AM Glass Box
You may have read your morning paper and listened to the radio, and have some ideas you want to hear on PM tonight.
Perhaps you have a question about something in the news you would like answered - or better still, direct experience of something topical. Or maybe there's an aspect to a big story you haven't heard explored that you would like to hear.
The PM team will meet in a real glass box at 11am. Why not be part of the meeting by sharing your thoughts in this virtual glass box? We don't really look in after 11am so please be prompt!
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What a mess, are Politicians not embarrassed that it takes EU transport ministers five days to get their act together and organize a simple video conference session on the volcanic ash air travel chaos!
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I've just seen something just flew over our house - but it wasn't a bird and it wasn't a plane; it was SUPECLEGG flying speeding through the air on his mission to rescue stranded Brits from around the world and bring them safely home.
Thank you, SuperClegg! A grateful nation salutes you!
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Meanwhile Gordo, huddled in his Downing Street bunker emerges from the COBRA meeting to announce a "wait and see" policy. How long must we wait Gordon? How long?
Cameron offers stranded Brits change for a cup of tea while they wait.
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Nick Clegg (he who rocks)
What does he mean when espousing a fair society in fact and in function. If I look just below the sloganering, all I see is a perpetuation of the unfair status quo. For instance, where is the fairness in giving those on ten thousand a year 300 quid rebate while those on fifty thousand a year might get 700 rebate? He then tried to justify this in an interview by inferring that those on fifty grand had transport and other costs. Apart from the obvious patronising of the poor by inferring they didn't use transport, or that somehow fuel, bus, train fares were cheaper for the poor leaves me in a quandary. So, 'he who rocks' I'll tell you what a bit of fairness might be, how about saving a couple of billion by withdrawing child benefit from those who don't need it. You know, from yer mates who send their kids to fee paying schools, the rich, millionaires, etc...perhaps those on fifty grand. or are you just the old boss in disguise?
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And back on this planet, Dan Snow's 'Calais Rescue' ferry mission is shut down by the cheese eating health and safety monkeys. But there has never been any difficulty in people getting across the channel, Dan. It's getting to the channel ports that is proving virtually impossible.
If Dan, or any other publicity hungry young buck wanted to make a real difference, they would hire a fleet of coaches, stick Thunderbirds 'International Rescue' stickers (yes I know IR already exists) on the side and drive a main convoy to Madrid and Barcelona to pick up the thousands who are already being landed there from the Canaries with no onward transport and a secondary convoy to Rome and Milan.
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Never been in a flying machine. Never felt I missed anything or inadequate for this. Can't envisage using a flying machine unless I come into a load of money. I wonder how many others like me are left who are not in holy orders?
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#4 Do not disrespect the Cleggster! Public opinion despises you!
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Tens - if not hundreds - of thousands of flights have been cancelled following Iceland's volcanic erruption. This is obviously very upsetting for the many people not able to take planned holidays, or stranded abroad. In wider terms, however, does it matter?
Apparently only 0.5% of air traffic carries goods. What proportion of the remaining 99.5% of flights are really essential? Would society really suffer if they holidayed in Bognor rather than in Majorca?
Air travel companies have been asking for a 'bail out' similar to that provided to the banks. But are they really as essential to the wider economy?
Is it time to review the availability of cheap and easy air travel? Would there be good environmental arguments for dramatically increasing the cost of air travel and using the profits to subsidise rail travel?
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Galahad (8)
My neighbours recommend Mablethorpe this time of the year. I quite liked Barmouth as a base when I last went on holiday. Although this is technically abroad fro me as you have to leave England. However, I didn't have to use a flying machine to get there and back.
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Must be all part of the scientists' global conspiracy to ruin our holidays and change our way of life. What proof is there this dust even exists? Is UEA involved?
Or perhaps global warming can be the cause of volcanoes.
I suggest airships for the future; slower, safer and they use props to get around so not prone to volcanic dust. If Africa must grow our fresh salads, better to use freight airships using very litle fuel.
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So. In the heat of the run up to the general election, no senior conservatives were available to be interviewed on this morning's Today programme.
This would seem to be a strange time for the Conservative party to go into hibernation.
Are they all busy commandeering a fleet of small boats to rescue british holidaymakers stranded abroad? Or are they just desperate to avoid being asked "Isn't Nick Clegg doing well?"
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9. Joe, last year we camped in Wales, but having moved to Scotland, I suspect we'll be holidaying round here this year, if we can get away that is. England? Where that? I'm voting SNP.
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The bulk of air-freighted cargo appears to be fresh-cut flowers, salads and exotic fruit. I'd argue that we could probably scrape by without the flowers, grow the salad ourselves and make do without ugly fruit and cumquats.
Generally, in relation to foods, TV Chefs constantly recite the mantra "Fresh food, locally grown, in season". Do we need the air-freighted material?
Should countries like Kenya be encouraged to replace their massive crops of fresh flowers with food crops for the African continent?
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Here's a question........
If Mr Clegg gets into power, will we get a rererendum on Europe?
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11 - Galahad
I think there is a lack of confidence in the new Norman Tebits of Daves Elite and the people who could of presented a good argument could of easily been taken off track. Silence is better until the Torys have sorted out how they are going to tackle Nick and his Lib reveolution. -Insert Beatles song here....
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15 - mindclearly
Should the Beatles song be David Cameron singing "Yesterday"?
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Galahad 11
They are all holed up in a locker room knocking 7 bells out of DaveBoy Trotter for not "naiing it". Now the fun begins! My mole says some of the quotes from the weekend's interchanges were (obscenities removed)
"Hilton's an idiot - he didn't even consider this scenario".
"Cameron is so thick he didn't even mention the core manifesto idea of Big Society"
"Big Society is just PR puff, no wonder he forgot it there's nothing to say about it"
"Big Society is our only hope"
"We need to get more right-wing right now"
"Should have let Gove override Hilton"
"Why did nobody think that attacking Brown wouldn't deal with the fact that nobody likes us?"
"Who cares what George thinks - get Clarke out and about NOW"
Etc
Etc
Etc
And, funniest of all, is their sheer gobsmacked astonishment that their inborn sense of Entitlement is possibly not justified....
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re Big Society: which interviewer is going to be brave enough to ask DaveBoy, Rodney Osborne et al to run through the list of "Big Society" things they've done in their privileged lives? (Eddie - over to you.)
Have any of them: served as school governors? Volunteered for meals on wheels? Helped the Scouts? Gone round the village mowing old folks lawns? etc. etc.
Big Society: "we haven't a clue, so you lot get to work while we sit on our Big Posteriors"
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Can someone ask Clegg how much European Expenses he trousered whilst over in the European commission and European Parliament.
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Can someone ask the leaders of the three main parties about their drug taking during their younger days.
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Strange that, according to the media, everyone hates Blair and yet the two Blair clones are riding high in the Polls.
The least Blair like candidate is least liked!
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19 - Now, that IS a point. Not that I'm saying Mr. Clegg has done anything wrong, but it would be helpful, in making judgments about the man, to know how much he profited from the European Gravy Train.
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Radio 4 news this morning has carried in its main broadcasts a report linking supporting the BNP with low educational achievement - a modern euphemism for thickos. I wonder what the educational achievements are of people who change thier voting intentions merely on the appearance of a party leader on one TV debate.
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#10, while I am all for airships, they would need most of their lifting capacity for the fidge to keep the salad stuff edible until it reached us. As we now realise, it's speed that counts; this is confirmed by how quick the problems arrising from this ash cloud have come to light.
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Sadly, airships have a fundamental flaw ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiAT9xvTVKI
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I can live without airfeighted flowers, I can live without airfreighted fruit and veg from Africa.
Why don't Europe pay African farmers to grow food for the hungry of Africa. Minimum CO2 and maximum benefit for the poor of Africa.
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22. Big Sister
Shouldn't that be "European jus train".
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Come on Clegg say it: "Go back to your constituencies and prepare for government".
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25. Technology has moved on, safe as houses now; the clue is inert gas. And lifting capacity is down to the amount and weight of gas used rather than energy used.
We should turn away from this crazed need for speed.
Africa growing food for Africans, now there's a revolutionary thought!
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Where is Oliver Letwin?
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Looternite: or Soße or salsa or even molho ....
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A couple of thoughts:
a) Is it possible to design some kind of conical filter for the front of the engines?
b) Do any airlines still have propeller driven craft, or are there any retired such craft that could quickly be brought back into service? They'd probably have limited capacity, and not be suitable for long haul, but at least they'd provide a method of ferrying passengers into / out of the 'ash zone'...
c) Would it be possible for the planes to fly at a lower altitude than normal, i.e. below (ash) cloud level? Obviously they'd have to avoid things such as thunderstorms, but with all the meterological gadgetry on both planes and ground radar, it should be possible to plot a suitable course...
Evidently their normal altitude of 35,000ft is probably the most efficient, but if it was possible for them to cruise at a lower altitude than normal...
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Here he is, Horse!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s1t1r/Have_I_Got_News_for_You_Series_39_Episode_3/
(go to 10.5 minutes in)
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Big Sister - That's OK then. I thought that he had packed it all in and taken up medicine.
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That's a little bit too suave for him, don't you think, Horse? ;o)
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If this link works, it will save you having to go through the HIGNFY link:
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/pictures/image/0,9353,-10604516957,00.html
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Bring back the Ecranoplan!
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The problem with any lower flying aircraft is that we'll all end up complaining about the sound of their engines, regardless of whether we live near a major airport. Only this weekend, and doubtless taking advantage of the empty airspace, we have more motorised hang-gliders over our garden than ever before, not to mention light aircraft - and the local spitfire, working on behalf of UKIP. It was pretty noisy!
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Sis, The latest generation Airships use Helium. It doesn't explode. Though it is twice as heavy as Hydrogen so will need a bigger balloon to lift the same amount (Probably).
And that picture at 36 reminds me of Davros off Dr Who!
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Perhaps it would be interesting to find out roughly what heights we'd expect normal clouds to be at, and what heights the ash cloud is at (i.e. is there likely to be any separation between the two - a vertical corridor?)
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39. Stewart_M
Sorry to be pedantic but Atomic weight for Hydrogen is given as 1.0079 and helium is 4.0026.
So approx 4 times as heavy. Still much lighter than air of course. Wasn't there ideas, years ago about re-introducing some form of Airship for bulk goods like food.
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Big Sister (25):
Much like the fundamental flaw these horseless carriages have with that bloke with the red flag walking slowly in front of them.
As Stewart says at (39) airships now use helium which is inert, though with less lifting power. There's a few designs being evaluated for cargo and passenger use, I like the SkyCat:
http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/skycat/
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Big Sister (25), Me (42):
In fact, I'm fairly sure some American airships in the 30s used helium because the safety issue was well known. The Hindenburg didn't because even if the designers had wanted to, all the helium production was in the US and they refused to export any to Germany.
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You'd still have to be sure the 'balloon' bit was strong enough not to puncture readily (they'd be a great target for terrorists, wouldn't they?.
That much said, I love the idea and would want to be a passenger in one. We get a lot of balloons overhead where I live, and apart from the terror they cause in some animals (until they get used to them) I'm always wishing I was up there looking down rather than down here being stared at. :o)
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44 - Sis
Your dream reminded me of a disney film I watched recently called up!
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Interestingly, according to Wikipedia most of the burn casualties from the Hindenberg were those affected by burning diesel fuel, or the fabric of the airship. Hydrogen, being lighter than air, didn't burn anywhere near the people. It might be possible to use a mixture of hydrogen and helium, as long as the hydrogen concentration was under 3% (H2 will burn in concentrations as low as 4%). It might not sound much, but in a gas bag the size of which would be used in an airship, that could add up to quite a weight saving... added onto which, modern materials could probably make the gondola significantly lighter than those in the 'golden age' of airships.
OK, they are slow and low-flying, but their noise level would probably be significantly lower than a conventional plane. Besides which, these factors could combine to give it an aura of exclusivity - like the aerial equivalent of a cruise, but on a smaller scale.
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Perhaps a double skin might answer my concerns to some extent - if the first skin was set well in, and the gap between the two skins was also filled with helium (or whichever gas of choice). The outer skin could be fireproofed - the inner skin would, effectively, be a 'lifebelt'.
I appreciate this wouldn't be a solution if the terrorists had a second weapon to hand ....
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Stewart_M (39) & Looternite (41)
There is very little difference between the lifting power of Hydrogen and Helium, I think. What is important is not so much the weight of the gas in the balloon, but the weight of the air which it displaces.
Hydrogen has a molecular weight of 2 and weighs 1g per 12 litres at room temperature Helium is monatomic and with an atomic weight of 4, weighs 2g per 12 litres at room temperature. Both are very light in comparison to air. Air is mainly nitrogen, which has a weight of about 14g per 12 litres at room temperature.
A 12 litre helium balloon would seem to weigh 2g minus 14g = minus 12g in air.
A 12 litre hydrogen balloon would seem to weigh 1g minus 14g = minus 13g in air.
The difference is only about 8%.
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44. Big Sister
I don't think the possibilitiy of terrorist attack should prevent us from developing airship technologies, if that is better than what we have. Afterall nobody would shut down the Underground because terrorists target them.
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People critizing Europe for taking 5 days to organise on the volcanic ash forget:
that 5 days ago it only affected the UK, or at least little of the rest of Europe,
that at anytime it could stop coming our way, and all those waiting at airports could jump on a plane and get here before those who take government organised alternative ways, Royal Navy ships, etc.,
that there is nothing stopping people using the pre-airplane ways of crossing the continent - coach - why is everybody obsessed with Eurostar?
that there was something of a panic, pressure to act, over swine flu now everybody is critising the government for having bought too much vacine,
and if a plane does surcomb to the ash cloud flights won't happen for a long time after.
I wonder if civil servants are frightened of ending up like the former head of child services at Haringay, sacked, her career over, because of mistakes she didn't make and because Newspapers realised that campaigning for her dismissal sold papers, and choosing the safest option to protect themselves.
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I see in the newsletter that Eddie is asking for our "travel horror stories". Shall I start?
I once spent a week in Rhyll during October, and it rained non-stop.
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I was also just looking at the PM email. I hope Eddie's sign-off isn't a coded signal that he's about to defect to ITV.
:-o
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There was supposed to have been a small plane that went down over the weekend. Might be a coincidence. Might be a reason to avoid prop planes. They have internal combustion engines that get hot and suck in lots of outside air. What if it jammed up one of the inlet valves? They also have filters that might fill up with dust. They might be less reliable than jet engines.
What about Ram-jets - the sort that drove the V1's of World War Two? No turbines to get dammaged, but no thrust when they're not moving.
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Mr. Cameron has unwillingly pointed out exactly what is wrong the the UK's non-proportional voting system. He seems to say: "Vote for me if you do not want the other to win!" Never mind policies, programs, ideas, or even ideals.
Surely the people in Britain should vote for the party that in their best interest and that in their opinion is the best party to run the country. And if that means a hung parliament, so be it. The people have spoken!
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Surely if airships were a solution they would exist now? Surely they have all the problems of sea going ships - they have to push against the flow of current, they have to push through the air/water, the greater the lift the harder it is to tie them to the ground when they dock.
Some do exist now but they have no commercial advantage.
At least we don't have the supporters of Tesla here.
Many of the problems apply because we didn't have warning. With warning we could have acted in time. Not knowing when it will stop limits choices. You might like HMS Ark Royal to pick you up unless the cloud clears and your friends beat you home whilst you're still mid ocean.
I heard somewhere it takes 5 days to cross the ocean by sea. Probably at least the same time by large airship.
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Surely most seats are a two horse race so any vote for the third party, usually the libdems, is a wasted vote. Of course if we had AV...
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jonathanmorse - AV is appalling - as you can tell by who supports it, namely Gordon Brown (recent convert) and fellow-traveller Jack Straw. It's less proportional than our current system.
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57 Sid I like AV because you can vote for who you want then still get a safe sane candidate in with your second choice. With AV we could all vote libdem and there would now be some chance of a libdem govnt, whereas what would normally happen is that the libdem vote would fail so you'd get your second preference. Of course the libdems have enjoyed the luxury of being unelectable - so no 2 current libdem MP's agree on anything.
If we'd had some form of PR for sometime the parties would have arranged themselves accordingly.
I'm not convinced Gordon Brown is pro-AV. I think he just wants to ensure that, come any debate on electoral reform it's on his terms, AV or FPTP, he will say anyone in favour of reform likes AV and anyone opposed to AV is opposed to reform. Standard Brown tactics.
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Re: Big Society - my earlier question about Tory politicians' record of contributing at grass roots seems to be starkly answered here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7100347.ece
DaveBoy - are you happy about that?
Thanks to http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/ for covering the issue of Politicians and Big Society. It's an interesting account that linked me to the Times article.
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57 Sid and me 58 I think to most people AV is PR - I only realised it wasn't when I was in the polling booth for the Euro elections. But to have true PR you must get rid of the constitiuencies. STV might be a good compromise if the constitiuencies are big enough.
I think Brown wants a PR elected Lords which might be o.k., although no Lords and a PR commons would be better and a half PR and half AV Commons, no Lords a compromise. PR means parties have more control over who is on the lists but they parachute favoured types into safe seats already and given PR the memberships might wrest control from their leaderships.
I think most people like AV for the same reasons we agree with queing. We all get the result we can live with in the end, or think we do. And PR systems don't work that well in practice. I like the minority government in Scotland but traditional set-piece votes on the Queen's Speech and on Budget Day may get in the way the way it doesn't in Scotland.
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TIH 48, And helium makes you talk funny.
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Ln 41, You could fuel them with sprouts being shipped.
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jonathan - Jack Straw certainly thinks AV is PR - he's wrong. My preference is for STV using current constituencies grouped in 5s or 6s, with AV for one or two constituencies (remote Scottish highlands). This would (a) maintain the constituency link, (b) be roughly* proportional, and (c) irritate EtE.
*roughly will do for me - the problems which arise from trying to get 100% pure PR far outweigh any advantages.
There is more here.
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Its still so quiet around here.
Does anyone know of soundtracks of jets taking off and landing.
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I've just emailed this in to PM:
"Hi. I was wondering why the BBC has spent all day providing Labour and Tory spokespersons with the opportunity to have a pop at the Lib Dems. I'm wondering if this is a sort of manifestation of the difficulty we all seem to have with multi-tasking (as described in the latest New Scientist). Two options - we allocate one to each half of the brain and switch between them. Three options? Oh bugger ... ooops, I've spilt something ...
"Go on Eddie - prove me wrong, please!"
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Ln 64,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhowrg-bI5w
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Sid 65, And if he hasn't already, is Andrew Marr going to give Cameron and Clegg virtually a whole program?
What is Clegg saying about the £250 heating allowance?
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Wouldn't it be funny if by the time your economist yets home by train the airspace is opened up and his producer gets back before him by plane from New Orleans.
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Perhaps there should be a new constitiuency of Thorneycroft Central for the Speaker and let his former constitiuencies have a vote, although in this Tory safe seat it's not really a fair vote.
(Thorneycroft, or the name of the island Parliament sits on?)
You could have Thorneycroft N, W, S, E for the deputy Speakers.
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Perhaps we should do without directly elected Mayors. I'd like Boris's successor elected by the London Assembly, and only stay as long as he has the support (confidence) of the London Assembly, both of which are Tory at the moment.
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Who is this Johnathan Porridge guy?
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8629890.stm
Devonport warships to pick up stranded travellers?
The Royal Navy are going to go and get a load of gypsies and crusty Levellers fans in dreadlocks?
Is Political Correctness as corrosive for English as Americans and the Internet?
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68. Hilarious.
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The drawbacks to vote transfer and quota systems of voting are shown in my post 123, on FB, using the misnomers that have in recent years come into fashion.
Ignoring and transfering, at various stages, great hunks of the ballot during counting are bound to be distortionary on vote counting.
The point is graphically made with examples which conjure absolute majorities in the Parliament whilst that 'winner' loses to an all -round winner in the country. (At the same time of course an all round winner in the country is dominated in the House by another party with an absolute majority)
The opposite can happen too, with these crude systems, so that an absolute majority in the country can become dominated in the House****.
Why are the Lib Dems proposing a reform which is inadequate, AV+?
Why aren't MPs, past and present (and ex-candidates like Sid) being challenged to explain how they think they've got voting reform right (which they haven't) when they haven't critised the Aye-Nay systam of voing in the House itself?
**** An all round winner in an election beats every other candidate in pairwise comparison. Getting more than 50 per cent of the vote is one way of doing that.
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