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.

It is amusing that after a ballot for positions in tonights debate, Mikiband is on the far left and Farage is on the far right.

Fred is somewhere 'oop north' and cynic is 'daan saaf'.

No way Fred is called Tarquin and Cynic's real name is Erstwhile.

Cameron negotiating skills in Europe!

And one for Max and 2.5

Labour’s £1.8m donations from unions dwarfs rivals


ANDREW WHITAKER
12:34Thursday 16 April 2015
3
HAVE YOUR SAY
LABOUR received more than £1 million from Unite, as well as over £500,000 from Unison in the first week of the general election campaign, new figures on party donations showed.

Ed Miliband’s party recorded more than £1.8 million in donations out of a total of almost £2.5 million to the main parties for sums above £7,500 between 30 March and 5 April.

The Conservatives received just over £501,850 during the same period, which is the first of four weekly donation periods covering the election campaign that will published by the Electoral Commission.

The biggest donation to David Cameron’s party was from investment banker Michael Tory, who gave £75,000.

There was £20,000 gifted to the Liberal Democrats, £35,416 to Ukip, £8,400 to the Greens and £13,792 to the Co-operative Party, which is linked to Labour.

However, the SNP did not record any donations over £7,500 in the first reporting period.

Parties do not have to publish any donations between January and March until after the election.




waste of union members money .


Vote Labour if you want marxist dinosaurs like Lenin McCluskey causing strikes and power cuts.

No thanks

are the rules not being changed so that union members can deny permission for their subs to be used in donations to poltical parties?

Today, 16th April, is the birthday of Sir Terence Alan ("Spike") Milligan.

In celebration, here's a few of his sayings:

A sure cure for seasickness is to sit under a tree.

My father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.

Well, we can't stand around here doing nothing, people will think we're workmen.

Contraceptives should be used on every conceivable occasion.

I'm not afraid of dying I just don't want to be there when it happens.

I told you I was ill. (This is what he wanted for his epitaph!)

I have the body of an eighteen year old. I keep it in the fridge.

Chopsticks are one of the reasons the Chinese never invented custard.

And God said, 'Let there be light' and there was light, but the Electricity Board said, 'He would have to wait until Thursday to be connected.'

Is there anything worn under the kilt? No, it should all be in perfect working order.

How long was I in the army? Five foot eleven.

And God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass", and the earth brought forth grass and the Rastafarians smoked it.

I thought I'd begin by reading a sonnet by Shakespeare, but then I thought, 'Why should I? He never reads any of mine.'

Listen, someone's screaming in agony - fortunately I speak it fluently.

Are you going to come quietly, or do I have to use earplugs?

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy.

It was a perfect marriage. She didn't want to and he couldn't.

I'm a hero with coward's legs.

After five days in hospital I took a turn for the nurse.

Always try to make other people happy, even if you have to leave them alone to do it.

Money can't buy friends but it can get you a better class of enemy.

I spent many years laughing at Harry Secombe's singing until somebody told me that it wasn't a joke.

All men are cremated equal.

If you want to read a bit more about Spike Milligan, who was a fascinating 'out of the box' comedy character, suffered from severe bipolar disorder and had as many as ten serious mental breakdowns in his life, then here's a link to his Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Milligan

EXCLUSIVE: Express Newspapers Chairman Richard Desmond: Why I'm giving £1.3m to Ukip

DAILY Express owner Richard Desmond has become the UK Independence Party's most high-profile donor by handing over £1million to Nigel Farage's fighting fund.



By Macer Hall and Helen Barnett

PUBLISHED: 17:16, Thu, Apr 16, 2015 | UPDATED: 18:46, Thu, Apr 16, 2015






In a dramatic intervention into the general election campaign, the media tycoon announced that the cash injection towards Ukip's drive to win more MPs was a "challenging" gesture to shake up a Westminster establishment that has lost the trust of millions of voters.

And he hailed the massive boost to the election war chest of Mr Farage's People's Army as a "Fanfare for the Common Man."

The cash comes on top of a £300,000 donation given to Ukip last year by Mr Desmond, who also owns the Sunday Express, the Daily Star and OK! magazine.



More: http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/570952/Express-Newspapers-Chairman-Richard-Desmond-gives-1-3m-to-Ukip

Frankly I think the Conservatives are more dependable...but....why the hell has DC not taken up as many opportunities as possible for debates....I mean a politician must get his views exposed to as many as possible in election times....you have to prove your worth.......the problem I have with Labour is that in opposition : they will promise anything to get into power and they always blame others for all the trouble they caused in previous governments....the worse thing is that a lot of the general public will believe their promises.....I have a long memory and can remember very well how badly governed the UK was under Labour.....I'll be glad when this blinkin' election is over.....

New thread opened up, but you cant post on it.

Greece has been pushed a step closer to default and potential exit from the euro after one of its main lenders, the International Monetary Fund, all but ruled out allowing the cash-strapped country to delay repaying the €1bn (£722,000) due next month.

The head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, said delaying the payments would be an unprecedented action that would only make the situation worse.

Speaking at the organisation’s spring meeting, she said: “Payment delays have not been granted by the board of the IMF in the last 30 years.”

Her intervention is likely to heighten fears that senior policymakers in the US and Europe are preparing for Greece to leave the eurozone.

Why don't they just effin do it , and get it over with.

last night's debate
conclusion seems to be that EM acquitted himself pretty well - glad i missed it all - and swearing that he won't do a deal with SNP
that of course is total bollocks, for without SNP EM won't get anywhere near Number 10

however, if the queen's speech is voted down, then another election is forced upon us all, and EM might hope by so doing, that he could become pm without SNP
a pretty forlorn hope

the very short odds remain on a very weak hung parliament

one way or another, that doesn't augur well for the markets ....... but fred must surely welcome that from his marxist standpoint as the implication is that all the pension funds (they can't short) and ordinary joes will lose loads and loads of their money

After the said political debate you can see why Cameron ducked or chickened out.

Sturgeon would have eaten him alive.

No wonder 2/3 of the population rejecting Dodgy Dave, his barrow boys and their policies.

But aren't the tories and establishment turned into craven cowards by the Scottish Angela Merkel.

Fred you don't half talk some rubbish ..

You mean like she did to ED, don't forget 2/3 of the population also reject Milibland and his motley mob.
2517

But at least the 2/3 who reject Cameron and crew on May 7th will be on speaking terms and able to negotiate and form at government with moderate central left policies, leaving the cons to wander of into the wilderness.

labour under EM = centre left???
only by marxist standards

anyway, all a bit rich isn't it coming from someone who refuses to vote at all - as of course is his democratic right

shame about all the blood that was spilled over the centuries to enable joe soap to have a vote and say in his representation