StraferJack

of course, but no guarantees Barcelona will top their group - big game tonight

isn't it possible to finish top and still face barca this year? Or did I misread that somewhere a few weeks back?

All true enough, but with action imminent in London it'[s worth bearing in mind A lot of ???? posting activity on a Monday morning - can only mean one thing.. a long week ahead ;-)

Anyone who uses Buddy Ackerman as a role model needs help, whatever age they are I've never been sure about that quote anyway - it's a bit "take the blue pill or the red pill"

I'm guessing that in the aftermath of being attacked or witnessing a shocking attack, people are more likely to be hyperbolic (he types, whilst sniggering at the phrase above) As you say it's a shame if it undermines anything - but it's a bit of a side-issue ultimately

Laugh at them. Those fools camping out. Laugh at them. They aren't worth a damn thing Right? "When students cvrd their eyes with thr clothing, police forced open their mouths & pepper-sprayed down their throats" http://t.co/UMV0vQrH And when the met come for the london versions who is to say. But fuck it right? They are just Middle class twats. Nothing to worry about here.

Dunno if I've made up my mind about shale but I have about Fraser Nelson a while back ;-) presumably you would also have read this which talks about teh investment problems involved So I dunno. if I was to accept Nelson's view of things I'd be a fool to say no to such a find. But he sounds a bit simplistic to me - like cigarette manafacturers in the '50s

What's happening now is a result of many things, some of which you correctly identify on another thread re: Euro, but primarily it is a result of the 2008 banking crisis. The dialogues wasn't "permitted" before 2008 ("we don't need regulation!") and since then events have moved on to a degree where it's deemed irrelevant to worry about piddly banking details when so much else is at stake And it's hard to disagree on one level But it is odd that SO much banking reform happened post 30's depression, to secure a stable base, when so little has happened this time. The banks/financial industry are calling the shots to a degree unknown back then and it is that which undermines so many government initiatives now. I appreciate times are different, technology and global economy etc, but my view is that governments need to be able to, at least for a few years, slap down ratings agencies, certain market activities until stability has returned. Then we can look to open things up again. But as things stand what democratic countries need/want and what markets/institutions need/want are very different. An elected government can't stay elected appeasing the markets so it's a vicious circle It's not an EU created or specific circle so to me, any criticism of the EU alone is also fiddling whilst Rome burns. It doesn't make the critique incorrect but it's not really the point either

That's closer to my position than you might think from my posts above but as a concept, it should be on the table

Blimey - I never expected anyone to take my examples as being the only ones. Of course I cherry-picked but only to reply to Mick's one-dimensional question. And Siglitz supporting a global tax is exactly the point I made later - it's not some idea proposed soley by the EU

but it's not just a European tax - it is being mooted by many different regions and whilst "Unemployed bankers don't pay any tax." is true, it's true of everyone unemployed

Well Joseph Stiglitz would be better qualified than most of us to comment and he's a supporter That doesn't mean he's right, just that it's wrong to call the whole thing anti-London, European-led, anti bank Paul Krugman, no leftie he - has also weighed in Against it we have the Taxpayers Alliance - a bunch of barking mad, single-note tub-thumpers As for Loz's point can we please please please stop with the "bankers will abandon us" thing? Even bankers have said post finanial-crisis that better regulations should have been in place. But prior to teh crisis any move towards ANY kind of regulation was met with that kind of "we will move to somewhere more competitive" rhetoric That doesn't make me anti-banking at all, but some perspective please

Nah. I figured if mike paelelalalalalalallahus can manage his name, spelling isn't so bad

I think it has been confirmed in more than one occasion that I used to post as seanmachabhann tarot. So you're incorrect as well as bizarre in the fact that that has nothing to do with the discussion. But whatever keeps you happy I'll happily explain why I no longer post under that name if you like but I doubt anyone cares.

"I don't like the idea of people exploiting the system either, but how do we differentiate between the genuine unemployed and the pure lazy?" cost of some idle spngers exploiting the system = small beer compared to the big fish expoiting the system surely? Resources better spend chasing billions rather than a few million

The Telegraph really is keen to sneer at many of it's readers isn't it In this story about a specific marriage... it not only manages to put "marriage" in quotes (because, y'know, they are LESBIANS!!), it then says "woman cameraman" what gives?

Isn't this part of the idea behind the protest If, say, 20 years ago you were in the top 5-10% of world earnings then your standard of livin, even in London would be sweet But as more money becomes concentrated at the very very top, then the drop off from the top 1% to those in the next 9% becomes much bigger

sounds like your PC PGC, I can't see anything similar Have you recently installed Skype - that often changes telephone numbers to links Or any other new software?

buddug - I'm against the CPZ but I don't think it's unrelated to my post about people's expectations re: cars and parking

The crazy bit is suggesting we can somehow limit London to certain number of residents But it isn?t crazy to talk about what happens when the population does grow Cars take up a physical space ? no matter what technology does, that?s going to remain a constant for a long time to come In a street with 50 homes, and 50 cars and 50 parking spaces that?s fine In a street with 50 homes , 50 parking spaces but 80 cars (as some people say a 2 car home is a reality, nay necessity) it?sa problem If that street has flats then we have 100 homes, 50 parking spaces and maybe 200 cars You could demolish 10 of those homes and build a multi-storey car park if you like (you could suggest what happens to the people who have lost their homes) but then you still have 180 cars trying to use the same road space Now multiply that out across every street across town and the solution has to be less use of cars. But I?m open to hearing what people who think otherwise have up their sleeves as a solution But simply saying ?public transport is rubbish, I need my car? isn?t an option that everyone can fall back on. Some people DO need to use a car ? no question. But many people just want to ? a different thing entirely

so 7.5 million people get to decide if they "want" another million? Even tho a large number of that 7.5 million come from elsewhere? Sorry James but that sounds daft At what point did London plan ahead and decide on a number - "that's how many is optimal". never.. that's when. London has always been a magnet and that's why 7.5 million people live here now. Or should we have left it at 1 million at the start of the 1800s? or what about when it had 8.5 million before - around WWII? People don't just generate issues and pressures - they generate income, jobs, taxes, vibrancy, audiences, voters

Sorry James, I'm not sure I understand the question Are you saying that people collectively decide how many people live in London? Has that ever happened? Who do you stop? People procreating? People moving from home counties? People from further afield?

Apart from the (sometimes grim) bugs I have picked up in recent weeks from daughter, and their physical side effects, I'm generally relaxed about the whole thing I think it's probably long-term healthy to get exposed to bugs at an early age and build up a natural resistance

be fair peckhamasbestos, there are days in a car which are just as frustrating 2-3 hours to cross London Jams on the m25/m3/m4 a tyre bursts it's raining no parking spot at the other end (bleedin' locals and their CPZs) it's not all gravy