Member Info for jotom750

Ford, so you're saying that china stripping natural resources from nations wholesale, whilst protecting it's own, committing those nations to crippling debt and conditions is of no harm or does not leverage control over them?
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3139603/how-china-grew-buyer-major-arms-trade-player
"Is China also a major arms exporter?
China has decreased its dependence on foreign weapons and expanded its military production capabilities in recent years, becoming the world’s second largest arms exporter behind the US in 2017, according to research by SIPRI.
From 2015 to 2019, China was the world’s second largest arms producer, SIPRI said. While it used to rely heavily on Russian imports, China’s advancements in weapon development have now placed it on par, or even ahead, of Russia."
Clearly you are not from the UK. But where are you from?

Ford.
"Covid- a very convenient distraction from the nefarious actions of western governments." Maybe you're not from the U.K.
but don't you mean ALL industrialised or richer nations? Do they not all take advantage of the third world when it suits them? What ones are blame free to any degree?

BB. That is a very valid point, I'm not aware of any studies that have shown the increase in cancer deaths, and those you mentioned etc etc due to lack of capacity. All these things are interrelated. Getting a true perspective on them is difficult. Many of the things you rightly mention are recurring third world issues, unlike those, Covid has effected the first world, so gets more attention.

JTan. I completely agree with you. Now take that time to infect component, reduce it by 90% increase transmission by 200% also and translate it across the population. Even at a 0.1% death rate, it's a horrific number. To me it's simple (but everybody is different) Current death rates are over 1000 a week, if me wearing a mask reduces that by one person, and keeps somebodies granny or grandad alive I'm happy. I totally accept that it's far from perfect, I never said or inferred that it was I hope.
DYOR. Good luck to all.

Smithy, so what's your point? People harm others with knives, should all knives be banned? Education is key. Come up with a workable responsible alternative. (I change or wash and microwave mine daily, no big ask). Studies have been conducted in real life conditions, wind direction, obstacles etc all make a difference that's true, but underlying transmission is reduced. Not completely due to many factors, but it is reduced. How do the public decide for themselves? Luckily I don't any longer have to use The Underground.
DYOR. Good luck to all.

PS. I must say thank you to all posters here, unlike other boards, posters seem respectful and on topic. Happily as I write both my major holdings (NWG and IAG) are in the green. I'm off to have a cuppa to celebrate! (Before they change).
DYOR. Good luck to all.

BB. Having worked on germ transfer via clothing (germs can live for as long as a couple of weeks when kept damp) I do understand and agree that after use, masks have to be disposed of respectfully. That there has been no education in this respect is lamentable and typical of a government underplaying the dangers. I've been trying to get the clothing industry to face up to the infections they must be causing for over ten years, (just consider returned lingerie and swimwear!) they and successive governments just don't care enough to upset the applecart. Regarding masks, to do nothing sprays everyone within a 2M radius. A mask in my opinion just reduces the transfer a bit. Yes it may also lead to a false sense of security, people should still hand sanitize. But what are the alternatives that the public will understand/adhere to? I don't see many.
DYOR. Good luck to all.

There seems to be much confusion here regarding the use of face masks. They are not seen as needing to be a hermetic seal, but are used to help reduce droplet "spray" (my word) to those around us, it's simple common politeness. It's not a 100% protection obviously. In any case, is it a big price to pay if it saves the life of one person a day? I don't think so. Why do others? https://www.babylonhealth.com/us/blog/health/face-coverings-explained
IAG is in the green as I write.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-government-regulators-orders-gsk-omicron-covid-treatment-082315533.html
DYOR. Good luck to all.

BB. Why is the mask thing so important to you? If germs are on the mask, they are not in the air, and when touched most are going to use a hand sanitizer. Many masks are then (certainly if the pavements are anything to go by) thrown away. I don't see it as a ball and chain like some do. There seems to me a slight panic at the moment where people/governments want to be seen to be doing things this time, unlike what many did a year ago. Presently we are down no more than the FTSE in general, so no skies falling just yet. I see an easy 10% to 15% over the next couple of months. Though others may differ.
DYOR. Good luck to all.

Not sure if others saw it, but on the world service this morning the BBC interviewed a South Africa senior doctor at the epicenter of the new outbreak. She said that in the two weeks since emergence she had seen two cases of Omicron, younger men, with coughs, aches and temperatures. They were over it in a couple of days. They had been treated with "Tamiflu" and all was well. She could not understand all the fuss being made about it.
DYOR. Good luck to all.

MV.
"Water vapour a main driver in climate warming , who says so N A S A !!!."
That is incorrect, it is stated as the most abundant greenhouse gas, nothing more. It's prevalence in the atmosphere is as a result of global warming, not the initial cause of it. It goes on to state..
"Carbon dioxide (CO2). A minor but very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased atmospheric CO2 concentration by 48% since the Industrial Revolution began. This is the most important long-lived "forcing" of climate change." See original document link below.
https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/
As referenced other gasses, Methane, Nitrous oxide, and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are also important.
Misquoting learned sources does the originator a disservice and causes confusion. I will not be drawn into pointless arguments. I suggest others DYOR if these issues are important to you.
Regarding LLOY, hopefully they will retrace on Monday as I took the opportunity to buy back in at 46.43

BE.
I was talking about corporate customers, sorry to be so unclear.
I do agree that Barclays has often "flown close to the wind" their recent history and the finance from the middle east is such. They do as you say seem to get away with it.
IBM were very wrapped up in their own importance, my wife on a course at their South Bank offices, saw some of the madness. A whole parallel language of IBM speak on their technical doc's, windows (the ones with glass in) became "Outside awareness panels" etc, etc. I worked at a one time IBM building in Basingstoke, not balconies around at different levels, but wide terraces in the sky, planted with trees, shrubs etc, each one a different themed garden, ponds too. Wonderful and a little bonkers. Pride always comes before the fall.
Good luck to all.

BE. I can see why you say that in reality as he's gone, Staley's "Taint" will have gone also, after all, a bank works on numbers does it not? But I just wonder, to a potential large corporate customer, one where "The Brand" is all important, where it seems all suppliers want their customers to be "Friends and family", when faced with a choice of banks to use for their offering/ listing/ merger etc, might they take the view that any bad publicity over this will/ could cause some, even if small contagion. Is it similar possibly to a "Weinstein effect"? All other things being equal, why risk it? This is all very subjective I know, it's personnel and intangible. You no doubt remember the old computer days phrase, "Nobody ever got sacked for buying IBM" even when Compaq was faster, HP better quality and Dell cheaper. It's just a twinkle in the mind thing. Time will tell. Best wishes to all.

"I guess you must be a lefty then mk?"

"Anyone else think Jotom is a crashing bore?
Most lefties are…"

"Hope it's not the same source as your climate change rantings."
"Dr Beeching, hired by a Conservative Transport Minister who was a road construction businessman, butchered the state-owned network. His infamous report, The Reshaping of British Railways, led to the closure of 5,500 miles of track, the sacking of 67,000 workers and the shutdown of 2,363 stations.27 Mar 2013

So, to the two posts at the top. (I can't be bothered to check their "names" as they have nothing interesting to say it seems) If you read my posts, you will see that they are about as objective and non political as any on this board, showing errors in both parties actions. Obviously some do not like objectivity, only blind allegiance to a fictional bygone rose tinted age.
As for TFE..
I apologise profusely, the fact that a pair of quotation marks and a space was omitted seems to have completely thrown you. Maybe if you were not so hell bent on arguing you would have seen that.
If you think that your comment of "Hope it's not the same source as your climate change rantings." is polite, objective, relevant or accurate, please be aware, I only now put multiple sources of information because you and your mates, seem to cast aspersions on any information that is either, not from right wing sources, does not suit your preconceived ideas, or your willful stubborn unshakable bias, or was over a "liked and defined by yourselves" limited timeframe. (This does not obviously stop the constant never ending stream of Blah Blah Tony Blaire, Blah Blah, Gordon Brown, or Blah Blah anybody who does not conform to your ideologue. I only now also post a different view when I see what I regard as obvious ideological untruths.
This is not yet 1984 where we all have to speak from your "approved materials". however inconvenient you may find it.
As always I await your insults. (I would never wish anyone to be left out and realise that you all hunt as a pack).

LTI.
"Athenian democracy developed around the 6th century BC in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica. Although Athens is the most famous ancient Greek democratic city-state, it was not the only one, nor was it the first; multiple other city-states adopted similar democratic constitutions before Athens.[1][2]
Though it was not exactly as we have now, it was democratic, in a way at least. Certainly far more that An absolute ruler or king. Things evolve, who invented them is open to debate.

TFE.
"Slightly off course there jot750, Beeching died in 1985, Don't know how he achieved all that in 2013.
Hope it's not the same source as your climate change rantings."
The 2013 is the date when the data listed online. (shame you could not work that out for yourself, not a big ask I would have thought) If you don't agree with this, counter it with facts, not childish slurs. Do that for the climate info as well if you like. This is a democracy after all.

LTI.
"We are the mother of parliaments on which others have formed the base for their own democracies.
Many other countries on the other hand would put your statement in context."
Whoop di do!
Like we built upon the Greek model others have on ours. Gloating never gets anyone anywhere, especially after the Victorian era.

Dr Beeching, hired by a Conservative Transport Minister who was a road construction businessman, butchered the state-owned network. His infamous report, The Reshaping of British Railways, led to the closure of 5,500 miles of track, the sacking of 67,000 workers and the shutdown of 2,363 stations.27 Mar 2013

ALL political parties have made mistakes, for anyone to believe one party made more or less than another is probably an error. I think I'm right in saying that unlike Norway that owned much of it's oil reserves, the UK sold it off via licences and took a tax/royalty. Again this was continued by both major political parties. To say Britain is repeatedly badly governed is an understatement.

Briall.
Where have you seen that "we" are going green first? It may be inconvenient, but who has caused most of the environmental problems? (The first world). Who has the largest energy usage per person now (hence causing most of the problems)? (The first world). Where does the first world get much of it's raw materials from? (The third world). Now much warming is caused by the U.S, but we in Europe are close behind. Are you inferring that peoples in the third world are not entitled to the living standards that we have grown expectant of? (That won't actually be possible in reality, as the cost in minerals, money and environmentally would be too high for the planet). (Remember, they have nuclear weapons too). What they do to and with their people is up to them, are they not sovereign nations, as we are?

No, I'm not, my education and profession has taught me that truth and objectivity mostly wins out (not always though). I just look at the information. Why does the age of the information or it's growth matter to you? Things take time, some are forward of the curve, others not. So are you proposing that the ice caps are not melting Just because they are not completely gone as 2% of scientists may have thought? Does that prove climate scientologists incorrect? I don't see that. You seem to forget that actions have been taken to protect the ozone layer, this will have had effects, not complete problem solved as others emerge, but to naysayers it muddies the waters. All extrapolations are guesswork, they are refined and proven correct or debunked such is the complexity of the problem. Unfortunately these are cyclic multi factor influenced issues, so not straight lines.
https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/state-of-the-climate/previous/state-of-the-climate-2018/australias-changing-climate
https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/10/maps-show-australias-temperatures-risen-last-100-years-12039524/
https://australian.museum/learn/climate-change/climate-change-impacts/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/02/lack-of-climate-action-over-50-years-will-cost-the-economy-34tn-and-880000-jobs-report
One can be anti science and cherry pick it's failures, (just as we can with political figures, even bosses of the BOE) Why not then put your money where your mouth is and not get vaccinated, don't use medicines, don't insulate to save money, don't buy modern electrical goods, don't use computers, don't fly anywhere or use a car or train etc etc. ALL of these things have been developed with the aid of science. Were they all perfect first time? No. Are they better now? Undoubtedly. It's called evolution.