Bob Walsh

Former scientific investigator (thermal processes, numerical modelling...), now involved in local politics; interested in music & current affairs.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@Peston Helicopters can and do taxi on the ground. There's nothing odd about it.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@dave43law Specialisms: rabble-rousing, and breaking things.
Early interviews of Farage during the EU referendum count strongly suggested he was hoping for 48:52 Remain - he didn't want the win, he only wanted a licence to carry on making trouble.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@ridge666 @JohnHealey_MP Well, you should be. HM Forces need to cope with that kind of threat, and it's good to know that they're at last being equipped to do it.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@ridge666 @JohnHealey_MP See the article: they can be carried by helicopters, so there's no doubt that they could be used to shoot down drones over the North Sea or the English Channel, well before the drones could reach British soil.
Just what we need!

[Frank Mols @f_mols]

Research conducted in EU countries showed that, historically, housing supply does not predict housing affordability. What predicts a housing affordability crisis is the rapid expansion of buyers’ financing capacity.
@AlanKohler #AusPol #Housing #TaxReform
https://t.co/rlq0AGaL5M

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@WatchReform @campbellclaret He's probably talking about drones rather than UFOs; but even so, it's a pointless speech, because aviation safety is the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority. It's not something that a unitary local authority could deal with.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@calculus52 @BBCNews To be fair, this can happen (and occasionally does) to all parties. It's most likely to happen where candidates are ill-prepared by their parties, and where "paper" candidates get elected.
It seems likely that both cases apply to Reform this time.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@SambaPenguin23 @Kevin_Maguire It's not an insult - it's a description, and Farage is very good at being those things, to the extent that he's managing to sell hyper-Thatcherism to its intended victims.
Starmer needs to up his comms game if he is to do anything about it.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@AaronBastani We only have to look to the Northern Ireland Troubles to see where hate-based sectarian campaigning will get us, but apparently even the lessons of recent history are lost on some people.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@PaulPorts23 @LabourfutureUK None of that is new - the NHS has always relied on pharma and IT privateers. Even GPs are independent contractors.
The difference is in the funding model: general taxation with Labour; privateer insurance with RefUK. There's a lot at stake in that regard.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@PippaCrerar This way lies madness. In by-elections, as in warfare, the outcome is always uncertain.
If Burnham fancies his chances as a parliamentary candidate, he should wait for the next General Election.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@jessicamayclark @helloKi30596224 @WiganAndrew She would need a massive improvement in customer service skills in particular and manners in general in order to be taken on for that sort of work!

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@BethRigby A rational explanation! That won't go down well with the conspiracy theorists...

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@DrowningGenX @PippaCrerar The System in this context is party politics, in which politicians form alliances called "parties", which devise manifestos and vote en bloc.
It's been around for rather a long time...

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@atroll12345 @ksadjadpour @POTUS In a nutshell, the analysis shows that the only solution to the Iran problem is the fall of the Islamic Republic, and that this can't be brought about by means of American brute force. So Trump can't win, and it's not clear who can.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@JonathanPieNews It looks as though it's being done for the benefit of an audience of dozens too. All theatrics and no substance.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@Dunnylad1 @10DowningStreet @Keir_Starmer He will be doing those things too, but not to the total exclusion of dealing with apparently minor matters that actually mean a lot to many ordinary Britons.
There may be Philistines and Utilitarians among us, but I doubt that they're anywhere near a majority.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@Dunnylad1 @10DowningStreet @Keir_Starmer The Sheffield Crucible is in fact a regionally important theatre. It only hosts snooker shows for a few weeks of the year, so the refurbishment is much more valuable than the mere hosting of an annual snooker show might imply.

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@LuisSteeven @10DowningStreet @Keir_Starmer Britain uses representative democracy: the people elect a government, which then runs the country, e.g. by making this sort of decision.
Should we instead have a national referendum over refurbishment of the Sheffield Crucible?

[Bob Walsh @BobWalsh5]

@afneil Debatable. Britain has sufficient nuclear-tipped ICBMs to bomb any adversary back to the Stone Age. It's called a "nuclear deterrent" and it's been deterring attacks since the 1960s.
Does Iran want to risk getting on the wrong end of that?