Huguenot

Aren't the PCSOs a direct result of research showing that a visible police presence 'on the beat' has a positive effect on crime and public confidence?

This revelation certainly looks illegal, and in that case I couldn't possibly condone it. However I would campaign for active membership of political organisations to be public. Members of political parties are campaigning for changes to be made to our social structure which have an impact on the rest of us. It seems bizarre that any people should be able to campaign in deceptive anonymity - a sixth column of snoops and double agents spreading wily tentacles through the fabric of society. It also seems reasonable that people should be wary of organisations that have policies of violence (e.g. ethnic cleansing) as they may be subject to retribution. It strikes me that these are natural balances against extremist views.

There are plenty of case studies that demonstrate that an inflexible approach to minor crime - littering, graffiti, road traffic offences etc. - has a substantial influence on the reduction in major crime. These PCSOs may well be doing us a favour by introducing 6 years olds to the concept of social responsibility. Whereas the Chav approach ('I have my own moral compass and will only obey the laws I choose') leads to dangerous relativism and crims who percieve their heinous crimes to be somehow justified.

The thing that really niggles with this property is the deliberate cynicism of the owner. They made the purchase in full awareness of their responsibilities, but would have been conscious that a greater retun could be made by letting it rot and then building an Altima Court. It's not clever, it's w@nker.

I really like bum-scissors. HA! Still laughing.

Sorry Tina, I was speculating. ;-) What was it you had contempt for?

You never had it so good...

Well, I can't see what percentage of population are working in the armed forces, but as a % of total GDP defence spending is estimated as follows; UK 2.4% Australia 2.4% Canada 1.1% South Africa 1.7% US 4.1% China 4.3% India 2.5% Just coz it's military, I though I'd add... Russia 3.9% Interesting that it's the three 'superpowers' that spend the most on the military, almost as if their size has made them more, not less paranoid. However, since this thread is about Education, percentage of GDP spent on education... UK 5.6% Australia 4.5% Canada 5.2% South Africa 5.4% US 5.3% China 1.9% India 3.2% Russia 3.8% So we certainly care enough about our kiddies to pay for their education. Some high performing countries in education do spend a little more - Finland 6.4%. However other top scorers such as Japan and Singapore spend siginficantly less: 3.5% and 3.7% respectively. It only goes to show that throwing cash at a problem isn't the solution.

I don't have separate mining figures, I guess they're part of industry. The percentage of population working in the agricultural industry as follows: UK 1.4% Australia 3.6% Canada 2% South Africa 9% US 0.6% China 43% India 60%

Moos, I can be anyone you want me to be... B)

;-)

Nah, globally the average % of populations working in industry is 32%. We have 23.6%, whereas a heavily industrialised country such as China has 48.6% Australia has 26.4%, Canada has 28.8%, conversely the US has 19.8%. Manufacturing generally employs disempowered gophers, not engineers. One engineer can design a machine for 10,000 factories that are made and operated by plebs. Manufacturing delivers efficiencies through proximity to resources or slave labour. In the UK we have neither and so we can't compete. However, service companies trade on intellectual property, ingenuity and process - at which the Brits are very good. It doesn't need to be close to market, so wehave no increased costs from distance. Expats like me leave because the UK is populated my miserable gits, it's a shoddy climate and there's too much competition. Not that I don't love you all of course. By far the overriding influence is the first. We pour scorn on success and whinge tirelessly about our failings. We have no national identity because we have no aspirational values. We don't know our strengths because we lack the imagination to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. We deride our public servants whilst sitting on our fat arses in front of the telly. I mean, for crissakes, we're scared of our own children. These are fundamentals, if we get these right then the schools, the hospitals will follow without legislation. Because we're too lazy to do that, we ask the government to provide laws. Pathetic.

Didn't Snorky coin Cookwank, and a number of other gems?

Earp Tonpark. You have nothing to fear BBW. If you want to know everyone for real go to the monthly drinks. That way you'll not only recognise people, but also be able to assail them! I'm Nick and 38, but sadly MM is right - despite it's friendliness the forum is on public view, and not everyone wishes us well. :( Incidentally I'm an ED exile. I was soundly thrashed and put on a slow boat to Singapore.

In your desire to sit on the fence Tina, you don't make clear whether you have contempt for terrorists, or those that rail against them. If you're suggesting that murdering people at the laundrette is okay because it's complex, them I'm aghast. Or is it that you have contempt for people that highlight the atrocities committed by terrorists? If you have contempt for my thoughts on the British activity in Ireland, then like YHL, you haven't asked the question and you've fabricated an answer that differs with my position. I feel slighted. More than that, if your approach to the democratic process is to reject the opinions of your fellow man - "I'm glad that I don't personally know you" - then that's part of the problem. Personally I'll listen to, and respect, your views. I have no contempt for you and won't attempt to injure you for expressing your thoughts. If you don't want me there when I buy you a drink, let me send you a cheque. ;-) YHL... sheesh. It seems that you interpret balanced opinions (my own notwithstanding) as attacks on the Irish. It's only you and the Serbs that talk about nationality as a 'birth'-right. A bit bloody medieval. The people resident in Northern Ireland, be they born locally or immigrants, have the right to democratically define their own future. In making that decision they would be wise to consider both minority and majority views to ensure everyone's onside, and would be wise to consider their economy. Conversely, they would be foolish to pursue genetic, religious or geographic agendas. They would be cretinous to consider 50.1% of the vote 'winners' (because that makes 49.9% of their neighbours losers). They would be especially daft to invent ghost enemies and skewed CVs, with elaborately invented factoids in support. I don't think anyone's coming out of this smelling of roses.

Interestingly, 'vegetable' is not a botanical term, whereas 'fruit' is. 'Vegetable' is a culinary term that covers those plants that tend to be eaten with the starter or main course of a meal rather than desserts. Hence a tomato is both a fruit and vegetable. The US Supreme Court classed it as vegetable for tax purposes. More fule they. Can someone pass me my pipe?

Sorry YHL, I wasn't trying to express an opinion on Irish/British history, merely to observe that English people are entitled to one. Regarding individuals who believe in the slaughter of innoent civilians to pursue a political agenda, I don't feel any different to the IRA than I do any other organisation, including national governments, be they British or otherwise. If you see bigotry then I fear you're reading too much into it - I'm quite indiscriminate in my disapproval of terror tactics whatever side you're on ;-)

Good heavens Brendan, the English don't have the right to an opinion on Northern Ireland? We were the victims of an indiscriminate bombing campaign from 1971 to the recent past, targeting innocent memebers of the public. The IRA staged assassination attempts on both our Prime Minister and the Queen, and murdered several prominent politicians. The attacks only targeted English towns, not Scots or Welsh. It was racial, and it was 'personal'. The attack in Brighton in 1984 was aimed at destroying the democratically elected political leadership of our country. The Birmingham Pub bombings took place less than 20 miles from the house where I grew up, murdering 21 and injuring 162. 2007 tax spending was 7,121 GBP per head in England, and 9,385 per head in NI, meaning the English are effectively bankrolling the region to their own disadvantage. Whatever your prejudices concerning political affiliations in Ireland, the English certainly have a right to an opinion.

If you want 100% authenticity you wouldn't be served by a woman. Just spent ten days in Rajasthan and we never enciuntered a woman front-of-house in a restaurat.

Good heavens Quids, you never told us you performed live...

Great stuff from Simon Jenkins

Would you Adam and Eve it?

Objective review here Some exceptional observations "[bobby] explained that the slaughter of the innocent was necessitated by his desire for a change in the administrative arrangements under which his homeland was governed. He hadn't actually been expelled from his homeland, like the Palestinians, seen his people subjected to genocide, like their Zionist terrorist persecutors, or been enjoined to kill by a religious imperative, like the jihadists of our own day." "I appreciate that my responses to this beautifully made film are uncharitable, immoderate and indeed reprehensible. Yet, the men heroised in Hunger chose to murder my fellow citizens, on their own island and mine, indiscriminately and brutally, in pursuit of a cause I consider unimpressive. What do you expect me to feel?" These people are just nasty nasty little men. No glamour, no romance, just dirty prejudice and the sickening twisted cowardly persecution and murder of everyday people. Poo protests were simply an extension of the sh*t they smeared over everything they touched. The crashing tragedy is that they were unwilling to remain the only victims of their soiled strategies, they dragged the hopes and aspirations of so many broken families with them. Murder gave them the identity they craved, and presented a neat solution to the dilemma 'why are we here?'. Azul mate, I've plenty of respect for your views, but in treating NI as an entity to be traded you ignore the rights of the residents to choose their own destiny. That's both a bad thing, and the root of the problem.

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, 'What is Politics?' Dad says, 'Well son, let me try to explain it this way: I am the head of the family , so call me The President. Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government. We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People. The nanny, we will consider her theWorking Class. And your baby brother, we will call him the Future. Now think about that and see if it makes sense. ' So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him. He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper. So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed. The next morning, the little boy says to his father:' Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now.' The father says, 'Good, son, tell me in your own words> what you think politics is all about.' The little boy replies, 'The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.

I notice that the Peckham forum has a similar prediliction for definately.