because he's a dickhead with a face liked a slapped arse but asking people to pay money to defend 'free speech' by organising a paid Twitter mob against your opponents? What? The right wing Yank was the one who was most vociferous in his opposition for obvious first amendment reasons and even the lass from The Spectator called it 'disturbing' although she went on to claim something needed to be done to counter the Left's culture war.

To which my reply would be to go onto any film or tv programmes page on IMDB and read the reviews of anything.

They consist almost entirely now of whining alt-right snowflakes complaining that there are women or black people or Muslims or homosexuals or any other version of humanity besides themselves being represented. And that including said groups which represent many millions of people is political correctness being forced down their whiny little throats. It's pathetic. And it's classic, bog standard fascistic populism.

So as far as I can see nobody is trying to stifle Toby Young's leering at a Labour Mp's tits or saying kids in wheelchairs shouldn't be able to get into their school, or in fact have ever have been born. Quite the opposite. Social media platforms seem disinclined to deal with that kind of shit.

What upsets him and them is scrutiny and in response all he can come up with is paid for bullying.

No wonder last time I saw him he was being bested by teenage girls during a Scottish Brexit debate for schoolkids.

Wanker.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Mon 02 Mar, 2020 1:32 am

Sorry not millions but billions.

There are quite a few ladies out there thankfully.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Mon 02 Mar, 2020 2:01 am

Night folks.

Look after yourselves. And your friends.

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Mon 02 Mar, 2020 2:18 am

[youtube]jvtBQS-kxHk[/youtube]

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Mon 02 Mar, 2020 2:22 am

[youtube]_hBoB-dqzms[/youtube]