david_carnell

benjaminty Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > david_carnell Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Southwark Council have always collected large > > items of rubbish or waste when asked, on time > and > > free of charge. > > > > Bravo. > > > thats not free of charge Err....yes it is. From Southwark Council website:

I'm never convinced by this "stable govt" argument. Everyone knows what the deal is. If a stable govt is high on your wish list then you can vote for one of the two main parties. If you want a representative parliament and a coalition then you vote for whomever you so desire. Coalitions aren't always unstable or ineffective either. This one, for instance, seems to be getting quite a lot done. I guess, really, the referendum on the voting system should be run under AV! Put a number next to the system you want the most.....FPTP, AV, AV+, STV, etc etc Really? Ah....bugger. Fair cop 'guv. Hmmm....maybe. But AV can also lead to unpopular parties being elected off the back of supporters for even more unpopular parties. As an example I present Ed Miliband. David Miliband was leading on every round of counting until the last. That doesn't seem particularly effective.

Because what voters really want is politicians dicking around with the electoral system for the next 20 years until they hit on a formula that no one likes? If you're not improving something, and I don't think AV is an improvement, then just bloody well leave it alone. Labour should have done this in 1997 of course - and the Jenkins Commission was a start - but then realised how FPTP got them 3 successive election victories and thought they'd stick with that. Short-termism has never come home to roost with greater vengeance.

Southwark Council have always collected large items of rubbish or waste when asked, on time and free of charge. Bravo.

Pardon, Brendan? Are you trying to imply I'm acting as some mouthpiece? As someone who spent 3 years at university studying, amongst other political matters, electoral systems I think you should give me enough credit to have my own opinion. Like I said, I want PR, just not AV.

Loz - whilst I am in favour of PR, AV seems like the worst of all worlds. The Jenkins Commission that impartially assessed all forms of PR back in 1990s found it to be even less proportional that FPTP. It reads: In the example you gave, if a fractured left-wing can't get its act together enough to present a united front I presume the schisms are great enough that, frankly, the Con candidate represents the will of the majority. You can't just group all parties into "left" or "right" to make it fit. Do we wish to spend ?250 million only to get a voting system that isn't much better than the one we have if at all? I'd rather not.

An interesting interview with historian Niall Ferguson on MSNBC discussing Egypt and launching a scathing attack on US foreign policy and NSC intelligence.

Aris boasts a remarkable statistic in European football; the club has not lost a home game in European competition in 42 years, having gone 25 games undefeated at the Kleanthis Vikelidis stadium. This record was notably maintained when Aris defeated Europa League champions Atletico Madrid on 16 September 2010, Aris' 22nd undefeated home game in Europe. The team then went on to tie Bayer Leverkusen to keep the record intact once more. From wiki.

Nor are charity shops just somewhere to dump your unwanted junk. If the take crap in, don't be surprised if they are less than welcoming. You can't have it both ways where you want to have great quality, cheap items to buy but want them to accept any old tat you drop off. Good luck to the Hospice and its staff.

More than you want to be playing 'wall next season?

Surely it doesn't have to be all or nothing? Either I live in a yurt and recycle my own poo or I have to have my own coal-fired power station in the shed? I think people can make a stand by not buying Murdoch-owned newspapers and/or Sky for good reasons without attempting to live their lives without ever coming into contact with his empire. As to whether it's worth it - not sure? Every time I get invited round to chez-SeanMac I'm always quite jealous but on getting home I find I watch enough tv as it is without having access to even more stuff. Sometimes I just want to go back to 4 channels. Quality not quantity. Or just read a book.

Daily Mail in accurate reporting of scientific journal that doesn't talk about cancer shock.

Praise be to Allah - he's a big cheese in the Muslim world.

Mrs *Bob* is a lucky woman! If your budget can stretch then the skiing in the US and Canada is amazing and obviously has the advantage of English-speaking guides and guranteed snow. If you avoid the "rich" resorts like Aspen then it can be good value once you're out there and there is oftern more to do off the slopes too. Horses for courses.

No, the Americans and the British should not stay out of it. They should offer their support and aid to establish a stable democracy and work with the new government for the benefit of the region and to ensure that access to the suez canal remains viable in the long-term. As for the knock-on effect, my money would be on Yemen next. Few western journalists reporting large demonstrations there.

How much council tax (or equivalent) did you pay in Philly? If I didn't pay any (or a substantially reduced amount) then fair enough. But at the current level I believe that money should be used to pay for services such as street cleaning including, on those rare occassions, snow and ice.

Zeban - relax. I used "we" as in the world. A clumsy use of syntax but nothing more sinister and not some western-centric neo-colonial nonsense to get your knickers in a twist over. And since when was Gary Younge an expert in middle-eastern or North African politics?

We are entering a period of flux for the region. Egypt's relations with the West, Israel and its neighbours will be determined by what happens next. The role of the armed forces, both in the coup and in the future will be closely studied. As yet, Egyptians do not have anything approaching a free democracy. I'll be submitting something more thoughtful and lengthy over the weekend after digesting some further reading.

No. There will not be another new section just for pets. Lost pet notices clearly belong in the Wanted section: Wanted in East Dulwich... If you want items locally ask for them here. And lost and found items go here too, including cats. People are just too lazy to read it properly. Then the admin team have to go around and tidy up which is a pain. Please report any message in the wrong section.

Centre for Global Energy Studies Doesn't seem to show short term dependency cuts described by SteveT, sorry, Acumenman.

I suspect he'll be laughing at the sheer predictability of your responses, Steve.

I don't want to sound like a broken record but the number of people on here highlighting how unpleasant meat is from supermarkets, often due to excessive packaging or vacuum packs, and yet elsewhere there is a clamour for an M&S or Waitrose selling more of the same. Not necessarily the same people of course. But still.... Bizarre.

Could people just post a link to clip rather than embed it please. It takes page load times through the roof. Many thanks.

Now a sticky.