SeanMacGabhann

TPP - The Plough Pub

The best critique of what Ben Elton has become is on Stewart Lee's first DVD - the punchline being that fewer people hate Osama Bin-Laden than Ben Elton because unlike Elton he has at least lived his life to a consistent set of ethical standards...

relatively profane muse as well for the time of day - I like it

as it gives me a free pass..

light-weights the pair of ye... * smells coffee from the kitchen * * pops toast in to the toaster - extra butter today? Oh go on then... * * hums a Denise La Salle song with rewritten lyrics * "Don't mess with my..."

lol Mike which pub shall we go to next? NTV

"I can't stand the raaiiiin outside my window.." Aaanyway it doesn't look too bad now does it - BBC for the area says: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=1136 and I'll take that to be honest. Come on, it's not going to be worse than 05 And even if I am stuck in a tent for 2 days I will have the thought of a lovely black pair with pink spots to keep me happy

CWALD - I tend to agree with your statement about Thatcher's children (now grandchildren probably). I know it sounds hopelessly 80s and Ben Elton to say so but I've been saying this to people for a while. Not that the current lot have done nearly as much as they could to reverse that mind you You might want to be careful when spelling Claire tho - in my opinion Clare's who don't have an I in their name tend to be quite particular about that - am I wrong Clare? ;-) Thanks for the kind words (mostly) as well Clare but to be fair it's just one of the reasons - I have drifted from really wanting them in my 20s to being somewhere close to Bill Hicks' position today (rummages around on youtube for relevant clip.. can't find it... will post later)

[raised eyebrow] secret friends eh Mon?

Ed raised the possibility of inherent class values rather than himself making a judgement about about class I thought... It was the presumption that Ed's opinion might be different if the class positions were reversed which I found odd.. James' point about the age-we-live-in re: media is true as well. I just wonder when people (and I mean generally, not on here) are going to start taking responsibility for the world they live in rather than living-by-proxy depending what the media leads with. All very Orwellian I know...But then my name is Smith. You can call me Winston

Now, opinions are great and everything, but they only mean something if they are informed and not some self-pitying whine If there is a job anywhere for "left handed lesbian outreach worker for asthma suffering Scottish families in Tower Hamlets" feel free to post a link - it should be worth a laugh if nothing else. But you can't because (drum roll) there isn't one If you don't feel safe walking the streets is that a perception or a reality - I mean compared to any other world-major-city this size? Prefer to take your chances in Rio? Washington? Serious question - where in the world gets it right in your opinion JB? Of course if you could just pay your money to some private company to look after poor little you you might be fine - but having paid taxes and NI in this country for over 20 years and never once using the NHS I'm still fairly content that all of those people who need hip-replacements, general point-of-entry care or just emergency wards on a Fri night are all being taken care of and don't have to fork out a mortgage just for the privilege should their employer not cover it. And unlike your diatribe I shall point some facts http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110301143.html I'm not making any claims for NHS efficiency - of course money gets wasted in any large organisation - but I would view it as the fairer system. And if Brown is taking THAT much off you you must be earning a wedge anyway

Ohh speaking of trendy tea rooms, I passed Le Chandelier today with the doors open and could see the work going on in there. It looks very very lovely indeed (not that I will be a massive customer but still)

James - you can really bring class into everything can't you? Having met the fine Citizen I can assure you he is scrupulously fair in his appraisals and would think exactly the same of any playground.. One of the reasons I resist having kids is that I would want them to be able to run free and and unsupervised - but despite the fact they are as unlikely to come to harm as I was growing up, the opprobrium from fellow-concerned-parents would do my head in..

I think that's true Louisa - assuming you mean that "great for house prices" mean they go up... which I don't see as a good thing I lived in Swindon for 3 years and worked in a bar - when walking home late at night I would often be accosted by drunk out-of-towners (not tourists obviously - visiting football fans) wanting to know if there was anything else but estate agents in the town Sadly they weren't far wrong

You beat me to it Asset - the idea that we are way overtaxed is another one of the Mail true-isms that could fit in the Political Correctness gone mad thread. Try living in a Scandanavian country - now THAT is tax. Of course their crime rates are much lower and more socially cohesive but who wants that. Now OBVIOUSLY I can think of lot's to do with the money I pay in tax every month if I didn't have to - but that's not really the point is it.. For comparison with other countries http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_around_the_world But Chuggers can go and run and jump....

I am often in the Rye so you can take my "far-whiter-than-it-should-be-in-my-30s" hair as a distinguishing feature if you like

James - it's not until 2nd July - any number of distinguishing features can be acquired/lost by then ;-)

Seconded re BBC (and you can stick that in your TLA thread n' all)

I still have the Review here if you want it And oi - leave t'Observer alone. It's not perfect, but compared to the competition....

With you on that one Jah As for Lambeth... hmmm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Lambeth#Christmas_controversy

takes about 10 mins these days with the Sindy Jah Lush surely? I'm not too happy with the new look/style

You can refuse that charge and still leave cash for the staff

Keef - seriously? Never read the Daily Mail before? Lucky you, but the shock must have been immense As for PC - I would say that 9/10 times when the usual suspects start banging on about PC gone mad there is no substance to any of the argument. Schools and councils don't ban Christmas for fear of upsetting Muslims. The EU didn't ban bendy bananas. And so on... So before we go down the pro/anti PC argument can people come up with some genuine instances of "PC gone mad?"

Bald M I see what you meant by opposite the Bishop now - I took it to mean the other side of LL opposite We were talking about same building

How has this thread not corrected the location yet? Its next to the sea cow does no one read anything on here any more . . Tsk