Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Syt]

Britain's getting a bit shitty.

https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/10/the-uk-is-bursting-with-diarrheal-disease-cases-3x-higher-than-usual/

Unprecedented diarrheal outbreak erupts in UK as cases spike 3x above usual

Cryptosporidium cases linked to travel and swimming, but at unusually high rate.

The United Kingdom is experiencing a dramatic outbreak—unprecedented in scale and magnitude—of diarrheal illnesses from the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium, aka Crypto.

According to a rapid communication published Thursday in the journal Eurosurveillance, UK health officials report that Crypto cases have exceeded the upper bounds of expected cases since mid-September, and an October peak saw cases roughly threefold above what is usual for this time of year. The outbreak is still ongoing.



So far, it's unclear what's driving the extraordinary burst in cases. The outbreak has splattered into almost every region of all four UK nations. "Given the scale and geographical spread of the [case] exceedance across regions and nations of the UK, a single local exposure is an unlikely cause," the authors, led by officials at the United Kingdom Health Security Agency in London, wrote in the rapid report.

The officials sent out a standardized questionnaire on possible exposures to those who tested positive for Crypto. The questionnaire asked about food, travel, contact with animals, and water exposure—the most common way Crypto is spread. So far, international travel and swimming (either in the UK or abroad) appear linked to the outbreak.

International travel was reported by 250 of 463 (54 percent) questionnaire respondents. In a subsample of 215 people living in England, 45 percent reported travel to the Spanish mainland or the Balearic Islands. Of 353 respondents who answered a question about recent swimming, 234 (66 percent) said they had been swimming. In an imperfect comparison of survey data from the same period last year, health officials suggested there may be a relatively greater exposure to swimming behind the remarkable outbreak this year. But for both swimming and international travel, more data on the outbreak and general swimming and travel trends is necessary to make firm links.

Though we don't know what's behind the UK's startling gush of cases, we do have a solid handle on how Crypto is spread generally. The microscopic parasites infect the human intestines, causing watery diarrhea. After infection, hardy, thick-walled forms of the parasites (oocysts) are shed in feces. Parasite shedding begins with symptoms but can last for weeks after they've cleared. The parasite spreads onward via a stomach-churning fecal-oral route. This can happen through various fecal contamination routes—contaminated hands, surfaces, soil, foods, water—that end in ingestion.

The most common route of infection is recreational waters. Crypto oocysts are extremely tolerant to chlorine. In properly chlorinated pool water, Crypto can live for more than a full week. When an infected or recently sick swimmer takes a dip, oocysts can enter the pool. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bluntly puts it: Germs can enter the water "from small amounts of poop rinsing off swimmers' butts."

An infected person sheds tens of millions of oocysts, but it just takes swallowing 10 or fewer to spark an explosive infection. Health officials urge anyone with such a diarrheal infection to not swim while they have diarrhea and to wait at least 14 days afterward before swimming. Though Crypto infections are generally non-life threatening for previously healthy people, they can become serious and even fatal for those with compromised immune systems. For the healthy, the infection is marked by diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dehydration, weight loss, and fever. In the ongoing UK outbreak, more than half of questionnaire respondents reported that their symptoms lasted over 10 days.

[Syt]

Also, can't omit this gif from the article:

[Iormlund]

This crypto shit is getting out of control.

[Josquius]

1. Your comprehension skills are abysmal. Only 7% of Palestinians were willing to accept that Jews could own any land between the Mediterranean and Jordan (I have to say I'm shocked that the equivalent figure for Israeli Jews is only 33% and this was before the October 7 outrages).

2. In that case you were deliberately mirepresenting. I had hoped that wasn't the case.

1: Amazing projection there. You seem to have critically failed at comprehension here. Either that or you're deliberately lying.
How can you seriously think 7% is a remotely realistic number for Jews being allowed to own any land?
Looking elsewhere on the pcpsr link you see for instance 33% of Palestinians supporting a two state solution. Where on earth is that Israeli state going to be if only 7% think Israel can have any land?

2: Nope. That's more your sort of game. It was pretty obvious that I was talking about two different polls.

Remember that the (far) left has a history of supporting the worst of the worst, and generally never admitting they were wrong to do so. After all, if utopia is the destination, any and all means to reach it are allowed.
They're closer to the religious nutters like Hamas or the bible-trumpers than they like to admit.

You guys and your projection.

But that's just the thing, they are NOT saying that about themselves. From the Jordan river to the sea, that's (with the exception of the West Bank) Israel. They are saying it about the country of Israel.

They are saying it about themselves. The West Bank is literally defined in its name as being the river, and Gaza is as strip along the sea. This is key to how the phrase caught on.
Also worth remembering even if you don't take this slant there's 2 million Arab citizens of Israel, and that its a perfectly legitimate thing for Palestinians to want rights in Israel, compensation for past crimes, and so on.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Remember that the (far) left has a history of supporting the worst of the worst, and generally never admitting they were wrong to do so. After all, if utopia is the destination, any and all means to reach it are allowed.
They're closer to the religious nutters like Hamas or the bible-trumpers than they like to admit.

You guys and your projection

More like you guys and your inability to admit that you're backing the wrong horse.
The (far) left has been at the very least cheering for the likes of Lenin, Stalin, Castro, Guevara,  Mao over the past century. And now they're dabbling in islamogauchism too.

Is the far right clean? Obviously not, but the (far) left has zero moral high ground either. Which is about the amount of credibility they have.

edit: the quoting was messed up + some spelling errors

[Valmy]

They are saying it about themselves. The West Bank is literally defined in its name as being the river, and Gaza is as strip along the sea. This is key to how the phrase caught on.
Also worth remembering even if you don't take this slant there's 2 million Arab citizens of Israel, and that its a perfectly legitimate thing for Palestinians to want rights in Israel, compensation for past crimes, and so on.

If you don't want me to think your right wing nationalistic slogan isn't right wing and nationalist than make one that doesn't refer to THE NATION in the singular and doesn't define clear nationalistic "natural borders". Make a slogan that doesn't say that and I will believe you. It shouldn't be hard to make a slogan that doesn't do that.

[Gups]

1: Amazing projection there. You seem to have critically failed at comprehension here. Either that or you're deliberately lying.
How can you seriously think 7% is a remotely realistic number for Jews being allowed to own any land?
Looking elsewhere on the pcpsr link you see for instance 33% of Palestinians supporting a two state solution. Where on earth is that Israeli state going to be if only 7% think Israel can have any land?

I'nm not sure if you are just incapable of ever admitting you are worng or are just thick. Here - again - is the direct quote from the poll.

"A vast majority among both groups (93%) see themselves as rightful owners of the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan river. While a third of Israeli Jews are willing to accept some ownership right of the Palestinians, only 7% of Palestinians are willing to accept such idea about the Jews."

What am I miscomprehending/misrepresenting? 93% of Palestinians seem themselves as rightful owners of all of the land beween the River and the Sea. 7% of Palestinians are willing to accept the Jews are entitled to some ownership.

The figures for Israeli Jews are 93% and 33% respectively.

[Sheilbh]

So Suella. Somehow even more mad in private than public.

[crazy canuck]

So Suella. Somehow even more mad in private than public.

What happened?

[Sheilbh]

What happened?

After she got fired there were reports that there wouldn't be the customary "thank you for your time serving the government you've been a great colleague, but regretfully I have to fire you"/"thank you for giving me this opportunity, I look forward to serving again" exchange of letters.

Instead, this evening she's released more of a messy breakup letter (especially for someone who's been fired twice by two different prime ministers):

Rishi Sunak made secret promises to win my backing, says Suella Braverman
Sacked home secretary says PM agreed during leadership election to enact rightwing policies – but then failed to do so
Pippa Crerar Political editor
@PippaCrerar
Tue 14 Nov 2023 17.36 GMT
Last modified on Tue 14 Nov 2023 17.48 GMT

Suella Braverman has launched a devastating attack on Rishi Sunak the day after he sacked her as home secretary.

The prime minister signed up to a secret pact to implement key rightwing policies to secure her backing during the Tory leadership contest in 2022 – but then "betrayed" the country by failing to deliver, Braverman claimed on Tuesday evening.

In a brutal three-page resignation letter, she said Sunak had "manifestly and repeatedly" failed to introduce policies including cutting immigration, stopping small boats crossing the Channel, bringing in post-Brexit laws and toughening up guidance for schools on trans issues.

"I accepted your offer to serve as home secretary in October 2022 on certain conditions," she wrote. "Our deal was no mere promise over dinner, to be discarded when convenient and denied when challenged."

Sources close to Braverman claimed the agreement, which came after Liz Truss had quit No 10 and when Sunak was fighting off a Boris Johnson comeback, had been witnessed by others and that Sunak had taken a copy of the document away with him.

After winning the Tory leadership contest when Johnson pulled out, Sunak stood outside Downing Street and promised the nation a government of "integrity, professionalism and accountability".

Braverman, who was reinstated by Sunak despite being sacked by Truss just six days earlier over a national security breach, wrote: "Despite you having been rejected by a majority of party members during the summer leadership contest and thus having no personal mandate to be prime minister, I agreed to support you because of the firm assurances you gave me on key policy priorities.

"This was a document with clear terms to which you agreed in October 2022 during your second leadership campaign. I trusted you. It is generally agreed that my support was a pivotal factor in winning the leadership contest and thus enabling you to become prime minister."

Braverman continued: "For a year, as home secretary I have sent numerous letters to you on the key subjects contained in our agreement, made requests to discuss them with you and your team, and put forward proposals on how we might deliver these goals.

"I worked up the legal advice, policy detail and action to take on these issues. This was often met with equivocation, disregard and a lack of interest.

"You have manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on every single one of these key policies. Either your distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so. Or, as I must surely conclude now, you never had any intention of keeping your promises."

Braverman criticised Sunak's response to pro-Palestine marches, over which she was ultimately sacked from her role, as "uncertain, weak and lacking in the qualities of leadership that this country needs".

She also claimed that Sunak was likely to fail on his pledge to "stop the boats", regardless of whether the government wins or loses the Rwanda ruling in the supreme court on Wednesday.

The sacked home secretary wrote that if the government loses, the PM will have "wasted a year" on the Illegal Migration Act "only to arrive back at square one".

"Worse than this, your magical thinking – believing that you can will your way through this without upsetting polite opinion – has meant you have failed to prepare any sort of credible 'Plan B'."

She said she posed her own "credible" back-up plan – believed to be emergency legislation to change domestic law so flights can go ahead – without which she said there is "no hope of flights this side of an election" in the event of a court defeat, but she had received no reply.

She added: "I can only surmise that this is because you have no appetite for doing what is necessary, and therefore no real intention of fulfilling your pledge to the British people."

Downing Street has been approached for comment.

The letter in full is pretty extraordinary. I think it will harm her leadership ambitions - there's a line between being ambitious and fucking things up for everyone that I think she'll have crossed for many MPs.

But also even on its own terms it makes no sense. Of her four promises, only one was in the 2019 manifesto so they have no more mandate than Sunak. But also three of them were broken pretty clearly and publicly about nine months ago and she's stayed in government despite that for.....reasons?

If you want to do this sort of attack I feel like you need to be resigning and it needs to be tied in some way to one of the issues in your letter. I don't think it works if you publish it in response to being fired because you've accidentally provoked a football hooligan riot at the nation's war memorial.

Edit: Meanwhile in the polling 70% of people think Sunak was right to fire her. This is the downside of the Tory press. It's great for them when they're in the ascendant - when they're on the way down it's very unhelpful.

Edit: Oh and the link to her letter:
https://x.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1724465401982070914?s=20

Edit: Also Lord Fowler, in all of Thatcher's cabinets at his book launch yesterday: "I'm 85, and I'd lost my ambition for further office...but after yesterday I've rather been waiting for the call to come..."

[Admiral Yi]

Not believing there's a good chance that something will ever happen !=  not wanting that thing to happen.

This is true.  But if you believe peace will never come, then working towards the kumbaya state is removed from your decision tree.  You can fight or surrender.

Another tell is body language.  If I wished for a kumbaya state, I would not scowl and pump my fist in the air.  I distrust the sincerity of people who claim to be doing that.  That's the body language I would adopt if I wanted to show the world I am committed to the fight.

[OttoVonBismarck]

Not sure if this has been posted, as much as I find Piers loathsome, Corbyn looks fucking awful here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQEKYczav5k

[crazy canuck]

What happened?

After she got fired there were reports that there wouldn't be the customary "thank you for your time serving the government you've been a great colleague, but regretfully I have to fire you"/"thank you for giving me this opportunity, I look forward to serving again" exchange of letters.

Instead, this evening she's released more of a messy breakup letter (especially for someone who's been fired twice by two different prime ministers):

Rishi Sunak made secret promises to win my backing, says Suella Braverman
Sacked home secretary says PM agreed during leadership election to enact rightwing policies – but then failed to do so
Pippa Crerar Political editor
@PippaCrerar
Tue 14 Nov 2023 17.36 GMT
Last modified on Tue 14 Nov 2023 17.48 GMT

Suella Braverman has launched a devastating attack on Rishi Sunak the day after he sacked her as home secretary.

The prime minister signed up to a secret pact to implement key rightwing policies to secure her backing during the Tory leadership contest in 2022 – but then "betrayed" the country by failing to deliver, Braverman claimed on Tuesday evening.

In a brutal three-page resignation letter, she said Sunak had "manifestly and repeatedly" failed to introduce policies including cutting immigration, stopping small boats crossing the Channel, bringing in post-Brexit laws and toughening up guidance for schools on trans issues.

"I accepted your offer to serve as home secretary in October 2022 on certain conditions," she wrote. "Our deal was no mere promise over dinner, to be discarded when convenient and denied when challenged."

Sources close to Braverman claimed the agreement, which came after Liz Truss had quit No 10 and when Sunak was fighting off a Boris Johnson comeback, had been witnessed by others and that Sunak had taken a copy of the document away with him.

After winning the Tory leadership contest when Johnson pulled out, Sunak stood outside Downing Street and promised the nation a government of "integrity, professionalism and accountability".

Braverman, who was reinstated by Sunak despite being sacked by Truss just six days earlier over a national security breach, wrote: "Despite you having been rejected by a majority of party members during the summer leadership contest and thus having no personal mandate to be prime minister, I agreed to support you because of the firm assurances you gave me on key policy priorities.

"This was a document with clear terms to which you agreed in October 2022 during your second leadership campaign. I trusted you. It is generally agreed that my support was a pivotal factor in winning the leadership contest and thus enabling you to become prime minister."

Braverman continued: "For a year, as home secretary I have sent numerous letters to you on the key subjects contained in our agreement, made requests to discuss them with you and your team, and put forward proposals on how we might deliver these goals.

"I worked up the legal advice, policy detail and action to take on these issues. This was often met with equivocation, disregard and a lack of interest.

"You have manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver on every single one of these key policies. Either your distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so. Or, as I must surely conclude now, you never had any intention of keeping your promises."

Braverman criticised Sunak's response to pro-Palestine marches, over which she was ultimately sacked from her role, as "uncertain, weak and lacking in the qualities of leadership that this country needs".

She also claimed that Sunak was likely to fail on his pledge to "stop the boats", regardless of whether the government wins or loses the Rwanda ruling in the supreme court on Wednesday.

The sacked home secretary wrote that if the government loses, the PM will have "wasted a year" on the Illegal Migration Act "only to arrive back at square one".

"Worse than this, your magical thinking – believing that you can will your way through this without upsetting polite opinion – has meant you have failed to prepare any sort of credible 'Plan B'."

She said she posed her own "credible" back-up plan – believed to be emergency legislation to change domestic law so flights can go ahead – without which she said there is "no hope of flights this side of an election" in the event of a court defeat, but she had received no reply.

She added: "I can only surmise that this is because you have no appetite for doing what is necessary, and therefore no real intention of fulfilling your pledge to the British people."

Downing Street has been approached for comment.

The letter in full is pretty extraordinary. I think it will harm her leadership ambitions - there's a line between being ambitious and fucking things up for everyone that I think she'll have crossed for many MPs.

But also even on its own terms it makes no sense. Of her four promises, only one was in the 2019 manifesto so they have no more mandate than Sunak. But also three of them were broken pretty clearly and publicly about nine months ago and she's stayed in government despite that for.....reasons?

If you want to do this sort of attack I feel like you need to be resigning and it needs to be tied in some way to one of the issues in your letter. I don't think it works if you publish it in response to being fired because you've accidentally provoked a football hooligan riot at the nation's war memorial.

Edit: Meanwhile in the polling 70% of people think Sunak was right to fire her. This is the downside of the Tory press. It's great for them when they're in the ascendant - when they're on the way down it's very unhelpful.

Edit: Oh and the link to her letter:
https://x.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1724465401982070914?s=20

Edit: Also Lord Fowler, in all of Thatcher's cabinets at his book launch yesterday: "I'm 85, and I'd lost my ambition for further office...but after yesterday I've rather been waiting for the call to come..."

Oof, definitely screeching her tires as she leaves - usually not the best way to go.

[garbon]

Why is Kemi planning to increase trade with...Florida?

[Admiral Yi]

Not sure if this has been posted, as much as I find Piers loathsome, Corbyn looks fucking awful here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQEKYczav5k

They're shouting at each other over a magic word.

I would be more disdainful of Corbyn if he had refused to answer the question "does Hamas purposely place its troops and infrastructure in civilian buildings such as hospitals."