Back on topic, if only I'd had a good enough body to pose nude in an adult mag.
Perhaps we should have a PB Posters Nude Posing Calendar for 2015 .... all very tasteful :
Mr January - Mike Smithson with strategically placed "Winning Here" placard Mrs February - Fitalass and some pussy Mr March - JohnO and carefully place Bournmouth rail ticket Mr April - MikeK chained to a cooker - knobs covering his .... er .... switches. Mr May - Nick Palmer - A ballot paper saving his deposit Mr June - SeanT - Reposing over his first edition Mr July - Andrea - First among equals Mr August - Neil - Green with envy in a fig leaf Mr September - Stuart Dickson - A vegetable among men - Some Swede. Mr October - Morris Dancer - Wiffle sticks can't hide the truth Mr November - JackW - His erection to the peerage well supported. Mr December - Peter the Punter - wagering there's more to him than meets your eyes.
For January it would have to be a very large placard
Well of course Mike .... it's a very large bald patch ....
Baldness is supposedly linked to virility.
I'm not going to rise to this although it is very hard.
As far as Cheltenham is concerned, it's a wonderful week for the jumping fans but I'm less sure about it from a punting perspective. So much of the form this winter has been on slow or very deep ground and it will be very different at Prestbury this afternoon.
There will be those who have enjoyed the bottomless ground this winter and will struggle today while others will find huge improvement on today's surface.
ROCK ON RUBY tempts me in the Arkle but I'm not convinced his jumping will stand up to the real scrutiny it will get today and the same is true of GRANDOUET.
The Champion is a proper championship race and of the main fancies I've been keen on OUR CONOR for some time. He will love today's ground and his emphatic win in last season's Triumph marked him for me as one to follow round here which suits so much better than Leopardstown.
That will probably be my only bet today as the other races are really for the needy and greedy as betting propositions though fantastic to watch and savour.
It's the old thing that you get old men and you get fat men, but you don't get many old fat, men. Sad to see him go. He had very different political views from myself but he would always engage honestly in argument, which is more than you can say for a lot of political figures.
As far as Cheltenham is concerned, it's a wonderful week for the jumping fans but I'm less sure about it from a punting perspective. So much of the form this winter has been on slow or very deep ground and it will be very different at Prestbury this afternoon.
There will be those who have enjoyed the bottomless ground this winter and will struggle today while others will find huge improvement on today's surface.
ROCK ON RUBY tempts me in the Arkle but I'm not convinced his jumping will stand up to the real scrutiny it will get today and the same is true of GRANDOUET.
The Champion is a proper championship race and of the main fancies I've been keen on OUR CONOR for some time. He will love today's ground and his emphatic win in last season's Triumph marked him for me as one to follow round here which suits so much better than Leopardstown.
That will probably be my only bet today as the other races are really for the needy and greedy as betting propositions though fantastic to watch and savour.
Raceclear has recommended 'Our Connor' too. Advised 4-1 Backed E/W (10/3) with Ladbrokes who do money back if Hurricane Fly finishes 1st or 2nd. I think he goes off longer though. He is my only Champ Hurdle bet except Annie Power but she was refunded (NRNB kicked in)
Hard to believe that Bob Crow is dead, (heart attack?) he was sunning himself on a Brazilian beach only weeks ago.
Et mortuus est in unione boss
What's the that got to do with anything? My neighbour was "sunning himself" on a yacht in the Med the day he died. Maybe "sunning yourself" is too dangerous?
Hard to believe that Bob Crow is dead, (heart attack?) he was sunning himself on a Brazilian beach only weeks ago.
Et mortuus est in unione boss
What's the that got to do with anything? My neighbour was "sunning himself" on a yacht in the Med the day he died. Maybe "sunning yourself" is too dangerous?
Ferociously busy lives don't excuse compromising the integrity of the vote for convenience. As for evidence postal voting is so bad it would (and I quote a judge 'disgrace a banana republic'.
Mr. Financier, that's certainly where they came from but at a certain point peoples change, just as the Anglo-Saxons became the English.
Also we could improve convenience in a multitude of other ways to make up for restricting postal voting. Move it from Thursdays to two-day voting on Fridays and Saturdays would ensure virtually everyone could vote. Somehow the Left doesn't seem interested in this. But I suppose it would restrict community elders and family patriarchs enforcing voting on bloc for the Labour party.
As always in these discussions, it's not mentioned how proxy voting is just as abused as postal voting. This is quite a shocking foreign corruption of our democracy:
We also need to eliminate the right of Commonwealth citizens to vote. Why on Earth should Kenyan immigrants get voting rights while American immigrants don't?
Hard to believe that Bob Crow is dead, (heart attack?) he was sunning himself on a Brazilian beach only weeks ago.
Et mortuus est in unione boss
What's the that got to do with anything? My neighbour was "sunning himself" on a yacht in the Med the day he died. Maybe "sunning yourself" is too dangerous?
My, my. We are touchy this morning. aren't we.
Not really, it was just a snidey, shitty little comment.
Anytime someone like Bob Crow dies early, I'm more and more glad that I'm going to the gym, and looking after myself a bit more now I'm in my 30s... All that beer and sandwiches must have caught up with him.
52 is way too young...and that's a shame, politics and beliefs don't even come into it...
Off topic, two things about Evan Davis and his Zipf law on city sizes.
1) It's very dubious. While you can find countries it works for, you can find plenty of countries it doesn't come close to working for.
2) If you treat London as the first and second city (allocating its population in the ratio 2:1), it works quite well for Britain. So perhaps that's the answer to what's the second city in Britain: London, first and second.
Well, durr!
Of course London as we conceive of it today is multiple cities.
The City of London and the City of Westminster being the most obvious, plus multiple hamlets to the north (e.g. Hampstead) and west (e.g. Kensington)
Interesting choice of examples! What about the south (Croydon) or east (Bow)?
Hard to believe that Bob Crow is dead, (heart attack?) he was sunning himself on a Brazilian beach only weeks ago.
Et mortuus est in unione boss
What's the that got to do with anything? My neighbour was "sunning himself" on a yacht in the Med the day he died. Maybe "sunning yourself" is too dangerous?
My, my. We are touchy this morning. aren't we.
Not really, it was just a snidey, shitty little comment.
No it wasn't! You are reading into things that are not there. Even you call yourself "twisted".
For the last day, various forums have been commenting on the fact that one of the areas being searched for the missing 777 were in the Strait of Malacca, on the other side of the Malay peninsula and a good 200-300 miles from where the plane was last spotted. The BBC have just said that radar tracked the plane all the way to the Straits.
If so, this is a significant development as they would have passed over land. Perhaps the pilots knew they had a problem, and were attempting to get back to Kuala Lumpa? If so, then why was there no radio comms?
It'd be interesting to know if the plane was tracked by primary radar (i.e. radar->plane reflection->receiver) rather than secondary via the plane's transponder. If it's taken this long to come out, I suspect it might be primary military radar, perhaps from another country that has been loathed to pass over the data. Or the data was very vague and they've had to do analysis (perhaps by aggregating the radar returns from several countries?)
Two guesses: a 777 was written off a few years back after a cockpit fire that was never properly explained. Was there a fire that knocked out comms (again, this has happened before in flight), but allowed the plane to continue flying?
The other guess is an attempted hijacking, where they managed to turn off the transponder and ACARS.
OK - for you petrolheads out there. Advice needed on cars. Specifically, which is best city runabout car which could, if necessary, be used by 19 year old daughter without me fainting at insurance cost?
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
OUR CONOR 11/2 with Paddy Power so that's a fair e/w bet.
Sad to hear about Bob Crow - as others have said, a man who fought for his union and while he wouldn't have been popular with everyone in London, it's still a shock especially as I'm only a year or so older. I hope his family are allowed to grieve for the man they knew who was I suspect very different from the depictions in some of the media.
OK - for you petrolheads out there. Advice needed on cars. Specifically, which is best city runabout car which could, if necessary, be used by 19 year old daughter without me fainting at insurance cost?
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
RIP Bob Crow: 52 is far too young.
Cars for kids are expensive to insure, full stop. Strangely, I believe that old classics like the Ford Anglia, old school Mini and suchlike are among the cheapest to insure. Modern cars such as a couple of year old Fiesta or Clio are the next best. Best thing for a young driver is to get a reliable knacker that they won't need to claim on if there is a bump with a wall or ditch with no third party involved. Things like black boxes and getting lots of family members on the insurance as named drivers help too.
Anything sporty is going to be costly to insure if your daughter hasn't had a licence long, even as a named driver, I've found out recently.
for the man they knew who was I suspect very different from the depictions in some of the media.
I'm not sure. My suspicion is that he was probably exactly how he appeared in the media, and that's why a lot of people liked him. What you saw was what you got. It's a huge difference to the PRified Clegg-Cameron-Milibands of this world.
OK - for you petrolheads out there. Advice needed on cars. Specifically, which is best city runabout car which could, if necessary, be used by 19 year old daughter without me fainting at insurance cost?
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
RIP Bob Crow: 52 is far too young.
SeanT will wax lyrical about a Mini (which given the size of the modern ones should really be the Mediumi).
We drive a Honda Jazz. It's not exactly a sports car, and has a lot of road noise, but it's surprisingly roomy and tends to have low insurance as it's often driven by geriatrics. My automatic has flappy-paddle gearshifts so I can pretend I'm in an F1 car. I've also had it up to 105MPH on the autobahn.
It's also fairly economical, especially when compared to the more illustrious makes I've driven, and it's an easy drive in the city.
Gloria del Piero is a former glamour/nude model. Many MPs will have taken at least E at some point I should imagine.
That anyone even cares about such stuff is terrifically depressing.
Live and let live.
Caring about politicians breaking the law is "depressing"?
I have little to no interest in what any politician did before public life.
Once your in office then you probably try to set an example, but we're all human, and we're all young once..
What if they had murdered someone?
To be honest, I think it's hard to answer all these questions without knowing more. I've got no problem with someone having been a communist at 15 if they weren't aware of the mass human suffering causing by tyrants like Mao and Stalin and later apologized. If they were 21 on the other hand, and never said sorry, then it's a different matter.
On the matter of insurance: Mrs J only learnt to drive five or so years ago, when in her early thirties. Once she passed her test, I rang up the insurance company to add her name to the policy and expected a hefty fee.
Instead we got a small rebate. How can adding a new driver - even a middle aged one - reduce a policy that already seemed fairly low?
If I do get a sports car the Daughter will be allowed nowhere near it.
I did think of a Mini - we used to have a 60's Riley Elf which we drove around Cumbria. It overheated like mad so once you got to the top of a hill you had to freewheel down with the heating on and the windows open to stop the thing blowing up. It was bonkers and exhilarating. I like the Fiat 500 (used to drive one round Naples years ago) but all the other small cars are pretty uninspiring.
Off topic, two things about Evan Davis and his Zipf law on city sizes.
1) It's very dubious. While you can find countries it works for, you can find plenty of countries it doesn't come close to working for.
2) If you treat London as the first and second city (allocating its population in the ratio 2:1), it works quite well for Britain. So perhaps that's the answer to what's the second city in Britain: London, first and second.
Well, durr!
Of course London as we conceive of it today is multiple cities.
The City of London and the City of Westminster being the most obvious, plus multiple hamlets to the north (e.g. Hampstead) and west (e.g. Kensington)
Interesting choice of examples! What about the south (Croydon) or east (Bow)?
Croydon I thought about because it went for city status recently (but believe it got knocked back?). Bow is part of Tower Hamlets - I would include them as part of the City of London (or at least associated with) as they grew up because of the City, rather than independently.
(I also know north and west London better - nothing more sinister than that)
Gloria del Piero is a former glamour/nude model. Many MPs will have taken at least E at some point I should imagine.
That anyone even cares about such stuff is terrifically depressing.
Live and let live.
Caring about politicians breaking the law is "depressing"?
I have little to no interest in what any politician did before public life.
Once your in office then you probably try to set an example, but we're all human, and we're all young once..
What if they had murdered someone?
To be honest, I think it's hard to answer all these questions without knowing more. I've got no problem with someone having been a communist at 15 if they weren't aware of the mass human suffering causing by tyrants like Mao and Stalin and later apologized. If they were 21 on the other hand, and never said sorry, then it's a different matter.
I prefer to see this as a "do they have a case to answer?". On the adult mag & shoplifting questions the answer must for me be "no", far right/far left "yes", and so on.
OK - for you petrolheads out there. Advice needed on cars. Specifically, which is best city runabout car which could, if necessary, be used by 19 year old daughter without me fainting at insurance cost?
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
RIP Bob Crow: 52 is far too young.
SeanT will wax lyrical about a Mini (which given the size of the modern ones should really be the Mediumi).
We drive a Honda Jazz. It's not exactly a sports car, and has a lot of road noise, but it's surprisingly roomy and tends to have low insurance as it's often driven by geriatrics. My automatic has flappy-paddle gearshifts so I can pretend I'm in an F1 car. I've also had it up to 105MPH on the autobahn.
It's also fairly economical, especially when compared to the more illustrious makes I've driven, and it's an easy drive in the city.
I'm afraid I really will wax lyrical about the Mini: it's the perfect city car, incredibly nippy and great for parking, but it's also BMW smooth on long rides (I can drive to Cornwall no problem) and yet seriously sporty and rorty if you go for the beefier versions: the Cooper S, or, even better Cooper S JCW (that's my version, and I've taken it to 128mph - on Xmas Day, on an empty M5 (don't tell anyone)) - it will easily do 140mph.
HOWEVER - this is the big drawback - space is at a premium, i.e., there isn't any. You can squeeze four adults in, but you couldn't take two adults and two kids, on holiday, with bags, no way.
This is no problem for me, I only have one kid in the UK. For others it's a killer.
AND they are expensive.
Thanks: I will look into it. I wouldn't buy it for long family holidays. It's more for city use and the occasional longer trips. The number of times all 5 of us are in the car at the same time is pretty small and in London taxis are perfectly adequate.
Instead we got a small rebate. How can adding a new driver - even a middle aged one - reduce a policy that already seemed fairly low?
The more 'Mrs' J drives the car....the less 'Mr' J drives it......actuarially speaking.......
Sad news about Bob Crowe - at least you knew whose side he was on
That's true, putting me, the Mrs, all surviving grandparents, plus older brothers on my 17 year old's insurance did make a significant dent in the over 2 grand the insurance company originally quoted for a 10 year old Renault Clio!
Aneurysm and a massive heart attack according to Guido - so my guess was right. A shame.
Let this be a warning to all fat bastards to cut down on the pies and hit the gym a bit more. What a waste. 52 is too young.
(BTW I do indeed think Crow was an utter *&^% - but he fought his corner consistently and honestly, which is at least a refreshing change from most 'bend in the wind' politicians. He could be respected if not liked or appeased.)
Hallett LJ has been appointed to conduct the review into the "on the runs" scheme conducted by the Northern Ireland Office. The terms of reference are:
*to produce a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for OTRs; * to determine whether any letters sent through the scheme contained errors; and * to make recommendation as necessary on this or related matters that are drawn to the attention of the inquiry.
The sad reality is that the less respect a political activist has for their opponents, the harder they'll work for their party of choice & the more they'll donate, whether in time or money.
This applies right across the spectrum. Human nature is by no means all pleasant.
OK - for you petrolheads out there. Advice needed on cars. Specifically, which is best city runabout car which could, if necessary, be used by 19 year old daughter without me fainting at insurance cost?
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
RIP Bob Crow: 52 is far too young.
Be hard to get sporty one and reasonable insurance. Mini convertible is nice if you avoid the Cooper S. Often Peugot / Renault / Citroen do deals with insurance and servicing included, that could be good deal if no exclusions. Personally I would want as modern a car as possible from safety aspect. So mini , renault Clio , etc. Mini is excellent to drive.
OK - for you petrolheads out there. Advice needed on cars. Specifically, which is best city runabout car which could, if necessary, be used by 19 year old daughter without me fainting at insurance cost?
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
RIP Bob Crow: 52 is far too young.
SeanT will wax lyrical about a Mini (which given the size of the modern ones should really be the Mediumi).
We drive a Honda Jazz. It's not exactly a sports car, and has a lot of road noise, but it's surprisingly roomy and tends to have low insurance as it's often driven by geriatrics. My automatic has flappy-paddle gearshifts so I can pretend I'm in an F1 car. I've also had it up to 105MPH on the autobahn.
It's also fairly economical, especially when compared to the more illustrious makes I've driven, and it's an easy drive in the city.
Her daughter will not want to be seen dead in a Jazz.
One of the complainants in R v Evans MP sent the defendant an email advising him to "stay strong" after his arrest on suspicion of rape.
Mike McCarthy @skynewsnorth 26 mins Alleged victim tells court: "When Nigel #Evans was arrested for rape I couldn't believe it. I sent him an email saying "stay strong."
Since when was taking your kit off illegal? As for drugs, their prohibition has been the cause of crime, as you know.
I never said taking your kit off was illegal. As for driugs, just because prohibition causes crime doesn't excuse the fact that you're still breaking the law to do them.
Gloria del Piero is a former glamour/nude model. Many MPs will have taken at least E at some point I should imagine.
That anyone even cares about such stuff is terrifically depressing.
Live and let live.
Caring about politicians breaking the law is "depressing"?
I have little to no interest in what any politician did before public life.
Once your in office then you probably try to set an example, but we're all human, and we're all young once..
What if they had murdered someone?
To be honest, I think it's hard to answer all these questions without knowing more. I've got no problem with someone having been a communist at 15 if they weren't aware of the mass human suffering causing by tyrants like Mao and Stalin and later apologized. If they were 21 on the other hand, and never said sorry, then it's a different matter.
I prefer to see this as a "do they have a case to answer?". On the adult mag & shoplifting questions the answer must for me be "no", far right/far left "yes", and so on.
Why must the answer for shoplifting be "no"? Shoplifting is worse than drug use even. You're actually depriving people of their property.
I came on here this morning expecting a good selection of tips for the first day of the Cheltenham meeting. With one or two notable exceptions there's nothing on this thread ....... just where have all those PB.com punters gone?
First day of Cheltenham.Some fair betting opportunities-the best prices on today's Champion Hurdle has a 98% overound,big markets, including the Tote, and quarter odds each-way betting. Certainly the best value week in horse race betting and lots of individual bookie offers too.Paddy Power are refunding stakes on the 2nd,3rd and 4th in the Supreme at 1.30 as an example. Good luck to all punters.
Since when was taking your kit off illegal? As for drugs, their prohibition has been the cause of crime, as you know.
I never said taking your kit off was illegal. As for driugs, just because prohibition causes crime doesn't excuse the fact that you're still breaking the law to do them.
I don't mind a politician having done drugs if they are honest about it, are making the case for decriminalisation/have a convincing explanation for why they have concluded it was a mistake.
It's the hypocrisy around it that I find unpleasant.
Since when was taking your kit off illegal? As for drugs, their prohibition has been the cause of crime, as you know.
I never said taking your kit off was illegal. As for driugs, just because prohibition causes crime doesn't excuse the fact that you're still breaking the law to do them.
I don't mind a politician having done drugs if they are honest about it, are making the case for decriminalisation/have a convincing explanation for why they have concluded it was a mistake.
It's the hypocrisy around it that I find unpleasant.
Let me apply this to another issue. If I think that current tax policy is wrong, and that income tax should be 25% rather 45%, and I provide an coherent explanation for why I believe that, does that then make it ok for me to avoid paying the marginal 20% extra? No, it does not. We are a country of laws. If that law is wrong, then by all means lobby to change it. But you can't unilaterally obey what you think the law should be. (With an obvious exception for civil disobedience as a political protest.)
I may not have agreed with Bob Crow, but he did well by his members and that is what union bosses should be doing. The likes of Len could learn a few things for him rather than fighting politically motivated battles with the government.
Now - what do the Brains Trust recommend for a sports car for Mum who is a bit tired of always being thought of as Mum, as opposed to the fantastically fun, sexy, freewheeling spirit she really is........?
OK - for you petrolheads out there. Advice needed on cars. Specifically, which is best city runabout car which could, if necessary, be used by 19 year old daughter without me fainting at insurance cost?
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
RIP Bob Crow: 52 is far too young.
Cars for kids are expensive to insure, full stop. Strangely, I believe that old classics like the Ford Anglia, old school Mini and suchlike are among the cheapest to insure. Modern cars such as a couple of year old Fiesta or Clio are the next best. Best thing for a young driver is to get a reliable knacker that they won't need to claim on if there is a bump with a wall or ditch with no third party involved. Things like black boxes and getting lots of family members on the insurance as named drivers help too.
Anything sporty is going to be costly to insure if your daughter hasn't had a licence long, even as a named driver, I've found out recently.
If you can find one, a Citroen 2CV is quite a fun drive, and with a 602cc engine, it should be rock bottom insurance group. They're prone to rust so you'd want to check the floor-footwells before buying one.
Now - what do the Brains Trust recommend for a sports car for Mum who is a bit tired of always being thought of as Mum, as opposed to the fantastically fun, sexy, freewheeling spirit she really is........?
Now - what do the Brains Trust recommend for a sports car for Mum who is a bit tired of always being thought of as Mum, as opposed to the fantastically fun, sexy, freewheeling spirit she really is........?
Since when was taking your kit off illegal? As for drugs, their prohibition has been the cause of crime, as you know.
I never said taking your kit off was illegal. As for driugs, just because prohibition causes crime doesn't excuse the fact that you're still breaking the law to do them.
I don't mind a politician having done drugs if they are honest about it, are making the case for decriminalisation/have a convincing explanation for why they have concluded it was a mistake.
It's the hypocrisy around it that I find unpleasant.
Let me apply this to another issue. If I think that current tax policy is wrong, and that income tax should be 25% rather 45%, and I provide an coherent explanation for why I believe that, does that then make it ok for me to avoid paying the marginal 20% extra? No, it does not. We are a country of laws. If that law is wrong, then by all means lobby to change it. But you can't unilaterally obey what you think the law should be. (With an obvious exception for civil disobedience as a political protest.)
Well we have another example in the form of the poll tax. There was a widespread feeling that the poll tax was wrong, and so a large campaign of non-payment, of defying the law and being sent to prison as a result was begun.
This campaign had the effect of forcing the government to abandon the poll tax. I believe this was justified.
If you believe that you are justified in not paying the 20% extra in income you can do so, and no doubt HMRC will eventually catch up with you and prosecute you. If a very large number of higher-rate taxpayers agree with you, and similarly refuse to pay the additional 20%, then eventually the government will have to concede that they cannot tax at 45%, and you will succeed in changing the law.
Unfortunately for such a campaign, I expect that most people would not be so motivated as to risk jail in their pursuit to pay less income tax. Clearly they do not feel that a rate of 45% income tax is as unjust as the principle of the poll tax was to so many.
That is a democratic judgement, even though it isn't mediated through elections, etc. Laws can only be enforced if most people will obey them. If the government were to attempt to ban alcohol tomorrow I suspect that such a law would become unenforceable because a large number of people would refuse to follow it.
Raceclear tips: (It is possible to get ~ 10% by following long term)
Tuesday 11 March
Cheltenham 1.30 Irving 1.0 point Each Way @ 4/1 Bet 365 paying 4 places (William Hill 10/3 paying 5 places) (I've taken the 10/3 5 places)
Cheltenham 2.05 Trifolium 1.0 point Each Way @ 4/1 Ladbrokes, Paddy Power & Boylesport
Cheltenham 2.40 Wrong Turn 0.5 point Each Way @ 14/1 Bet365 paying 5 places
Cheltenham 3.20 (Our Connor - Bet with Ladbrokes, 4-1 E/W Money back if Hurricane Fly finishes 1st or 2nd.)
Cheltenham 5.15 Art Of Logistics 1.0 point Each Way @ 9/1 Skybet & Betfairsportsbook
To that lot I've added - because it is Cheltenham
3.33 PT for Irving with Paddy Power (2/1, but will get longer Start Price)- Stake back if 2nd,3rd or 4th 0.5 PT "Un Ace" Will Hills @ 33-1 Places paid 1,2,3,4,5 1 PT "Josses Hill" Will Hills @ 14-1 Places paid 1,2,3,4,5 1.66 PT Betfair Sportsbook Double - Bet refunded (As free bet) if loser for Vatour @ 4-1 and Quevega 8-11 Mares Hurdle.
New account offers:
Betfair go 6-1 on Irving if you don't have an account there already; Coral go 4-1 Quevega in the mares (New Accounts)
Yesterday I read a story on the red button that he supported the rise in MPs' salaries to £74,000, on the basis that it would enable those who weren't already wealthy to take on the job.
If I do get a sports car the Daughter will be allowed nowhere near it.
I did think of a Mini - we used to have a 60's Riley Elf which we drove around Cumbria. It overheated like mad so once you got to the top of a hill you had to freewheel down with the heating on and the windows open to stop the thing blowing up. It was bonkers and exhilarating. I like the Fiat 500 (used to drive one round Naples years ago) but all the other small cars are pretty uninspiring.
I will follow up on your tips.
I'd support Mr. Jessop on the virtues of the Honda Jazz. I bought one when I semi-retired in 2006 and no longer needed a big car. My wife calls it the Tardis because there is more room inside than there should possibly be from the outside. It will carry five adults and the boot is roomy enough to take three people's luggage on a three week touring holiday in Europe. Put the back seats down and you have more carrying space than any normal person would want. I have got the 1.6 sports version and it will cruise at 100mph without strain but if driven sensibly it will do 50 miles to the gallon on a run (for general motoring I get 43mpg). It has also been totally reliable and aside from normal servicing and replacement of disposables (tyres, brake-pads etc). hasn't cost me a penny.
However, I am not sure the Jazz will do for dogs, shopping yes but not, I think dogs. The boot is the wrong shape. For an all round family car that will cope with dogs and anything other than off-road work I would go for a Honda Accord Estate. Very well equipped, Honda reliability, roomy, quick enough for most needs and comfortable - a superb family car. My mate has got one and I can say that it will take four men with guns and kit and three English Springers with ease.
For your daughter, I agree with Mr. Stopper. A reliable but old and cheap car is the best bet. Again I'd look to the Japanese. Mrs Llama is still driving her X reg Nissan Micra which we bought from new. It has never let her down, passes its MOT every year and is dirt cheap to run and insure. She won't part with it.
None of the above are the right car for the Nice to Rome run though. Red, open-topped, sporty and preferably Italian has to be the way to go for that. I'd suggest an Alpha-Romeo Spider from the 1970s, you can find them on sale for about £15k (there is a chap in Rudgwick, near Horsham which specialises). Forget about your daughter being able to drive it, your dogs to fit in it, or any guarantee of reliability though.
HOWEVER - this is the big drawback - space is at a premium, i.e., there isn't any. You can squeeze four adults in, but you couldn't take two adults and two kids, on holiday, with bags, no way.
This is no problem for me, I only have one kid in the UK. For others it's a killer.
Tosh. My Dad took my mother, his mother and his sister to Italy and back in a Mini in 1964...
I guess cannabis prohibition falls into the same category. So widespread is its use that effectively it's a form of widespread civil disobedience that is tolerated by the police, who have neither the time nor the inclination to prosecute millions of users who are in every other respect law abiding citizens.
HOWEVER - this is the big drawback - space is at a premium, i.e., there isn't any. You can squeeze four adults in, but you couldn't take two adults and two kids, on holiday, with bags, no way.
This is no problem for me, I only have one kid in the UK. For others it's a killer.
Tosh. My Dad took my mother, his mother and his sister to Italy and back in a Mini in 1964...
Now - what do the Brains Trust recommend for a sports car for Mum who is a bit tired of always being thought of as Mum, as opposed to the fantastically fun, sexy, freewheeling spirit she really is........?
Mazda MX5? Toyota GT86? The test drives should be fun! :-)
Bob Crow obviously did not believe in nice tributes on the deaths of his foes so I am not going to be all gushing about him either. Whilst I hope he does not 'rot in hell' as he hoped Thatcher would I do hope that London Underground can become more progressive now
1.30 Gilgamboa 9/1 each way. Skybet. Money back if favourite wins. 2.05 Rock on Ruby 5/1 each way Corals. Faller insurance 2.40 Time For Rupert 14/1 each way. Corals. Faller insurance 3.20 Our Conor 11/2 win only. VC bet. (NAP) 4.00 Siren D'Ainay 14/1 each way antepost. VC bet 4.40 Foxrock 9/2 win only. Corals. Faller insurance 5.15 Present View 9/1 each way Corals. Faller insurance.
So UKIP supporters dislike bankers as much as Labour supporters do? Maybe the other parties should spend more time pointing out Mr Farage's background.
HOWEVER - this is the big drawback - space is at a premium, i.e., there isn't any. You can squeeze four adults in, but you couldn't take two adults and two kids, on holiday, with bags, no way.
This is no problem for me, I only have one kid in the UK. For others it's a killer.
Tosh. My Dad took my mother, his mother and his sister to Italy and back in a Mini in 1964...
So UKIP supporters dislike bankers as much as Labour supporters do? Maybe the other parties should spend more time pointing out Mr Farage's background.
According to this poll, only a minority of either group dislikes bankers. And Mr Farage mentions his city-trader background as part of his standard stump speech.
Well we have another example in the form of the poll tax. There was a widespread feeling that the poll tax was wrong, and so a large campaign of non-payment, of defying the law and being sent to prison as a result was begun.
This campaign had the effect of forcing the government to abandon the poll tax. I believe this was justified.
If you believe that you are justified in not paying the 20% extra in income you can do so, and no doubt HMRC will eventually catch up with you and prosecute you. If a very large number of higher-rate taxpayers agree with you, and similarly refuse to pay the additional 20%, then eventually the government will have to concede that they cannot tax at 45%, and you will succeed in changing the law.
Unfortunately for such a campaign, I expect that most people would not be so motivated as to risk jail in their pursuit to pay less income tax. Clearly they do not feel that a rate of 45% income tax is as unjust as the principle of the poll tax was to so many.
That is a democratic judgement, even though it isn't mediated through elections, etc. Laws can only be enforced if most people will obey them. If the government were to attempt to ban alcohol tomorrow I suspect that such a law would become unenforceable because a large number of people would refuse to follow it.
This is hopelessly intellectually incoherent and historically inaccurate. The community charge was not abolished because of a campaign of non-payment, but because the government realised that it placed an electoral millstone around the neck of the Conservative Party among voters who were paying the tax. The tiny minority who did not pay the tax cannot be said to have been fulfilling a democratic mandate. The "poll tax" could have been enforced (albeit at great electoral cost) precisely because most people were prepared to abide by the law. Historical inaccuracy is used to support cod-sociological theory.
HOWEVER - this is the big drawback - space is at a premium, i.e., there isn't any. You can squeeze four adults in, but you couldn't take two adults and two kids, on holiday, with bags, no way.
This is no problem for me, I only have one kid in the UK. For others it's a killer.
Tosh. My Dad took my mother, his mother and his sister to Italy and back in a Mini in 1964...
Win MY TENT OR YOURS 7-2 Bet365 & Skybet (3.20 Chel). Win ART OF LOGISTICS at 9-1 Hills and Ladbrokes (5.15 Chelt). Win ATTAGLANCE at 14-1 Hills, Coral and Ladbrokes (5.15 Chelt).
Well we have another example in the form of the poll tax. There was a widespread feeling that the poll tax was wrong, and so a large campaign of non-payment, of defying the law and being sent to prison as a result was begun.
This campaign had the effect of forcing the government to abandon the poll tax. I believe this was justified.
If you believe that you are justified in not paying the 20% extra in income you can do so, and no doubt HMRC will eventually catch up with you and prosecute you. If a very large number of higher-rate taxpayers agree with you, and similarly refuse to pay the additional 20%, then eventually the government will have to concede that they cannot tax at 45%, and you will succeed in changing the law.
Unfortunately for such a campaign, I expect that most people would not be so motivated as to risk jail in their pursuit to pay less income tax. Clearly they do not feel that a rate of 45% income tax is as unjust as the principle of the poll tax was to so many.
That is a democratic judgement, even though it isn't mediated through elections, etc. Laws can only be enforced if most people will obey them. If the government were to attempt to ban alcohol tomorrow I suspect that such a law would become unenforceable because a large number of people would refuse to follow it.
This is hopelessly intellectually incoherent and historically inaccurate. The community charge was not abolished because of a campaign of non-payment, but because the government realised that it placed an electoral millstone around the neck of the Conservative Party among voters who were paying the tax. The tiny minority who did not pay the tax cannot be said to have been fulfilling a democratic mandate. The "poll tax" could have been enforced (albeit at great electoral cost) precisely because most people were prepared to abide by the law. Historical inaccuracy is used to support cod-sociological theory.
The poll tax was terrible but so are the system of rates now (both in terms of fairness and the excessive charges)
"My Dad took my mother, his mother and his sister to Italy and back in a Mini in 1964..."
And by the time they got there they were stone deaf, crippled with back pain and dreading the return journey. People forget just how actually awful cars were in those days.
My chums and I once fitted four 20-year-olds and their large rucksacks into a 2CV from SE Scotland to Mallaig for a camping holiday ... not as far as Rome admittedly. But one serious point for Miss Cyclefree about a 2CV - its crashworthiness is poor, I believe, as is that of the original Mini. So I would hesitate to recommend any cheap ocar of their generation for my nearest and dearest: even if they are the most sensible drivers, one can't control other drivers ...
It is very encouraging to see how "liberal" Labour voters are.except 6% frowns upon posing nude while young. 6% - just 6%.
It is ironic that a lot of UKIP "financial moral" position is the same as many Labour voters. Not surprising since many UKIP voters are of the WWC variety but they were Blue WWC types.
Since when was taking your kit off illegal? As for drugs, their prohibition has been the cause of crime, as you know.
I never said taking your kit off was illegal. As for driugs, just because prohibition causes crime doesn't excuse the fact that you're still breaking the law to do them.
I don't mind a politician having done drugs if they are honest about it, are making the case for decriminalisation/have a convincing explanation for why they have concluded it was a mistake.
It's the hypocrisy around it that I find unpleasant.
Let me apply this to another issue. If I think that current tax policy is wrong, and that income tax should be 25% rather 45%, and I provide an coherent explanation for why I believe that, does that then make it ok for me to avoid paying the marginal 20% extra? No, it does not. We are a country of laws. If that law is wrong, then by all means lobby to change it. But you can't unilaterally obey what you think the law should be. (With an obvious exception for civil disobedience as a political protest.)
The difference is that most politicians took drugs 20+ years ago, and it is possible to forgive past transgressions. If they were currently taking drugs that would be an entirely different matter - and should be treated as seriously as Chris Huhne.
Comments
RIP.
There will be those who have enjoyed the bottomless ground this winter and will struggle today while others will find huge improvement on today's surface.
ROCK ON RUBY tempts me in the Arkle but I'm not convinced his jumping will stand up to the real scrutiny it will get today and the same is true of GRANDOUET.
The Champion is a proper championship race and of the main fancies I've been keen on OUR CONOR for some time. He will love today's ground and his emphatic win in last season's Triumph marked him for me as one to follow round here which suits so much better than Leopardstown.
That will probably be my only bet today as the other races are really for the needy and greedy as betting propositions though fantastic to watch and savour.
I didn't agree with his politics but he did a bloody good job for his union getting them very good pay deals.
Et mortuus est in unione boss
I am a little sad not to see Annie in the Champ but she will have an almighty duel with Big Bucks in the World Hurdle.
Booked Thursday afternoon off just to watch that race
My neighbour was "sunning himself" on a yacht in the Med the day he died. Maybe "sunning yourself" is too dangerous?
As always in these discussions, it's not mentioned how proxy voting is just as abused as postal voting. This is quite a shocking foreign corruption of our democracy:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8655697.stm
We also need to eliminate the right of Commonwealth citizens to vote. Why on Earth should Kenyan immigrants get voting rights while American immigrants don't?
RIP
Paul Oakley UKIP @PaulJamesOakley 2m
Rest in peace Bob Crow. A fellow freedom-fighter against the EU http://bit.ly/NVv2HI
52 is way too young...and that's a shame, politics and beliefs don't even come into it...
For the last day, various forums have been commenting on the fact that one of the areas being searched for the missing 777 were in the Strait of Malacca, on the other side of the Malay peninsula and a good 200-300 miles from where the plane was last spotted. The BBC have just said that radar tracked the plane all the way to the Straits.
If so, this is a significant development as they would have passed over land. Perhaps the pilots knew they had a problem, and were attempting to get back to Kuala Lumpa? If so, then why was there no radio comms?
It'd be interesting to know if the plane was tracked by primary radar (i.e. radar->plane reflection->receiver) rather than secondary via the plane's transponder. If it's taken this long to come out, I suspect it might be primary military radar, perhaps from another country that has been loathed to pass over the data. Or the data was very vague and they've had to do analysis (perhaps by aggregating the radar returns from several countries?)
Two guesses: a 777 was written off a few years back after a cockpit fire that was never properly explained. Was there a fire that knocked out comms (again, this has happened before in flight), but allowed the plane to continue flying?
The other guess is an attempted hijacking, where they managed to turn off the transponder and ACARS.
All supposition ...
Family car now costing more to MOT than is worth. Hence the need for a change though current car is best and most comfortable car I have ever driven - but not made anymore, sadly.
What I would really like is a stylish fun sports-type car where I can pretend to be Grace Kelly and drive from Nice to Rome (a drive I have done several times in summer) and generally have fun rather than worry about transporting kids, shopping bags and dogs hither and thither. I may treat myself (or at least dream about it).
RIP Bob Crow: 52 is far too young.
Sad to hear about Bob Crow - as others have said, a man who fought for his union and while he wouldn't have been popular with everyone in London, it's still a shock especially as I'm only a year or so older. I hope his family are allowed to grieve for the man they knew who was I suspect very different from the depictions in some of the media.
Once your in office then you probably try to set an example, but we're all human, and we're all young once..
Cars for kids are expensive to insure, full stop. Strangely, I believe that old classics like the Ford Anglia, old school Mini and suchlike are among the cheapest to insure. Modern cars such as a couple of year old Fiesta or Clio are the next best. Best thing for a young driver is to get a reliable knacker that they won't need to claim on if there is a bump with a wall or ditch with no third party involved. Things like black boxes and getting lots of family members on the insurance as named drivers help too.
Anything sporty is going to be costly to insure if your daughter hasn't had a licence long, even as a named driver, I've found out recently.
We drive a Honda Jazz. It's not exactly a sports car, and has a lot of road noise, but it's surprisingly roomy and tends to have low insurance as it's often driven by geriatrics. My automatic has flappy-paddle gearshifts so I can pretend I'm in an F1 car. I've also had it up to 105MPH on the autobahn.
It's also fairly economical, especially when compared to the more illustrious makes I've driven, and it's an easy drive in the city.
To be honest, I think it's hard to answer all these questions without knowing more. I've got no problem with someone having been a communist at 15 if they weren't aware of the mass human suffering causing by tyrants like Mao and Stalin and later apologized. If they were 21 on the other hand, and never said sorry, then it's a different matter.
Instead we got a small rebate. How can adding a new driver - even a middle aged one - reduce a policy that already seemed fairly low?
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/inside-the-loutish-and-macho-world-of-the-rmt-henchmen-6611230.html
http://socialistunity.com/statement-from-steve-hedley/
http://www.rmt.org.uk/about/rmt-structure/senior-rmt-officials/
The last link may have trouble loading due to their website probs.
Thanks Twisted Fire Stopper and JJ.
If I do get a sports car the Daughter will be allowed nowhere near it.
I did think of a Mini - we used to have a 60's Riley Elf which we drove around Cumbria. It overheated like mad so once you got to the top of a hill you had to freewheel down with the heating on and the windows open to stop the thing blowing up. It was bonkers and exhilarating. I like the Fiat 500 (used to drive one round Naples years ago) but all the other small cars are pretty uninspiring.
I will follow up on your tips.
I don't think Paddy Power will be opening one after their Oscar Market has backfired a bit.
(I also know north and west London better - nothing more sinister than that)
Sad news about Bob Crowe - at least you knew whose side he was on
Since when was taking your kit off illegal? As for drugs, their prohibition has been the cause of crime, as you know.
And lets not forget that Crow himself said that as far as he was concerned she could 'rot in hell'.
Let this be a warning to all fat bastards to cut down on the pies and hit the gym a bit more. What a waste. 52 is too young.
(BTW I do indeed think Crow was an utter *&^% - but he fought his corner consistently and honestly, which is at least a refreshing change from most 'bend in the wind' politicians. He could be respected if not liked or appeased.)
Charming.
@Innocent
I was surprised actually. In a bad way. All credit to Boris and Farage for showing how it should be done.
This applies right across the spectrum. Human nature is by no means all pleasant.
With one or two notable exceptions there's nothing on this thread ....... just where have all those PB.com punters gone?
Certainly the best value week in horse race betting and lots of individual bookie offers too.Paddy Power are refunding stakes on the 2nd,3rd and 4th in the Supreme at 1.30 as an example.
Good luck to all punters.
It's the hypocrisy around it that I find unpleasant.
Now - what do the Brains Trust recommend for a sports car for Mum who is a bit tired of always being thought of as Mum, as opposed to the fantastically fun, sexy, freewheeling spirit she really is........?
This campaign had the effect of forcing the government to abandon the poll tax. I believe this was justified.
If you believe that you are justified in not paying the 20% extra in income you can do so, and no doubt HMRC will eventually catch up with you and prosecute you. If a very large number of higher-rate taxpayers agree with you, and similarly refuse to pay the additional 20%, then eventually the government will have to concede that they cannot tax at 45%, and you will succeed in changing the law.
Unfortunately for such a campaign, I expect that most people would not be so motivated as to risk jail in their pursuit to pay less income tax. Clearly they do not feel that a rate of 45% income tax is as unjust as the principle of the poll tax was to so many.
That is a democratic judgement, even though it isn't mediated through elections, etc. Laws can only be enforced if most people will obey them. If the government were to attempt to ban alcohol tomorrow I suspect that such a law would become unenforceable because a large number of people would refuse to follow it.
Raceclear tips: (It is possible to get ~ 10% by following long term)
Tuesday 11 March
Cheltenham 1.30
Irving
1.0 point Each Way @ 4/1
Bet 365 paying 4 places (William Hill 10/3 paying 5 places) (I've taken the 10/3 5 places)
Cheltenham 2.05
Trifolium
1.0 point Each Way @ 4/1
Ladbrokes, Paddy Power & Boylesport
Cheltenham 2.40
Wrong Turn
0.5 point Each Way @ 14/1
Bet365 paying 5 places
Cheltenham 3.20 (Our Connor - Bet with Ladbrokes, 4-1 E/W Money back if Hurricane Fly finishes 1st or 2nd.)
Cheltenham 5.15
Art Of Logistics
1.0 point Each Way @ 9/1
Skybet & Betfairsportsbook
To that lot I've added - because it is Cheltenham
3.33 PT for Irving with Paddy Power (2/1, but will get longer Start Price)- Stake back if 2nd,3rd or 4th
0.5 PT "Un Ace" Will Hills @ 33-1 Places paid 1,2,3,4,5
1 PT "Josses Hill" Will Hills @ 14-1 Places paid 1,2,3,4,5
1.66 PT Betfair Sportsbook Double - Bet refunded (As free bet) if loser for Vatour @ 4-1 and Quevega 8-11 Mares Hurdle.
New account offers:
Betfair go 6-1 on Irving if you don't have an account there already; Coral go 4-1 Quevega in the mares (New Accounts)
Yesterday I read a story on the red button that he supported the rise in MPs' salaries to £74,000, on the basis that it would enable those who weren't already wealthy to take on the job.
My condolences to his friends/families.
However, I am not sure the Jazz will do for dogs, shopping yes but not, I think dogs. The boot is the wrong shape. For an all round family car that will cope with dogs and anything other than off-road work I would go for a Honda Accord Estate. Very well equipped, Honda reliability, roomy, quick enough for most needs and comfortable - a superb family car. My mate has got one and I can say that it will take four men with guns and kit and three English Springers with ease.
For your daughter, I agree with Mr. Stopper. A reliable but old and cheap car is the best bet. Again I'd look to the Japanese. Mrs Llama is still driving her X reg Nissan Micra which we bought from new. It has never let her down, passes its MOT every year and is dirt cheap to run and insure. She won't part with it.
None of the above are the right car for the Nice to Rome run though. Red, open-topped, sporty and preferably Italian has to be the way to go for that. I'd suggest an Alpha-Romeo Spider from the 1970s, you can find them on sale for about £15k (there is a chap in Rudgwick, near Horsham which specialises). Forget about your daughter being able to drive it, your dogs to fit in it, or any guarantee of reliability though.
I guess cannabis prohibition falls into the same category. So widespread is its use that effectively it's a form of widespread civil disobedience that is tolerated by the police, who have neither the time nor the inclination to prosecute millions of users who are in every other respect law abiding citizens.
"STJOHN" has backed the following horses:
1.30 Gilgamboa 9/1 each way. Skybet. Money back if favourite wins.
2.05 Rock on Ruby 5/1 each way Corals. Faller insurance
2.40 Time For Rupert 14/1 each way. Corals. Faller insurance
3.20 Our Conor 11/2 win only. VC bet. (NAP)
4.00 Siren D'Ainay 14/1 each way antepost. VC bet
4.40 Foxrock 9/2 win only. Corals. Faller insurance
5.15 Present View 9/1 each way Corals. Faller insurance.
Good luck to anyone having a bet.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288269/20131024_expenditure_reliefs_v0.3published.pdf
The cost of the personal allowance this year is around £80b
Win MY TENT OR YOURS 7-2 Bet365 & Skybet (3.20 Chel).
Win ART OF LOGISTICS at 9-1 Hills and Ladbrokes (5.15 Chelt).
Win ATTAGLANCE at 14-1 Hills, Coral and Ladbrokes (5.15 Chelt).
Picks for other races.
1.30 Valseur Lido
2.05 Champagne Fever
2.40 Holywell
4.00 Quevega
4.40 Foxrock
And by the time they got there they were stone deaf, crippled with back pain and dreading the return journey. People forget just how actually awful cars were in those days.
It is ironic that a lot of UKIP "financial moral" position is the same as many Labour voters. Not surprising since many UKIP voters are of the WWC variety but they were Blue WWC types.