david_carnell

Al the waiters have to have one leg shorter than the other - perfect for getting people on ESA back into work! ;-)

Most overseas visitors would be travelling in a diplomatic vehicle with their own flag on display.

Yes. And I want a better suit and a secretary to type for me.

Looks like you could invade a third world country with that! Do you need a whopping 4x4 in SE22? Maybe just an ordinary estate car? BMW 3 or 5 series touring? Audi A4 or A6 Avante? Better fuel efficiency and less of an arse to park.

Well, it seems like this is the closest we've got to PBF vs Manny for a long time. Could it finally be on? At long last?

At that time of the morning I'd be tempted to head south for 45mins to get to the M25 at junc 7 or 8 and then go clockwise for another 45mins to get to Heathrow. You'd be going the opposite direction to rush hour traffic for the first part so it might not be too awful.

I think Victoria Beckham was responsible for some design elements of the Evoque. 'Nuff said. I secretly want the Holland and Holland Range Rover complete with gun cabinet and single malt bar. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/land-rover/range-rover/89336/holland-holland-range-rover-is-most-luxurious-ever I know it's vulgar and gauche. I just can't help it. And if you don't like it I'll brandish my 12-gauge at you!

Please use the search box.

Jeremy - while I'd say no it's not, this thread seems to be heading towards a slightly unpleasant direction of men just listing all the times when they've slept with a girl and things have gone wrong. Or when women have hit them. Or women have broken their hearts, you cow (the last one is my own exaggeration for effect in case of doubt). I think that's moving into very uncomfortable territory. While I'm sure we can all reel off those sorts of anecdotes, it is a bit of a red herring in the wider argument.

This AND the cling film dispenser.... you're on a roll.

Last time I checked no one was oppressing men. It's like objecting to black rights groups and suggesting they should campaign for equality amongst all races - it rather misses the bleeding obvious. I'm not honestly sure why this continues to obsess you so?

Yes, that would be "feminist". What's your objection to that term? Or its ethos?

There's an anecdote that I've always enjoyed when doing culture comparisons. I think I heard it via Starkey or Schama or similar. During the crusades, Richard is ill and bed-ridden. Saladin, in an act of compassion sends him a bowl of fruit and well wishes. By way of thanks, in return, Richard sends Saladin a slave. Nice.

Actually bacon and cheese sandwiches are pretty awesome. Maybe the combo could sway you RPC? My own choices would be: Vodka Red Bull BBC3 Daily Star

Well the reasoning of the French attackers was French/Western involvement in the middle east and their muslim brothers being tortured. Were the 7/7 bombings not for the same reasons? The cartoons are both central and a red herring.

And the French are very much more an integrationist society compared to the UK. Immigrants in France are expected to adopt French attitudes towards things like church and state, freedom of speech etc. libertie fraternitie, eglaitie Meanwhile on this side of the channel we've adopted a more multi-cultural apporach that allows immigrants to retain characteristics and attitudes commonplace within their home country. Neither is wholly successful and both have significant problems but I think Miga is right in suggesting the strength of French reaction to this, as opposed to the UK reaction to 7/7, is much more defiant and assertive of French identity.

You note that I didn't say men weren't victims. I just said women weren't perpetrators. Your second comment is simply ludicrous.

Loz - on your issue with the study on sexual violence tendencies.... The reason there is no control group, to my mind, is that there are only tiny tiny numbers of women commuting sexual violence. Asking a large group of women if they'd commit consequence-free rape ignored the fact that women do not commit rape when there are consequences. In fact, legally, as mentioned earlier it's actually nearly impossible given a penis has to be involved. What the study shows is whether men's actions are changed by consequence and law or morality. Your "black men commit bank robberies" example doesn't work because all ethnic groups commit robberies. If stats shoes that only one did or only one didn't then it might be a more valid example.

I don't agree with all of it, but Mehdi Hasan does make some interesting points here. http://www.newstatesman.com/mehdi-hasan/2015/01/muslim-i-m-fed-hypocrisy-free-speech-fundamentalists Well worth a read.

Not really Otta - inciting hatred is what an ISIS video does when it implores followers to murder non-believers. A cartoon of the prophet in a bathrobe doesn't incite anything. No one has the right in life to wander around and never be offended. I'm offended all the time - normally on public transport. But I don't blow up buses. It's about reasonable response. You don't like a cartoon Charlie Hebdo publishes? Fine. Don't buy it.

Alan Medic Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As for Je suis Charlie as a symbol of freedom to > write what you want, I find that unfortunate. You > don't have the right to insult anyone even with a > pencil. Disagree. You have exactly that right, Alan. That's the whole point of freedoms. You don't have to if you don't want to, but you absolutely have the right to insult people, with a pencil or not. As long as that doesn't cross the line into inciting hatred, harrasment or other criminality then that right is pretty sacrosanct. What I find difficult to understand is that many demand the right to practice their religion freely, something western liberal democracies grant, and yet battle against the freedom of speech/press/etc when it criticises said religion. The two have to go hand in hand.

Tony's Heel Bar in Crown Passage, St James, London.

Sorry RD, my tongue was rather in my cheek at the time which hasn't come across. I was simply suggesting that Louise offering her "expertise" on tracking terrorists and bemoaning the lack of professionalism among the French special forces was probably not very useful. Agree with your points.

As someone who works in media, and trains people to appear in media, I cannot believe these people are saying ANYTHING. The press officer for Hull and the FA need shooting.

Louisa - their escape is nothing to do with the professionalism or experience of the French police. They have just as much if not more experience than our own security forces. France has a larger muslim population and more volatile race relations. Plus the GIGN (the special forces guys in black who belong to the Gendarmarie Police Force) are recognised as world experts in hostage negotiation and seige policies. Rest assured, if they thought a shoot out in a heavily populated city centre location was a sensible course of action it would have happened. Whereas a seige in a industrial unit with a single hostage is now playing out. Do you think that might not be entirely accidental?