142 thoughts on “Saturday’s Papers

  1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

    Tony Abbott – He is the most destructive person you could find. He was the worst Australian PM, ever – there is a lot of competition for that title. He once said he would shirt front ((in Australian Rules) an act of charging into an opponent’s chest, typically so as to knock them to the ground) Putin. He has zero diplomatic skills. If you want a bully, he is your man. He will wreck everything he touches. He reintroduced knighthoods to Australia and tried to give one to prince Philip. He was gone shortly later. This role proves what many of us have thought – he is more loyal to the country of his birth than to Australia.

      1. Formerly known as @ireland.com

        Charage, are you out on bail? Mate, you are welcome to the mad monk, Tony Abbott. He will crash and burn. The Brexit death cult is going to have even stronger kool-aid.

        1. Charger Salmons

          Mate, you’re accusing him of bullying Putin.
          You know, the Putin who has just poisoned his main opposition leader.
          And I wouldn’t play the bail card.You scurried off to a country built by our convicts with more criminal records than Jedward.
          And you still have the Union Jack on your flag.
          I’d rather have Abbott in our corner than Dame Edna Everage.

          1. GiggidyGoo

            Who knows? Maybe Boris will try the same tack – Labour are neck and neck with the Tories in the polls.

          2. Charger Salmons

            Six if you read the poll correctly.
            Which has been the consistent Tory poll lead for most of the pandemic.
            Last Sunday’s Observer poll was an outlier which got the usual suspects worked up into a frenzy.
            However the only poll that really matters is still four years away.

          3. GiggidyGoo

            True. And four years is a longer time than four days in politics. That’s of course if the tories stick together and don’t have any upheavals during that period.

          4. Formerly known as @ireland.com

            Abbott is all talk, he didn’t shirt front Putin. He is a Tory lickspittle. My country will be around a lot longer than yours. Enjoy singing your pro-slavery songs.

          5. Charger Salmons

            “it is not homophobic to maintain that, ideally, children should have both a mother and a father”.

            Jaysus, what a raging nutjob that Abbott fellow is.

          6. Charger Salmons

            You reckon I or anyone else out there in the real world cares about what some satirical TV show thinks about a politician ?
            Joe O’Public couldn’t give a monkey’s toss about this latest contrived woke bed-wetting.
            When I see all the usual yellow-mattress suspects here and in OZ who don’t like Tony Abbott it makes me even more convinced Boris has picked the right man for the job.
            He negotiated trade agreements with China,Japan and Korea and his government was hugely successful in ending the illegal invasion of Australia by 20,000 migrants.
            Many years ago he opposed gay marriage.Guess what, so did Barack Obama.And Leo Varadkar.
            But keep laughing sista.
            It’s why you and your lot spend most of your lives in permanent opposition and never within a sniff of power because you think what you think is important is important.
            When it isn’t.
            He’s Australian.The last untarnished thing to come out of Australia was Skippy the kangaroo.

          7. Nigel

            The degree to which Tories shat the bed this time is always directly proportionate to the drunken flailing of Charger’s defensive ranting. I don’t think there’s much bed left, but there’s four more years of lying in it.

        1. Charger Salmons

          Brief visit to issue fresh instructions to the staff and then off on our travels again till the end of the month.
          Have I missed much or is the same old dingleberries hanging around snivelling for Ireland ?

          1. Cú Chulainn

            When Bonnie Prince Charlie arrived to the Isle of Skye to claim the throne of Britain, rightfully, he is famously reported to have said ‘I am came hame’.. what is not as well reported was the reply of the Chief of the Clan Donald, knowing what was to come next, ‘Aye Prince, and would you nay go away now’. A familiar refrain Mr. Salmons ?

          1. Charger Salmons

            If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime.
            Why not put a couple of drinks behind the bar for Bodger – that usually works for me.
            He’s mad for the pink gin.

          2. Janet, dreams of big guns

            Are the two johnnys and the trolls in there with you ? It’s been very quiet around here and not quite so nasty, if they are I hope you have your own room and ensuite.

    1. GiggidyGoo

      Qanon- a word that i only came across recently. I hadn’t thought about it, and only looked it up this morning to see what it refers to. From wikipedia it’ that ‘there is a worldwide cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles who rule the world, essentially, and they control everything. They control politicians, and they control the media.’ etc. And it has its origins basically in an anti-Trump mindset.

      Is my reading of it correct?

      1. Nigel

        Anti-Trump mindset? They worship the guy, because if you’re going to believe six impossible things before breakfast, the idea that he’s a messiah might as well be one of them.

  2. SOQ

    And so- on Sept 1 @Rubberbandits tweeted- “Can anyone tell me why cases are up but deaths and ICU admissions are down consistently? Is this because younger people are getting Covid?”

    To which Ivor Cummings replied “NO. It is because of THIS: https://twitter.com/FatEmperor/status/1294240948243894272?s=20

    Get me on your podcast and I’ll blow yer audience’s minds.

    Think about it… ;-)”

    To which @Rubberbandits responded “Absolutely not. I listen to Doctors and Scientists who are evidence based. Blocked”

    Apart from the rudeness of the exchange, Ivor is an engineer who deals in empirical scientific data. And yet here are these guys who claim to be pushing the boundaries refusing to allow any opinion which challenges the state narrative- what are they so afraid of?

    It is quite obvious The Rubber Bandits are not what they claim to be- they are now part of the problem, not the solution.

      1. GiggidyGoo

        So we should subscribe to the views of people whose claim to fame is a song (Horse outside) and who wear plastic bags over their heads?

      2. SOQ

        Ivor was the one who months ago identified that right across Europe, fatalities were not following the rise in positive cases- which is why he responded to the Rubber Bandits. It is his work they are commenting on so at the very least they could have given him some time to explain the background to it.

        1. Brother Barnabas

          I’ve just read the thread – bb wasnt commenting on his, ahem, “work”. he asked a rhetorical question – he jumped in and fairly condescendingly stated that he had the answers and should he invited onto the podcast. blind boy said no. you’re twisting things, soq.

          1. GiggidyGoo

            Why would he block him though? (Not being a member of the twitterati, I’d read that as something rude was said – or else bb was afraid of being engaged in discussion)

          2. Brother Barnabas

            I dont know. maybe blindboy gets a lot of approaches, solicitations, criticisms, comments etc on twitter and finds it all a bit tedious from time to time?

          3. Janet, dreams of big guns

            I block and snooze loads of people, some just because I can’t be arsed, it’s his perogative, there’s only so much oxygen you can give to things

          4. SOQ

            blind boy said “Absolutely not. I listen to Doctors and Scientists who are evidence based. Blocked”

            So he thinks Ivor is not evidence based then? EVERYTHING Ivor does is based on empirical evidence- so much so he even made a video about it.

            @Gigs- Rubber Bandits are very pro masks- to the point of retweeting Luke O’Neill’s nonsense, and Ivor’s work proves they don’t work- there is your answer.

    1. Janet, dreams of big guns

      I think BlindB is a bit of a germaphobe and I think has previously had pretty bad anxiety issues while outside,he clearly feels masks offer protection at the best of times and these factors may play a part in his thinking around masks (this is not a comment about everyone’s mentality who wears masks before I get attacked)

      1. V AKA Frilly Keane

        ++++V

        It’s also worth reminding people that The Blind Bhoy character is a Ranter
        And goes hard boiled on many issues

        Given the size of his following he should be a lot more careful about public health issues
        He’s simply not qualified
        IMO anyway

        By all means follow a proscribed view for his own personal wellbeing, and how he is managing his own lockdown, with his family and private medical advice
        And obey the varying legislative impacts, like the majority of us

        But what he’s doing is reselling
        With zero comeback

        I see that as careless and selfish beheavior
        Bordering on narcissism perhaps
        Particularly the way he knocked down that Cummins lad

        But one thing for sure he has a very high opinion of himself

        Maybe he just needs to get back gigging

        1. SOQ

          A cynic might speculate that future state broadcasting contacts could be under threat if the narrative is challenged but I agree with Janet- BB is an all round good egg who has a few issues of his own.

          Sure what odds if we go under house arrest again- the important people will still keep getting paid- like Rubberbandits.

    2. Sham Bob

      If anyone looks closely at Ivor Cummins’s twitter feed you’ll see he’s on the respectable end of that sheeple-qanon spectrum, despite his fancy website. He’ll blow people’s minds by saying that everyone susceptible has died from it by now, despite the elderly having cocooned; by saying that the human immune system can defeat anything and some other woo that he’s convinced of. He’s appears to be pushing a holistic medicine agenda. They don’t have to boost this guy or subject their listeners to him, but maybe they could offer to host a debate.

      1. SOQ

        he’s on the respectable end of that sheeple-qanon spectrum

        Now that is an interesting turn of phrase- a lesson in how to throw muck without actually saying anything. We were recently told that Homeopaths and kinesiologists were ‘far right’ and now it is proponents of the Keto diet- who is next? Acupuncturists? Play the ball not the man.

        The plain fact is- seasonal viruses claim lives every year and if end of life fatalities are lower one year, then they will be higher the next. Community transmission builds immunity and lock downs and masks do not make a blind bit of difference- otherwise, they would show a marked impact after introduction, which they do not.

      2. f_lawless

        Except he says none of those things and isn’t “pushing a holistic medicine agenda” as you say.. He contends that “Most Susceptible have passed already” is one of factors why we’re not seeing any surge in deaths despite a rise in positive cases. Big distinction.

        It’s such a dishonest way to make an argument. Start off with the usual tired “qanon, conspiracy” put downs and then resort to making up things and misrepresenting what a person says.

        Maybe he comes across as a bit brash responding to someone with a “yawn” comment down in the thread, but we’re several months into this pandemic now and it seems no matter what he’s always guaranteed a few lazy, smug commenters on twitter who respond with the usual uninformed dismissals of his data analysis rather than mount a cogent argument. It’s understandable how he might have less patience for it than in the beginning.

        edit:SOQ I didn’t see your comment before I made mine ;)

  3. GiggidyGoo

    I see Annie Oakley is refusing to answer questions about her trips from and to Brussels during lockdown, and whether she adhered to public health guidelines. Hogan mk2?

  4. Charger Salmons

    Broadsheet is free.
    Tomorrow’s papers are free too but someone has to spend their late evening every night of the year that newspapers are published bringing you that free service.
    Yet people still regularly complain about what’s either in or not in it.
    Since when did this sense of entitlement become acceptable ?

    1. Sham Bob

      I find the Harry and Meghan obsession in the Uk press very lickspittlish, but that is funny. Star often hilarious in fairness.

    1. Sham Bob

      They plugged ‘herd immunity/they would have died anyway’ waaay back when it suited the Tories to fly that kite.

          1. millie madonna

            It’s from Languedoc. Called Piquepoul. Highly recommend.

            Myself and the little man are flourishing. Mostly because I am allowed to have wine again ;)

        1. Janet, dreams of big guns

          God I’d love one but I’m off the booze, two months now ( I do a few months off every year, last time I properly trained for something it was 6 months off ) I’m an all or nothing kinda girl,
          raises peppermint tea and giant cream bun

          1. Rosette of Sirius

            I’m doing something similar. But I’m in a down cycle at the moment. Had a great bottle of Bordeaux last night but paid for it this morning. Out for my gallop at 7 am but by 8:10 was in an awful state. Still. Managed to hold it together and got 18km in. Felt crappy all day mind you. Bloody electrolytes.

          2. Janet, dreams of big guns

            fair play for getting it done !
            crazy what a difference it makes, when I was a young thing I could party all night and get up and fly around or chug a beer half way through a run and be fine, those days are ooooover

    1. Cian

      10 GOATs? Can yoy have more than one? What the he’ll does it all mean?
      Or is the mansion in goatstown?

      1. Cian

        “glacier” = “frozen water”
        “lake” = liquid water

        “glacial lake” = liquid water that used to be frozen in a glacier

        1. Pat Mustard

          When glacial lakes melt the runoff is refrozen by the glaciers. This is common and is a part of how a glacier moves.

          1. Pat Mustard

            In otherwards its not climate change. Its perfectly natural, more over the glacier gets bigger, as the rainfall and melt change state as it refreezes onto the glacier.

          2. Pat Mustard

            Is the article bible Nigel?

            Could it have been written by misinformed people like the polar bear article in the national geographic?

          3. Pat Mustard

            Like the national geographic, I take the NY times with a pinch of salt as they’re not objective in their reporting..

          4. Nigel

            Given that your reading of the article itself, and of the chart below, was so atrociously bad, I don’t think the publication is the problem.

          5. Nigel

            Is that what the article is saying? Are either of you able to read what the article says and respond to that?

          6. Pat Mustard

            The article isn’t bible Nigel, and the NY times aren’t always objective about climate reporting.

          7. Nigel

            I didn’t say it was bible, I asked if you understood what the study actually says, since none of your responses indicate that you even read the headline accurately.

          8. Pat Mustard

            Yes Nigel I understand the headline.
            I disagree with the article and don’t trust the NY times to be accurate or objective in reporting on climate.

            Crucially, there might be something to the melt water and the bearing Sea level which you mentioned below. If not enough melt water seeps from the glaciers than that could be affecting the sea levels in that region.

            I’m not ultra partisan, as demonstrated by my ceding on the wild fires subject below.

          9. Pat Mustard

            The headline, the whole piece and the writer.

            Katherine kornei pushed the false polar bear story. And now this.

            The “unstable lakes” theory as I said is open to interpretation as it’s one of the methods that glaciers use to break through or soften rock forms.

            Katherine has jumped the gun in my opinion.

            I don’t think you asked me that question for my opinion, you asked me because the article is behind a pay wall and you’re attempting to insinuate that I didn’t read it at all.

          10. Nigel

            ‘Dr. Shugar and his collaborators measured how the number and size of glacial lakes evolved from 1990 through 2018. The team found that the number of lakes increased to over 14,300 from roughly 9,400, an uptick of more than 50 percent. The volume of water in the lakes also tended to swell over time, with an increase of about 50 percent.’

            I don’t think this indicates that the water is refreezing back onto the glacier.

          11. Pat Mustard

            These types of studies take longer than stated in the article.

            The age of the glacier and its development today should be enough evidence to show that with enough time the lakes do refreeze unto the glaciers and perform their job of softening the terrain in front or around the glacier to allow it to swell and burrow ahead.

            I still think Katherine has jumped the gun.

          12. Pat Mustard

            That’s fine.

            In my view as the weather changes seasonally we can both be seen as correct, hence the need for longer studies to outline consistency.

          13. Pat Mustard

            You would than have to measure the size of the glacier and compare it with previous account and against a standard.

            The remaining lakes would also have to measured and compared to come to some kind of idea.

            An error ratio would also have to be calculated before final collation, and conclusion.

          1. Pat Mustard

            In fairness, falling power lines aren’t really climate change but I’ll accept there’s a fair bit of misinfo flying around.

          2. Pat Mustard

            Dry fires from lightning isn’t climate change Nigel. Its actually important to the earth. If you’ve ever been to Africa you would know that.

          3. Nigel

            So the reports about the fires being started by arson were overblown Murdoch-media climate-change denying disinformation, correct?

          4. Nigel

            I see you are trying to change the subject, though going by your track record here, I’m not sure your judgement can be trusted on any article.

          5. Pat Mustard

            Polar bears have nothing to do with wild fires.

            There’s no point in continuing if you’re not going to be serious.

          6. Nigel

            There isn’t anything further to dicuss, really. None of the significant brush fires in NSW were caused by arson, despite disingenuous claims otherwise. That’s it.

          7. Nigel

            Pat Mustard
            September 6, 2020 at 1:03 pm

            And what of the screechingly alarmist false piece about polar bears in the national geographic?

  5. Larry lamb

    Still no tests at airports

    Amazing hundreds of flights a day and also ports with thousands coming in

    No testing

    It’s a recipe for disaster
    Just close the airports until testing is there

    I would say within a week there would be testing stations by the dozen
    230 odd cases yesterday
    How many today?

  6. Mé Féin

    What’s up with the Cork Examiner? Three star privates don’t order anyone around. Has no one any life experience in that rag?

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