drumbeat

Yep, one of those seemingly counter intuitive things that fall out of stats. Dave Allen used to do a joke (perhaps not so funny these days) about drunk drivers being responsible for 3% of road deaths (or whatever the stat was) That meant 97% of deaths were due to sober drivers.... so why didn't sober drivers get off the road and leave the drunks to drive in safety.

It's a very good question. I guess the answer could be along the lines of the vaccines not being supposed to stop the spread per se (catching it and passing it on) but to stop people being hospitalised with it, or being killed by it. Think of the vaccines as being to protect the NHS from being swamped and unable to perform other needed functions.

Unpopular amongst Guardian readers perhaps but will otherwise fall on deaf ears: I do not like Marina Hyde articles. Sure she can write, she's extremely good with words, but I wish she'd write something else - I find her writing formulaic. And I find her incredibly smug (I've no idea how but I do), as if she knows she's good with words. What really gets me though is that feeling I get that she writes from a template for her adoring fans. Her articles are a love in. I'm sure she can break the mould, use her creativity and talent with words to craft something fresh (and indeed I'm sure she has done exactly that) but I would have to, in total honesty, put my dislikes on the back seat to read it.

I think it wise to consider translation issues. Stuff does get lost in translation. For me, I read it as saying that it was a victory that he didn't feel a part of, or as if he felt he hadn't contributed in any meaningful way to it. As if he was gate crashing a party. I can get my head around that.

Thinking about it, 'a wolf in cheap clothing' works in almost the same way, and I kinda like the twist it brings. Think of cheap clothes as see through, and/or as offering no real disguise.

I like 'flandango'. I might well use it myself. A right flandango. My mum used to mispronounce the name of a neighbouring town. So weird. Not like she didn't hear it said often enough. She either heard it that way every time, or was unable to pronounce it, or was dead convinced she was right.... or was just having some weird, personal joke with herself. No idea.

Probably same goes for Beamish and Cork.

No, that was my gut feel too. That's very outspoken (given the norm) and tantamount to burning your bridges. Also, and more to the point, hard to disagree with what he says. That said, I rate Praet and liked what he had to offer. I would certainly have been giving him equal game time, mixing things up.

For me, perhaps the finest comedy going. They invariably could have me in stitches as no other comic could. Complete, unadulterated silliness - and I lapped it up.

Hang on, this the 'unpopular opinions' thread isn't it?

That's one of the worst segues I've ever read

The director has said that he knows there are loose ends to tie up and he will do so in season 2 (and you know there will be season 2) Like 'what happened to the copper?' One of the markers of a good program (for me anyway) is that any plot deficiencies are quickly brushed aside. Or stated t'other way round, when I find myself picking holes in the plot then I know I've gone off the show. I reckon you could pick holes in the plots of most shows/films, and there'll always be unanswered questions. Squid Game is no different. For me though, this didn't effect my enjoyment

Problem with Aldi/Lidl stuff it is, in an arguable number of cases, crap. The old adage, you get what you pay for. That said, I know a builder who swears by (rather than at) their range of power tools.... he uses the crap out of them and replaces every year. Save the planet? What planet?

True dat ^ I've bought a few bits and bobs (clothes wise) over the years from TK Maxx that have hit the spot for me pricewise.

Jeez, I'd take 1-1 no questions. Some games, I just fear. ManU have some players in that squad, players than could individually sink us, let alone as a team. My only salvation thought is that OGS doesn't seem to be able to consistently pick the right ones and put them together in a way that works. Even so, reckon I'd sign up now for 1-1.

IMHO women's football is best watched as a different game, without comparison to the men's game. In honesty, it took me ages to get there (as I'd think a number of the same things mentioned upthread) but once I had, I was able to appreciate it in its own right

I think self belief plays a big part and HK has always looked, to me at any rate, like a player who believes himself to be a good player. Him being Mr Spurs or whatever feeds into that belief too. Tbh, I can't be objective on anything to do with Spurs.

I'm not so sure people are savvie these days as much as they think everything's a damned antique, or whatever, and worth shitloads. It's the flip side of the dream of finding a bargain; praps folk are worried about giving away a bargain? I know I've seen some tat for sale at car boots (or the French equivalent of) that I wouldn't retrieve from a skip, let alone pay for. But then people obviously have different values; I too would have snapped up the Le Creuset cookware for a tenner but I'd not run to over, say, £50 for - whatever it's purported to be worth. I tend to know a value I'd pay for something and am not seduced, as a rule, by what might be called bargains... but, yes, obviously if someone wants to sell me their Lamborghini for £20 then I'm interested.

That's truly wonderful, beautiful even. I have no idea how true that is but one can imagine it to be the case. I've been in a number of meetings (I'm sure many have) where it being called a meeting is purely tokenism; it's merely a venue to hear what's already been decided. Or it's loudest voice wins. I love the notion of it being respect to hear someone out; to listen and appreciate/consider their ideas even if you ultimately disagree.

Wow. That's one of the most damming and forthright 'cartoon' I've seen/read. Nothing unequivocal there. But then it's no laughing matter.

I think the translation issues are more with the close caption than the subtitles, though I guess it depends on who provided the subtitles. I don't speak Korean but I'm finding nothing weird about the subtitles I'm using.

Much to my surprise, I'm enjoying Squid Game very much indeed. In fact, one particular episode (and I'll not say which) is amongst the best telly I've ever watched, just for sheer emotional impact. Very simple but very effective. It's impossible to watch without seeing the allegory.

And at the other end of the scale, I reckon some people don't vote because they have the opinion that voting won't change anything (for them) That's a perspective I can understand.

Arguably a political decision, no? You've engaged, assessed and decided nobody has earned your support. Or, put another way perhaps (as I see this inference) you would vote if there was someone to support. But we're talking semantics, I get what you're saying even if I think your decision to not vote is poltical. I personally always vote even if it's pissing in the wind, even if my vote is made on an 'on balance' position.

Clearly.