mockney piers

Oh believe you me Bush and Cheney are that stupid and the Israel option has been much discussed as luckily for the rest of us, there are plenty of folks in Congress who won't be duped twice. And that'll be the same Hizbollah who came into being to rid their country of a brutal and illegal occupation that was responsible for the deaths of many tens of thousands of people is it? The sooner Israel realises that BECAUSE it's small it needs to talk and stop shooting as a means to end, the sooner they'll achieve genuine security as opposed to the illusory type that a 'surgical strike' will achieve. Israel needs to look att living with it's neighbours long term, and depending directly on weapons and support from a country n thousand miles away that might eventually think that a resurgent Russia, China and India are far bigger priorities (not to mention that rapture just keeps failing to appear) isn't a very good long term strategy. Bombs is easy, talking is hard, that's why hardly anyone bothers to do it.

And Saddam's no longer a problem because a superpower throws it's weight around and invades your neighbour on a self proffessed 'Crusade' against a trio of countries of which you happen to be one. I'd damn well be building missiles and nuclear bombs. The one lesson everyone learnt from Iraq was America won't invade you if you've actually got WMDs. And no, Ahmedinejacket has no internal power to wage a war regardless of whether Iran has the tools to do so. The theocrats may not be our cup of tea, but they've proven to be quite pragmatic and far from stupid. If the west stops throwing it's orb about and threatening to invade Iran it may once again vote in a moderate government who's happy to negotiate constructively. Amazing how those dissappear in the face of something like the bush administration. Good riddance to Bush and good riddance to Ahmendinejad who loooks like he won't win his next election. Using him as a pretext is as weak as WMDs, oh wait, there they go again.

Responding to a populist idiot with no power to achieve his empty rhetoric is a sensible approach for causing complete chaos is it? Riiight. And there'll be a couple of surgical strikes and that'll be the end of it, how nice of the Iranians to cooperate. That's almost worthy of Aipac of you there D_C.

Fair enough, we're not teetering on the brink of the apocalypse, however another war in the Persian gulf bringing shipping to a standstill, with oil already bloody expensive and food and energy prices rocketing while we teeter on the brink of recession is hardly going to help matters is it. Nobody will benefit from this except the Hawks in Israel (who can rest easy that they'll have dented the side of a mountain and best case scenario set back Iran's nuclear programme about 1 year) and oil people in the rest of the world. Heaven forbid anyone might move from sabre rattling and invading countries to cooperating for mutually assured security to negate the need for the damn stupid weapons in the first place; and who knows, perhaps do a bit of a peace settlement in the occupied territories while everyone's in a good mood. Of course that one's a shoe in with Blair on the case ;)

I hate to add to the new fangled pottymouthity going on here, but Brendan's "fucksticks", at the time referring to the spiky-haired variety found in the frontbottom fishbowl (to paraphrase) that is Foxtons, was far and away my favourite neoligism of 2007. I reiterate my bravo to you sir. ... Bravo.

I love the photo of a surprisingly tall Ms McGabhann and Citizen doing a sort of team vogue as witnessed more times than I care to remember circa 1989

castle have a nice shiny new tv too.

..and when was the last time you saw a cravat, waistcoat and decent brogues combination? tsk.

Aah, love Ride, saw them at the *ahem* plinston hall in letchworth, many many moons ago. I've noted before that you're the only other apparent lover of the shoegazing era Louisiana.

Robbie Fowler is about 50 ;) We'll see, this happens every time he starts badly, then he goes and rescues one test and wins another one practically single handed. If he's a washout all series then I shall get on your train keef.

18 tons and 18 50s, average of 42.7 over 5679 test runs. Big pile of shat, yes keef. Admittedly he does like the odd duck, or near enough. And as someone said on OBO, he always gives that look of "ooooh, must have been a good'un", "no Michael it was a straight ball, they're always straight balls" which made me chuckle. The stats still talk though, and that's despite him 'struggling' since taking up the captaincy an aeon and an age ago.

Barnsley, Grimsby it's all the same to me ;)

it was all looking so good, and then Kaboom. A bit like my coding of late.

who said all girl bands can't WROCK eh? Electrelane - U.O.R.

A pal phoned at 8:5 this morning asking if I'd like to join him at the test. Unfortunately I'd made it to the office at 8:32 :( Though hardly electric out there so far, I can guarantee you where I'd rather be right now.

Looks like zamora (and Paintsil) are off to Fulham. I for one will miss Bobby, I know he didn't get much action last season, but he wore his heart on his sleeve, scored some crucial goals (not many yeah, but some) and didn't succumb to the egomania some of the others did when we experienced some modest success. 3 million for the pair, bargain. Good luck chaps

Like a modern, canadian Serge and Brigitte, well not really. The Dears - The Death of all Romance

I'll see what I can do, though no promises. I'll be an uncle in about 6 months, perhaps you can fawn on a little Mockney D when I'm on baby sitting duty.

Marvellous, Congratulations.

That's just what I was saying about Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson *spits on HK Kopavogur*

Whoops on the wrong story. I will add that the new roundabout "complex" is all anyone's talking about on the island (I get to hear these things now you see). And yes PGC, perhaps a bit, though it was forwarded me from Head Office (in Castletown IOM, where lunchtime entertainment involves eating your lunch by the roundabout and watching people cope with such new fangled ideas; they even sent a photo).

I was almost tempted to say Behold! The sheer drama!! But it is a news story. I think the SLP should snap this hack up immediately, he's their sort of man...or woman, didn't loko really. http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Quarter-Bridge-plan-unveiled-by.4251220.jp The headline could so easily have read "Royal in Car that Stops"

I've worked there too and it's defninitely true, though perhaps no worse than on the shop floor of Comet, Croydon.

Indeed I go to see my beloved hammers a lot less as I can't afford it, especially in this last couple of years following house purchase and lead up to wedding. But then when have I ever seen a canadian goose land on the turf at upton Park and terrify the players into only playing down one side of the pitch. Then when finally a couple of brave players attempt to shoo said goose off pitch, a couple of kids run round to the other side to shoo it back on. Genius. Don't get that level of entertainment in the premiership (yeah, brief glimpse of a squirrel at Highbury...wooo) And the football has had moments of brilliance (moments mind you). First touch and movement may be way off higher levels, but actual ball skills really aren't that bad at all.

Via Catherine the Great? (allegedly)