Seemingly trivial things that intrigue you

surrey_commuter

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Mad_Malx said:

First.Aspect said:

It is a little bit like watching a debating club in school sometimes.

Personalities and parties aside, the SP structure and procedure appears (to a very long exiled Scot) to be far superior to Westminster.

I agree re proportional representation - it it is a shjtshow now, but imagine how bad it would be under fptp.

In what other way is it better? (Honestly I don't see much difference, other than the decor).

Not so dominated by people with childhood issues after being sent away as children to school.

Replaced by shouty people with a chip on their shoulder because they didn't get to go to a posh school.

God the UK would be a better place if they binned the parallel private school sector.

If I was PM with a big mandate I would blow my entire political capital on two things. That and PR.

That would be the ultimate dumbing down, why wouldn’t you sink your political capital in levelling up?

pinno

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Mad_Malx said:

First.Aspect said:

It is a little bit like watching a debating club in school sometimes.

Personalities and parties aside, the SP structure and procedure appears (to a very long exiled Scot) to be far superior to Westminster.

I agree re proportional representation - it it is a shjtshow now, but imagine how bad it would be under fptp.

In what other way is it better? (Honestly I don't see much difference, other than the decor).

Not so dominated by people with childhood issues after being sent away as children to school.

Replaced by shouty people with a chip on their shoulder because they didn't get to go to a posh school.

God the UK would be a better place if they binned the parallel private school sector.

If I was PM with a big mandate I would blow my entire political capital on two things. That and PR.

That would be the ultimate dumbing down, why wouldn’t you sink your political capital in levelling up?

Yep - that would pander to the middle classes. Education, education, education. Except pushing so many more thousands through University diluted the value of a degree and heralded the proliferation of Mickey Mouse degrees.
And that was what Blair was doing - getting the middle class vote.

I knew a fellow student doing Geology and sports science?! I asked (a bit jokingly and a lot sarcastically) what that was all about and he said "running up hills to look at rocks".
Funny but it underlined the meaninglessness of it.

I thought that faith specific schools would be RC's bug bear.

bompington

Mad_Malx said:

First.Aspect said:

It is a little bit like watching a debating club in school sometimes.

Personalities and parties aside, the SP structure and procedure appears (to a very long exiled Scot) to be far superior to Westminster.

In some ways maybe, but it turns out, for example, that when one party gets a majority - the assumption from the start was that with PR no-one would - there is very little accountability or separation of powers. The Lord Advocate (chief law officer and member of the government) was able not just to stonewall the parliamentary committee looking into the Salmond thing, but to threaten them by pointing out that they were "punishable" if they didn't follow his rules.

elbowloh

I wanted to buy a single £8 item on eBay. I didn't have an account, so signed up and put the item in my cart, checked out and tried to pay by PayPal.

It doesn't work and I immediately get an email to say my account was permanently suspended as my activity put their entire business at risk. I go on the live chat to speak to their customer service team, explain what happened, they look into and say yep I got banned, as I'm a threat to their community and sorry they can't help me any further.

So I'm permanently banned from eBay because I tried to buy something.

Seems to be a weird business model, but they seem to do ok.

pinno

elbowloh said:

I wanted to buy a single £8 item on eBay. I didn't have an account, so signed up and put the item in my cart, checked out and tried to pay by PayPal.

It doesn't work and I immediately get an email to say my account was permanently suspended as my activity put their entire business at risk. I go on the live chat to speak to their customer service team, explain what happened, they look into and say yep I got banned, as I'm a threat to their community and sorry they can't help me any further.

So I'm permanently banned from eBay because I tried to buy something.

Seems to be a weird business model, but they seem to do ok.

Very odd.

pblakeney

The power... 😉

briantrumpet

elbowloh said:

I wanted to buy a single £8 item on eBay. I didn't have an account, so signed up and put the item in my cart, checked out and tried to pay by PayPal.

It doesn't work and I immediately get an email to say my account was permanently suspended as my activity put their entire business at risk. I go on the live chat to speak to their customer service team, explain what happened, they look into and say yep I got banned, as I'm a threat to their community and sorry they can't help me any further.

So I'm permanently banned from eBay because I tried to buy something.

Seems to be a weird business model, but they seem to do ok.

That seems cheap for Semtex.

back-to-the-trail

I was wondering why my hair finds a way to always blow into my mouth when I’m cycling, no matter how hard I try to tie it back ... it always escapes! 😅

elbowloh

It was just some little plastic clips that you hang the parcel shelf from in the car. That's all.

pblakeney

Go faster. 😉

back-to-the-trail

pblakeney said:

Go faster. 😉

It’s like the same effect you get in an open top car - it goes fast - hair still blows in yer face 😂

pblakeney

back-to-the-trail said:

pblakeney said:

Go faster. 😉

It’s like the same effect you get in an open top car - it goes fast - hair still blows in yer face 😂

Remove your windscreen. 😉
I clearly have no experience. 😂

elbowloh

back-to-the-trail said:

I was wondering why my hair finds a way to always blow into my mouth when I’m cycling, no matter how hard I try to tie it back ... it always escapes! 😅

Ok Donald...

back-to-the-trail

pblakeney said:

back-to-the-trail said:

pblakeney said:

Go faster. 😉

It’s like the same effect you get in an open top car - it goes fast - hair still blows in yer face 😂

Remove your windscreen. 😉
I clearly have no experience. 😂

Haha! It’s been years since I been in one - I just remember what it was like

back-to-the-trail

it’s Donaldina actually

It’s a slow day

pinno

back-to-the-trail said:

it’s Donaldina actually

It’s a slow day

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Thick-Endless-Elastics-Bobbles/dp/B00GVXD7M8/ref=asc_df_B00GVXD7M8/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=313128619118&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10457845753234931930&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007347&hvtargid=pla-615247934058&psc=1

if you're skint, we'll even crowd fund it for you.

bompington

Clippers on No. 2

Works for me.

pinno

bompington said:

Clippers on No. 2

Works for me.

Err...

back-to-the-trail

pinno said:

bompington said:

Clippers on No. 2

Works for me.

Err...

I’ve been growing it since first lockdown, so, no! 😉

back-to-the-trail

elbowloh said:

back-to-the-trail said:

I was wondering why my hair finds a way to always blow into my mouth when I’m cycling, no matter how hard I try to tie it back ... it always escapes! 😅

Ok Donald...

Just had a thought - I wonder if The Donald’s bike of choice would be an Orange 😆

back-to-the-trail

back-to-the-trail said:

pinno said:

bompington said:

Clippers on No. 2

Works for me.

Err...

I’ve been growing it since first lockdown, so, no! 😉

... and that’s just the hair on my legs! 😂

elbowloh

back-to-the-trail said:

pinno said:

bompington said:

Clippers on No. 2

Works for me.

Err...

I’ve been growing it since first lockdown, so, no! 😉

Same. Hasn't been cut since Feb 2020. Although I would like it cut .

back-to-the-trail

⬆️ Perhaps Bompington can help you out there ...

Pross

First.Aspect said:

kingstongraham said:

First.Aspect said:

It is a little bit like watching a debating club in school sometimes.

But they have far more power than arguably this calibre of person should have and they are far keener to wield it than is healthy.

Just look at the focus on the English border, rather than people flying in from Manaus.

Aren't they hotel quarantining people flying in from everywhere?

They are now, yes. The point is that if you pretend that Boris is an idiot and you are wise and cautious and have your own independent advice and policy, it does need to be significantly different.

If the UK government is taking a beating for not closing the borders before now, why isn't the SNP?

Apparently they had the power to do so all along - they beefed up policing on the English border in December, but not between the hotspot that is Glasgow and the rest of Scotland, nor were there special measures put in for foreign travel late last year.

How come?

They are populists and that is all. Panning England plays well, stopping a tattooed Glaswegian getting sunburned in Greece doesn't.

That's hardly a pretence!

Jezyboy

People giving a duck about the Royal family.

focuszing723

Jezyboy said:

People giving a duck about the Royal family.

I like the Queen, Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Ann. The Queen stays out of all the politics and only gets stuck in when really required, akin to what she said to encourage people to have the Vaccines. Princess Ann just get on with it too. The Duchess of Cambridge seems to be the same. I don't mind Prince Phillip either, at least he seems a laugh.

Prince Charles bangs on about the environment whilst being flown around in a private helicopter or jet and Prince William is similar, not quite so bad though. That's probably my only criticism of them and they do their fair share of public engagements.

Prince Harry bangs on about 'Media' intrusion then is on the blower to Oprah.

The only thing I would say is that the Royal family are good for tourism and I know the history is there as well (so are they required), but I still think it helps that they are around.

pblakeney

focuszing723 said:

Prince Harry bangs on about 'Media' intrusion then is on the blower to Oprah.

Probably more to do with 'er indoors.
Never seen a man with as much power and influence so whipped.

rick_chasey

It's called "controlling the narrative" and is a well known PR strategy. People are too stupid to understand.

focuszing723

pblakeney said:

focuszing723 said:

Prince Harry bangs on about 'Media' intrusion then is on the blower to Oprah.

Probably more to do with 'er indoors.
Never seen a man with as much power and influence so whipped.

Yeah true, but he goes along with it so he has to shoulder the criticism too. Prince Charles has to be careful when he's King. He would be wise to follow in the Queens footsteps and only get stuck in when it's critical that he does. Play the Monarchy tourism role and he can't go far wrong.

pblakeney

rick_chasey said:

It's called "controlling the narrative" and is a well known PR strategy. People are too stupid to understand.

Oh, we understand. We just don't trust the narrative or the narrator.
Who in history has no friends invited to their own wedding? Tells me something.