Everton lead 1-0 at Anfield at half-time. There are no supporters tonight, during lockdown. These chaps were pictured on their way to the first Everton v Liverpool derby in October 1894, as 40,000 thronged into Goodison Park to see Everton win 3-0.
Penalty! (Subject to VAR)
Two-nil!
Everton win 2-0 at Liverpool. It is not quite the same without the fans, so here are some images of blue celebrations at Anfield.
Free Speech Union proposes that, as the "simplest solution" the FA should ban any footballers from taking a knee (!) It also argues that fans who boo the gesture should not be sanctioned. But its preferred/proposed free speech solution is a ban on the knee, over a ban on neither.
There is a logic in FSU defending taking a knee (free speech) and defending support of it (speech) and opposition (counter-speech). It is a surprising departure to see its initial proposal being to curtail speech, on grounds it is political.
The FSU - in mooting the proposal to ban taking a knee - are appealing to the rules which were (disproportionately) used by Fifa to ban England & Scotland wearing poppies, until common sense prevailed on not banning the poppy.
Another week, weekly Covid attitudes memo - no 44 (!) - from @jake_puddle and myself
* Public prefer certainty/caution in lockdown exit plan
* Vaccine success is improving perceptions of government
* Health/Economy of equal concern as cases dip
On balance, people would prefer to be told about emerging lockdown exit plans once they are certain/decided.
Keeping social distancing measures until the Autumn (mask-wearing and 2 metre rule) is very broadly supported as a sensible part of moves to relax restrictions. Three-quarters of people would favour this. 1/5 are opposed to this. 1/10 are strongly opposed. yougov.co.uk/topics/health/…
Oh dear, oh dear. A fortnight after January 20th, here comes more US Presidential Election news from the parallel alternate universe of @maajidnawaz
Oh dear, oh dear. Opponents of Trump's empty, unsubstantiated electoral fantasies (that he could put to the US courts) and the fantastical conspiracies of Sidney Powell et al are now compared to the Emperor Palaptine in Star Wars!
Oh dear. Are we really going back to watch out for the Supreme Court intervention in the 2020 Presidential Election?!!
While ethnic minority vaccine hesitancy is an important concern, I was very disappointed by the lack of care/nuance with which the @bbcquestiontime chair seemed suggest there is an anti-vaccine norm among minorities. See attitudes evidence yesterday @NCPoliticsUK
Thread on evidence. Broadcasters have been careful about getting the balance right (the gap is a legit story to report). I do hope there will be an immediate editorial look at whether loose generalisations by @bbcquestiontime chair tonight got that wrong
Issue is much less @bbcquestiontime itself but whether elite 'word of mouth' may see broadcasters amplify anti-vaccine norm (why don't black prople/minorities trust vaccines?) rather than accuracy/nuance
> how can pro-vax norm widen?
> why is there a larger hesitant *minority*?
It is vg to see the USA now return to its long-held commitment to contributing to refugee protection, after a rupture with that tradition under the last administration.
President Biden has both a progressive and a broadly popular set of policies on immigration.
73% of Americans support taking in refugees fleeing war & persecution. 85% of Democrats but 58% of Republicans too despite Trump's unpopular 'populism' on this. (Pew, Sept 2019)
Perhaps counter-intuitively, Trump's highly polarising approach has shifted US attitudes against him overall. Surprisingly it is Republican voters who became more pro-refugee (while Democrats were confirmed in their already much more strongly positive views).