77 thoughts on “Sunday’s Papers

  1. SOQ

    I was just watching a rerun of the RTE news and Prof. Luke O’Neill was saying how dangerous it was for young people to be ignoring the impact of this virus, can any one person present as more disingenuous?

    I wouldn’t trust him with yours.

          1. SOQ

            Absolutely nothing- the ‘alien DNA or demon sperm’ is a reference to the pro hydroxychloroquine doctor Stella Immanuel’s religious beliefs.

            Anyways- back to science or specifically data analytics. Excellent work by Ivor Cummins- Viral Issue Critical Update Some of the Science Logic and Data Explained

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSKjcltDkng

            Summary- lock downs and masks do not make a blind bit of difference.

          2. Charger Salmons

            Yes, poor old Saddiq Khan has a spot of bother on his hands don’t you think ?
            And good to see the bros wearing anti-stab vests.It might cut down on the black on black fatal stabbings that plague certain areas of London.
            I used to buy my herb from a cafe just round the corner from where that picture was taken back in the day.
            Good times.

          3. GiggidyGoo

            Deeper than just local London politics.

            “In the United Kingdom, the Public Order Act 1936, passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists, banned the wearing of political uniforms during marches. Though this has rarely arisen in recent decades, in January 2015 the Leader of Britain First Paul Golding was convicted for wearing a political uniform. Later in November 2016 the deputy leader of Britain First Jayda Fransen was convicted for wearing a political uniform.”

          4. Charger Salmons

            Not really.
            Black Lives Matter doesn’t really get a look-in elsewhere but in London they’ve spotted Khan’s weakness and will exploit it.
            Starmer rather foolishly took the knee too and this will come back to haunt him.Perhaps that’s why he continually trails Boris in the polls.
            Plus there’s always been a considerable degree of criminality behind black protests in that part of London.
            I wouldn’t worry yourself too much about it old sport.

          5. GiggidyGoo

            That ACT isn’t a ‘London’ ACT. It’s therefore incumbent on Boris’s government to – well – act.

          6. Charger Salmons

            It’s incumbent on the police to enforce the law not the government.
            And the Met Police come under the authority of Sadiq Khan.
            But your concern for the correct enforcement of the laws of Blighty are really rather charming if a little WINKY-WOOish.

          7. GiggidyGoo

            No interest in the enforcement of the law there, but was interested in your take. Now that you’ve clarified it, i’m happy.

        1. Rosette of Sirius

          Nothing really. This pandemic has unleashed two discrete things upon us – the virus itself and stupidity. And that stupidity is mostly anchored in carpetbagging quackery and a indefatigable belief in moronic conspiracy.

  2. Your Home Correspondent

    Quinnghers crawling out from under a rock alert. Barry Egan will be in contact.

  3. Birdie

    Fg & Varadkar soaring in polls… seriously? That man is such a narcissistic hater of the less fortunate. He boils my blood.

    Although I have to give fg credit for playing a blinder in this government. Their actions seem like a long term strategy to make the government implode whilst making themselves look like the sensible ones.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      Same in last October polls. And we know how that worked out for them.
      These so-called ‘polls’ are in fact attempts to change voters opinions not to mirror them.
      1000-1200 people polled out of a population of 5,000,000 approx?

      1. bisted

        …in defence of polls, few endeavours are subject to such scientific rigour as polls…why commission them…their methodology is easily scrutinised…the margin of error is determined by that methodology and the sample size…they are a snapshot in time…

        1. GiggidyGoo

          Ill re-word it. Irish political ‘polls’ are in fact attempts to change voters opinions not to mirror them.

          1. bisted

            …makey-up polls do exist but they are easy to recognise and polling companies are usually first out of the traps to expose charlatans…but polls do influence voting decisions which was famously exposed by the brexit referendum in the UK and and the US Presidential elections…all pollsters had the losing side well ahead…so much so that many of those polled decided not to bother voting…it’s no surprise the exit polls in recent years ‘mirror’ voters preferences and reflect outcomes based on tiny samples because they can ignore that basic question…do you intend to vote?

          2. Charger Salmons

            Except the Brexit referendum was the largest democratic vote in British political history.
            The fact a few stoned students couldn’t be arsed to get out of bed and vote was neither here nor there.
            The Trump election result was the perfect example of pollsters getting it completely wrong.
            I remember spending the night laughing my norks off as CNN’s polling “experts ” went into teary meltdown as their 99% probability of Clinton winning evaporated.
            I like polls.They’re a useful indicator of things.
            But you can’t poll that moment in a booth when someone has to decide where to put their cross.
            This is where the pollsters get it wrong so often.
            Focus groups are a far more accurate indicator of what is really bothering people.

          3. Cian

            @GiggidyGoo
            If you were selected by Red C (or whoever) and asked if you had 10 minutes to take part in a telephone poll – would you? Assuming that you didn’t have anything urgent happening in the next 10 minutes.l so could easily make the time free.

          4. GiggidyGoo

            @Cian. RedC work off panels, and put a smattering of ‘new’ contacts in there to give it a look of being honest. The bulk of the contacts are taken from the panels that they have signed up to be polled regularly.
            But to answer your question, I was visited by one of the polling companies roughly four years ago. The first, and only time. The questions that were put only gave a very limited choice of answers that whoever employed the polling company wanted answered. Once an answer didn’t exactly match a choice, the interviewer just marked it as ‘no opinion’ on the ipad/android thingy they had. Some polling eh?

          5. Mary (Never) Wong

            100% Giggidy
            A friend worked as a pollster and said that it is exactly as you described

          6. Cian

            @GiggidyGoo
            Thanks for answering.

            While I agree that a polling company *can* ask questions in such a way that will encourage a particular answer…. I don’t agree that this applies to elections. There is a particular phrasing that is consistantly used for elections.

            I think the public are, as Rob said recently, fickle. Which is why a poll 6 or 3 months before an election isn’t reflectided in the election. If there is another GE in 2020 I could see a reasonable percentage of voters changing their first preferences – anything from 20% to 25% of voters changing. I don’t think we’ll see that much change in the seats/counts because one person’s vote moving from Green -> SF would be cancelled by another that moved from SF -> Green (repeat for other party combos).

          7. bisted

            …words fail me…polling companies use scientific method…other poll companies would call them out if there was the slightest chink in their methodology…if you doubt that think barristers usng leading questions…as an atheist we are currently arguing with the census office about their question about religion…

    2. Charger Salmons

      It’s not hard to look statesman-like with that Cork gowl as Taoiseach.
      The Rictus Grin has hit the ground stumbling.
      It’s not like he hasn’t had years to prepare for it.
      At least the English Sunday Times has come up with the answer of where the government is robbing the money from to pay €350 a week to 300,000 people.

      1. Charger Salmons

        And at some stage Taoiseach Mr Burns is going to have to ‘fess up to those 300,000 people and say there aren’t any jobs to go back to because the coalition destroyed them as there were six people in the entire country hospitalised with C-19.
        Ending the PUP will be like lifting the lid on Schrödinger’s box to look at the dead cat inside.
        Varadkar is playing the cute hoor’s long game.

          1. Charger Salmons

            Britain is no different from anywhere else at the moment.
            It’s going to be a very tough winter ahead even if there’s no second wave.
            These furlough schemes are doing their initial job of cushioning the effects of an immediate lockdown.
            But ultimately the public has to be weaned off them because no government can afford to pay them indefinitely.
            I have friends working in the City who tell me the place is a ghost town.
            The knock-on effects are going to be dreadful.
            Ireland will be no different.

  4. GiggidyGoo

    Is Schofield just plain greedy? A phrase from Father Ted comes to mind. ‘Is that gobshijte on the television again?’ He’s all over it. Game shows, Breakfast TV, Mr.&Mrs., We Buy Any Car etc.etc. Does he need the money or what?

  5. Mary (Never) Wong

    Mindless comments about people’s hair – check
    Faff and waffle about COVID management here from a foreign exchange student visiting from a country with the largest number of deaths in E.U. – check
    Multiple times pillorying some sort of perceived demon like a disgruntled goat – check

    And it’s only 10am on a Bank Holiday Sunday
    Just imagine what these guys could do if they would only move out from their Mums!

    1. GiggidyGoo

      Let us know what can be done, as soon as you’re thrown out. She let you have a sleep-in this morning I see. Very slow off the mark today B9

    2. Rosette of Sirius

      Was up and out early myself this morning… got a good 15k run in, has a bit of Bircher and am grilling some tomatoes and poaching eggs to finish it off. I’m home alone today as Madam Sirius is visiting her mother so the rest of today will be filled with some newly purchased vinyl (The YAYennings Quartet) and perhaps the British Grand Prix in the afternoon…. bliss.

      1. Charger Salmons

        I find myself in similar circumstances today and have planned to hit the G-spot.
        Grand Prix, gin and golf.
        Not a HUGE fan of either sport but needs must until the cricket next week.
        The 15k can wait for another day – of course, I have to get out of bed first …

        1. Rosette of Sirius

          I’ll have a tall Star of Bombay freshly prepped for Madam when she returns home this evening. Her arrival will be strategic to ensure the GP is well and truly over.

          Here’s how I make it if you’re interested….

          1 part Star of Bombay, 1 part tonic syrup (all the way from Connemara), 3 parts soda water, one dash of orange bitters and a slice of dehydrated orange. It’s a pretty special G&T…

          1. Charger Salmons

            Good to see you approach the serious subject of gin with some diligence.
            Can’t abide orange in any form though.
            I’ll be working through some Gordon’s later.€27 a litre in SuperValu this week.
            Schweppes slimline and maybe a slice of lime.
            Marvellous.

          2. Rosette of Sirius

            It’s all about the aromatics and thee botanicals used in distillation tho I’m sure you know that. Star of Bombay uses bergamot orange peel so a hint of orange in the bitters and the dehydrated lifts the flavour to a whole different level but it’s very subtle. Fresh orange would overpower it.

            In the same vein anything other than a slice of unwaxed lemon in your beloved Gordon’s is a mistake. Even Gordon’s started to push a wedge of lime to sex it up a bit but it’s wrong I say…. wrong ;).

            Seriously tho. I love to experiment with the delicate flavours and the mixing of ingredients. I’ve even imported my own cinchona bark and made my own tonic. That’s fun.

          3. bisted

            …pity you can’t avail of a nip across the border and the continuing nosedive of £sterling…1ltr Gordons is currently £17 in Sainsburys…you could buy this + 1ltr of Schweepes Slimline + a lime and still get change from €20…marvellous…

          4. Rosette of Sirius

            I’m heading up that way for a few days next week. The Sainsbury’s offer is ending Wednesday so I’m told. Their 25% on wine ends then too. Thy eu don’t have a great selection but there’s a few decent ones. You’ll get a bottle of Cloudy Bay for less than €20 if that’s your thing and on that, their sparkler Pelorus is a super buy.

          5. Rosette of Sirius

            Indeed. My wife cleared them out in Newry today. 14 bottles and it worked out at €17 per bottle in the end… until Wed… and if you can, to repeat, try their sparkler Pelorus. It’s amazing and a rare find down here. Usually about €40 a bottle.

          6. Otis Blue

            I love when a plan comes together.

            I’ll be up that way in a couple of weeks so will look out for the Pelorus.

          7. Charger Salmons

            If you have a considerable amount of sterling and Euros to hand then foreign exchange rates don’t really come into the reckoning for day to day purchases.
            And I never buy litre bottles of tonic.They go flat.
            A schoolboy error there old chap.
            Do try a tad harder.

          8. bisted

            …have to agree with Rose on the lemon and Charger on the litre bottles…I normally buy 1doz pack of tonic cans when they are on offer…but they seem to be as up and down as Dominic Cummings on the motorway…

          9. Rosette of Sirius

            FWIW, these sorts of conversations should be the only conversations allowed here on bank holiday Sundays…

            Give up the oul snark for the day that’s in it. And I need to be the first one to heed my own suggestion…

          10. Charger Salmons

            Sod that.
            Every day is whack-a-mole day for me on here.
            And the turnips keep on coming.

        2. bisted

          …fair play Charger…had to bite my lip when you were talking about load’sa money earlier…now…money laundering has brought in an honest living for decades…but…honest decent smugglers are on their way back…happy brexit!

          1. Charger Salmons

            Here’s the thing old sport.
            I don’t care two hoots for the border or what’s on the other side of it.
            Genuinely, the goings-on of those strange people up North hold not one iota of interest for me.
            And for every single English person I know.
            Likewise,currency rates have fluctuated wildly during my lifetime.Sometimes whilst trading items and currency I have done well,other times I haven’t.
            Sterling is weak at the moment but it will come strong again and then probably go weak again too.The same as the euro.
            In the grand scheme of things it’s irrelevant.
            Plus I’m five large gins down and I have a big grin on my face.
            Brexit day ? We’ll face it when it comes.The slightly worrying aspect is that it might come at the same time as a 2nd Covid spike,a flu epidemic,mass unemployment and economic turbulence across Europe.
            But Blighty will cope.It always does.It’s resilient.
            Ireland will cope too.
            The pubs will surely be open by then and the country will still be run by incompetent teachers who only went into teaching because they were useless at everything else and now they’re even useless as failed teachers.
            It always has been and it always will be.
            So chin up or chins up probably in your case and let us hear no more about this wimpish Bank Holiday truce.
            Marvellous.

  6. f_lawless

    What’s this I see, a chink of light starting to appear through the groupthink cloud? Is it slowly dawning on some Irish journalists that our own health experts may have been way off the mark – that maybe it’s past time to start considering the opinions of experts with opposing narratives who have been proven right from the start? Hope springs eternal.

    https://www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/ireland-to-escape-a-second-wave-of-covid-says-nobel-prize-winning-scientist-39416411.html

    ‘The Nobel Prize-winning scientist who looked at raw data and correctly predicted Ireland’s death and infection rate would “burn itself out” in the last two weeks of May is back to reassure people there will be no second wave…

    The Nobel Laureate made world headlines when he found that the number of people infected with coronavirus in any given region was not growing exponentially. He also correctly calculated the demise of China’s spread long ahead of most health experts’

        1. SOQ

          Yeah I know but I thought it was the poodle perm not the shag.

          I kinda prefer Adele as she was to be honest- she had quite a distinctive look. Now she looks like every aspiring actress (waitress) in LA.

  7. GiggidyGoo

    @Cian. RedC work off panels, and put a smattering of ‘new’ contacts in there to give it a look of being honest. The bulk of the contacts are taken from the panels that they have signed up to be polled regularly.
    But to answer your question, I was visited by one of the polling companies roughly four years ago. The first, and only time. The questions that were put only gave a very limited choice of answers that whoever employed the polling company wanted answered. Once an answer didn’t exactly match a choice, the interviewer just marked it as ‘no opinion’ on the ipad/android thingy they had. Some polling eh?

  8. SOQ

    So many street protests going on in London this weekend it was hard to keep up.

    You had the Black UVF marching in Brixton, the anti mask/tyranny crew to Hyde Park and another about the deportation of three Rochdale pedophiles in Parliament Square.

    If you were an absentminded protester you could have found yourself in a very odd situation. Intending to go to the Black Lesbians Matter thing and ending up shouting for deportations to Pakistan for example.

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