silverfox

Totally irresponsible. Exposing those poor children to all the passive cigarette smoke from people standing outside offices, pubs, hanging out of the windows of their own flats etc. I'm surprised social services haven't got involved and demanded they get back in their cars. And they wonder why the child has asthma!

Don't see what the concern with amnesties is - many countries offer them, US, Australia etc. Many illegal immigrants would make 'better' citizens than some of the indigenous population (more productive, hard working, less dependent on benefits etc).

Libdem leaflet found on moon ...

Yes I think Labour will do better than anticipated, despite their poor campaign. As Loz says, the key will be the undecideds. If I worked in the public sector I would think very carefully who to vote for given the bloodbath of cuts, pay freezes and pension cuts around the corner. (Incidentally did you notice how Bob Crow's lot quietly settled the pay dispute with the post office during the campaign - 6.9% over three years. It hardly merited a paragraph in The Times). Not sure if it'll be the best thing for the country but looking like a hung parliament. Possibly another election within 12-18 months if the markets give us that much time. David (not Ed) Milliband to be next Labour leader.

Time this thread was moved to the lounge?

Thanks Admin

Thanks Keef

Admin, I've just voted in your poll and the page flips to a graph with the words "You have already voted in this poll" above the graph and a Revoke button underneath. As far as I can remember this is the first time I've voted. Is this correct or is that message telling me I have previously voted?

Glass half-empty

Zettabyte The size of the ?digital universe? will swell so rapidly this year that a new unit ? the zettabyte ? has been invented to measure it. Zettabytes overtake petabytes as the largest unit of digital measurement. Humanity?s total digital output currently stands at 8,000,000 petabytes ? which each represent a million gigabytes ? but is expected to pass 1.2 zettabytes this year. One zettabyte is equal to one million petabytes, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 individual bytes. The current size of the world?s digital content is equivalent to all the information that could be stored on 75bn Apple iPads, or the amount that would be generated by everyone in the world posting messages on the microblogging site Twitter constantly for a century. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7675214/Zettabytes-overtake-petabytes-as-largest-unit-of-digital-measurement.html

Hang on a minute. davidH feels hard done by (this is the second thread he's complained about it). He feels he's been censored. Personally that's not my experience of the forum administrators although I have little time for the brown-nose school of thought that it's a free site and admin can do what they want, close the thing down to go on holiday etc davidh, I think you should repost your point verbatim so we can see whether admin was justified in caving you - let the people decide.

Hal summed it up for me. "...That business model..." We all know "...That business model..." was only the latest in a long line of 'business models' that are attempts to make money out of people. Don't trust anyone who wants to use your hard-earned money. Simple lesson in life.

Gimme said of toxic assets: "...The reason that the assets are valued at zero is because nobody knows how to price them. Credit Suisse paid their top earners in shares in a toxic asset fund (supposedly a punishment). That toxic asset fund has gone up by 68% this year!!!" Amazing how when these unquantifiable toxic assets were given to bankers as pay, they not only managed 'to value them' but they rose in value 68%!

To get back on topic. Given Mervyn King's comments that this is not the election to win due to the scale of austerity we are about to undergo, and the secret report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revealing that the banks fear a double dip recession due to regulatory controls to be imposed on them, perhaps a Hung Parliament would be the best thing for the country in the sense that all parties would be part of the process in bringing in what will be very unpopular measures.

Thank you for taking the time to respond Jonathan. If I may just comment on a couple of points: I'm unsure why you feel the need to introduce statutory powers to set an upper limit on what bonuses senior executives are allowed to receive. While bailed out banks may be a special case, and possibly public sector companies who are dependent on tax payers' money, surely private companies are free to pay whatever they wish? Your reply to the surveillance question, like Tessa Jowell's reply, makes the mistake of viewing surveillance in too narrow a sense by concentrating on CCTV. There has been an explosion in surveillance spurred on by tecnology/the internet etc. DNA databases, computerised medical records, increased powers for councils to snoop in bins, checks on parents applying for their children's entry to schools. School children are bringing back questionnaires from school under the pretence of homework seeking information on recycling, diet and general lifestyle matters often under the guise that they can enter a competiton organised by the council. My worry is liberty in this country is becoming eroded. Edited for typos

A quick look at Wikipedia suggests you might be better off selling snake-skin oil

njc97 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > To quote a friend of mine recently "I know people > who earn 400k who are barely getting by" That could be true and they could be worse off than some people on the dole in terms of disposable income if you think about it (eg career has resulted in a couple of divorces, children to maintain, put through schools, mortgages to pay etc)

Artful, you will be pleased to hear the Monster Raving Looney Party is alive and well. Now sponsored by William Hill they have a number of candidates around the country who all hope to lose their deposits otherwise they'll be kicked out of the party for not being looney enough. Here's a selection of some of their ground-breaking policies: Global Warming To combat global warming and climate change all buildings should be fitted with air conditioning units on the outside. Terrorism Ban all terrorists from having beards as they look scary. Separate Passports for Terrorists requiring them to give full contact details, number of explosives, and time (as well as location) of any plot. This would save time and money in gathering intelligence, and could also help identify the intended ambition(s) behind any atrocity(s). Foreign Policy Greater cooperation with the EU by inviting all members to join the ? sterling Domestic policy Poop Scoop - Anyone allowing their Hyena to poop on the pavement should shovel it away immediately, As this is no laughing matter All socks to be sold in packs of 3 as a precaution against losing one. Sell shares in Northen rock, buy shares in Blackpool rock! Declare the Channel Tunnel a No Fly Zone. Set up a government agency to paint contour lines on to hills and colour roads the same as on maps. This will help people know where they are. Dedicated pogo stick lanes on routes to centres of work. The Loch Ness Monster should be added to the endangered species list. NHS Dentistry. All newly trained Dentists will be require to have three teeth removed, 2 fillings and root canal work done without anesthetic. Then they will know the agony they inflict on the rest of us. Chocolate be available as a prescription drug Education - Bright Skoolkids Bright pupils will be provided with dimmer switches to prevent them distracting the rest of the class. Defense All soldiers serving abroad would be issued with a long ranged laser guided water pistols http://www.loonyparty.com/index.php?page=manifestoproposals-1

I read her answer as making a distinction between the likes of Bob Diamond at Barclays (and other high earning company executives) and those people at bailed out banks/companies. Barclays was not bailed out so no cap applies and progressive taxation is the answer for all highly paid executives. Bailed out banks/companies are a special case, tax payers shouldn't lose out, hence the need for an international agreement.

True Loz, but does Clegg really pass the 'sniff test'?

Nick Clegg made ?300,000 from house in Brussels after getting ?140,000 from taxpayers http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1269343/General-Election-2010-Nick-Clegg-300-000-house-Brussels-getting-140-000-taxpayers.html

The issue is really quite simple whatever the causes: bail out Greece to prevent contamination spreading (Portugal next?)or don't bail her out and let the country go bust. Neither choice is particularly desirable and Angela Merkel is in a difficult position because of German public opinion against the rescue and the forthcoming regional election in North Rhine-Westphalia on May 9. Moreover, the German Government needs to pass special legislation to obtain authority for its ?8.4 billion share of the eurozone package which will be opposed. At some stage the bail outs have to stop - but the potential consequences are quite frightening.

Only because there's a lot fewer of them

There appears to be a distinct lack of engagement on the edf's behalf. I'm amazed that given the views often expressed on here about the difficulties of getting children into schools (see family room) and the pros and cons of funding faith schools Tessa's replies have gone unchallenged. The silence from the edf is a bit of an insult to a busy politician who has taken time out from a hectic schedule to answer our questions.

While we're waiting for Stephen Hawking's response, can I just clarify your point: God is an extra-terrestrial teenage nerd? Edited for typo