Should still go in the back half, though it might deny your water bottles?

it’s a symptom of our insularity, anti-intellectualism and entitlement to our standard of living and place in the world.

Or it’s a symptom of English being the world language, so what’s the point of learning, say, German? While their culture and history are fascinating, if you’re a British kid, would you really pick it over a stem subject? If you’re a non-Anglophone kid, learning English is a no-brainier. That report did say Spanish was on the up, maybe a language that lots of people speak makes more sense.

Does anyone else find this site canes the battery on their mobile? Other sites are fine, but on here I lose like 5% charge per minute, and the phone gets hot! iPhone SE. Just me?

Massive ideolgical difference though.

True, but I’d suggest there’s a certain hypocrisy in wanting to sit under NATO’s umbrella whilst being anti-nuclear. Bit nimbyish.

And unlike all the other countries that got independence from the UK, they are going to stop trading with us?

Is that what you’re implying?

Same question re leaving the EU! Which I also think is wrong-headed.

Stopped conducting foreign wars
Got rid of Trident

Teeny weeny savings.

Adopt EU regulations for treatment of tax evading big corporations.

Don’t know much about this. You might need to think about the place to the South though, and what it’s policy would be, and the likely effect on inward investment.

Collected 100% of revenue from taxes on things like whisky, oil, etc

You already do – it’s accounted for in those GERS figures that show a big deficit.

Then there would be the immeasurable benefit of not having 3 parties within the Scottish govt actively working against Scotland’s interests because they’re getting their orders from London.

Who says the interests of England and Scotland are mutually exclusive? They’re fairly similar economies. The UK’s economic performance has been perfectly respectable over the last few decades, compared to similar mature economies; I find the notion that the UK Govt are deliberately hobbling Scotland, reducing their tax take and increasing their spending, curious to say the least. iScot would have to grow at a massive rate for the next few decades to make up the difference, and exceptionalism isn’t really an argument for suggesting this will happen.

“Why would England want to stay in a Union with Scotland if they’re so fiscally dependent” is a counter-argument you hear… I think that Scotland brings a lot to the Union: resources, tourism, agriculture, and it’s very well placed for future opportunities like renewables. It’s not as simple as “England subsidises Scotland”, in fact London subsidises everywhere else, Scotland less than most of the rest of the UK. The costs of separation would be very large and Scotland’s position is very handy geo-strategically. The future isn’t certain, so the bigger and broader your hand, and the more self-reliant you can be, the better placed you are to handle whatever comes next. That’s what’s in it for England.

I agree with everything eat the pudding has said, and I think it’s very nice that this hasn’t got Twitter-shouty on such an emotive subject!

I love the old brute. First tour as an Air Trafficker at Leeming with the slightly less loved F3 variant. Some hoofing breaks into the circuit and I’ll always remember the shock diamonds in the carrots out back on twilight departures, and the NOISE. The GR has been doing the business for us for nearly 40 years!

That JP233 was apparently like having a double decker bus strapped to the bottom, and necessitated flying down the centreline low and not too quickly, Peters and Nichol came a cropper with it in GW1.

I was always struck by the terrain following radar- low level in zero vis on 70s electronics 😳 Never went badly wrong I believe!

Thanks all. Peter, all the bits are brand new, external cables and I wind the adjusters back in every time I re-fettle it (they’re those ones that sit in the middle of a section of outer; one peculiarity with the road shifters/mtb derailleur is that there’s no barrel adjuster!). Ampthill, reading that article I’m inclined to give a new 105 mech a bash and see what happens, with the roadlink extension thingy in reserve if it’s no good. I figure 105 shifter direct to 105 mech can’t be too bad. Mick, don’t think I need a clutch as it’s used for road/gentle gravel; if it got rough, Mrs AT would have kidney-punched me long before the chain was likely to bounce off!

There are indeed, yes it’s the right one (triple-checked!)

This is a classic symptom of a bent mech hanger. Certainly worth excluding it from your deliberations.

Should have said, not that either!

Who went to a remembrance service today?

I was lead shouter and sword-waver for the remembrance parade in Shrewsbury; nerve-wracking but it went alright! I’ve got some pretty mixed feelings about the fetishising of it all, and people training in the gym on Strictly wearing poppies, but I still think the ceremony is a solemn , moving and valuable thing.

Bloody obvious airtragic it still needs a pilot and the report said rain not high winds. I still reckon the helicopter flying the president will still be equipped with things like FLIR, weather radar, anti ice systems giving them all weather flight similar to PAVE Hawks that Pararescue use.

I’d have thought so too.  None of those help if you can’t see to land it, though it’s hard to imagine just rain degrading the visibility that badly, it would normally have to be mist or fog.

It just seems out of character to me.  Of the many, many things you can criticise Trump for, a lack of enthusiasm for the military isn’t one of them (except for actual participation in the Vietnam War of course, that was pretty dangerous).  He surrounds himself with retired Generals.  This isn’t something that’ll play well with his base, and he’s all about playing to his base.  I try to make a rule of not criticising figures I don’t like for an action I’d accept from a figure I do like.  Would I criticise Obama for this, or accept the explanation?  Is it just about knocking Trump?

The guy in charge of planning for Obama was a little shocked, they all planned to have multiple ways to get anywhere, it’s just how they roll.

Yes, but my point is, you’re talking a half-hour flight vs a two hour drive, for arguments’ sake.  If he had other stuff planned that was within that extra hour-and-a-half either side, that was a higher priority, then he can’t do the road move.  That might be poor planning or bad priorities, but not necessarily a call he made.  A more impressive POTUS, of course, would have a brief on the plan for the day and might intercede on the lack of a viable road option, anticipating how this looks!

Did they fly?  Genuine question.  If so, it certainly smells like a lack of will!

Particularly sad.  The casualties carried on after the Armistice, since you can’t demobilise millions of traumatised men and millions of tons of high explosive without a few accidents.  The cost in ruined lives among those who survived boggles the mind too.

I dare say the Marine one helicopters have some of the latest avionic upgrades available making them capable of flying in all weather conditions day or night. Trump is just a slime bag with no respect for anyone else.

Nope. No such thing. The pilot has to be able to see to land it, and wind limits are wind limits, there isn’t tech that’ll stop you from falling over! I suspect if anything the opposite is true, there’s probably a lower risk tolerance for flying the president around which could make the limits tighter. Not disagreeing Trump is as you say though!

Similar situation once upon a time, luckily no kids involved. Commiserations and it does get better in time.  As others have said, try hard to keep it amicable and be the better man, but ensure you’ve got a decent lawyer covering you in case the other party is less honourable.

I’m sure he will reel off a whole list of people who’s fault it is and how he really wanted to but was not allowed.

Undoubtedly! And certainly, if the top man gives the direction “this is to happen”, then it will; his programme would then have had a road move time factored in. This isn’t trivial, though; when you’re POTUS, you can’t all just pile into the cars and hit the road! I was involved in a little bit of planning for the G8 summit in Northern Ireland in 2013 and the “no air” plan was a formidable thing!

Now much as I don’t like Trump, and with the caveat I haven’t looked into it in much depth, if he had to fly in due to logistics and couldn’t due to weather then what’s he to do? Doesn’t matter if Marine one can land in water, there’s vis limits, wind limits etc. Probably should have planned better and prioritised the time for a road move, but I doubt that’s a. Simple or b. His job.

Rahul reminded me forcibly of Marvin the paranoid android. I’m sure he’s a nice lad and everything, but I’ve pissed the bed and had less of a wet blanket!

I wouldn’t ridicule the idea of independence however I do believe (like Brexit) that it will be bad for both parties and (also like Brexit) worse for the smaller party.

Thanks for articulating my thoughts!

Saxonrider +1

I see. So really just a new term for Col Blimp or Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells then?

Hmm, I’m bald, pale white and turn red under pressure, such as public speaking. Pretty healthy though (I think!) Am I, in fact, gammon?

IN the EU iScotland would have influence and any power the EU has is given to them / shared with them and the sovereignty resides with the scottish people

Basically iScotland in the EU would not have tory austerity forced upon it

This is very reminiscent of the kind of airy statements the brexies were making before the EU referendum. “It’ll be fine, they’ll give us what we want”. How much influence, in a union where you’re about 1% of the population and (if you’re in the Euro) fiscal policy is set for 27 other countries (Netherlands are about 3x bigger than Scotland btw)? Most analysts seem to think that, had you gone independent, you’d have had something that made Tory austerity look like a picnic! And it’s not true to say that Scotland sends more money to London than it gets back therefore quids in; an iScotland would need to spend on those reserved matters that the U.K. government currently handles. I think the parallels are striking; at the end of the day both movements are about appealing to the notion that us, here are better off without them, over there. This feels wrong to me and so I’ll find arguments against it, TJ you obviously like it so you’ll do the opposite. Like most political arguments, it’s about justifying your gut instincts!

Well, I’ve got no basis for this other than intuition, but the accusations sound credible to me. He just seems the type (angry shortarse!) As to where the line is between being bullied and “forcibly directed”, that’s another question entirely.

At risk of annoying you TJ, I’ve posted before that I think the SNP’s position of this union bad but that union good is intellectually incoherent at best.

Both of the main parties seem irretrievably spatchcocked between the irreconcilable positions of the two poles of their support bases.

Well I like the Lib Dem approach best personally, but no other bugger seems to!

Very simple. the unicorn imaginary border can go in the north sea.

Irish Sea might be better! 😉

Not saying this should be a lefty echo chamber, but it’s definitely a far better discussion without his non-stop bellendry

Always found his tone irritating, and as an aside he was pro-remain, but I thought the content of what he said was often interesting. It is a bit echoey in here now, I read it a lot less because it’s just a circle of Tory-ineptitude-bemoaning now!

If he’s from Wittering, there’s a good chance he’s a professional driver 😕!

(Sorry no puns)

Lol, well done. I’d have him on the carpet without coffee  for sure!

I like how we have to retaliate to uphold the sanctity of the chemical weapons convention but things like UN authorisation to launch an offensive strike is a non issue

I’m sure the rest of the security council would have waved that right through. Who are they again?

Junkyard, well put. No good options.

It’s not often Clarkson talks sense but he’s probably right about “Interceptor “ being the best car name ever.

“I’ll pick you up at 7. In the Interceptor.”

“Shall we take the Interceptor this weekend Darling?”

”I’m taking the Interceptor down to Biarritz”

or even

”I’m stuck in a jam on the A14 in the pissing rain. In the Interceptor “

It’s also one of those activities where, for some unknown  reason, it has been decreed that it starts at an ungodly hour of the morning! They always seem to insist on you pitching up at 6am or thereabouts, on a Saturday! Why?!

The SNP have the somewhat troublesome position of arguing that leaving this political and economic union, to which we’re a net contributor, will be a disaster whereas leaving that far older and deeper political and economic union, from which we’re a net recipient, will be fine.  Excuse me if I’m a tad sceptical.

Hoping for a Lib Dem revival at the next GE!

Junkyard +1.

This is such a pathetic argument, and yet another example of how normal standards apparently don’t apply to Boris.

I’d apply the same standards to anyone.  No fan of BoJo.

without getting too tinfoil hat, is it not surprising that yulia has recovered from a nerve agent attack, I was under the impression that effects would be much more serious

AIUI if you don’t die of asphyxiation at the time, you metabolise it out and regenerate your atropine (I think) over time.

But of course, you can ask why women tend to do those jobs, and why those jobs tend to get paid less. Social conditioning? I’m in favour of everything short of positive discrimination to get more women into traditional “male” jobs.

Theotherjonv put it better than me. I hear it as [after being interrupted with a question specifically about the samples] “Are you sure [it’s Novichok] ?” [conflates with evidence from other sources] “and he said there’s no doubt”.