*Bob*

Is Owen Jones in danger of becoming the Jamie Oliver of the political commentary world?

Cool wet clowns, cool wet clowns

Of course, one must not forget the great example of an undivided, strong nation - that Britain was prior to Thatch's arrival.

I think if you look at a lot of 'most loved' and 'most hated' lists, you often find the same names cropping-up in both. There are no shortage of Thatcher lovers piping up - and of course haters are always more vocal than lovers. People have a tendency to be selfish, so any opinion on Thatch will more often than not down to personal profit or loss as a direct result of her reign. I have two friends from the old industrial north glad to have been spared the only the way of life which would otherwise have been on offer, had things turned-out differently. As one put it, a town where you 'have' to go down a coal mine can be just as depressing - at least on an individual level - as one where the pit closes. Agree on Ireland, but again (as per my previous point) in some ways Thatchers failed position of resolute intransigence (unwittingly) paved the way for Major.

Most succeeding governments are a product of - a result of and reaction to - the ones that preceded them. The seeds of especially radical or extreme govs are always sown in that which went before. Most diehard lifelong Labour voters fail to grasp that, ultimately, they made her happen.

Badger

RosieH Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > So I have no problem whatsoever with the petition, > and think you're turning into Annette finding > things to have a problem with, which aren't really > problematic at all. Not at all! Tbh this sort of thing comes out stuff people I know send me on FB. I look at it. I think about it. It's daft. I don't sign it. But I don't really want to get into some kind of FB debate with friends and colleagues so here it is instead. Perhaps I'm overthinking things, yes. But I like thinking about things.

How feasible is it that secretary of state for work and pensions could live on ?53 a week? For a year. What does it prove if he can't? The answers of course are 'not feasible' and 'nothing'. Should this new system of testing (let's call it 'oi! you do it!') be rolled-out elsewhere? Everywhere, up and down the land, we could get people who *simply can't* (by virtue of bleeding obvious reasons) do something - to be made to do it and fail. To prove? - bugger all!

I wonder what % of the people who signed this petition didn't vote.

Is that a monkey? Or an ape?

Burbage Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- But the petitions are a start and, > although their achievements have been less than > modest, that's a great improvement on the days > when petitions 'meant something' and triggered no > debates at all. I make no connection between petitions meaning something and something happening - debates in parliament, laws etc. I meant in that they are meaningful, when they claim to be meaningful (which this one does). I'm sure I could quite happily 'sign' something about George Osbourne being shot into space, or Duncan Smith being forced to muck-out a baboon enclosure or whatever. It's not meant to mean anything.. it's meant to be silly. But large numbers of people 'signing' something equally ludicrous which is pointlessly masquerading as something meaningful? Has everyone on here signed it? Is it just me?

RosieH Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why crackpot? No one actually thinks he'd do it. So you're reason for signing the petition has no relation or bearing on the content of the petition whatsoever? Petitioning used to mean something. Now it's just like writing 'Jedi' on the census.

Fair enough - crackpot petitions with mass popular support then. Not the 'we, the undersigned, call for for trepanning to be made available on the NHS' type.

What what I understood, the 'smoke-free approved' thing is a bit confusing, or it was when we got ours. Each individual stove had to 'pass' - but the process takes a while and has a cost. As a consequence, there were loads of stoves that used the same cleaningburning tech, but some had been through the test and others hadn't. So we got one - A Morso Badger - when it wasn't approved. But we knew it would be approved at some point as it was just a smaller version of the Owl, which had been approved. So worth checking if others in the range have been 'done'..

I'm putting the Iaiaiain Duncan Smith one in. Feel free to add any others as and when they arise.

I'm beginning to wonder if Louisa is actually imprisoned under the stairs whilst an evil nephew has fun with her EDF account.

My apologies - I've been in my gimp dungeon for the last 24 hours and have only just been let-out. (clears throat) IT'S SNOWING

.. must.. resist..

From make-up on buses to sex toys to racist rice. And they said it couldn't be done..

Eating chocolate cake / hitting myself in the face with a hammer Eating chocolate cake / hitting myself in the face with a hammer Crikey, this is more difficult than I thought..

Up and preparing for the day / in bed, shagging Up and preparing for the day / in bed, shagging No, I just can't decide..

Which wine does one drink with rabbit?

Or tamper with his pipe, perhaps.

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- The best > way to get your own back on a "sexist man" is to > spit in his dinner. > > Louisa. Assuming you can get a restaurant reservation, of course

Absolutely nothing