Odysseus

Had Nige lost a couple more games with us a few points above the drop I wonder if fans would have been demanding he’d be sacked (again)?
 

A charitable way to look at things was Lansdown wanted him gone end of the season but gave him a chance to prove himself this season (and it didn’t work).  

15 minutes ago, Stortz said:

Every other promotion pales in comparison to this of course, but yes, despite fairly spiky relations, they've all worked together several times before- Felix Cash v Denzel Bentley just last weekend was a Matchroom v Queensbury fight, if not a co-promotion.

Despite the jockying (and Hearn's terrible Arum impression!), there's simply too much money and interest in this for it to not happen imo- especially given the global uncertainty around Covid. As you say, the fact that the split is publicly established for both fights denies anyone the chance to flounce on negotiations then claim they were wrecked by one boxer's financial demands.

None of the parties- promoters, management teams, fighters or broadcast partners- will be able to make anything like these amounts for the foreseeable future without this fight and its sequel(s) going ahead.

That’s very true and also the case if you bring in this being a rare opportunity to unify the division. I don’t fully understands how it works and I haven’t heard anything about Fury possibly fighting Whyte. Joshua could be mandated to fight Usyk or Martin though as I understand. 

4 hours ago, Stortz said:

I'm 100% confident it'll happen this summer unless one of them picks up an injury. Arum and Hearn have indicated it will indeed be in Saudi.

I'm pretty confident it'll be on 24/07 in fact rather than August- the main reason being we're due to go on holiday to a place in Cornwall with eff all internet that same morning.

Not looking forward to telling the kids that their holiday has been shortened by a day if so haha.

Has Hearn made many fights like this with Arum and Warren? I’m a casual but from memory it’s always been difficult getting Matchroom vs BT fights on. From Warren’s comments today there seems to be issues around obligations in the contact? It almost reminds me of the Wilder - AJ negotiations. 

Then again, you’d think this upfront location purse and 50/50 split would solve these problems. As you said it must be 100% on as it’s clearly in the interest of both fighters. 

3 minutes ago, BS2 Red said:

If anything good comes out of all this, it might just be that certain people realise that low paid doesn’t mean low skilled or of low importance.

To this day I don’t know how Steve Hilton and David Cameron managed to detoxify these upper class ******* to the average voter. They’re still the heartless nasty party but the brand just disappeared or lessened over the years. They no longer hate gay people but they still have no empathy for low skilled workers.

45 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

Piers does seem to be able to formulate and ask a reasonable question.

The problem is, once he has asked one, he gets so giddy with excitement at being a clever boy, he refuses to listen to an answer. He simply talks over them, so questions never get resolved. Which makes him look like a colossal *****.

He’s an opportunist slug who’s always had an intuition of how to stay relevant. He went to US after being disgraced at the mirror being a talk show host who railed against gun ownership. When he failed over there and became a joke he gradually reinvented himself eventually finding targeting “snow flakes” or transgender people would  endear him to the “These days you get arrested for being English” brigade. 
 

Now after bullying several high profile women in the media and becoming a bit stale now no one cares about transgender people he’s found an opportune moment to lay into the government and win some credit. 

4 minutes ago, Eddie Hitler said:

I don't think it's worth getting over-excited about a pitiful £73.10.  The level of JSA for somebody actively seeking work is just rude IMO.

Age	JSA weekly amount
Up to 24	up to £57.90
25 or over	up to £73.10
Couples (both aged over 18)	up to £114.85

https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance

Compare this to a friend of mine in Brussels who left their job can keep their full salary for a year or maybe even 2. According to a certain odious politician they’re not a “real country though”.

8 minutes ago, wood_red said:

I haven't said you are any type of Blair supporter. 

Conveniently ignored? I said in the first line "Of course it would better in the current climate and easier to deal with if their funding hadn't have been cut. I doubt anybody will disagree with that - but why were the cutbacks taken in the first place? 

I also don't think I have said they don't deserve any flak, but what I am saying is they don't deserve ALL the flak which comes from certain angles/media.

The cutbacks were a ideological game from George Osbourne. There wasn’t much evidence behind what he did other than the private sector can be more “efficient”. Economists warned at the time austerity and hitting key public services wouldn’t grow an economy enough to tackle spiralling national debt. Labour’s original proposals to reduce the deficit at a much slower rate would have incurred interest but it would’ve grew the economy more sustainably and not left us so vulnerable. 

35 minutes ago, wood_red said:

I do not know how the NHS would have coped in 2009 and I doubt it would be much different because they were underfunded then. My point is that the likes of the same posters will accuse the underfunding solely on the Conservatives, it has been every single Government, and it seems to me the NHS is still paying a massive price due to Blairs Government.

I am not blaming solely the person who left Government in 2007, but that Government has to take some sort of responsibility of why the NHS is in the state it currently is shouldn't they? It seems that many on here cannot even bring themselves to say that as it just doesn't suit, and just blame the Conservatives.

On the point that Blair left in 2007, does that mean we cannot blame him for anything then because he left in 2007? How much did he spend on the war in Iraq? Are we not allowed to question that because he left in 2007? That obviously means that Thatcher or Hitler have nothing to answer for then in your opinion?

I think Blair rightly receives criticism, at least before it become associated with the “hard left”. Muppets like Wes Streeting MP were only yesterday criticising the current  Labour admin over its public spending proposals and to drop them. Which shows they’ve learned nothing from the mistakes of New Labour. He was also given a front page link in the Observer in the middle of a national crisis which says it all 

57 minutes ago, Harry said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the multiple quotes but I wanted to make a couple of points. 
 

The US system is multi-faceted. They have Medicare, which offers state-funded healthcare for the over 65’s and for the disabled. 
They have Medicaid which offers state-funded healthcare based on means testing. 
Then they have Private Healthcare for those who are deemed to be able to “afford it”. 
 

What many people don’t realise is that the state funded programme covers 64% of treatment and makes up 17.1% of their GDP. Compare that to ours at 9%. 
So the US spend nearly twice as much in terms of GDP than we do. 
We are also the 13th ranked in Europe for spending vs GDP. 
 

There is a lot wrong with their system, as there is with ours. But it’s important to make the point that it is not a system whereby everyone gets turned away or face huge bills if they don’t have insurance. They spend more than we do and a large part of the population DO get free healthcare. 
 

I’m not gonna get into the rights and wrongs but just want to make that point. 

I get some of the nuances of the debates around health care and even the history of the NHS and GPs arguably still being private providers. I think the NHS puts unhealthy pressure and demands on its staff. The public’s glorification of staff is almost toxic as it must encourage them further, when it should just be a normal occupation. I get that like personal responsibility I wouldn’t mind myself paying more more into healthcare be that an extra tax or form of insurance, or even localised systems similar to before. Everyone knows the NHS is bleeding money through upper management.

I don’t mind having these discussions but only if it’s in a transparent and controlled forum. The NHS has been picked apart by private companies for decades and I don’t trust these vultures to not exploit the public if they ever get their way to break up the NHS. That’s why so many instinctively defend the NHS. 

17 minutes ago, Redpool said:

Obamacare left those on the lower financial standing even worse.

Its quite funny how we say we hope to never have a healthcare system like the US. They say the exact same about us. Funny old world 

Any American I’ve met in this county begs to differ and are amazed no matter who you are you get live saving treatment for free. I’d rather have that for the many than the inconvenience of having to wait weeks longer for an MRI. The problem with our current health system is due to Tory underfunding and staff shortages. 

I’ve been continuing to shop at my local Turkish food stores and despite health and safety queuing outside no bare shelves. My own theory for this?

1. Eastern heritage customers stock essential foodstuffs and plan better so they don’t have to panic buy.  

2. The food stores are much more practical for the customer and what they actually need. There’s entire aisles for flours, pulses, nuts, grains. In our supermarkets you get a shelf for staples and then aisles for food you don’t need e.g. sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks, alcohol. 

I’m despairing seeing the British result to type and turn on their own through this. We all have reasons to leave the house and buy food, stop judging each other when the government have done **** all to stop people. 

2 minutes ago, wood_red said:

We cannot have that can we.......

The Times can do what they like, there’s plenty of propaganda defending the government, that’s understandable. You believe in and support the government, that’s fine. My point is this soft lobby journalism manipulates people who ARE critical of the government into concentrating on largely unimportant gossip.

Fair enough if there’s a real whistleblower who wants to expose the government but with the same journos it’s often a minister trying to change the story or settle a personal dispute with an adviser like Cummings. 

19 minutes ago, BS2 Red said:

The very reason I posted the full article is because it’s just as critical of Johnson as it is of Cummings. It’s also from The Times, which lends enormous weight as they are not a lefty or anti-Tory paper.

The article does exactly what you request, it highlights Johnson’s failures and inactions with regards to closing public spaces.

It’s a soft article that paints Johnson as being momentarily misled in testing circumstances but then pulling through with the help of his ministers and advisers. It even says Johnson was uncomfortable about the phrasing of herd immunity. It says little about the real crisis facing the government.

Getting the public fixated on “human drama” is what the Times does best. In this article Cummings comments are paraphrased and we don’t even know what he exactly said. That’s the purpose of lobby journalists. 
 

The government will do what it always does and blame everyone they possibly can before taking blame. They’re now getting ready to blame the public for this disaster and a lot of people here are helping them. 

24 minutes ago, BS2 Red said:

 

I think people should stop caring about what’s briefed in the Times or Telegraph. It only serves to distract the public from the bigger picture which is Johnson’s inaction on closing down public spaces and the potential manslaughter of NHS staff from not being supplied with PPE. 

This happened under Theresa May with Grenfell and Windrush where the right-wind press found scapegoats or ways to frame the story in a different way. Although it’s tempting to pile into Cummings after this story everyone should to stop and think whether they're being manipulated. 
 

16 minutes ago, pillred said:

I was the same as you 35 years of continuous employment through no fault of my own was made redundant, made to jump through hoops for £65 a week job seekers allowance (it was 10 years ago) when I think of the lazy Bast***s that had made a lifestyle choice to never work a day in their lives and lived a comfortable life with all their rent paid and 50 inch flat screen TVs ( I know because I had to wake some of them up at 10 o clock to fit their new balconies was the point I lost all faith in the system.

13 minutes ago, Atticus said:

Yep. If im made redundant again, the last place il ever go is the jobcentre. This is why I don't get how deadbeat bums can sponge off the benefit system. When I was made to feel like a total social pariah and had to jump through insane hoops to get my £60 for 4 weeks, how are some living off it and not having it revoked?!?!

But wouldn’t you both rather the system was still generous and not punitive? That losing a job meant you had the security to either re-train or properly look for a new job without the financial anxiety? That’s how the system works in other countries still. There’s better ways to incentivise people to find work. It’s not like they were ever that generous unless you factored in social housing and child benefits. 

Not to mention the disabled people this government have killed through pip assessments. I don’t even know how anyone can claim UC right now considering you have to go for a face to face interview. 

6 minutes ago, bcfcfinker said:

The consequences of the stockpiling muppets begins:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-51980820?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment&link_location=live-reporting-story

 

I heard someone mention buying kitchen roll the other week I instantly thought of “fatbergs” in London. 

1 hour ago, Maesknoll Red said:

Too late and if we had double or treble the capacity, we’d still get overwhelmed.  No matter who we had in government for the last 20 years, we would still be under prepared for this.

Political point scoring and claiming to know more than the scientific advisors is just postulating on a forum at this time.

We are in the shit, we would have been in the shit if Labour had won the election, if the Lib Dem’s or anyone else had won it.  When you see the amounts of people today at the beach, Snowdonia and many other places, maybe nature is right to have a clear out......

Why did the government bother to plan at all or shut down the country if we were in the shit anyway? This is what your argument sounds like to me. To be fair it’s not far off the governments original strategy. Reacting  quicker = saving thousands.

Also by the way the people who will die from the virus won’t just be those who ignored the governments flimsy advice. It will be front line workers and their families, so it isn’t nature having a clear out of the stupid. 

11 minutes ago, Maesknoll Red said:

Months ago...... who would have done that?  What country has done that?  I am neither applauding or criticising the government and it’s advisors, there will be time for a in depth review and lessons learnt after this is dealt with,

Being a keyboard expert does no one on here any favours.

Any country that has had it’s healthcare system running at maximum capacity for years would have done this at the sight of a global pandemic. Germany has 3 times the amount of ICU beds yet had started building a hospital in Berlin. 

18 minutes ago, wood_red said:

Do we have enough kits to test everyone?

If not, where do we get them all from?

Do you want us to test every person within the UK?

If so when, where and how many staff are required to test everyone safely?

I have had a bad cough for a week, but no temperature, so I may well have it but with milder symptoms - where would I go in the queue for testing? Is it safe for me to go and get tested? 

 

@And Its Smith Any chance of a reply please? If everything is/was done wrongly I would like to know how all this simple testing should have been/be done? No point slagging off at every opportunity if you do not have the answer(s), maybe the Government haven't put all the testing in place because it is impossible to do?

 

It’s been repeatedly pointed out that the government should have closed down public spaces weeks ago when Germany and France took action. They should’ve started building makeshift hospitals months ago and increasing ventilators. I assume none of you are listening to this though? 

25 minutes ago, DSTAF said:

Defeating Coronavirus will be a marathon not a sprint. Comparing Italy two weeks ago with UK is nonsense and shows people up to be narrow minded bigots whose only interest is to take a dig at the government in a time of national emergency. This country is full of point scoring show ponies. When at ‘war’ you have to acknowledge that you will lose some battles. But winning the war is what it’s all about. 

It’s likely to be a repeat of WWI. Incompetent ruling class get hundreds of thousands needlessly killed but all is forgotten because we “commemorate” the fallen every year for winning the war. 

19 minutes ago, cityloyal473 said:

I presume you think the performance of the Chief Medical and Chief Scientist are lamentable too?  As that's where Boris is getting his advice from.

The Chief Scientific adviser has ****** up and will also be accountable for his lamentable actions. The advice and decision for heard immunity won’t go away considering they thought it was a good decision to just let everyone get infected only a week ago. There’s no way around that fatal mistake.

48 minutes ago, pillred said:

think what you have suggested just about covers it, but it doesn't seem to have made much difference re the restocking, selfish b****rds still seem to strip the shelves in minutes, I don't know if they are rigorously enforcing this certain number of everything, in Sainsburys yesterday at 10:30 the shelves were practically empty which means people become more anxious the next time they go out and over compensate, it's a difficult problem, until you and I are confident we will get what we want when we go out unfortunately it will carry on, perhaps rationing certain items is the only way for a short while.

Shelves are bare because almost everyone is stockpiling in a way. I stockpiled by buying a couple more bags of dried beans than I needed. Aside from that I’m continuing to buy enough food for a couple of meals and that’s it. 
 

Shelves will be bare if for instance the 50% of people who usually don’t weekly shop, start to do a large shop. It only takes thousands of people buying a couple more items to have that knock on effect. So I think in a way people are turning on each other without really understanding basic maths.
 

We may as well saying anyone who shopped in bulk before this pandemic are selfish bastards too. 

1 hour ago, walnutroof said:

When he was mayor of London the thing Boris was good at was surrounding himself with people who knew their stuff, and he seems to be doing the same as prime minister but obviously having to consultant with several advisors is time consuming 

Every politician surrounds themselves with advisers. What you’ve said was just spin  to justify Johnson’s laziness as London Mayor and people ate it up. He was a useless Mayor who hastened London turning into the corporate playground that has no business being described as city or any kind of civilisation. 
 

Johnson’s outsourcing of political decisions to a couple of advisers like Cummings has worsened this disaster in having to be told by the UN to change our strategy. I think now they seem to be slowly making the correct decisions they should stay but after this is over Johnson should stand down as prime minister.

Let’s hope it doesn’t spread to prisons. If it does then you’re all about to witness like the US what kind of country we’ve really become in how we treat citizens. All hell will brake lose in a system already in its knees like so much else. I think it could create the biggest scandal through this epidemic.  

That was a dreadful press conference, more ambiguity, more bullshit, few answers. He seems bored and out of ideas, even seeming to complain that it was the 4th one this week and wants to retreat to doing a live stream!

This is the problem with the man he’s making things worse like he’s done wherever he’s worked. 

16 minutes ago, wayne allisons tongues said:

I agree but full service yesterday, and surely we should be keeping people apart. London Mayor has said services are running for frontline people and this is not going to help there health.

I agree with you too, some Londoners are walking 2 hours to work to avoid the tubes others are still going to bars/cafes. London faces severe issues from the amount of people who work low skilled jobs who can’t afford to live in zone 2 or drive. Maybe they should be shut for certain workers.