Interesting Links for 14-03-2019

[andrewducker]

I linked to something by Jesse Singal. I won't be doing that again.

(tags:fraud transgender lgbt OhForFucksSake )

Online activists are silencing us, scientists say

(tags:research abuse )

Six positive ways drones are used

(tags:drone Technology )

The EU Is Telling European Leaders There Are Only Three Reasons They Should Allow Brexit To Be Delayed

(tags:UK europe viaDanielDWilliam )

Suicide , austerity and the Troubles

(tags:suicide austerity history NorthernIreland )

Dwarf Fortress coming to Steam {and itch.io) - with updates graphics

(tags:games )

Labour abandons support for referendum on Theresa May's deal

(tags:UK europe labour doom )

An old rule means Bercow could take drastic action on Brexit | Politics News | Sky News

(tags:UK europe politics parliament )

May loses a vote against herself in a crazed night of parliamentary drama

(tags:politics uk )

UK to phase out gas heating in new homes by 2025

Electricity is about five times the cost of gas, so that's going to be painful for some.
(tags:gas heating uk globalwarming )

Comments

Gas vs Electicity

[lsanderson]

High-end electric (geothermal heat pumps and induction cooktops) are less costly than gas to run. The hit comes in the initial equipment purchase. (I'm guessing on the cooktop a wee bit.) Low-end electric is a budget killer.

[danieldwilliam]

I think with the right building regulations for insulation etc and using solar panels, heat pumps and so on you can just about make a home built in 2025 using no gas cost the same to heat as a current home using gas.

(No number on that, just my gut feel.)

[aldabra]

We're going to get at most one more referendum. We want it to be used to ratify a coherent deal, which has been approved by Parliament, before it gets implemented. We absolutely do not want to use it up on the current pile of incoherent piffle. (Apart from anything else, we can't rely on the Great British Public not to vote for a pile of incoherent piffle; if we get as far as a referendum, we have to be in a position to implement either Yes or No.)

Labour is quite right that the current proposal does not merit a referendum.

An old rule means Bercow could take drastic action on Brexit

[doug]

This story is pretty much already overtaken by events. Bercow has cannily called an amendment to be voted on (in an hour or two) that would rule out having Theresa May's deal brought back to the House. I'm sure he'll treat that vote as expressing the will of the House on the matter: if the amendment is passed, he won't accept it being put again, and if the amendment is voted down, he will accept it, should the Government bring it forward.

But for this, that amendment looks like a slightly odd choice to call in this debate, so I strongly suspect he picked it precisely so he wouldn't have to make an independent ruling, which would be massively unpopular with whichever side he didn't come down on.

As I've said elsewhere, with conventions being burned with abandon all over the place (including by Bercow!), it's slightly reassuring to see clever manoeuvring to stay within the lines.

[doug]

In case you don't see it: "Edinburgh Trams: Councillors approve controversial £207m tram extension to Newhaven"
https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/edinburgh-trams-councillors-approve-controversial-207m-tram-extension-to-newhaven-1-4889604

I think I've previously called here for a Tram Inquiry Inquiry to look in to why the Tram Inquiry, looking in to why the Tram project ran so heavily over time and budget, is running so heavily over time and budget. Given that they're starting the Tram Extension before the Tram Inquiry reports, should we not try to get ahead of matters? It's inevitable that the Tram Extension will run heavily over time and budget. And, in turn, inevitably, the Tram Extension Inquiry will run heavily over time and budget. If we start it now, before the Tram Extension even starts, we might have a chance of it reporting before the Tram Extension Inquiry Inquiry starts.

gas heating

[zz]

when looking at flats to buy, i've always immediately dismissed any that had electric heating, because it's so expensive to run.

i'm sure in some utopia where housing is well insulated it's not so bad, but this is britain where the housing is made of dried dog shit.