A basic housing problem in Britain is that - thanks to the architectural atrocities of the post-war era - we are very reluctant to build upwards. But in a society that needs lots of one and two bedroom flats, it's by far the most efficient way to get high density housing.
Absolutely right.
This is where you spend the next few hours explaining that London isn't densely populated and countering the idea that everyone in a city needs a garden that they can then tarmac over and put a car on.
Exactly. For my current job I've been travelling to capitals all over the world, and almost every single one has addressed the housing problem by building upwards. London, on the whole, prefers to sprawl.
We've done this so many times on here it's untrue. Poor antifrank is like Neil having to explain which Trades Unions are affiliated to Labour for the 154th time and always to the same people.
People don't want it.. it's a simple thing to understand.
You don't even know what "it" is. I'll leave this for antifrank and Nick to do, I can't be bothered ploughing yet another load of your posts after last weeks Labour "do the maths" funding stuff.
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Miss Plato, that's another good point I hadn't considered.
And what about shirtless pictures of men? Will magazines aimed at women, or magazines about men's health/fitness be covered up?
"Plato" is correct where will it end ?
Rumours are circulating that the Co-op is thinking of banning the BBC's classical music magazine "Gramophone" after a rather too revealing front cover picture of a Steinway piano leg.
On Topic. To estimate the likely changes in LD MPs, the 2nd most important factor after the voter poll level, is to know in how many seats are LD MPs retiring? AFAIK only 1 has announced, in Dorset. At the start of 2015, 21 LD MPs will be 60+. 12 will be 66+, 6 will be 70. At the start of 2019 12 will be 70+.
Expecting just 1 to retire seems to be well short of the reality. With health issues and facing a very difficult re-election, older sitting MPs may choose to step down and therefore the level of retirements could be higher than average, possibly 10.
One area I'd be looking at is London. It seems likely that Tom Brake, Paul Burstow, Ed Davey, Sarah Teather and Lynne Featherstone will all choose to stand again which leaves Simon Hughes and Vince Cable.
Next year's local elections will be hugely informative but I'd assume both Sarah and Lynne will be facing very tough fights to survive. Simon Hughes defied the Labour landslides of 1997 and 2001 and I would guess if he chose to stand again, he'd probably be re-elected.
As for the other four, the Borough contests in Sutton and Kingston (currently LD held) and Richmond (currently Con held) will be fascinating to follow. The Tories made headway in Sutton in 2006 but were badly mauled in 2010 losing ten seats if memory serves. Tom and Paul were both Councillors before becoming MPs and it will be interesting to see how the locals pan out. I remember the Tories were very bullish about taking control in 2006 but didn't get that close.
After last week's by-election, the LD majority in Kingston is down to 3 but there has always been a strong Labour vote in Norbiton and other parts of North Kingston. It wouldn't surprise me to see the LDs lose control of Kingston next year but that doesn't necessarily mean Ed Davey will lose his seat in 2015.
As for Richmond, it was the LDs who took the beating in 2010 having ousted the Conservatives in 2006. My gut feeling is no change all round with the Tories holding the Borough but Vince Cable surviving (if he chooses to stand) in 2015.
"Destroying the NHS", that's the sort of vacuous statement one would expect from you.
That is what's happening. The Lansley reforms are turning into the disaster predicted.
- 111 a shambles - A&E in meltdown - waiting times rising fast - Needless Privatisations of patches of the service (and we know where they lead...) - Real terms funding cut - Political use of scandal to close well-performing (as we speak) hospitals (like Stafford) and forcing people to travel many many more miles for health services.
Almost unrecognisable from 2010.
Labour of course started this mess with their desire to look all "efficient" (no need for efficiency in a health service). The bulk of the problems inside Stafford et al were due to desire to meet frankly arbitrary financial targets. Financialisation is now proven to be a curse when talking about public services. That curse will bite the Tories on the backside too (as it did in the 90s).
In other news - anyone else noticed the Guardian Newspaper's increasing hostility to Ed?
No need for efficiency in a Health Service? What's it like on Planet Zog?
There is, and always will be, a need for "best practice" and "value for money" exercises. You would be surprised at how odd some clinicians can be and there isn't a magic money tree.
They're moaning down here in Kent about the forthcoming shortage of school spaces - but it was 'New' Labour running around like the good little Thatcherites they were shutting loads down in the last decade despite people endlessly pointing out the increasing birth rates!
Like so much the coalition are destroying right now (eg the NHS) Labour - particularly the vacuous and inept Blairite brand - got there first.
My son, in W Kent, is getting very worried about his son's secondary schooling ..... in last year of Juniors in September, so Sept-Nov or so will be crucial. Poor little chap's doing all sorts of test papers. Not sure what will happen when his daughter gets to that age; three years to go!
Kent has a Grammar School system that is all over the place with the council trying to prevent the gaming of the eleven plus
Thanks for that; I get the impression from my son as well that the grammar schools themselves are "ranked", with different pass marks being required for different schools. Add to that what appears to be a less than always useful public transport system for the children getting to school and the whole thing is a nightmare.
splutter
but why's he applying for a grammar school at all ? As a leftie you should have brought him up to seek equality and just go where he is offered a place. Shouldn't he be against it on principle ?
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Miss Plato, that's another good point I hadn't considered.
And what about shirtless pictures of men? Will magazines aimed at women, or magazines about men's health/fitness be covered up?
"Plato" is correct where will it end ?
Rumours are circulating that the Co-op is thinking of banning the BBC's classical music magazine "Gramophone" after a rather too revealing front cover picture of a Steinway piano leg.
Disgusting !!
This is tricky and frankly a mess of contradictions.
Take the "Sun" page 3 girls. It's become something of a institution and I'm wary of censorship but would I be happy for young children to casually view the pictures out of context .... but then what is the context outwith gawping at large breasts ?!?
Would we accept page 3 if it was in the local paper - but where's the difference ??
They're moaning down here in Kent about the forthcoming shortage of school spaces - but it was 'New' Labour running around like the good little Thatcherites they were shutting loads down in the last decade despite people endlessly pointing out the increasing birth rates!
Like so much the coalition are destroying right now (eg the NHS) Labour - particularly the vacuous and inept Blairite brand - got there first.
My son, in W Kent, is getting very worried about his son's secondary schooling ..... in last year of Juniors in September, so Sept-Nov or so will be crucial. Poor little chap's doing all sorts of test papers. Not sure what will happen when his daughter gets to that age; three years to go!
Kent has a Grammar School system that is all over the place with the council trying to prevent the gaming of the eleven plus
Thanks for that; I get the impression from my son as well that the grammar schools themselves are "ranked", with different pass marks being required for different schools. Add to that what appears to be a less than always useful public transport system for the children getting to school and the whole thing is a nightmare.
splutter
but why's he applying for a grammar school at all ? As a leftie you should have brought him up to seek equality and just go where he is offered a place. Shouldn't he be against it on principle ?
Splutter indeed. Politics seems to alternate in our family. I'm left, elder son is right (ish). However my father, who moved to the right in later life didn't dare join the Conservative club until his father died! Not sure about Gt Grandfathers; believe one was a Liberal and another tried to leave the mines and sell furniture at one stage, so might not have been as red as the rest of the Rhondda, but that was 110 years ago! Both my wife and I are products of the 1950's grammar school system.
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
1000s and 1000s and 1000s of gang rapes committed by a gang culture the political class won't admit exists because their lobbyists don't want the PC narrative messed up.
Just like the grooming gangs.
Thing about all the 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of gang-rapes in London committed by the gang-culture that doesn't exist is the police can't do anything about it without public support and there's no public support because the political class won't admit the problem exists.
So ultimately it's the political class who are responsible for those 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of gang rapes.
"Risqué music videos from artists such as Rihanna appear destined for tighter regulation under recommendations put forward in a new report on the sexualisation of children.
An independent review, produced by the Mothers' Union chief executive Reg Bailey for Prime Minister David Cameron, is expected to call for an age ratings system for music videos to prevent children from being exposed to explicit content"
It reminds me slightly of this quote: "A world which is perfectly safe for the stupidest imaginable wanker is a damned annoying place in which to live for anyone else." -Douglas G. Henke
A world which is perfectly acceptable to the most uptight imaginable puritan is a damned dreary place in which to live for everyone else.
Presumably the Co-op would have us put Michaelangelo's David behind frosted glass.
Page 3 is for me one of those 70s hangovers that is an institution and its a bit of harmless fun. The supposed insights of Kelly from Gt Yarmouth are brilliant. And its a good career for many glamour models.
I find the whole thing about breasts really weird - 50% of the population have them on a serious scale [if we include moobs Heaven knows what the % would be] and the young ladies on display are being paid handsomely to display their wares.
If we as a nation were less No Sex Please We're British - I think it'd be a lot healthier all round - and would probably lead to a less porno-look culture that we have now since all sorts would be on display instead.
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Miss Plato, that's another good point I hadn't considered.
And what about shirtless pictures of men? Will magazines aimed at women, or magazines about men's health/fitness be covered up?
"Plato" is correct where will it end ?
Rumours are circulating that the Co-op is thinking of banning the BBC's classical music magazine "Gramophone" after a rather too revealing front cover picture of a Steinway piano leg.
Disgusting !!
This is tricky and frankly a mess of contradictions.
Take the "Sun" page 3 girls. It's become something of a institution and I'm wary of censorship but would I be happy for young children to casually view the pictures out of context .... but then what is the context outwith gawping at large breasts ?!?
Would we accept page 3 if it was in the local paper - but where's the difference ??
Boys like gawping at large breasts. I remember being on a beach with a friend and her 3 year old son. She had to keep telling him not to stare as a procession of young lovelies strolled past. I blame biology
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Miss Plato, that's another good point I hadn't considered.
And what about shirtless pictures of men? Will magazines aimed at women, or magazines about men's health/fitness be covered up?
"Plato" is correct where will it end ?
Rumours are circulating that the Co-op is thinking of banning the BBC's classical music magazine "Gramophone" after a rather too revealing front cover picture of a Steinway piano leg.
Disgusting !!
This is tricky and frankly a mess of contradictions.
Take the "Sun" page 3 girls. It's become something of a institution and I'm wary of censorship but would I be happy for young children to casually view the pictures out of context .... but then what is the context outwith gawping at large breasts ?!?
Would we accept page 3 if it was in the local paper - but where's the difference ??
It reminds me slightly of this quote: "A world which is perfectly safe for the stupidest imaginable wanker is a damned annoying place in which to live for anyone else." -Douglas G. Henke
A world which is perfectly acceptable to the most uptight imaginable puritan is a damned dreary place in which to live for everyone else.
Presumably the Co-op would have us put Michaelangelo's David behind frosted glass.
How about "The Puritans objected to bear-baiting, not because of the cruelty to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators!"
OT, the evidence has been mounting for a while, but the double-yellow lines thing is the final piece of proof that Conservative Party has clearly been doing its polling and discovered the next election will be decided by a key swing demographic of unbelievably dim-witted cretinous morons.
I suppose Labour are seeing the same thing. Ed Miliband can be pretty aggressive at doing what he needs to win, so I suppose the manifesto will be full of stuff like issuing free helium balloons to children to ease traffic congestion and making the English language easier to learn by abolishing vowels.
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Jihad by stealth?
The religious conservatives seem to be having an effect in some areas - IIRC there are parts of THamlets et al where being gay or showing bare flesh is met with a lot of hostility/posters.
Slipping into Puritianism is very easy - and then when we get close, the backlash pushes us back to the centre but it takes quite a while.
"Risqué music videos from artists such as Rihanna appear destined for tighter regulation under recommendations put forward in a new report on the sexualisation of children.
An independent review, produced by the Mothers' Union chief executive Reg Bailey for Prime Minister David Cameron, is expected to call for an age ratings system for music videos to prevent children from being exposed to explicit content"
"Mothers' Union chief executive Reg Bailey" Eh????
Well at least they're practising equality there - I've no problem with music videos being rated. Some of them have been unsuitable for young teens for a very long time. They're no different to any other medium.
What I find perplexing is the preponderance of fat ugly blokes with no dress sense/covered in trashy gold jewellery/wearing sunglasses in the dark being smothered with nubile young lovelies in gold lame bikinis...
If Sarah Teather wanted to get all upset about something - rap music would be a good place to start. Ho.
"Risqué music videos from artists such as Rihanna appear destined for tighter regulation under recommendations put forward in a new report on the sexualisation of children.
An independent review, produced by the Mothers' Union chief executive Reg Bailey for Prime Minister David Cameron, is expected to call for an age ratings system for music videos to prevent children from being exposed to explicit content"
"Mothers' Union chief executive Reg Bailey" Eh????
Well at least they're practising equality there - I've no problem with music videos being rated. Some of them have been unsuitable for young teens for a very long time. They're no different to any other medium.
What I find perplexing is the preponderance of fat ugly blokes with no dress sense/covered in trashy gold jewellery/wearing sunglasses in the dark being smothered with nubile young lovelies in gold lame bikinis...
If Sarah Teather wanted to get all upset about something - rap music would be a good place to start. Ho.
"What I find perplexing is the preponderance of fat ugly blokes with no dress sense/covered in trashy gold jewellery/wearing sunglasses in the dark being smothered with nubile young lovelies in gold lame bikinis..."
Boys like gawping at large breasts. I remember being on a beach with a friend and her 3 year old son. She had to keep telling him not to stare as a procession of young lovelies strolled past. I blame biology
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Miss Plato, that's another good point I hadn't considered.
And what about shirtless pictures of men? Will magazines aimed at women, or magazines about men's health/fitness be covered up?
"Plato" is correct where will it end ?
Rumours are circulating that the Co-op is thinking of banning the BBC's classical music magazine "Gramophone" after a rather too revealing front cover picture of a Steinway piano leg.
Disgusting !!
This is tricky and frankly a mess of contradictions.
Take the "Sun" page 3 girls. It's become something of a institution and I'm wary of censorship but would I be happy for young children to casually view the pictures out of context .... but then what is the context outwith gawping at large breasts ?!?
Would we accept page 3 if it was in the local paper - but where's the difference ??
If we as a nation were less No Sex Please We're British
Isn't it a bit ironic that we have that reputation, yet our top selling newspaper has a topless woman in it every day. Not sure I know of other examples like that around the world.
Does anyone have good data for what London rents are doing? All I can find are sources that are patchy and unreliable. However, if this company is right then rents have dropped fairly dramatically over the last year in the capital
"Residential rents are falling in the capital, according to the latest rental index from Move With Us. Since the middle of 2012, rents have dropped by ten per cent year-on-year in London. While the pace of decline slowed in Q2 2013, it is a trend that could be worrying for landlords in the city hoping to enjoy strong rents.
In the third quarter of 2012, rents fell by 4.9 per cent, before dropping a further 2.22 per cent Q4. In Q1 2013 a 1.69 per cent decline was noted, followed by a 0.85 per cent loss in Q2. "
OT, the evidence has been mounting for a while, but the double-yellow lines thing is the final piece of proof that Conservative Party has clearly been doing its polling and discovered the next election will be decided by a key swing demographic of unbelievably dim-witted cretinous morons.
I suppose Labour are seeing the same thing. Ed Miliband can be pretty aggressive at doing what he needs to win, so I suppose the manifesto will be full of stuff like issuing free helium balloons to children to ease traffic congestion and making the English language easier to learn by abolishing vowels.
That's madness. Who decides what's dangerous, or acceptable? We have a hell of a job getting down some streets as it is, without some numpty getting the go ahead to park on double yellows whenever they want.
A basic housing problem in Britain is that - thanks to the architectural atrocities of the post-war era - we are very reluctant to build upwards. But in a society that needs lots of one and two bedroom flats, it's by far the most efficient way to get high density housing.
Absolutely right.
This is where you spend the next few hours explaining that London isn't densely populated and countering the idea that everyone in a city needs a garden that they can then tarmac over and put a car on.
Exactly. For my current job I've been travelling to capitals all over the world, and almost every single one has addressed the housing problem by building upwards. London, on the whole, prefers to sprawl.
That is true (I remember a stat that London is the greenest 'old' capital city in the world due to all the parks).
However, that is currently our culture. Rightly or wrongly, owning bricks n' mortar mean a great deal to us Brits, as do gardens. And high-rise living has a poor reputation after the travesties of the sixties and seventies (and the tenements before that). There is also the problem in London of the 'skyline' (e.g. the sighlines to St Pauls) being seen of vast importance.
In addition, listed building laws create many problems for developers in our towns and cities (and rightly so IMHO).
It is different in many parts of the continent, but it is a cultural thing. It will take many years to change it.
When you went around these capitals, did you ask yourself how good the urban planning was? As I have said on here repeatedly, housing is about much more than just residences. It's easy to build houses or flats. It's much harder to build a good home.
"Almost four-fifths of the jobs created in the UK over the past three years have been in industries where the wage is below £7.95 an hour."
'Have been in industries' is a strange wording. Is there some underlying assumption between that and saying that 'approximately 4/5ths of jobs have been for under £7.95 an hour?
What proportion of all jobs are for under £7.95/hour by comparison?
It's weird isn't it? We love titillation - just look at the Carry On series or Benny Hill etc, but we hide it when challenged by getting all Mary Whitehouse.
That we're back in the 70s/80s is just bizarre - from unions getting out of their prams to wanting to ban *smut* and Labour droning on re Class War.
I've no idea what's caused all this - but I wish it would end. I've no desire to go backwards here. Just thinking about Eric and Ernie sharing a bed and there being no overt gay references is a novelty.
If we as a nation were less No Sex Please We're British
Isn't it a bit ironic that we have that reputation, yet our top selling newspaper has a topless woman in it every day. Not sure I know of other examples like that around the world.
OT, the evidence has been mounting for a while, but the double-yellow lines thing is the final piece of proof that Conservative Party has clearly been doing its polling and discovered the next election will be decided by a key swing demographic of unbelievably dim-witted cretinous morons.
I suppose Labour are seeing the same thing. Ed Miliband can be pretty aggressive at doing what he needs to win, so I suppose the manifesto will be full of stuff like issuing free helium balloons to children to ease traffic congestion and making the English language easier to learn by abolishing vowels.
I assume some Tory briefed it in a pub when very drunk
Conservative ministers want to issue new guidelines before the general election to encourage councils to consider a grace period of between five and fifteen minutes on double yellow lines.
But the BBC News Channel's chief political correspondent Norman Smith said the Lib Dems believed the idea was "unworkable" and that no agreement had been reached.
Or a Lib Dem seeking to make the Tories look like cretinous morons.
If it was just this I'd agree with you, but it's one of a series of ideas that seem to have come from a carefully-selected focus group of fuckwits. I often disagree with the government but it wasn't like this before - I'm sure it's a coordinated strategy based on polling data.
Andy Burnham @andyburnhammp 2m Sad news about NHS Direct. One of this Government's worst acts of vandalism.
Deliberate too by Lansley. Wanted to abolish it for ideological reasons, tried to get rid, research told him it saved much more than it cost so he deliberately undermined it instead. Jeremy Chum took over and was too clueless to know what was going on so rolled out 111 despite warnings flagged up in the pilot studies.
The reaction on the thread to this double yellow lines thing is an an unusually visceral response to what is just a simple suggestion made with the best of intentions.
'Another stunning scoop from Westminster’s finest political editor. Fresh from his “someone was mean to me on the internet” splash a few months back this journalist of unrivalled political acumen has revealed in the Observer that leaders of rival political parties are not welcome in the secure zones of their rival’s conferences. So Farage will not be allowed to speak at Tory conference, nor presumably will Ed Miliband. This narrative smashing revelation is surely worthy of some sort of prize? Lets all give Toby Helm a big round of applause…'
Some wag on Twitter has been posting pix of female magazine covers that are smothered with ladies in skimpy bikinis with added sex tips. The Coop have lost their minds. This is making Mary Whitehouse look liberal.
My title bets are looking a bit dodgy this year. Confident Red Bull will win (evens), but I'm red if Vettel does (or Alonso, but I'm thinking that's less likely now).
Got a potential bet in mind but there's a gap between back and lay for it. If the gap narrows pleasingly I'll make it.
I can see their point of view... but by that logic children should never be taken to the beach in case they see a woman wearing a bikini. Unless they're on the beach in Saudi Arabia, obviously.
It is just beginning to cross the line into Puritanism isn't it..
Some wag on Twitter has been posting pix of female magazine covers that are smothered with ladies in skimpy bikinis with added sex tips. The Coop have lost their minds. This is making Mary Whitehouse look liberal.
My title bets are looking a bit dodgy this year. Confident Red Bull will win (evens), but I'm red if Vettel does (or Alonso, but I'm thinking that's less likely now).
Got a potential bet in mind but there's a gap between back and lay for it. If the gap narrows pleasingly I'll make it.
I can see their point of view... but by that logic children should never be taken to the beach in case they see a woman wearing a bikini. Unless they're on the beach in Saudi Arabia, obviously.
It is just beginning to cross the line into Puritanism isn't it..
Sex sells. It has done since the dawn of mankind.
It's an interesting example of how feminism and social conservatism can sometimes end up on the same side (prostitution is another).
Looking at the above figures it's surely obvious that thanks to Tory recent history they have a glass ceiling of around 36% which can't possibly give them a majority.
JackW, I thought that might be the case, especially in Scotland with the current dire polling for the Libdems. There is no doubt that in seats like Gordon, its Malcolm Bruce's personal incumbency that will help secure the seat for the Libdems at the next GE. Especially as the window of opportunity for announcing they would be stepping down that allowed for candidate selection and a new PPC to embed locally must be just be about closed now?
On Topic. To estimate the likely changes in LD MPs, the 2nd most important factor after the voter poll level, is to know in how many seats are LD MPs retiring? AFAIK only 1 has announced, in Dorset. At the start of 2015, 21 LD MPs will be 60+. 12 will be 66+, 6 will be 70. At the start of 2019 12 will be 70+.
Expecting just 1 to retire seems to be well short of the reality. With health issues and facing a very difficult re-election, older sitting MPs may choose to step down and therefore the level of retirements could be higher than average, possibly 10.
My understanding from yellow peril sources (it's wise to keep channels open to the new model Whigs .... as opposed to Mike Smithson's new model wig !!) is that many of the expected age related retirees are prepared to take one for the team and serve another term in the expectation that, as shown in the thread leader, they'll be able to fend of the electoral challenge far better.
Page 3 is for me one of those 70s hangovers that is an institution and its a bit of harmless fun. The supposed insights of Kelly from Gt Yarmouth are brilliant. And its a good career for many glamour models.
I find the whole thing about breasts really weird - 50% of the population have them on a serious scale [if we include moobs Heaven knows what the % would be] and the young ladies on display are being paid handsomely to display their wares.
If we as a nation were less No Sex Please We're British - I think it'd be a lot healthier all round - and would probably lead to a less porno-look culture that we have now since all sorts would be on display instead.
It's truly bizarre - where has this Nu Puritanism sprung from?
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Miss Plato, that's another good point I hadn't considered.
And what about shirtless pictures of men? Will magazines aimed at women, or magazines about men's health/fitness be covered up?
"Plato" is correct where will it end ?
Rumours are circulating that the Co-op is thinking of banning the BBC's classical music magazine "Gramophone" after a rather too revealing front cover picture of a Steinway piano leg.
Disgusting !!
This is tricky and frankly a mess of contradictions.
Take the "Sun" page 3 girls. It's become something of a institution and I'm wary of censorship but would I be happy for young children to casually view the pictures out of context .... but then what is the context outwith gawping at large breasts ?!?
Would we accept page 3 if it was in the local paper - but where's the difference ??
Comments
And otherwise sensible heads are being sucked into it at an alarming rate - the Coop giving lad's mags publishers 6 weeks to conform to *modesty* bags is just WTF.
I recall Angelina Jolie commenting on some idiot complaining that her nipples were visible through her jumpsuit on a Tomb Raider poster. They said the posters *weren't child friendly* = her response what do you think they are for??"
Next year's local elections will be hugely informative but I'd assume both Sarah and Lynne will be facing very tough fights to survive. Simon Hughes defied the Labour landslides of 1997 and 2001 and I would guess if he chose to stand again, he'd probably be re-elected.
As for the other four, the Borough contests in Sutton and Kingston (currently LD held) and Richmond (currently Con held) will be fascinating to follow. The Tories made headway in Sutton in 2006 but were badly mauled in 2010 losing ten seats if memory serves. Tom and Paul were both Councillors before becoming MPs and it will be interesting to see how the locals pan out. I remember the Tories were very bullish about taking control in 2006 but didn't get that close.
After last week's by-election, the LD majority in Kingston is down to 3 but there has always been a strong Labour vote in Norbiton and other parts of North Kingston. It wouldn't surprise me to see the LDs lose control of Kingston next year but that doesn't necessarily mean Ed Davey will lose his seat in 2015.
As for Richmond, it was the LDs who took the beating in 2010 having ousted the Conservatives in 2006. My gut feeling is no change all round with the Tories holding the Borough but Vince Cable surviving (if he chooses to stand) in 2015.
Yer ferking bank is bust chaps ! - focus on that not teenage jazz mags.
There is, and always will be, a need for "best practice" and "value for money" exercises. You would be surprised at how odd some clinicians can be and there isn't a magic money tree.
but why's he applying for a grammar school at all ? As a leftie you should have brought him up to seek equality and just go where he is offered a place. Shouldn't he be against it on principle ?
Take the "Sun" page 3 girls. It's become something of a institution and I'm wary of censorship but would I be happy for young children to casually view the pictures out of context .... but then what is the context outwith gawping at large breasts ?!?
Would we accept page 3 if it was in the local paper - but where's the difference ??
Not sure about Gt Grandfathers; believe one was a Liberal and another tried to leave the mines and sell furniture at one stage, so might not have been as red as the rest of the Rhondda, but that was 110 years ago!
Both my wife and I are products of the 1950's grammar school system.
So ultimately it's the political class who are responsible for those 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of gang rapes.
"A world which is perfectly safe for the stupidest imaginable wanker is a damned annoying place in which to live for anyone else."
-Douglas G. Henke
A world which is perfectly acceptable to the most uptight imaginable puritan is a damned dreary place in which to live for everyone else.
Presumably the Co-op would have us put Michaelangelo's David behind frosted glass.
I find the whole thing about breasts really weird - 50% of the population have them on a serious scale [if we include moobs Heaven knows what the % would be] and the young ladies on display are being paid handsomely to display their wares.
If we as a nation were less No Sex Please We're British - I think it'd be a lot healthier all round - and would probably lead to a less porno-look culture that we have now since all sorts would be on display instead.
I remember being on a beach with a friend and her 3 year old son.
She had to keep telling him not to stare as a procession of young lovelies strolled past.
I blame biology
I suppose Labour are seeing the same thing. Ed Miliband can be pretty aggressive at doing what he needs to win, so I suppose the manifesto will be full of stuff like issuing free helium balloons to children to ease traffic congestion and making the English language easier to learn by abolishing vowels.
Slipping into Puritianism is very easy - and then when we get close, the backlash pushes us back to the centre but it takes quite a while.
What I find perplexing is the preponderance of fat ugly blokes with no dress sense/covered in trashy gold jewellery/wearing sunglasses in the dark being smothered with nubile young lovelies in gold lame bikinis...
If Sarah Teather wanted to get all upset about something - rap music would be a good place to start. Ho.
You've been reading Private Eye again! Almost!
Probably best if a party leader wasn't tapping up such companies for cash over dinner eh ?
"Residential rents are falling in the capital, according to the latest rental index from Move With Us. Since the middle of 2012, rents have dropped by ten per cent year-on-year in London. While the pace of decline slowed in Q2 2013, it is a trend that could be worrying for landlords in the city hoping to enjoy strong rents.
In the third quarter of 2012, rents fell by 4.9 per cent, before dropping a further 2.22 per cent Q4. In Q1 2013 a 1.69 per cent decline was noted, followed by a 0.85 per cent loss in Q2. "
http://www.bridgepoint-ventures.com/media-center/opinion/residential-rents-falling-in-london/
That's madness. Who decides what's dangerous, or acceptable? We have a hell of a job getting down some streets as it is, without some numpty getting the go ahead to park on double yellows whenever they want.
However, that is currently our culture. Rightly or wrongly, owning bricks n' mortar mean a great deal to us Brits, as do gardens. And high-rise living has a poor reputation after the travesties of the sixties and seventies (and the tenements before that). There is also the problem in London of the 'skyline' (e.g. the sighlines to St Pauls) being seen of vast importance.
In addition, listed building laws create many problems for developers in our towns and cities (and rightly so IMHO).
It is different in many parts of the continent, but it is a cultural thing. It will take many years to change it.
When you went around these capitals, did you ask yourself how good the urban planning was? As I have said on here repeatedly, housing is about much more than just residences. It's easy to build houses or flats. It's much harder to build a good home.
'Have been in industries' is a strange wording. Is there some underlying assumption between that and saying that 'approximately 4/5ths of jobs have been for under £7.95 an hour?
What proportion of all jobs are for under £7.95/hour by comparison?
That we're back in the 70s/80s is just bizarre - from unions getting out of their prams to wanting to ban *smut* and Labour droning on re Class War.
I've no idea what's caused all this - but I wish it would end. I've no desire to go backwards here. Just thinking about Eric and Ernie sharing a bed and there being no overt gay references is a novelty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Daz9fFrL-Y
There's also another "couple" involving an Ernie - Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHUOZWu7soY
Andy Burnham @andyburnhammp 2m
Sad news about NHS Direct. One of this Government's worst acts of vandalism.
Sad news about mid Staffs one of New Labour's worst acts of vandalism,negligence & incompetence.
'Another stunning scoop from Westminster’s finest political editor. Fresh from his “someone was mean to me on the internet” splash a few months back this journalist of unrivalled political acumen has revealed in the Observer that leaders of rival political parties are not welcome in the secure zones of their rival’s conferences. So Farage will not be allowed to speak at Tory conference, nor presumably will Ed Miliband. This narrative smashing revelation is surely worthy of some sort of prize? Lets all give Toby Helm a big round of applause…'
Stunning journalism from Toby Helm though.