Robin-H

Well yes, no government can just magic up a railway out of thin air immediately. Of course it's gonna take a while...

It's not just about speed. It's about capacity.

I highly doubt that. Bidders for work have to submit tenders. The only reason to submit ludicrous quotes for work would be if you didn't want to get the job.

No it's not. If adjusted to 2019 prices, the figures set out in the Chairman’s Stocktake are as follows: Phase One: £40.4bn to £43bn, against a budget equivalent of £30.4bn Phase 2a: £4bn to £4.5bn, against a budget equivalent of £4.2bn Phase 2b: £36.3bn to £40.3bn, against a budget equivalent of £27.8bn Total for HS2 project: £80.7bn to £87.7bn, against a budget equivalent to £62.4bn The figure in excess of £100b is assuming that the figures will end up being 15-20% higher than those estimates, and doesn't take into account the real opportunities to reduce costs on Phase 2b. That's not to say the figure won't end up being over £100b in today's money, but that's not the cost currently.

I believe he's against HS2.

The petition was verified. It met the threshold of valid signatures. No about of whining is going to change that. If you don't want the way the council operates to change, then vote against it in the referendum. Simple.

The guidance on counting rough sleepers can be found here. Data is verified as best as it can be by Homeless Link, in order that local authorities produce the most accurate snapshot. Coordinators should be liaising with Homeless Link throughout the process to ensure their estimate is as reliable as possible. https://www.homeless.org.uk/our-work/resources/counts-and-estimates-evaluating-extent-of-rough-sleeping

I don't understand what the argument is. Some people with awful childhoods become addicts. Some people with awful childhoods don't.

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drug-misuse-addiction "As with other diseases and disorders, the likelihood of developing an addiction differs from person to person, and no single factor determines whether a person will become addicted to drugs. In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs will lead to drug use and addiction. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce a person's risk. Risk and protective factors may be either environmental or biological." Childhood abuse is obviously a risk factor. I've not seen the evidence to suggest it is the single biggest factor, or where it ranks when compared to the other factors (lack of parental supervision, poor social skills, drug experimentation, availability of drugs in schools, and community poverty). I'm not sure such evidence exists as it would be very difficult to prove.

A mobile phone yes, but I think it does matter what type of mobile. It's possible to buy mobile phones for way under £100 that have all the necessary functionality. I haven't watched the programme, so can't corroborate alchresearch's suggestion that it is an iPhone 11, although if it has a cut out section at the top of the screen it sure does sound like one... Buying top of the range stuff like that with other people's money is problematic.

That doesn't corroborate what you claimed. Yes, childhood abuse is bound to be a trigger for drug abuse in some people. So will peer pressure, experimentation, depression, anxiety etc etc. Claiming that 'the real there are drug addicts is childhood trauma' is ignoring all the other legitimate reasons.

There is a big different between thinking 'the poor' should be dressed in rags and living in the gutter, and taking umbrage at people using tax payers money to buy themselves treats. I think having a mobile these days is a pretty necessary tool, but there is a huge spectrum for the types and costs of phones. Without knowing which phone was bought it not possible to judge whether it was waste of money.

I do yes. Labour MPs get a vote on things just like every other MPs do. Every vote is worth the same. How many of the 84 councillors in Sheffield get an equal vote on decisions?

I think there are obvious reasons why that isn't done...

He was being followed by plain clothes officers due to the fact he was seen as a terrorism risk. I don't think the police could have responded so quickly if that had not been the case.

There was talk not long ago that the Government are going to rewrite the rules regarding how money is allocated to public spending projects across the UK, so that less emphasis is placed on giving money to projects that promise the best monetary returns, and instead social returns (lowering regional inequalities etc) are taken into account. This would prevent things being so London/South East focused as they have previously. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50925321

(I’ll ignore the unfounded accusations that the petition is somehow invalid, as it’s been dealt with in comments above mine). Holding a referendum is not ‘manipulating the system’ and is democratic. You don’t want the structure of the council to change, then fine, vote against it. People who do are perfectly entitled to vote for it. That’s democracy.

Then please enlighten us. As you know so much on the subject, I presume you've read the very comprehensive Roundtree report on the subject. Why do you disagree with its conclusions, which states that an increase in the provision of giving heroin as treatment in multi-centre, randomised, controlled trials is well overdue. You seem to be very much against this. What do you know that they didn't?

According to the Consultation Institute, the average response rate for UK public consultations currently stands at 0.7%. Consultations that achieve higher than a 1% response rate are considered ‘good’. Targeted consultation of course achieves much higher response rates.

Train capacity won't be a 2030 problem? Why not?

I've used https://www.woodsheets.com/plywood-sheet-cut-to-size/ before. They don't do 3mm or 5mm plywood however, but do do 3mm or 6mm MDF (or hard plywood) if that would be any good instead..

It is pretty easy to generate renewable electricity. "Renewable energy sources provided more electricity to UK homes and businesses than fossil fuels for the first time over the last quarter, according to new research. The renewables record was set in the third quarter of this year after its share of the electricity mix rose to 40%." https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/14/renewable-electricity-overtakes-fossil-fuels-in-uk-for-first-time I wouldn't be at all surprised if 100% of our electricity was from renewable sources by 2035. We are already at nearly 40% average annually. It was only 6.7% as recently as 2009.

No, because that's not possible. There's a reason why all the Ouija rights and patents are owned by Hasbro, the toy and boardgame maker.

In line with the announcement in 2016.

Food safety standards in the US seem to be higher than the UK. https://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/Index (US 4th for safety and quality whereas the UK is 18th)