SeanMacGabhann

Well that's not you then is it... * the facebook pictures just won't go away *

zombies that's what you have to watch out for at Black Cherry I think they limit them to two per person all night and even the most hardened drinkers I know think that might be over-generous

Oh this just gets better and better I might just buy every single Sunday paper for the first time in years this week

LM/Declan - we've all 'ad a laff but another reminder to keep the thread on topic please? This ain't the Lounge (yet) PR - if you think you response to my initial post about redirecting the conversation was reasonable and proportionate I can only wonder

allegedly

not to mention the detention and lines I gave him

Yep. Albeit on the later side. Hopefully declan will join us too eh?

Currently rated as a possibly maybe I believe quids

Non taken declan. I can be a bit school teacherish but it has nothing to with moderating when i try and redirect some if the traffic and get a response like the one I got As for income? As you say admin has already answered that point

Have YOU been grabbing the pints? I'm not sure what points you are trying to credit me with but there is nothing I can see in that post that I recognise as mine

daizie - don't play the coy card any more. You're practically a regular now (coming to two drinks in a row is THE bar for "regular" status)

well if we are looking for reason enough, then him being John Terry would have been good enough for me But Capello has overseen this kind of situation before and from what I understand he wasn't minded to strip terry of the captaincy for that reason alone

Now what do we think the real reason is for the Terry demotion - is it the other potential stories which are likely to come out?

1) I don't think Steve is an elected member of parliament making our laws and telling us how to behave Not sure this is that relevant? They are either breaking the law or they aren't.. 2) Sean, you don't seem as willing to stick up for the other current witchhunted 'the bankers', who again haven't broken any laws, I'm inherently more sympathetic to public servants on 60-120 grand a year than I am people earning 10 times that. More importantly, bankers (some) are responsible for the aggresive manner in which they nearly brought the globe to the brink and STILL they resist any changes. Unlike politicians (by and large) 3) No, as this review shows only a few of them are going to be prosecuted. I think some of the rest hhave paid back approaching ?2 million in the same way the Inland Revenue also gives tax avoiders a chance to pay back. 4) From top to bottom, prior to the exposure, MPs right up to the PM tried to NOT let the public see any of this as they knew how bad it was. And I have some sympathy with that view. Given that the reason the system had become so bad was because of self-flagellatory pay freezes over successive governments... 5) Millions of ordinary boring old tax payers and retired ex-tax payers of dull old middle england aren't and never have been 'at it', haven't got accountants and/or expense accounts and expect some honesty and straightforwardness from their MPs, but they're just dull non-urbanites many of whom probably read the Daily Mail Not as dull as making that same pointless, boring reference again and again. I'm not sure I have ever met anyone who fits the saintly description you paint either. - depends what you mean by "at it" I suppose. I think people (and they ain't all "poor people") who think ?5 for a pair of jeans from some sweatshop is a bargain, regardless of the suffering behind it are "at it"

any chance you could link to that story about 580 out of 600 Steve? And whilst you are at it, I'd be interested in *bob*' (admittedly) rhetorical question being answered by you?

PR - what is with the constant sniping? To the best of my knowledge I have welcomed you at forum drinks, provided you with an early idea with a story you shared with us , and agreed with you publicly on many occassions, and disagree with others. So what's with the constant pettiness? I think you believe you are fighting some noble fight but I don't see the masses rising up behind you, so it might be worth counting to ten The "silly" in my post above refers to "recreational" sigs such ss woof's and declan's above. The idea was to keep THIS thread for a serious discussion about non-silly sigs. People are still allowed to have sigs as you well know, but admin has put a stop on promotional sigs [Edit: Just saw Declan point out much the same] The councillor's sig which appears to be a problem is a useful contact number for someone who is involved in day to day running of local services - not that he gets anything but grief for his trouble. it is, on the scale of things, a far more useful service than a folk club or someones beliefs. Benevolent Dictator - I am, unfortunately neither. Not only do I not run this place, I fail to see how the person who puts his own money and time into offering a free service to local people can be so maligned. But if I WAS the person who runs this forum, I probably wouldn't be as benevolent, on that you are correct

I wouldn't despair too much LadyMuck - 'tis but a survey and even if accurate these things tend to be cyclical. If you repeated the survey a further dozen times with different samples you might see the opposite trends Regardless, I think the findings are true for a reasonably large part of the population - but I doubt it's growing that much When I arrived in this country at the height of Thatcherism, in the most Thatcherite of towns, I struggled most with the attitude towards poor people amongst my peers. As quids and others have said, defining poor is a tricky one tho. You can set some parameters for a survey but people responding will have their own idea of what constitutes poor and answer accordingly I thought 25 years ago that this country's population has a (relatively) hard heart and I think that now - but I don't genuinely think it's getting worse. And it's certainly better than America where a president trying to introduce a healthcare system which will be open to the millions currentl excluded is so vilified for that very reason. I think that is showing real disdain for the poor

Steve, we aren't discussing world views here. Stick to the factts - real facts and not your opinions masquerading as facts. If you or I do a tax dodge, and get caught then we know full well we deserved it That isn't what was happening with MPs expenses (by and large) - you and I might not like the system that was in place, and is being reformed, but you can't say all those MPs broke the law and should be convicted - because they just didn't

If people want to discuss silly signatures, the merits or otherwise perhaps this thread is more suitable? Let's try and keep the About the Forum section just that

'tis true I hold my highest suspicions for electric hobs - devil's work I tell you

My family had a particular saying which I heard every day of my childhood "Give it to me straight, like a pear cider made from 100% pear" They used it all the time. So I was really gutted to find out that Magners had just stolen it for a recent ad campaign

When I was growing up and we couldn't afford a microwave I thought they were the coolest things When I moved out and got a job and still couldn't afford one it was still high up on my list When I got one?. I realised how grim they were - got rid and never bothered again Sometimes, when I'm being dim and forget to defrost something I will momentarily wish I had one - until I remember how grim the result was Good riddance I say - save your money and get the decent steak again

paulanoucier Who are we "encouraged by" to recognise that the universe could not possibly come into existence on it's own? The painting analogy is particularly unfortunate - pick up a brush , use some paint and lo and behold you are a painter. If I come across said painting I wont think "did someone do that or must I always be in doubt that it simply came to be" just because I don't know you Whilst we aren't yet at a stage where we can with any certainty know how the universe came to be (with all of the myriad cruelties it holds), to say that a God (which one again?) did it is baffling. And even if it's true, it goes from baffling to horrific - I know if my parents were to bring me into this world and then spend the next 80 odd years hiding behind bushes, whispering to other people about how they might exist, that if I ever got hold of them I wouldn't be best pleased

Steve - do you deliberately misunderstand the facts to fit your own worldview, or is it out of your control?

well, inasmuch as Michael Douglas' character destroyed his life then yes, it "worked" And to be fair I do agree with a lot of what you and the OP are saying - I just wanted to present a counter-argument.