mockney piers

I liked it.

I dont think the dodgy dossier would have existed under the Tories, unless of course Alistair Campbell had been working for them. I agree that it was a neocon thing and that it happened to chime with Bush's loose world view. The neocons thought that where Clinton went wrong was to misuse American power by a) using it (vaguely) altruistically and b) doing it half heartedly rather than scaring the world into submission to American hegemony thanks to it's vastly superior firepower and technology. The irony is that there might have been a kernel of truth to their policies had they picked their fights sensibly and that they also, in Iraq notably, but I think more crucially in Georgia, massively exposed to everyone the limits of american power rather than its strengths.

Actually I dont think they would have done. Well, maybe at a pinch they'd have done just enough in Afghanistan to fulfil their NATO obligations like many other countries, but I don't they'd have wanted anything to do with Iraq. Pre emptive interventionism came as a logical end of the faoreign policy theories that Clinton and Blair started with varying success in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, probably bolstered by some success in Norther Ireland. The thing is Clinton was a pragmatist as well as an idealist. Blair met his true kindred spirit in Bush, both men convinced of their moral conviction and dare I say purpose. Also both deeply religious men and both felt this hand of history nonsense. And frankly both cluless when it came to understanding the subtleties of how the real world actually operates. Clinton would never have done Iraq, bush senior sure as hell understood it. Contrast clinton's bashing up against the Tories regards Bosnia. The Tories wrung hands saying 'we mustn't intervene' at a dreadful humanitarian cost to the locals, whilst Clinton covertly rearmed and trained the Croats in a bid to get them to end the war by effectively winning it ... for the Croats ... at a dreadful humanitarian cost for some other locals and at a political cost to the non-ethnically partisan Bosnians. Nont really sure who was more right or wrong in that one, but a discussion for another thread. All to say that had they stayed in power, the Tories wouldn't have touched Iraq with a barge pole. But I digress, sort of.

The reason why peolpe miss Tony in a world where our politicians are mediocre at best is because he wasn't actually a politician at all. He was a showman and a demagogue. In terms of politics he didn't do detail at all, he only did vision. Somehow this actually helpedthe Northern Ireland peace process, but in every other sphere it was a disaster, for as we all know the devil is in the detail. Millennium tent, massive fail. NHS IT, gargantuan fail. Iraq impossibly large fail. I could go on and on, ,but they are the best examples. He didn't listen to the possible consequences because details didn't interest him at all, he just wanted some spods to come along and tell him he was doing the rig thing, and if they didn't then he'd find someone who wou ld, namely the fawning new labour career politicians around him, characterised mostly by their loathsome self-interest and general stupidity, Straw, Hoon and Blunkett being the worst of a bad bunch. I haven't even started on how everything he did and stood for was steeped thoroughly in deceit, it wasn't just something they did in order to justify their good intentions, it was at the very fibre and core of new labour. Think for instance of all the sleaze scandals and how no one held their handsup and said they did wrong, and most ended up returning to government positions. Think of the Ecclestone scandal, how Blair said he was a decent kind of guy and he doesn't lie, when it has subsequently been revealed that he had actually been party to the sleazy deal and he was at that moment telling a big fat fat porker mere days after fretting into power. Brown, like him or not, was a decent man, and by stripping new labour of the culture of deceit he actually exposed the vacuous core to us all. I don't miss TB and I'd love to believe in he'll so he could rot and burn there, but that's clearly just me.

Tony wasn't so bad, his ideas about a third way between collectivisation and gulags were acceptable considering the threat of international zionism (cont. p.94)

I seem to recall that the study was discredited as it used peak migration from eastern Europe to project forward and didn't take things into account like eastern Europe getting wealthier. And call me a cynical old fool but i also seem to recall it coincided with some draconian legislation or other, typical new labour tactic, conflating scaremongering with debate. Thank goodness for the new governm... Oh shit. And yes plenty of room in this island, but every nimby doesn't want a new town spoiling their local bit of countryside, so we only seem to have a bunch of disaster waiting to happen flood plains available, and without much greater investment in public services and infrastructure this country does creak at the seams absorbing local population increases, so far be it from me to ever agree with the OP, but there is more than a kernel of truth in his own particular brand of dubious scaremongering.

A rather wonderful savaging of the Robbie and Gary collaboration on Radio Six.

No need to be facetious Jeremy, of course he means he owns the retired arsenal goalkeeper of poor hair choices and getting lobbed a lot fame.

Isn't that a narcissist? Call me vertiginous...

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

I always wanted one of these Though I bet you one of these would be more fun

Developed economies tend toward population stasis or decrease. Yet we have an economic system in place that keeps much of the world poor and whapping out the little ones. Just a little food for thought. Actually if we use the Russian model of a depressed economy and endemic alcoholism and population decrease is quite easy to achieve, perhaps we could start a political party with this as our goals. 'gulags and moonshine no shit bulbs and good times'

I love that the comments marked down over 300 times are spouting disgusting bile like 'congratulations' and putrid filth like 'i hope they're happy together.'

We're off to Canadialand on Friday. All good advice above, but just wanted to ask about meals and milk as we (royal) have stopped breastfeeding. Are they ok about bringing on bottles of white powder? Will they provide hot water on board, i guess they will. I assume the cartons are considered illicit as they are larger than 100 ml or do they make exceptions for infant milk?

It was the butler. 9.5/10 excellent work.

Give my love to eef. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx You will have one hell of a stinker pinker hangover tomorrow sir btw!!!!!

Will you rate this forum out of ten?

Here you go. http://www.southwark.gov.uk/download/4391/camberwell_and_dulwich_guide_lets_go_guide Most of them are term time only mind you.

Pretty much what everyone said , except maybe about electric chair which is utterly horrific, but as pointed out done in very few states now. My only addendum would be that the point that DJKQ makes about the woman's fate fused to international politics is good but i think coming from the direction. Iran (not without reason) is paranoid about the West and particularly sees the shadowy hand of Britain, even more so than the US (again with good historical reasons, though i doubt we get that involved anymore) in everything. So the woman's fate is woven into this paranoid narrative, but is most definitely playing in domestic politics. As a statement of who is in charge, and also as a warning to any moves toward liberalisation. What annoys me about the rhetoric of the west is it plays into the hands of the hardliners and their rhetoric becomes more plausible. So all the softening of revolutionary zeal and the reforms of the nineties have been derailed by a man who was a young revolutionary (some of the US embassy hostages say they recognise him) playing the victim of the west card and able to backtrack those earlier reforms. And his rhetoric may sound idiotic, and it is indeed embarrassing to the sophisticated middle classes in Tehran, but it plays incredibly well to his rural and provincial power base. Actually I believe the seat of government is in the process of being moved away from Tehran, see earlier about jockeying for position!

Executions as yardstick of evilness. Hmmm. That terrorist cesspool that is the Bahamas comes out top, Iran way down below the States.... http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_exe_percap-crime-executions-per-capita Ahmedinejad is a nasty piece of work. A fanatic, and i hate fanatics. He's also someone that his country doesn't want, so usurped power. The people have considered revolt, but know Only too well the price you pay for that in forces unleashed and blood and terror, as indeed do the mullahs, who have stuck with the devil you know for the time being. Expect jockeying for power to ensue. If ahmedinejad and his power base come out on top expect odd alliances between the religious moderates and liberals, and sadly more bloodshed. It's the Joe on the street yo have to feel sorry for. Meanwhile USA will continue it's Iran-is-scary rhetoric and sell some $20 odd billion dollars worth of weapons to the middle east. Nice work if you can get it.

I'm trying but it's hard, I'm the only Spanish speaker, plus i don't get to use it in any other walk of life, which means I'm forever forgetting or not knowing basic words that I've never had need for previously. Nappy was a case in point for starters. I do lapse, but my dad kind of gave up with me (actually he will speak only English with me to this day even though i moved back to Spain in my twenties to relearn the language) so I'm determined to do a better job. Self-discipline is the only way i guess, and i don't think it'll be easy, especially as talking in spanish to the mocklet specifically excludes mum from the conversation (I do encourage her to learn and she's picked up a few of the basics, but she's enough on her plate frankly). In summary, breezes, and it's not easy but persevere, it's been found to be beneficial to development on many levels.

Brilliant, ty.

Nero, next time name drop XTC, it'll be faaar more interesting to people, well, some people, well......

Ta moos. How are you btw, have you done a Brendan yet, in cromulent parlance?

Thanks for the suggestions. May wander down to the 10 o'clock 1 o'clock club tomorrow then. Is it at that new cafe thingy? And the little blighter has been crawling for six weeks and is toddling against the sofa. I think he may have spent about 11 months gestating, its the only explanation. (plus they're all early walkers on the mums side, it's those strong irish farmers legs genes). Where's the goose green community centre btw? Can't think of a likely candidate on the green.