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What you want to say – 12th May 2021 May 12, 2021

Posted by guestposter in Uncategorized.
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As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

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1. Tomboktu - May 12, 2021

Chris Dillow’s piece from yesterday is well worth a read

https://stumblingandmumbling.typepad.com/stumbling_and_mumbling/2021/05/class.html

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WorldbyStorm - May 12, 2021

+1 Just scanned it and going to read it again, it being 11 oclock break.

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Fergal - May 12, 2021

‘Nor is class simply a matter of income. An employee on a high wage is working class whereas a self-employed person on a lower income is not: s/he is a petty bourgeois in Marx’s words’
Never accepted this… how many tradespeople are sold traders? Who exactly are they exploiting? Themselves? A civil servant like the fella in the HSE on 300,000 is working class?
Self-employed people have got to work hard otherwise… try swinging the lead if you’ve a car to mend…
Cooperatives, small businesses and self-employed are grand… the biggest exploiters are big business of people and planet alike

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Fergal - May 12, 2021

Sole and not sold!

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roddy - May 13, 2021

So me on 25k is petty bourgeois whilst an establishment licking civil servant on up to 10 times that is a “worker”!He /She lives in a mansion on the North Down coast,sends his family to private school ,treats his subordinates like shite and employs part time domestic help.I supply a valuable service which people can afford,live in a small house in the middle of a bog, long for a left wing all Ireland government but I’m a capitalist bastard!

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yourcousin - May 14, 2021

Sounds to me like you need a Union 😉

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6to5against - May 12, 2021

Very interesting – and not something that’s talked about enough.

For myself, regardless of Marxian theology – I see anybody who primarily lives by their labour as being within the same large grouping. I don’t see any benefit in obsessing over divisions within that group. Even a high-income civil servant is most likely living on his/her income from labour – and genuinely has more in common with a low wage worker than they might often like to admit.

It seems to me that the UK media is particularly obsessed with the idea of a sort of ‘traditional’ working class that simply doesn’t fit many modern situations – and this is to the detriment of the Labour Party.

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2. Liberius - May 12, 2021

Der Spiegel on the vaccine patent waver and its importance to Germany in particular with its newly emerged mRNA biotech industry.

…Are we seeing the growth of a new, multibillion-dollar industry developing before our very eyes, led, for once, by Germany? After years in which the German biotech and pharmaceutical industry played but a supporting role, it is a rather surprising development for German companies to be at the heart of efforts to emerge from this pandemic. Berlin and Brussels are also both hoping that the biotech industry will have a significant Made-in-Germany component in coming years…

…There is a lot at stake for Europe. The EU is concerned that it may lose its hard-won advantage in the technology as a whole. What will happen, after all, if the technology ultimately ends up in the hands of Russian or Chinese companies?

From the perspective of the European Commission, it is clear who would profit most from a rapid suspension of patent protections: China. Officials in Brussels believe that the Chinese pharmaceutical industry would benefit immensely if the advantages enjoyed by European companies in mRNA technology were to be sacrificed. “Party leadership in Beijing is of course celebrating,” says one official.

As such, at the upcoming Global Health Summit later this month in Rome, the EU isn’t likely to quickly back down from its position, say officials in Brussels. Concessions on intellectual property will only be forthcoming, they say, if the U.S. is prepared to compromise on the export of materials necessary in vaccine production or in the release of vaccine supplies to other parts of the world. The U.S., after all, stood in the way of equitable international vaccine acquisition by pursuing a course of unveiled nationalism. As such, Biden’s decision to support the suspension of patent protections is seen in Brussels as a blatant double standard…

Also on this below quote it’s interesting the degree to which Europe is paying a price for excessive concentration on the services sector of the economy compared to the industrial nuts and bolts; several decades of economic dogma hasn’t left the EU in a great place to avoid reliance on other potentially very untrustworthy states like the USA.

…”We would like to produce a lot more than that,” says Haas. But there is a long lead time for many of the ingredients, he says, and suppliers don’t have the required amounts in stock. “There is serious global competition for these resources.”

There is particularly a shortage of raw materials produced in the U.S., like lipids. “Through the Defense Production Act, we are simply unable to get certain products out of the U.S.,” Haas says. CureVac has little understanding for an America which, on the one hand, is hording both vaccine doses and raw materials necessary for vaccine production, while on the other hand, it is demanding that patent protections be suspended in order to help supply the rest of the world with vaccine…

…To avoid putting all that at risk, the CureVac CEO sees only one solution: “Europe has to be self-sufficient,” he says. By way of licenses or technology transfer, all of the necessary raw materials and components must be produced in the EU, he says. “It’s not about nationalism, but about establishing a certain degree of independence and ensuring that European companies can also profit from this new technology,” agrees BioNTech CEO Şahin.

The German government has recognized the problem. It is speaking with pharmaceutical and chemical companies like Evonik, BASF, Merck and CordenPharma to ensure the production of vital special chemical products like lipids. New factories are to be supported both with financing and logistics…

By the way, Der Spiegel is always worth the read, especially compared to the extremely poor analysis we get from the IT et al.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/business/biontech-curevac-and-co-patent-suspensions-threaten-germany-s-booming-biotech-industry-a-2d4907f3-a03f-4a7c-8d2d-c5c455b45c8f

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3. Bagatelle's Unvarnished Trusset - May 12, 2021

East coast US petrol stations running dry due to weekend’s ransomware attack on pipeline.

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4. Liberius - May 13, 2021

Some of these scientists expressed concern that public expectations around COVID-19 boosters are being set by pharmaceutical executives rather than health specialists, although many agreed that preparing for such a need as a precaution was prudent.

They fear a push by wealthy nations for repeat vaccination as early as this year will deepen the divide with poorer countries that are struggling to buy vaccines and may take years to inoculate their citizens even once.

“We don’t see the data yet that would inform a decision about whether or not booster doses are needed,” said Kate O’Brien, director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Reasonable point that.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/top-scientists-question-need-covid-19-booster-shots-2021-05-13/

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WorldbyStorm - May 13, 2021

Definitely. Have to watch the pharmaceutical companies like hawks.

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5. roddy - May 14, 2021

Poots has it.

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Gearóid Clár - May 14, 2021

Goodbye Union.

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WorldbyStorm - May 14, 2021

2 votes in it.

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CL - May 14, 2021

” Poots has pledged to lead a campaign against the Irish protocol of the Brexit trade agreement, which has enraged unionists. …
Poots will be judged in the short term by what concessions he can get on the protocol. Negotiations between the U.K. and EU are ongoing, but what would satisfy unionists is unclear as the EU is adamant the protocol won’t be removed entirely. He also won’t be directly involved in negotiations between the EU and U.K. on how it is implemented ”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-14/edwin-poots-wins-contest-to-lead-northern-ireland-s-dup

” The operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol has been likened to the Vichy regime, during a legal challenge at the High Court in Belfast….
Unionist leaders who have taken the case say that the protocol is unlawful because it breaches the Acts of Union and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement…
Much of Mr Larkin’s opening argument focused on the Acts of Union which created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1800.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57108347

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6. Bagatelle's Uncounted Thrips - May 15, 2021

Cabinet office doesn’t want Mountbatten’s paedophilia to get a wider airing.

Mountbatten’s last chauffeur in India was Mark’s father. When I used to make it out to Avalon Hill/WBA’s annual boardgaming convention in Baltimore, I used to hang out with Mark and playtest his upcoming games.

The stories he’d relay from his parents about the Mountbattens, including his father regularly servicing mrs MB due to to mr MBs complete lack of interest in women.

Not just Dublin or Ireland that’s a tiny place. The whole fricking world is.

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EWI - May 15, 2021

Mountbatten anything to do with Kincora, or am I mixing my British establishment paedophile rings up?

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Bagatelle's Unreached Tautaugs - May 18, 2021

I have heard rumours that Kincora boys were taxied over to MB during his trips to Ireland. Which is why he refused to discontinue them despite the security briefings.

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Michael Carley - May 16, 2021
Bagatelle's Unworldy Tesserae - May 18, 2021

+1

Thanks Michael, that pulls together a lot of what I’ve heard swirling around over the years.

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7. roddy - May 16, 2021

Mail on Sunday.SF30 FG25 FF15 SD7 LAB4 AON4 PBP3 GP3

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8. roddy - May 16, 2021

Most likely to solve housing- SF41 FG22 FF20.

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9. CL - May 16, 2021

” More recently, the close links between politics and housing brought us first planning corruption and windfall profits for landowners and developers (see: Tribunals), followed by a speculative property bubble and banking crash (see: national debt). These gaps were closed off – the days of councillors and brown envelopes are gone, as is irresponsible lending by the banks.
However, positive outcomes for developers and landowners are now achieved by lobbying to influence national policy, which has the added benefit of being legal. Research into this political lobbying has proven how easy it is for large players to get things changed, to the cost of everyone else….
In parallel, other political lobbying is happening on space and building standards, including for fire safety. New apartments sizes have shrunk, most are sold to funds for rental, buildings are more tightly packed, with less daylight, fewer balconies, lifts, stairs, parking spaces, outdoor amenity, playgrounds and creches….
The deregulation of apartment standards for build-to-rent and co-living has enhanced profits, inflated land values and raised prices for potential purchasers and renters. It has also made Ireland a very attractive place for institutional investment….
According to Gillen Markets, an experienced advisor to large funds, the greatest risk to investors now is that the government might do something to make housing more affordable….
As governments have moved ever further to the right on the political spectrum, evidenced by the favouring of a deregulatory, corporate, investment-friendly housing policy, it drags the left-wing parties into the centre.
The housing policies of the parties of the left are actually quite conservative in the context of Ireland’s century-long history. Indeed, their centrist policies are the very ones the larger parties were proud of not that long ago. Building housing that is affordable, rather than helping people buy housing that is unaffordable, is neither radical nor reactionary. ”
https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/housing-crisis-ireland-5436118-May2021/

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10. EWI - May 17, 2021

All involved well deserve each other.

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11. Paul Culloty - May 17, 2021

As an inveterate quizzer, can highly recommend this New Yorker long read on the most popular American trivia league (though many British and Irish quizzers are also members):

https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-pleasures-of-learnedleague-and-the-spirit-of-trivia

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12. CL - May 18, 2021

” The Government is concerned at the increasingly hostile tone of the UK government towards the Northern Ireland Protocol…
The Government now believes, following Friday’s Chequers meeting, that London is shifting its narrative to claim that if the Protocol in any way makes Northern Ireland different to the rest of the United Kingdom then it breaches the Good Friday Agreement.”
https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2021/0517/1222020-brexit-northern-ireland-protocol/

“The British government has said it hopes the EU would not take retaliatory measures if it was forced to unilaterally suspend the special Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland….
Frost made clear there was still a gulf in thinking and repeatedly suggested that the EU was undermining the peace process brokered in 1998 by Tony Blair and the then Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern….

Frost’s straight-talking style and blunt approach has enraged Dublin and Brussels, who are urging London to take “ownership” of the hard Brexit they pursued.
There was also disbelief that the UK is, as Dublin sees it, stoking “identity politics”, something that was at the heart of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/17/uk-proposes-phasing-in-irish-sea-border-checks-on-food-brexit

” The Irish Government was alarmed by weekend briefings from sources close to Frost identifying July 12th as a deadline for agreement on how to implement the protocol. This follows the British minister’s meeting in Belfast last week with a delegation from the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC), which included representatives of paramilitary groups.”
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/dublin-alarm-at-britain-s-brexit-chief-s-ni-protocol-manoeuvring-1.4567709

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CL - May 18, 2021

” The Northern Ireland Protocol is legal on “an orthodox application of Parliamentary sovereignty” a lawyer for the government has told a court….
Tony McGleenan QC said they are effectively “asking the court to ignore the will of Parliament expressed in primary legislation”.

Parliamentary sovereignty means it is the UK’s supreme legal authority.
The hearing has now finished and a reserved judgement will be delivered some time in the coming weeks.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-57161353

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13. Jim Monaghan - May 18, 2021

https://ansionnachfionn.com/2021/05/18/the-uks-new-tactic-with-the-eu-threats-of-loyalist-violence/?fbclid=IwAR2snRVo_bzTTVRQgx8SIt0YCBCKZA1RNqsnNApXLsJhsHE-PBgL7q9E5kQ The UK’s New Tactic With The EU: Threats Of Loyalist Violence
As I have noted several times before, when it comes to loyalist violence in the north of Ireland, while British and unionist terrorists may pull the triggers it is British and unionist politicians who point the guns. That same dynamic is being played out again with representatives of the Democratic Unionist Party and the Conservative Party government in the United Kingdom making a concerted effort to undermine the so-called Irish protocol by invoking the spectre of loyalist militancy in the contested region.

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14. sonofstan - May 18, 2021
WorldbyStorm - May 18, 2021

That looks brilliant! Thanks.

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