andrewducker: (Default)
[personal profile] andrewducker

Date: 2018-10-16 11:24 am (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
Anyone fancy entering the holiday letting business on Shetland?

Date: 2018-10-16 11:38 am (UTC)
nancylebov: (green leaves)
From: [personal profile] nancylebov
That Rand piece has a highly inaccurate picture of Rand's ideas, but it's probably no more inaccurate than some of her fan's ideas of her ideas.

As a minor point to show how sloppy the reading was, John Galt was an inventor, not an entrepreneur. For that matter Dagny Taggart was the Operating Vice President of an company started by her grandfather.

Rand doesn't recommend unfettered selfishness, she's got a good bit about rational selfishness requiring ethical treatment of other people.

Date: 2018-10-16 11:43 am (UTC)
cmcmck: (Default)
From: [personal profile] cmcmck
Davis?

We're doomed!

David Davis lined up as interim prime minister

Date: 2018-10-16 11:46 am (UTC)
doug: (Default)
From: [personal profile] doug
It mostly looks like it's David Davis who is lining him up as interim prime minister.

Not Proven verdict

Date: 2018-10-16 12:27 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] nojay
I didn't really want to talk about this but...

I was on a jury recently at the High Court in Edinburgh in a case about rape among other things. We ended up acquitting the defendant in the actual rape charges but we brought back "not proven" verdicts in several sexual assault charges.

The accusers in the sexual assault charges were credible in the witness box but they weren't credible enough to convict according to the rules of evidence. The Crown relied on a series of interlocking and supporting statements of evidence from several people and there was a relationship problem with one of them which meant we couldn't in all honesty convict the person on any of those charges.

My personal opinion was that the person was guilty of the sexual offences charges but that didn't count, not in court. The "not proven" verdict meant they walked free but it showed the jury's belief that there was something to the charges.

As an aside the rape charges fell apart as soon as we heard all the evidence. Day 1 we were ready to lock them up and throw away the key. By day 5 none of the fifteen people in the jury room thought the rape charges were credible, and that's after being exposed to the defence's testimony which did not make the defendant look good at all.
Edited (Fixing capitalisation) Date: 2018-10-16 12:27 pm (UTC)

Re: Not Proven verdict

Date: 2018-10-17 03:20 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
I well remember being introduced to the not proven verdict at law school

"When there is not enough evidence to convict but the words "Not Guilty" stick in your throat" is I think the appropriate dictum from the leading case.

Date: 2018-10-16 12:57 pm (UTC)
drplokta: (Default)
From: [personal profile] drplokta
"Scottish Power to use 100% wind power" isn't really correct. "Scottish Power to generate 100% wind power" is closer to the mark. They'll be buying and using lots of power from other companies at times when the wind isn't blowing.

Date: 2018-10-16 02:40 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
Can you imagine David Davis' cabinet picks and the people who would be willing to serve in a David Davis government?

Date: 2018-10-17 02:35 pm (UTC)
mountainkiss: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mountainkiss
It's an interesting game to contrast his with Johnson's. Johnson wants positive thinkers who say yes to everything. Davis wants fighters who think they are Saving The World. The overlap's actually quite small.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:18 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
I also suspect that Davis would be happier to have smart people in his cabinet. I think he's fundamentally honest and so is likely to worry less that smart people will spot when he is being slippery.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:26 pm (UTC)
mountainkiss: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mountainkiss

He himself is rather stupid, I think, though. That might compromise his ability to spot smart people. Also I don't know how big is the intersection of the Venn diagram between smart people and fighters who think they are Saving The World.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:33 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
I think you are correct.

I think Johnson would actively avoid smart people, or at least people he thought were smarter than him or smart enough to smoke him out.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:33 pm (UTC)
mountainkiss: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mountainkiss

That's... everyone.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:34 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
The evidence suggests that not everyone is smart enough to spot that Johnson is up to something.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:35 pm (UTC)
mountainkiss: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mountainkiss

That is a fair comment, albeit that I'd like to think that people who make it into the House of Commons are. I think there's a third group that you're overlooking: people who know exactly what he's doing but think he can benefit somehow. I also am not entirely certain that he himself is fully cognisant of what he is doing.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:38 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
Those are all fair points.

The most worrying of which is that Johnson, himself, doesn't fully appreciated what a crooked, twisted, tangled path he is treading and genuinely thinks he is a Great Man in the Churchillian archetype.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:40 pm (UTC)
mountainkiss: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mountainkiss

My first point is obviously wrong - the Bridgens, Jenkynses etc. do not hit the intelligence standard I ascribe for MPs.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:51 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
Intelligence is a desirable quality for a candidate for MP, but not an essential one. The essential quality is electabiity.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:40 pm (UTC)
mountainkiss: (Default)
From: [personal profile] mountainkiss

Also, confusing typo: think they can benefit somehow.

Date: 2018-10-17 03:58 pm (UTC)
danieldwilliam: (Default)
From: [personal profile] danieldwilliam
That's the key danger that some (incompetent) tries to game Johnson's (incompetent) gaming of the system.

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