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.

Possibly Burnley's best. Certainly the only player that immediately comes to mind.

Google vs HMRC
while i would thoroughly agree that £130m is mere petty cash to Google, no one anywhere seems to be claiming that they had done anything illegal ...... they just used the law as it stood to best advantage

more importantly, a precedent and even benchmark has been set for the future

i certainly find it quite amusing that suddenly, all sorts of other counties are now jumping on the bandwagon

David Cameron is making a dash for a June EU referendum on the basis of a draft reform deal that creates an "emergency brake" on migrant benefits, a compromise Eurosceptics are already denouncing as a British climbdown. After months of torrid negotiations, the prime minister will on Friday be offered his flagship demand of a four-year migrant benefit ban - but one that can only be invoked when Britain's welfare system is deemed to be under "exceptional" strain from immigration. - Financial Times

If there is a June referendum, there will be a lot of scare mongering about the dire consequences of leaving. Believe me, Germany is terrified of the prospect of a Brexit because without doubt it will be the beginning of the end of the EU as we know it. The EU has more to lose than the UK since we are not the only people fed up with how things are.
Unfortunately they won't learn before so I dont think we have a choice but to leave. Stutter now and things will only get worse in the future. Maybe after the UK leaves, a more sensible and workable economic union may emerge. I have no issue with labour movement but elected national governments must have the right to govern and enact laws that cannot be trumped by faceless unelected bureaucrats in Brussels and Strasbourg. The fact that by law, there have to be sittings in Luxembourg, Brussels and Strasbourg underlines the nonsense of bureaucracy gone mad at the expense of taxpayers.

The EU has gone far beyond what the UK voters envisaged in the 1975 referendum, arguably they would not have voted for inclusion had they known how it would turn out. If we vote to stay in now it will give the unelected bureaucrats of the EU all the ammunition required to push on for a Federal States Of Europe.
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george - that is no less scaremongering than threatening extinction if we pull out ...... neither is really based on fact but merely on gut feel

Is it not true that if we are out that if we do want to still trade with some member states that we are still bound by certain conditions just as if we are still in, but no ability to influence those conditions?

Certainly not scaremongering cynic. The EU has pushed on with so many reforms irrespective of whether member countries approved or not. Let's not forget they totally ignored the criteria THEY themselves set out in their desperate need for more countries to join the 'Club'
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Never mind playing spot the spot on this forum Alf.. just answer the question -):

"Is it not true that if we are out that if we do want to still trade with some member states that we are still bound by certain conditions just as if we are still in, but no ability to influence those conditions?"

possibly :-)
it must surely be true that it will be more difficult, notwithstanding that protectionism is an international dirty word

I believe that is the case Stan, Norway springs to mind, what those conditions are I have no idea.
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Tricky then eh George.

Whatever way the vote goes it will be difficult Stan, certainly initially if the vote is to leave, for one, the Tories haven't got a plan in place for leaving. If the vote is to stay the difficulty will be less initially but will get progressively worse with the passing of time. imo
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Jeremy Corbyn showed off a naked Diane Abbott to impress his left wing friends... Telegraph
If she was on the left wing, it would need a hippo on the right wing to keep the aircraft level.

Another reason to vote out of the EU and why Juncker is a Moron !!!

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/639415/Now-EU-leaders-say-Cologne-sex-attacks-nothing-to-do-with-migrant-crisis

He was there you know; the victims weren't.

From: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/639277/Islamic-State-sniper-spreading-terror-Sirte-picking-off-jihadis?google_editors_picks=true

ISIS left terrified as 'mystery sniper KILLS OFF evil group's leadership one by one'
A RENEGADE assassin is single-handedly waging war on Islamic State jihadis in Libya.
By Tom Batchelor
PUBLISHED: 00:00, Sat, Jan 30, 2016 | UPDATED: 00:26, Sat, Jan 30, 2016

Sirte is now the capital of Islamic State in Libya

The evil militants fear a sniper is picking off fighters in the group's de facto North African capital of Sirte after three ISIS commanders were reportedly shot dead from long range in recent weeks.

The sharp shooter is said to have perfected his skills during the 2011 uprising against dictator Colonel Gaddafi.

Senior ISIS terror chief Abdullah Hamad Al-Ansari has been named as the latest casualty after he was attacked on January 23 as he left a city centre mosque.

Hamad Abdel Hady, an official in the depraved cult's Sharia court, was also taken out by a sniper's bullet earlier this month.

An eye witness told local news website al-Wasat: "A state of terror prevailed among the ISIS ranks after his death.

"They randomly shot in the air to scare inhabitants, while searching for the sniper."

ISIS commanders are so panicked by the murders that they have carried out a number of arrests and executions in a bid to find the marksman.

It is not known if the sniper is working alone or as part of a group of anti-ISIS marksmen.

Speculation about the culprit's identity has led to reports that the shooter hails from the neighbouring city of Misrata, which fell under ISIS control last year.

Separate rumours appeared to point the finger at American or European special forces operatives who could be taking out high-profile jihadi targets in Libya.

A crack team of British Special Forces are in Libya preparing the ground for up to 1,000 British troops who have been drafted in to tackle ISIS.

The British deployment of half a dozen elite SAS soldiers will form part of a 6,000-strong army of Americans and Europeans led by the Italian army.

The jihadi group has sought to expand its influence in the lawless north African state in a bid to seize control of Libya's highly lucrative oil fields.

The Mediterranean port city of Sirte, just a few hundred miles from Europe's coastline, is now the de facto base of the jihadist group's Libyan wing.

R.I.P Sir Terry Wogan.