21 April 2010

21/04/10

This is the traditional date given for the founding of Rome in 753 BC.  Henry VIII ascended to the throne in 1509.  Republic of Texas troops, led by Sam Houston, defeated Santa Anna's forces in the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836.  Brasília became the capital of Brazil in 1960.  The Seattle World's Fair opened in 1962.  Haile Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966 -- a day that is commemorated by Rastafarians as Groundation Day.  Around 100,000 students gathered in Tiananmen Square in 1989 for a peaceful protest.

Born today:  Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855), John Muir (1838-1914), Anthony Quinn (1915-2001), John Mortimer (1923-2009), Brenda (1926), Iggy Pop (1947), Robert Smith (1959), James McAvoy (1979).

(Late) Happy Birthday to the Duke and (if my reading of things is correct) to NapoleonKaramazov today!

143 comments:

  1. I got a kick out of this vintage postcard while looking for an image for today.

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  2. Happy Birthday Napoleon!

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  3. Montana: Sunday's child ;-)

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  4. Happy birthday Napoleon (if the dates correct), how old are you now, 22/23? Catching me up....

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  5. Morning all - many happies Napoleon. How was the move? Are you getting settled in?

    I heard on the news we're back in the skies again, although no sign of it yet in the clear blue morning here.

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  6. Happy Birthday Napoleon (lots of April babies here,aren't there?).
    @ the Duke: shocking,really, especially in light of the incoming, unfair,non-evidence-based 'reforms' (the Purnell legacy) and the whole disgrace of ESA assessments etc.From an already unjust baseline,they want to make things worse?
    What's just as dispiriting is that not only is this a New labour policy as well, their response to the Tory line is not to oppose its severity, but simply to accuse them of nicking Labour policy (in turn nicked from Thatcherite ideology, though she never went so far: very New lab in that regard,then)

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  7. Morning folks.

    Duke

    F*cking wankers indeed.

    Simon Jeffrey posted this on the Tory poster / Election Blog thread:

    @mattasahatter We had to check with the Tories that it wasn't. It is an odd consequence of this election when your first reaction on seeing a campaign poster is to assume it is a spoof

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  8. Alisdair,

    looking at that thread and the personal testimonies, it's already clear that the system for job seekers is draconian. What can the Tories do to make it even worse?

    What makes me fucking vomit (sorry all but it does) is when you read the current issue of Private Eye.

    They have a list of the Tory donors who have privileged access to Dave and George all for 50k- disgraced hedge fund managers, disgraced bankers, failed businessmen, tax dodging wankers etc

    These utter cunts (sorry again!) have brought the country to its knees yet will continue to inherit the earth by bankrolling privileged party cunts who in turn play on marginal middle class constituents blind bigotry and prejudices towards the 'poor and unemployed'. Based on an appallingly outdated electoral system.

    For fuck sake. And I again aplogise for the swearing.

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  9. Happy Birthday Napoleon!

    And nice postcard, Montana, heh heh...

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  10. Phillipa

    Yes, Montana's postcard is really ace!

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  11. 13thDukeofWybourne
    All true. I sometimes get the feeling you're saying it so I don't have to...

    the theiving fuckers

    Have a great day Napoleon

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  12. HB Nap

    Chin - really interesting piece(s) you provided the links to above . Thanks.

    This caught me eye: (inter alia in discussing London's rise to the status as the most unequal city in the world)

    1.Elitism is efficient;
    2. Exclusion is necessary;
    3. Prejudice is natural;
    4. Greed is good;
    5. Despair is inevitable.

    The five new tenets of injustice In what are now the most unequal of the world’s twenty five richest countries people have come slowly to accept different ways of thinking. Different presumptions about others. Different to those held in the more equitable and average countries. New beliefs have local flavour and antecedents. In Britain, as the five social evils identified by Beveridge at the dawn of the British welfare state are gradually being eradicated (ignorance, want, idleness, squalor and disease), they are being replaced by five new tenets of injustice.


    Following from our discussion yesterday about why voting is finding progressively less favour with UK's citizens than our Dutch neighbours ...tenet number five above leaps out fucking despair!

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  13. deano

    That one resonated with me, too.

    I rather like Danny Dorling because he seems down-to-earth and makes his research available on the web.

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  14. Correction:.... London is the most unequal city in the developed, world.

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  15. Hey deano - there's a companion website for Dorling's book. There's all sorts of stuff there, including a link to a lecture archive.

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  16. MsChin,

    they are great links, thanks for that, I've been chewing the slides over.

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  17. Chin

    "..... Studying with us will help you develop the skills to unpick the data, make the maps and ask the questions that could change our world from one of chance and division to one of equality and opportunity....."

    What a delightful thing to read in an Academic's pitch. Good old Professor Danny Dorling!! I for one will enjoy reading there and have bookmarked his page.

    We should perhaps adopt and echo his wonderful words as the University of UT motto.

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  18. Happy Birthday, Napleon. April-born people for the win *grin*

    Your Grace, I totally agree with your assessment of the electoral options you have in Britain and the moral standing of the Tories/NuLabs; still, it is heartening to see that you refrained from swearing as far as humanly possible.

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  19. Happy birthday, Napoleon!

    Must say there have been some great discussions on here lately.

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  20. Me being afk for an extended weekend sometimes tends to yield such results, thauma *gg*

    Just looking at the Joanna Boorhead thread, it sounds too delicious to ignore it.

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  21. Chin - you on commission? I've placed an order for a copy of the book.

    Dog walking.

    (much) laters` all

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  22. deano

    Sadly, no, but I might want to borrow your copy!

    But like I said, Prof Dorling does make a lot of his stuff freely available on t'internet, so no doubt there will be more papers etc to come. I've been following his work for a while.

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  23. Also have places to go / things to do, so catch y'all later.

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  24. From the slides, the absolute kernel of truth is on slide 35:

    Before you ask what is to be done, you have to ask what is wrong that you currently may condone

    The other slide that stands out for me is slide 19, the pie chart "How's life in the UK". 31% living comfortably, the other 69% "coping" at best.

    Is that it? In the 21st century with all the technological, scientific and economic advances we have made as a country, just under 3/4 of the population are "coping" at best?

    Of course, if you listen to a Tory right winger, you will find that this 3/4 of the population just aren't working hard enough or showing the proper spirit.

    Vile, utterly vile.

    elementary, I know what you mean. Sometimes swearing is big and clever. This is one of those cases!

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  25. Just about to check out the Boorhead (like it!) too.

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  26. "Anyone see the new Tory campaign poster about cutting benefits to 'non job seekers'? Finally the true blue colours are emerging."

    Didnt take much did it, one TV debate gone sour and they let rip. Pond life.

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  27. Sky a wonderful clear blue over E Yorkshire, sadly saw the first contrail for a while over the Humber.

    But also saw my first Swallow of the year. It's a long flight from Africa but herm made it.

    Must get on with some work on....... the task list.

    Looking forward to the reading Duke

    I had the chance of the first comment on the Tory benefits poster article last night. But I figured what's the point all I could think of saying was crude/rude/angry and I'll be damned if I'm making work for a Tory sympathising moderator.

    Ain't seen PCC for a while? - Hope she's well and I hope your shoulder is improving leni

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  28. Happy birthday, NK - hope you enjoy the big city...

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  29. Nah - the lady PCC is in fine fettle. Just checked her Guard profile and she was busy posting sound stuff on the economy only yesterday.

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  30. deano

    A piece on Dorling's work has gone up while I was out:
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/apr/21/danny-dorling-charles-dickens-social-inequality

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  31. Morning all!

    Happy Birthday NapK!!

    (some good stuff here already today folks...)

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  32. ...until I cleared the place out....

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  33. Hi all. Hi Deano! Just noted your post above. I have been mega busy looking after my ma - so very little posting time. Got half an hour on the Guardian the other day but other than that not much time spent on t'internet at all. And got a poorly beastie too, bless her. Hope Mungo is ok and not being too demanding over the jacket situation?

    I have so much to catch up on on here - looks like some very interesting debates been going on. Philippa B - very interesting stuff over on UTtoo.

    MsChin will check out the links to Dorlings too.

    Happy birthday NK!

    Duke - I am with you. Absolute bunch of fucking bastards the Tories. And fucking Clarke - the only one I had any time for at all coming along and scaring us all into voting Tory or the big bad IMF will swoop down. Scaremongering shits. Sorry for the swear fest but god almighty!

    And when will people stop going on with this IMF bollocks. If Cameron gets in and in twelve months time the IMF are called in - the Tories will be blaming it all on Labour. Yet when Labour called them in - mid term after the disastrous Barber Boom - the Tories and the right wing press just created a big myth about it all being down to Labour. Utter, utter shits. I hate them!

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  34. Definitely "in fine fettle" there, princess!

    James

    Hi! And sorry, was sidetracked elsewhere - Nick Clegg on radio 4:
    "vote with your heart"
    "let's do something different"

    Personal favourite:
    "I'll come on your doorstep soon (when I'm campaigning)"

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  36. princess

    And fucking Clarke - the only one I had any time for at all coming along and scaring us all into voting Tory or the big bad IMF will swoop down. Scaremongering shits. Sorry for the swear fest but god almighty!

    And on a similar note, again in Private Eye they expose the business leaders who spoke out against the NI rise as being 'bad for Britain' as tax avoiders extraordinnaire.

    When you look at the sums this lot are avoiding in contributions to the UK treasury, whilst pontificating about what's best for Britain, it makes you want to puke.

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  37. And, in local news - Cameron hit by an egg while campaigning.

    Jus' thought I'd share that with you.

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  38. Was it a double yolk, Phillipa?

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  39. MsChin - as long as he cleans it up afterwards. I'm awfully house-proud, y'know.

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  40. Ha ha - Cameron hit by an egg. Brill.

    Yep Duke it is appalling. Instead of being cowed by their created crisis, these people are getting ever more downright obvious in their desire to retain control of 'UK Plc' (vomituous phrase that it is).

    I saw that shit Willie 'its totally safe to fly through ash' Walsh on the news yesterday too. Nearly brought up me tea.

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  41. thauma

    Of course he can't - his wife has said that she puts his clothes out for him in the morning, so I expect that she will sort him out (I imagine SamCam carries a pack of designer handy wipes in her designer bag).

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  42. David Cameron:

    "today I met an egg producer who said that EU policies had made his arm twitch, and that Asylum seekers had made him deranged..."

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  43. That Egging in full..

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8634952.stm

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  44. For those who missed Nick Griffin's pearls of wisdom on the British economy on Radio 4 this morning, here's a clip.

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  45. Morning all

    Great news about the egg.Wonder if that will take on
    some sort of symbolic status.Like the first warning
    shot from the proles to Cameron and co should they
    form the next government.

    @Duke-so those Tory Twats are going for the sick?
    Shameful and i thought Purnell was bad enough.No
    doubt they see a few premature deaths amongst the
    sick as price worth getting in order to get the
    deficit down.

    @MsChin-'vote with your heart -let,s do something
    different'-something a bit Diana-like about that!
    Vomit-inducing methinks and could bring the Clegg
    surge to a halt if he carries on like that.

    @Leni-hope your rib isn,t giving you too much grief.

    Some really good posts this morning!!

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  46. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  47. Thanks MsChin... as DI Gene Hunt would say - he's mad as a box of frogs with party hats.

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  48. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  49. Paul

    Let's hope so. Anyone who wants "to come on my doorstep" will not be welcome, that's for sure.

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  50. BW

    You can't to beat a well-thought out BNP policy, just hold it up and it disintegrates.

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  51. James - epic...

    And thanks for the clip, BW - although Cameron has actually come up with a decent comeback line, given the "reporter dressed as a chicken" thing yesterday...

    Some of these are probably old, but there are some crackers

    My favourite - "I've never voted Tory before, but nobody else knows the rules for polo"

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  52. Meh. Have to have a login to view that page.

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  53. Thank Christ I was listening to Radio 3 this morning...

    Having read through the BNP's economic 'policies' before the euros, I did ask on one of the threads how some of their entirely inconsistent positions would be made, er, consistent. I listed the things and everything, with little references for all the ones that contradicted each other.

    Was roundly ignored.

    Can't do the same now, as they don't have a manifesto yet. Presumably Collett has pinched the crayons.

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  54. ah, thauma - hadn't realised.

    'customised' tory posters, is all.

    some are more artistic (think pollock) than verbal. heh heh

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  55. Yesterday I read the Monster Raving Loony manifesto. Much more to agree with there, I'm sure.

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  56. Nice posters

    "Cam is a pedo" made me titter.

    So pathetic... Brought out the joyeous yob in me...

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  57. Just found a dire poster for one of the Sheffield Central candidates.

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  58. MsChin
    That ones a proper whack-job...

    "All we here is change"

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  59. Change is not always progress truth?

    Has Mr Rodgers assembled his copy by dropping a box of those 'make poetry' fridge magnets?

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  60. PhilippaB
    Either that or he's just knocked back a bottle of absinthe.

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  61. That poster is truly classic, isn't it. Bless.

    I might go scouring Sheffield now to see if I can get a copy. For wall of the outside bog, natch.

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  62. Desperately seeking prepositions?

    Anyway - having said you're 'an independent' it seems a trifle redundant to say 'not affiliated to any other political party'.

    Ah well. ANyone else having issues posting on CIF? Posting is OK, actually, it's the typing that's the problem - takes ages to appear in the little boxy.

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  63. Daniel Dorling on Thinking Aloud, now...

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  64. *************
    deano ********************

    Danny Dorling's on R4 now

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  65. Boody hell, he's good. Should be on 'listen again', for those expressing an interest earlier...

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  66. Just saw it and tuned in - thanks

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  67. Mschin - get me one if they're spare !!

    "Haile Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966 -- a day that is commemorated by Rastafarians as Groundation Day."

    I can feel some reggae coming on...

    In other news, Seth Freedman is such a gigantic cock...

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  68. Thanks PB & Chin will def catch it later.

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  69. I've just this second received another email from the Tories, this time apparently from William Hague (damn you, Murdoch, or whoever sold them my email!).

    It's trying to suggest that a decisive Tory victory is the only thing that can save Britain, and has a rather pleading tone. But there is a video of Cameron with Take That's Gary Barlow to tempt me further.

    Oh, and it's asking me for a quid a day to keep the campaign on the road.

    A little desperation is creeping in.

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  70. deano - well, now they're discussing nakedness, so stay tuned...

    PeterJ - that smacks less of desperation than full-on emotional breakdown. Gary Barlow?
    [shudders]

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  71. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUlw4NT08Ds&feature=related

    Trololo ... The creepiest Youtube vid I've sen for a while. Sixties Soviet mass tv entertainement....

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  72. BW

    Do I have to look at the creepy vid? It's such a nice day, I'm not at work today (obviously, as posting here & there).

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  73. BW

    Had & look & am now wetting myself here ..

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  74. Georgina Henry on the Media SHow now, talking about how to deal with covering debates when your paper has already picked a team.

    ooh, this could be interesting.

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  75. "We haven't yet made up our mind, we're having a meeting, er, anyway..."

    There's a meeting on Friday, "anyone can show up", she said, to discuss it.

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  76. Philippa

    Is Jay available, I wonder.

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  77. MsChin
    Amazing innit ...

    Laters

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  78. @Philippa-i,ve pencilled it in me diary.The meeting
    on friday that is.Assume Georgina meant everyone and anyone.Love a good meeting me.What,s it about btw?

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  79. Afternoon all

    MsC

    I read that Dorling article this morning at work and emailed it home to post up here - but you beat me to it. Will now see if I can find him on iplayer.

    That Independent candidate's poster can't be for real surely - it's so spectacularly appalling. He's standing in my constituency too.

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  80. Bitterweed, that has really, really made me hurt. Fantastic! Getting saved - if ever I feel a bit down, gonna play Trololololo. Thank you!

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  81. ooh and happy birthday, Napoleon Karamazov and happy moving day, too.

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  82. "We haven't yet made up our mind, we're having a meeting, er, anyway..."

    Wot-ever!!

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  83. Paul meeting is about who the Guard will be backing at the Election.

    PB caught the item on nudity/nakedness. I always do my ballet in the nude...

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  84. BW - that vid is too much! Am speechless - I now know why the empire fell!

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  85. Paul - I believe it's about the exact point at which the Guardian runs the front page headline "We're Going with UKIP!"

    James - sounded like a bad 'mis-speak' by Ms H, which the interviewer latched onto with something approaching glee - "so, we're all invited, are we? open to anyone?"

    Am guessing she's kicking herself right now...

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  86. Bitterweed,

    given the choice between sitting through a Soviet era Mr Trolololo concert or being a defendant in a Stalinist show trial followed by 20 years in a salt mine, I'd be packing my bags for Siberia with tears of relief.

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  87. @deano

    Trust Polly will be in attendance!Although she may
    be attending via satellite link fron Tuscany.

    Wonder if they,ve started the whip round for Seaton,s
    leaving gift yet?A nicely engraved bicycle pump could
    be the ideal gift-useful for any number of purposes!

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  88. Philippa,

    it was more the 'we haven't made up our mind' bit that I was wotevering...

    (Although, I do like the idea of large numbers of disgruntled ex-readers showing up en masse on Friday!!)

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  89. And is melissadarley who I think (s)he is? Thoroughly enjoying msdarley's posts.

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  90. Paul

    "A nicely engraved bicycle pump could be the ideal gift-useful for any number of purposes!"

    The mind boggles, mate.

    Duke

    Dunno about who MsDarley is, but it is entertaining.

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  91. Duke

    Agree with you about Ms Darley-talk about putting
    the cat amongst the pigeons!!

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  92. Philippa/Paul,

    regarding the Graun's 'choice' and Tuscan Toynbee. Guaranteed her Friday column will be entitled:

    Vote Labour wearing a nose peg, in a diving suit, underneath a pressurised Astronaut suit with a weeks supply of pure fresh oxygen. In an Iron Lung.

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  93. Amazing - someone retires yonks ago, hasn't been around, you think they're gone from the scene - and then they're back, and you're reminded just how bad thing were in the 1980s.

    (Cecil Parkinson is on the radio, btw)

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  94. Dorothy Heights, civil rights activist, died today. She was the only woman to stand on the platform alongside MLK when he gave his 'I have a dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington

    'One of Height’s sayings was “If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time.” She liked to quote 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who said that the three effective ways to fight for justice are to “agitate, agitate, agitate".'

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  95. A nicely engraved bicycle pump

    Heh, heh!

    I get the feeling that he's probably not too popular with the staff either, so the whip-around may not cover a bicycle pump with all the latest features.

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  96. Bicycle pumps and seaton put me in mind of hot air and self inflating.

    Happies to birthday boys.

    Yep - the contrails are back - steady stream of westward flights here today.

    No swallows here yet Deano - my favourites are the swifts. First cuckoo yesterday.

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  97. Brilliant circular from our local Tory candidate. Headline: LABOUR'S TAX ON JOBS WILL KILL THE RECOVERY.

    Problem: it's a trifold and the centre piece just reads: JOBS WILL KILL THE RECOVERY.

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  98. LOL. That's just fab, thauma.

    The politicos would be better handing over the design of their campaign materials to the local primary school, as I'm sure the 5 year olds would do a better job.

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  99. MsChin, the ironic part is of course that pro-business right-wingers do very much prefer a *cough* healthy *cough* level of unemployment. Keeps wages down and employees cowed.

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  100. Ow, I wish I could get election literature down here...it'll all be over by the time I next hit Blighty (11-18 May). Am hoping that everything's still in one piece, and that London hasn't been turned into some sort of post-apocalyptic landscape, where feral children live in abandoned buildings and people resort to cannibalism, per Tory predictions if there's a hung parliament.

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  101. Would just like to say, also, having heard Caroline Lucas interviewed earlier, that while she sounds like a very nice person, I do not want her running the f-ing economy.

    Or giving me directions, making me a coffee, or helping me change a tyre.

    very nice but hopeless...

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  102. Evening all

    Happy B'day for yesterday, Your Grace. Hope it was a good one.

    I am without my netbook now so shall be intermittently posting until Asus do something about it. Hope everyone is well. Hugs. x

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  103. Oh and to NK too! sorry - haven't caught up with stuff yet... Have a great day! x

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  104. @thaumaturge

    Dead right there.Nothing like a recession and/or
    mass unemployment and/or mass immigration to keep
    the proles in their place.Plus of course a spot
    of workfare to keep them on their toes if unemployed.

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  105. BTW-'Melissa,s' sister 'Mavis' has joined waddya.
    Thinks could get 'interesting'!!

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  106. Philippa - the mister's just arrived and said almost exactly the same thing as you about Caroline Lucas. "Did not come across well."

    Paul - someone mentioned today or yesterday that the Tories have now shown their true colours and are all for kicking people off benefits if they're not working.

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  107. Oh Philippa why was Ms Lucas useless? That worries me a bit as have joined the Greens myself. Quite like a lot of their economic proposals so hope she hasnt been going around sounding loony? Although my mum went to a meeting and said it was a bit weird...

    Although in my consituency (same as you Sheff) central - I might have to consider whether or not I vote Lib Dem as they have a real chance here and it is one more vote then towards a hung parliament - forced consitutional crisis and hopefully electoral reform! Decisions, decisions.

    Just fell asleep whilst posting earlier and woke up to read your post BW - and with a sleep fogged mind watched Mr. Trolololo - will never be the same again!

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  108. @thaumaturge

    It,ll be National Service for the under 45,s and
    Domestic Service for the 45+.That,ll be the Tory
    plan to solve unemployment in this country.

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  109. princess - eep. sorry.

    but really, the reason to vote green (as i do on 'list' votes) is for their 'specialism', to get it in there, not on economic issues. i think trying to position themselves as a credible 'general' rather than single-issue party, is probably a mistake...

    They have some nice ideas, but from their euro-manifesto, absolutely no idea how an economy works. it's all very well to say, ooh, let's tax rich people and not poor people, but you actually have to pick what tax you're talking about. and how much money is involved, so what rate to apply. and then make sure that it isn't impossible. and that one bit isn't entirely inconsistent with another bit.

    i mean, i like them, but i'm a CTA, I can't just hug a kitten, I have to read the detail...

    Will search out their new manifesto and see if things have improved. I hope so, like I say, as I like them (apart from 'you know who').

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  110. You think Mr. Trolololo is bad? I've just found something horrific.

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  111. Thauma: I thought we were protected from cruel and unusual punishment.

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  112. Medve - not now the right-wingers are taking over in your parts. *evil laugh*

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  113. sheff & princessc

    If you see the poster (mentioned upthread) for your truth-seeking Independent parliamentary candidate, could you bag a couple for me & BW please? Seriously. It's this election's must-have accessory.

    Medve

    Brilliant!

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  114. Phillipa - I like their ideas on a payment to every citizen and for upping the tax threshold (which the libdems have too) their latest manifesto is huge - it takes some reading! But some of the economic ideas are good - I also think the idea that we need to change our focus on growth, growth and more growth in a finite world is true. They are the only party likely to get any MP's in this time that have even a hint of socialism at the core of their economic ideas.

    I know what you mean and they wouldn't all work and also I think there are genuine disagreements within the party re some of the issues (but then there are with all of them).

    Glad to see both Labour and the Libs attacking Clarke and Osbourne for their frankly treasonous scaremongering!

    Thauma I am about to look at your link. With trepidation!

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  115. Ooh Thauma - how could you??

    How is your doggie by the way? Our golden/lab cross has been really ill. She has got to have vitamin b12 injections at the vets every week - like Gerri Halliwell (not that Gerri gets hers in the vets - I dont think but she is rumoured to get vitamin shots in her bum) and has to take pancreatic supplements. Probably for life - but it is a relief to find out what is wrong as she was very poorly indeed last week.

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  116. Aw, princess, poor thing - by which I mean the dog and also you seeing thauma's vid (which left me deeply traumatised, btw thauma).

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  117. Sorry, Princess, the other one reminded me of a FD vid so I went looking for it ... what I found was even worse!

    Sorry to hear about your girl! Sounds expensive too. :-( Mine is well, thanks.

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  118. its not too bad actually thauma - the pancreatic enzymes are really cheap.

    Am off to take the terrier out now - taking my life into my hands.

    MsChin - yep traumatised for life now
    - oh and I will def keep my eye out for one of the posters for you and nab one if I see one.

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  119. *Whispers in hushed 'David Attenborough watching the gorillas' tone*

    Looking at the radical immigration thread, I think the fash are missing BB. They seem to be competing among themselves as to who is best at mythical spin.

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  120. Is that the Jennifer Abel one, MsChin?

    I always have trouble with those sorts of threads because obviously Big Business is in favour of importing cheap workers, but to agree with controlling immigration is all too often to agree with outright racist pigs.

    "I met a black man last week...".

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  121. Andrew Geen, thauma.

    Also - Polly alert.

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  122. Happened on that Polly thread when it just went up, but have refrained from commenting. She seems to believe that everyone should be voting (New) Labour still,regardless of feelings of betrayal of having been royally abused, and that only small-time tinkering, and marginal tweaks should see the voters to which she and Labour somehow feel they are entitled and 'own' flood back.
    She fails to appreciate that it is this sense of entitlement/ownership, allied to the subsequent neglect of said folk (in pursuit of money,business interests,neo-liberal managerialism,micro-managing control-freakery and mistrust of the populace...oh,and power for power's sake, no principles permitted) that has been the reason for New Labour's deserved decline.
    Anyhow, held fire because was fuming and still am after a labyrinthine series of 'phone calls to Carphone Warehouse/O2, trying to get a Porting Authorisation Code (needed when you change network but keep your 'phone number). Fuck me, they're deliberately obstructive, throwing up spurious obstacles, when I've been with them for nearly a decade,paid them a fortune over the years...

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  123. Alisdair

    Had the same delaying problem ages ago, for broadband with a different company.
    OFCOM's info on PACs could be useful for demanding what you need.

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  124. Apologies for being depressing but it,s now estimated
    that around 500,000 public sector jobs could go
    irrespective of who wins the election.Hopefully that
    is way too pessimistic.Don,t see how that cut can be
    achieved without serious consequences for public
    services.

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  125. Paul

    Serious stuff, isn't it.

    The prospects for those whose jobs are axed, and their dependents, look grim. The voluntary sector will be even further hard hit, as demands for their services grow, but they lose public funding through grants or have to compete through tendering processes & trim their own costs.

    On the other hand, isn't downgrading of public services is one of those factors which can lead to social unrest.

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  126. Ah well, off to bed now so it's good night from me.

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  127. Hi Paul et al

    Public sector jobs -

    i have been looking (again !) at third sector jobs as well as privatisation of services.

    Cannot , as yet , decide if all these jobs will actually disappear or be transferred from public to private or third sector.

    If they are to be abolished then services will suffer - services may well suffer in cost cutting private sector service provision.

    This election is a total farce in terms of real info - there seems to be some interparty agreement to keep the true facts hidden - onlt to wham us all later with the reality of the economic collapse.

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  128. To put things in perspective for Wales something like 25% of jobs here are in the public sector - our economy is underdeveloped in other areas - it could be a disaster for us if too many ps jobs go.

    Don't know % elsewhere.

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  129. Paul - that's grim reading - given the unemployment figures out today, you'd think each party would want to avoid hitting 3million unemployed, but it sounds like some losses will be unavoidable - although, as Leni says, which will be 'cut' and which 'privatised'? Not much comfort for the person losing the rights that come with public sector work, I know...

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  130. Meanwhile, leaping to the top of today's 'milk of human kindness' listing, it's...

    [drumroll]

    Michael 'pay to piss' O'Leary.

    Kind of impressive, given there's an election on, that the most gittish thing done today was not done by a politician...

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  131. Woah, Montana, that is a little disturbing...!

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  132. Montana

    One of my all time 'yuks'

    The unreal singing about the unreal - very apposite during our fantasy election.

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  133. Just watching PP broadcast from Christian Party of Wales - mind boggling. Among other things they want the flag of ST. David incorporated into the union flag - that should solve all our problems then.

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  134. Leni - interesting. Are they planning to superimpose it, or weave the dragon around the stripes?

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  135. No - that's another group Philippa - we have the Nats - the Welsh republicans and the Christians . Dewi Sant has a black flag with a yellow cross.

    The vote in Wales will be totally fractured - no idea who will nip in through the cracks.

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  136. Evening all - Caroline Lucas is a candidate in my constituency, although she hasn't made herself too much of a nuisance round these particular parts. It's one of the biggest constituencies in England, apparently...

    I can't vote Green partly because of her, as she annoys me, but mainly because of policies against nuclear power and GM food (let alone defence and the economy). Do you remember now much wrestling it took to get the absurd policies on alternative medicine and animal testing removed after they were enthusiastically supported at the oh-so-democratic leader-free conferences in the past?

    Ah well.

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  137. Well worth a link:

    Black Stalin: Feelin to Party

    I shit ye not!!! heh !

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zOqmG1Sfck&feature=PlayList&p=0037D9C9466B7857&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=80

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  138. Tnanks for the Spock update, Montana. Highly wrong in many ways.

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