SeanMacGabhann

But that doesn't make it economic ethnic cleansing does it? Taking the money and choosing to return home is a choice. When Eastenders move from Mile End to Essex it's not economic ethnic cleansing is it? It's two sides of the same coin - ie shifting demographics (happening since for EVER by the way) can, to some people, make other areas/choices more desirable. downsouth - excellent post and I can imagine my mother being very much of the same mindset as your friends/family. As my (by proxy) father in law put it on a visit to ED a couple of years ago "so this is where the chattering classes live"

Keef - too true re: manners and I didn't mean to suggest they are exempt I was just trying to give the other side (born Librans huh??) ON the subject of food rather than manners - Good suggestion from downsouth as well and I hope Christmas is sorted neilly but I wouldn't give up on Rose just for that. Victims of their own success and that - how long have they been open now -3 Christmases? something like that And each year that orders book has been much bigger than the previous. re: Pete's "what defines a regular"? - I suppose if they have x number of turkeys available and they have had people coming for 3 years (compared to 6 months) it' the fairest means of allocation.

There has been a sign in the shop for aaaages now warning people that christmas orders after a certain date will be limited to regulars after a certain date (now passed I think). So I would suggest that ringing up mid November and having been going since May (compared to many other people who go) you do leave yourself open to the possibility of falling off the list - especially trying it over the phone It's not a supermarket buying shed loads of crappily produced turkeys - the list is there to ensure the quality of the turkey they sell is maintained and is extremely popular so you were just too late/unlucky. If they were rude to you that's a shame but I wouldn't be surprised if they have had to deal with hundreds of similar phonecalls - and when they have gone to the trouble of telling their regulars for some time now that must be frustrating I'm a regular there too and am also too late for turkey - but there are many other things which can be had (and much tastier) than turkey so I'll live

The term "ethnic cleansing" is an emotive phrase isn't it? The difference between what ethnic cleansing actually IS, and large portions of a community deciding recent changes in an area aren't to their taste are completely different things. Plenty of white folk on here have expressed a desire to leave if the current trend to gift/cheese shop openings continues.. no one is going to call that ethnic cleansing if it happens What constitutes the "high street" ie Lordship Lane apart, my eyes tell me this area is as diverse as any and long may it continue

Buying everyone books nero? Why thank you so much . . .

Funny to think that that first year at the Rye I was sharing space with people who would become forumites. Time for another round of applause for Mr Administrator for doing this whole thing.... Any road, if I WAS going out for NY this year The Rye is where I would head. I do wonder who the lady who took a liking to pinching bum was that first time I went... sorry, I digress But I'm not going out this year as Lady MacGabhann is departing for t'Far East for 3 months the day after

And yes it's open to everyone - usually held on Wed and Sun evening and afternoon respectively I believe Venues are usually The Drum or The Plough but details posted here: Scrabble Club Details

I pretty much with all your sentiments Mockers but isn't the problem money and ownership, and nothing at all to do with foreign players?

Something has gone from the game Mockers but something has come to the game as well - come on man look on teh positives I'm not thrilled with the money sloshing around and teams run by The City but it is undeniable that the best teams play football unthinkable of not that long ago. Would I go back to George Graham's Arsenal of the 80's???? Sorry Keef - are you suggesting that Wenger doesn't nurture English players? What possible motivation would he have for that? Was Jeffers the new Henry if only Wenger had spent more time with him? It could be argued he is pushing Walcott a tad too soon because of the public demand to have English players in the team Wenger would LOVE to have English talent in the team. He inherited the English back four and stuck with them for years - because they were good.. My thought is that most players from Ireland and UK are like boy band members. they can sing, some very well but it's the women and the fame they care about not the slog, the talent and eventually the art

s'awright - same thinghappened to me while I was typing mine ;-)

Atila beat me to it here - but Mercenaries is mercenaries, regardless of where they come from. The British bulldog spirit, or whatever it is people feel is lacking in the modern game is not going to be supplied by the current crop of English players People berate Wenger et al for lack of English players (not least by English players who couldn't make it at Arsenal.... wonder why) but he has taken many punts on homegrown players in the past and all he usually gets is attitude and ill-discipline (Pennant, Bentley to a lesser extent), money grabbing eejits(The obvious) or just mediocrity (Jeffers, Wright, Upson) One of the things I have said about Arsenal, and with which I agree even if it does make me sound smug, is that their players are good off the field as well as on. If I have to have a pint with, or listen to someone about the game, or talk about world politics I will pick Fabregas, Henry, Senderos et al any day of the week The British contingent, even the best of them such as Lampard, Terry and Rooney I wouldn't cross the street to help... Lampard won't sign a new deal with Chelsea because he wants parity when he is on 100k+ a week?? He's the mercenary, not the foreign players

The rye hotel does a fab black tie do that remains the best new year do ive been to

Steve Coppell is someone I like a lot but one could never accuse of him of being Mr Smiley - but even he looked as happy as I've seen him last night... I think he is more than chuffed the result wasn't much worse for him I was worried in the first half we were never going to take a shot but pretty good in second half... BTW - Liam Brady was interviewed in the paper this morning and was giving his 2 cents on the "too many foreigners ruining the English team" debate. He quite rightly pointed out that England weren't very good before 66 and for much of the time after and haven't qualified for major chamipnships on several occassions - all long before the current demographic of the premiership The truth is our friend...

sloppiness on my part - good spot Incitatus

of many things UC. *Ahem* Good shout as well on the 80s design gurus. the first one I became aware of as a wee lad was Malcolm Garret of Assorted iMaGes - he did things like Rio

Nero Good point and is the type of debate that it should be possible to have without left v right throwing sticks at each other That said (!) when you say there are too many, wat definition are you using. Is it cost to the nation (it's not that much - around 3% of GDP) or is it "for their own good"? Also, the Wisconsin program isn't a total sucess either is it? There are some very real, and sometimes inhuman, aspects to the whole thing. For example is it REALLY better for a single mother to spend 4 hours a day on rubbish public transport to and from work for the minimum wage just to keep her off welfare?

mine is multi-region as well Keef so no worries -

still haven't seen it Keef but am aware it's coming out soon... might even resurrect the film club

after reading this thread I'm none the wiser

I thought of you this morning Keef when I read somewhere that someone had just gotten into Australian films and specifically quoted The Castle and Kenny

Have some more.. Baaaaaad phrases

Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves...... ....... ..... here's Tom with the weather!

Lol - But then again if Mrs Keef was told "you can't use the term Brain Storming as it's used only by idiots in The City and you should know better" I would argue it was quite correct ;-) Oh and the other thing that gets blamed on PC is when "elf n' safety" issues stop people doing something. When the REAL reason companies don't allow stuff is because they are scared of litigation, encouraged not by do gooder lefty types but rapacious legal-fee companies and all too readily taken up by Joe & Josephine Soap

Indeed MP, and pretty much my point. I lack the context of the Lee interview above so the race angle may have been a focal point before the recording starts but the point I took from it is that, with 84% of that audience agreeing with the statement "Political Corectness Has Gone Too Far", it is important that people start to talk about reality (ie of course it hasn't) and quash prejuidces There was a thread some time back where the usual "council bans Christmas" thing was brought up and I was able to link to the refutation but I'm always startled by many people's ability to swallow such nonsense. But then if it reenforces their prejudice (about Europe, Guardian readers, immigration, whatever) they will seize it with glee (which is where the racist accusation in the interview may have stemmed from)

I keep forgetting who this Slosh is! ;-) As to your point tho, I think many people would agree with you. Which is why he spends most of his time in the margins...