msc

I mean the Lib Dems (campaigning on a Revoke Brexit position) and Labour (campaigning on a 2nd Referendum with Remain as an option and most of the Shadow Cabinet supporting staying) specifically in the marginals I was referring to. But the Greens and other smaller parties are running on anti-Brexit platforms too.

Oh I saw it at the time! Mrs msc called it "parliament's weekly sacrifice to Neil"...

Really? I think shes going to split the Remain vote and let the Tories in a fair few places. Btw, rumours of tactical voting plans to get rid of Swinson and Blackford at the election. The latter feels more likely.

I have read it. If we don't take unproperly sourced and non peer-reviewed evidence in other matters, we shouldn't just because it produces an exciting story. The evidence for the switch is circumstantial at best, and relies on the fact that a French socialite swapped places with her 30 years younger daughter, and everyone who knew her kept quiet. All those hundreds of peoples. For 80 years. I don't want to revert to stereotypes but mind yer Chamberlain: "the French can't keep a government for six months, nor a secret for six hours..." Never mind all the recorded and secondary evidence (the most any super centenarian ever had, because as the Usain Bolt of supercentenarians folk kept looking for that smoking gun in her life that even this research can't find) that supports Calment's age. The idea that dozens of people could keep a secret based around financial reward that long breaks suspension of disbelief given every year case like that ever.

Well, the answer is going to be Jared O'Mara (sub 300 votes as an independent?) but all the Change UK lot will go. Hot tips to Portillo in 2019... Nia Griffith yer man Tom Watson Caroline Flint Iritable Duncan Syndrome Theresa Villiers Zac Goldsmith Tiger Tim Farron Jodie Swinson Luciana Berger Chuka Oh No Ian Blackford Pete Wishart Joanna Cherry Frankie Field Nigel Dodds

Calment was the most documented centenarian there ever was. She was also a considerable outlier.

A Green/Lib Dem pact? How does that go? "Ok, we wont stand in Brighton Pavillion and in return, you don't stand anywhere else..."

Tory MPs go to cancer screening services more often? The Tory MPs who got cancer all seem to have gone into remission. 1997 and 2001 likely cleaned out a lot of Tory MPs born 1932-45 who would have been in parliament till the bitter end. There's only been 3 of them since the 97 election (Tory MPs who die in office: Clark, Forth and Colvin) but there was 17 (!) of them in the decade before the 1997 election.

In order: Yeah, I think there is, but that's probably more likely to galvanise the anti-Tory vote itself in the seats. There's quite a few of them it can be squeezed in favour of the Nats. Also in 2017, the SNP were the targets. In 2019, its the Tory government? The Scottish stereotype of counting every penny is very true. I can't argue with the SNP's recent infrastructure planning spree here. Can argue with the stupid named persons thing, but thats been dropped. There's only one seat I can see the Lib Dems winning? That's North East Fife which is still quite Liberal, and has a majority of 2. Maybe Argyll and Bute if the Tory 2017 vote all falls back to the Liberals, but doubtful. Swinson will hang on, I think, the SNP rise in that seat was mostly linked to Nicholson who has fucked off to Ochil this time round. Brexit Party wont top 5% of the vote up here, on a good night. The old school Scottish Tories tend to hate Nigel Farage. The Greens will probably just stand in one or two seats as usual and focus their resources on the PR elections. The reverse, in fact. Corbyn was much more popular up here than Scottish Labour itself, and was likely the reason for the 6 seats won and massive Labour swing in the Clyde Valley. One thing many folk likely to be swayed by a vote for Labour love is a person they can pretend is Tony Benn. Of course things have gone on the slide considerably since then. Scottish Labour is a black hole that consumes all in its path. However...one thing not to forget is how many Glasgow and surrounding area seats are marginal SNP/Labour seats, and how much Scots on the whole love to boot out Tory governments. If the narrative becomes "Labour could be the largest party" there might be a completely unexpected swing in the Clyde Valley while the SNP and Labour keep their respective spots in the polls.

Always feel a bit bad for these historic cities like Canterbury and their best football side languishing somewhere in level 9 or 10 of the pyramid.

Outside the Borders which love them some Davey Mundell, I think the Nats will wipe out most of the Tory seats. They won big in 2017 at the high point of their defenders of the union/hug a Ruth campaign, and now they are Ruthless.

Where's Nigel standing? The UUP/DUP pact collapsing in N Ireland could make some of their seats more interesting than usual. Jokes aside, even if I think a Tory majority is likely, it looks like the Tories are going in writing off 20 odd seats as a loss at the start (Scotland, London, the South West) on a good night before they start making gains off Labour, and that sounds awfully like an Ed Miliband Strategy.

Well... as that was wrong too (the landslide bit, obvious I didn't foresee Zombie May)... I can't see beyond a Tory landslide. Boris Johnson is 100% going to win a huge majority in any upcoming election...

Should just give it to Andrew Neil. Imagine him after 8 hours with a live mic: "Another arsehole elected, who cares what party..." tbf to Huw, while he isn't very good, its surprisingly difficult to host the election night coverage. Alastair Burnet was considered one of the great newsreaders and they shifted him on after the 1974 elections because he couldn't master it. Same with Cliff Michelmore. Dimbleby's ability to move between 100 different stories on live TV for 8 hour stints was unique and it'll be difficult to adequately replace that. This is why if you watch American TV elections they have 7 million different pundit hosts...

FTFY. But the game is fun, please continue.

Coulda been a hot tip but didn't have the staying power! Oh well.

And Cass had run a charity for 12 years and got an MBE from the palace for it, so I can see why the teams that picked him might think he had more fame. Really if folk are nice and don't pick Nally/Easton "non-celebs on deathbed" types, there's no need to worry... Ahem. Nugroho (famous in his own country pre-illness) and Clayton (young but making waves for non-cancer related issue) are more obscure rather than FFBI. But you can all see what Spade means about that can of worms!

So, a Marmite government goes into an election against an opposition led by a controversial 70 year old leader who has rumours of ill health, and lots of people vote more for the party's ideas than the actual leader because there was a big split in the official opposition over internal selections and tariff, to the point many Tory MPs couldn't image him ever becoming Prime Minister. He is also seen as being unable to stop one of the great prejudices of his day because he can't control his own party on the subject... But enough of Henry Campbell-Bannerman...

On the subject of changing the points per reward (Drop 40, uniques, adding duos, 5000 bonus points if you are Glaswegian, ahem) I know one of the Cmme is very into some of these ideas and as they are on the Data entry part of the Cmme, I shall await their verdict on how easy (or impossible) such tweaks are before having an open floor on that. We are not removing the Mail. I think most of us can agree they are a bunch of cunts, but they provide a DDP service in going after notable but slightly forgotten folk. The worst offenders for FFBI click bait appear to be The Mirror, but I'm not keen on axing one of the UK's main papers just because their standards have slipped. Standards can rise (allegedly!) too. On the old QOs so far we have: Cmme - Bring back 1 or 2. DDT - Bring back everything Joey - Bring back the Independent Toast - Bring back everything Willz. 1 - Bring back nothing Willz. 2 - Agree with Toast Also, @YoungWillz, you know my disdain for the ultra FFBI picks. I do think that the Drop 40 bonus has led to far less of those being used. IF we increase the Qualifying Obits for the DDP, then the Cmme will be keeping a close eye on the numbers of FFBI who show up next year, and if it rises, then actions may be taken. I believe there is precedent in warding off unfair picks in the past. This is my way of saying with opportunity comes responsibility to any DDP regular! And besides, have you see how many celebs notify everyone they are about to shuffle? Just counting this year's DDP, I can count FIFTY-THREE hits that are based on known people (authors, statesmen, TV folk, societal faces, etc etc) who were known to be on the way out in 2018 (or very seriously ill at the least). And that's not counting Stevie Chalmers who we all missed. And that doesn't count folk like Chris Duncan (HOFer we all missed), Chris Doleman (American star still living), or your Alex Trebeks or Genesis P-orridge stars who will be on every DDP 2020 team or what not. And it doesn't count those aged frail stars you can make a reasonable guess are on the way out (Ian Holm as an example), etc etc etc. So even if you were of the type to need to pick 20 folk most likely to die, you are spoiled for choice. There's so many notables you don't *need* non-notables. But again, we shall see how that sorts itself out in 2020...

Apparently a recent pic

3 minutes new footage in an hour! And, as Scales mysteriously could keep conversation going, it looked like it was filmed some time ago.

Watched the doc then. Cancer remains in his bones and lymph nodes but hasn't spread to any other organs yet. Had chemo which didn't keep the cancer at bay so is now on the new radium223 treatment where they inject radiation into your bones. Sounds fucking lovely. His PSA count is quite the story. A normal persons is 5 or under. His in 2018 was 585. Chemo brought it down to 15 in November 2018, but by January it had risen to 34 and by March 2019 it was 48. As of October, its up to 200, despite treatment, dietary changes and so on. If we had his white blood cell count alongside that, we could make a fairly accurate guess of how long he's got. I didn't know Sian Williams had cancer either, but its in remission.

We note your view, DDT and shall dwell on it. Well, I do, and the others will no doubt see it when they see it. I would also like to see TMIB come back. I mean, at the very least he can laugh at my involvement in it now!

I completely missed this at the time! Although signs I've been on the DL forums a while: explaining to mrs msc that I was laughing reading a post by Reptile, and her instantly knowing who I meant without further explanation.

Will admit to being surprised to learn Mary Ward (Mum in Prisoner) is still alive aged 104. Did a thing to celebrate the shows 40th anniversary earlier this year.