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.

Where Do ISIS Fighters Come From? (look at France!!!!!!!!!)

You would expect France to be high as they had colonies in North Africa.

Excuse me but haven't these returning fighters probably committed crimes in these countries . Shouldn't they be subjected to the Laws of these countries and returned back . It sounds like they just return , have a little talk and just carry on if the do gooders get their way.

Labour 35%
Conservatives 28%
UKIP 17%
Libdems 9%

10:08 PM - 1 Sep 2014

#LABOUR 36%
#CONSERVATIVES 32%
#UKIP 15%
#LIBDEMS 9%
#GREENS 3%
#SNP 3%
#PLAIDCYMRU 1%

1:23 PM - 1 Sep 2014

VICTIM, thats a good point you make and a good reason not to let them back in this country no matter what the wet liberals say.

The attitude towards muslims is quite mild in the UK, I think.

In Switzerland it was getting really bad last winter. It's OK where I live up in the hills, but, when you go down to the towns around the lake, there's a really nasty attitude towards them. I'm sure they wouldn't be allowed back in to the country if they went off to fight for IS.

There is a good case for removing citizenship from those with dual citizenship.

We need TANKER on the job, he'd know what to do with them.

WHERE is Fred??

Whilst the buffoons in Washington and Brussels posture over the Ukraine, Putin is taking care of business.



Russia launches construction of gas pipeline to China in $400 billion deal


President Putin and Chinese vice-president Gaoli were present at ceremony in eastern Russia



Rose Troup Buchanan

Monday 01 September 2014


Russian president Vladimir Putin today launched the construction of what will be one of the largest gas pipelines in the world, stretching from China to the Russian Far East, in the village of Us Khatyn in Yakutia.


China’s CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) agreed to a huge $400 billion (£237 billion) contract with Gazprom in May.

Russia will deliver 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China for a period of 30 years, through the 2,485 mile long pipeline.

Putin said today: “There will be no other larger project in this sphere in the near future”.

The Power of Siberia gas pipeline’s first stage is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of 2017. The pipeline will have an annual capacity of 61 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

The deal will lessen Russia’s reliance on European buyers, who have imposed economic sanctions because of the situation in Ukraine.



More: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/russia-launches-construction-of-gas-pipeline-to-china-in-400-billion-deal-9704237.html

Well, I'm sure MI6 would have seen this one coming.

Or did they?

Hmmm? This throws an entirely different light on our relationships with the Russians, doesn't it?

For a start, they can tell us to go and, well, erm, err, anything really.

Sept 2 (Reuters) - A poll showing support for Scottish independence at its highest ever level threw the fate of the United Kingdom into question on Tuesday, just two weeks before Scots vote on whether to secede. The poll by YouGov showed the unionist lead had shrunk to 6 percentage points from 22 a month ago as support for independence jumped to 47 percent in August, suggesting a major shift in opinion ahead of the Sept. 18 referendum. After months of polls showing nationalists heading for defeat in the vote, the YouGov poll for the first time raises the real prospect that secessionists could achieve their goal of breaking the 307-year-old union with England. "A 'Yes' victory is now a real possibility," YouGov President Peter Kellner, one of Britain's most respected pollsters, said. "A close finish looks likely." Polls show different levels of support for the unionist campaign and although none have shown the independence camp in the lead, the sudden surge indicated by the poll electrified Britain's political class after its summer break. A vote to breakaway would be followed by negotiations with London on what to do about sterling, the national debt, North Sea oil and the future of Britain's nuclear submarine base in Scotland ahead of independence pencilled in for March 24, 2016. If Scots voted to leave the United Kingdom, Prime Minister David Cameron would face calls to resign ahead of a national election in May 2015 while Labour's chances of gaining a majority could be scuppered if it lost its Scottish lawmakers. Sterling fell to near a five-month low against the dollar and also slipped versus a generally weak euro on Tuesday, while the cost of hedging against sharp swings in the pound rose as investors sought to insure against the risk of secession. Traders saw further losses as the vote approaches. "A Scottish 'Yes' to independence poses far more questions than it answers but my best guess is that a 'Yes' would trigger a 3-5 percent fall by sterling as an initial reaction," said Kit Juckes, currency analyst at Societe Generale. ID:L5N0R31OF CLOSE FINISH? YouGov's Kellner, 67, said the poll data was so astounding that when he first saw it, he double checked to see if there had been a sampling error. But he said that after checking the data, he was certain a real movement had taken place. "When I first saw our data, I wanted to make sure the movement was real," he said. "I am certain it is." The poll was carried out on Aug. 28-Sept. 1 and 1,063 people were questioned. When respondents were asked how they would vote in the referendum, 42 percent said they would vote for independence while 48 percent said they would vote against. Eight percent said they did not know and 2 percent did not intend to vote. It was the first time YouGov has showed support for "Yes" above 40 percent and support for "No" below 50 percent. About 4 million Scottish residents have a vote in the referendum, so the poll indicates 320,000 voters are still undecided. By excluding those not intending to vote or undecided, the poll showed support for keeping the union at 53 percent against 47 percent seeking independence. "The 'Yes' campaign has both gained converts, and secured a two-to-one lead among people who were undecided and have now taken sides," Kellner said. Supporters of the Labour party, traditionally the dominant political force in Scotland, had become more supportive of independence, while economic worries about the prospect of independence had diminished, YouGov said. Scottish nationalists said the poll, which comes just over a week after pro-independence leader Alex Salmond won a television debate, was a breakthrough moment in the campaign. "More and more people are beginning to realise that a 'Yes' vote is Scotland's one opportunity to make that enormous wealth work better for everybody who lives and works here," said Blair Jenkins, head of the independence campaign team. Bookmaker Ladbrokes said that the odds on a vote in favour of independence had narrowed overnight since the poll to 11/4, meaning punters now put the likelihood of a split at its highest since May this year. That continued a narrowing trend seen since the first television debate in August when the odds were 5/1. "Since the second debate we've been taking upwards of 5,000 pounds worth of bets a day for 'Yes' from all over Scotland," said Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Donohue. "It's basically one way traffic at the moment."

Hmmm? And perhaps it also throws an entirely different perspective on the west's relationship with the Chinese too.

Let's get fracking! Sharpish!

I wondered what might happen if the R-C pipey thingy ever got seriously damaged?

Could it start WW3?



Hmmm? I wonder what Betfair says?

(Betfair are hardly ever wrong. They are currently offering 1/5 for a Scottish 'No' vote)

The Russian's are good at playing Chess

As I type 138,000 people have signed little Ashya's "Reunite Ashya with his parents!" Petition

I've signed it and I hope you guys will too.

They should never have taken him out of the UK

They are Jehovah Witnesses. That alone tells you that the hospital were dealing with crazies.

There are two things going on at the moment and importantly, Ashya has been made a Ward of the Court:

1. The CPS are in control of a potential criminal prosecution. They can easily withdraw and probably will do so once....

2. The Judge, currently in charge of Ashya's future and from several respects, after taking everything into consideration, has made a decision concerning Ashya's treatment. It may be too, that he will speak to Ashya's parents before finally deciding. He will be very thorough!

Once a decision on treatment has been made by the judge then things will start to move. most probably, it will not be necessary for the CPS to continue will their legal criminal prosecution and will withdraw. This will mean, that the parents can leave jail, the family can visit Ashya in whatever hospital the Judge has chosen to give treatment. This latter could even be the Proton Beam treatment which is wanted by the parents.

We will have to wait and see what the Judge decides.