Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Isn't it lovely to see the caring ITV and BBC apologising for referring to Harris and Savile ?....bless them....

RF - I thank my lucky stars that I was not even tempted to get back into BLNX ...... I confess I have been picking so badly of late that I have just stayed put with what I have ..... Provence lovely as usual, but seem to be sleeping an inordinate amount, and not alcohol driven either :-)

Manuel,

You are just getting old.

Which restaurant or cafe are you waiting at in Provence?

Anyway have a good time.

I am getting use to the fact my grandson is going to take me canoeing down the Dordogne.

I hope he brings me back.

cynic

thought you would be back in Scotland for the Tour de France

ps AFREN is now 150 plus

cynic. tony blair should be in jail and then hanged for war crimes with bush

Lets hear it for man of the people Balls...




Labour would be 'silly' to offer EU referendum, says Ed Balls


Shadow chancellor rejects suggestion by Unite leader that party risks losing votes by not giving people a say on Europe


Press Association


theguardian.com, Thursday 3 July 2014 02.32 BST



Shadow chancellor Ed Balls. 'If Len McCluskey is supporting the David Cameron position, I disagree with Len McCluskey.' Photograph: Ken Jack/Demotix/Corbis



It would be "silly" for Labour to offer voters an in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, Ed Balls said, accusing the head of the country's biggest trade union of supporting a Tory policy that would be bad for jobs.

The shadow chancellor dismissed a warning from Unite general secretary Len McCluskey that the party risked being "boxed in" at the 2015 general election unless it dropped its opposition to matching David Cameron's promise to allow voters a say.

Delegates at the conference of Labour's biggest union affiliate approved a statement from Unite's executive urging Labour to "urgently reconsider" its approach to a referendum, and making it clear that the union would argue for a vote for Britain to stay in the EU.

Asked if Labour would consider going into the election promising a vote, Mr Balls told BBC2's Newsnight: "That would be a silly thing for us to say.

"We made a very clear commitment: if there is any proposal in the next parliament for a transfer of powers to Brussels we will have an in/out referendum.

"We are not proposing a referendum now because we think to spend two or three years blighting investment and undermining our economy on the prospect of a referendum which David Cameron says he is going to have after he gets an unknown package of reforms would be bad for jobs and investment.



More Balls Ups here: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jul/03/labour-silly-offer-eu-referendum-balls

MaxK
You will be pleased to know that the EU referendum bill is being reintroduced. They will force a vote in the Commons and make Labour and the Libs vote it down if they dare. It won't need to go to the Lords, as if it passes the vote, the government will use the Parliament Act to make it law immediately. They have a deadline of about three weeks before the current session ends.

we want out of the EU its corrupt and bad for the UK the only thing it as done for the uk is fill it with scum eu countries have let out prisoners providing they leave the country fact not fiction we want these migrants out and do not say we need these migrants to run the NHS LOAD OF CRAP . 74% WANT OUT OF THE EU AND WE WILL LEAVE IF WE GET THE VOTE .

You can't hang Blair, you'd never get the noose over them ears!!

I'd love to know what a war crime with bush is exactly. Did he tickle him to death with a hydrangea, or summat?

Yesterday's business in Commons

Presentation of Bills: no debate (Standing Order No. 57)

European Union (Referendum) Robert Neill Bill to make provision for the holding of a referendum in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union.

re: #43119

That's very good news Haystack, if it comes off.

It will certainly put Cleggy on the spot, cos he said only a few days ago that he welcomed a referendum.

I have no idea where millibum stands, he appears to be in favour of shafting his own supporters...ie, the working man/woman.

No. Clegg said a couple of days ago that he doesn't want a referendum except in any further loss of sovereignty. Some of the senior members of the Libs wants one but Clegg got his way.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jul/01/clegg-lib-dems-no-in-out-referendum-eu

Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent

Tuesday 1 July 2014 22.34 BST

Nick Clegg has defeated an attempt by senior Liberal Democrats to match the Tories by guaranteeing to hold a "seductive" referendum on Britain's EU membership in the next parliament. The deputy prime minister, who has faced direct calls from ministers for a change of stance on the EU, won the agreement of the Lib Dem parliamentary party to stand by the current policy. This is to hold a referendum only if UK sovereignty is passed to the EU. The Tories would go further by guaranteeing an in/out referendum on Britain's EU membership in 2017 regardless of the result of negotiations on the future of the EU.

The are a few keys to all of this. The important ones I can immediately think of are:

Ceding power to Brussels
Immigration
Jobs

Now all of these are quite a bit 'vague', IMHO.

Exactly what powers do we give over to Brussels?

What is the balance of immigration on our people going out of the UK to anywhere in Europe to live/work and vice-versa. There aren't any accurate figures - or are there?

Just how many jobs will be lost if we do leave the EU? What are the exact figures? We would also be able to negotiate new trading deals outside of the EU for trading with the rest of the world. What are the possibilities for this?

Help!

I'm filling in a form. For the date there is a box. It says 'DD MMM YY'

I can do the DD. This is '03'
I can do the YY. This is '14'

What should I put for the MMM? Is it 'JUL' or something else?

:-)

(cough, cough)

The most important one is the ceding of power to the EU. Because Labour signed the Lisbon Treaty without a referendum, it gave away our veto. That effectively means that we have ceded ALL powers to the EU. They can pass any legislation which will supersede UK laws and we cannot ignore them. Being outside the EU does not stop us going to live/work in the EU. We managed to do that quite successfully before we joined.

Trading deals are largely a thing of the past. The World Trade agreements prevent tarrif barriers in most cases. There is the Commonwealth that we can trade with.. This represented a massive amount of our tree prior to the EU. We would still be trading with the EU because we are such a large market for them. They would not be able to create barriers due to the World Trade agreements.

I bet EU are terrified about England leaving.

I can hear the sigh of relief now!

But it will be good when England joins the flotsam and jetsam of the little nations without international influence!

Sums up hazy finger.

Solid definite decision made by Wavy Dave, before he thinks and U-TURNS with certainty.

I have never seen such a weak prime minister.

He is showing his merit as a complete failure, by failing to lead and diminishing the position he holds.

He is in from the same mould as Blair, that is hollow, but at least Blair could be considered in some ways successful.

The only chance for the tories is for Blair to join the UKippers.

At least he might save the con party by doing so!