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.

Exec,

8869 interesting post.

Would you like a 12 week holiday in one of HM rest homes or prisons?

One of the problems with policies are delivering the changes suggested.

But one of my gripes is that we have had too many changes in too short a time and it would be more sensible to allow things to bed down and then make the smallest changes to improve functioning.

I think the constant changes have been the cause of much dissatisfaction, disharmony and "air" of resentment in the public services.

Excellent posts Hilary. Everyone wise and intelligent.

The banks shuld have definately been allowed to go bust. Brown has engineered the bigest bust in the history of our country.

The pseudo-intellectual Guardian reading idiot Fred is the type that got the country into the mess it is in at present.

On a lighter note:



I just applied for a Planning permission for a new house.



It was going to be 100 ft tall and 400 ft wide with 9 turrets at



various heights and windows all over the place and a loud outside entertainment sound system.



It would have parking for 200 cars and I was going to paint it snot green with tatty pink trim.



The Council Planning Department told me to clear off.



So I sent in the application again, but this time I called it a Mosque.



Work starts on Monday ......

PS, That is why I think the current "policies" on schools and police forces, advocated by the tories are daft.

This is me ,very funny , but unfortunately would be the case .

This-is-me.

Spot on yet again.

Tabasco.

You say re Gordon Brown, "there could still be a future for him in waiting as a Catholic Priest". True but the difference is GB has shafted just about everyone, whereas Catholic Priests have only (OK you fill in the rest).

TIM,

I am not certain whether you are a member of the BNP, but with your obvious intellect and leanings, I am sure Nick Griffin could find a useful position for you.

I would think you would feel at home in their company.

Buy the Guardian and expand yourself, it is better than comics.

The Guardian is for those who consider themselves superior but who, in reality, are incapable of recognising where there is a false premise (often hidden) to an argument and where the logic is flawed. Your cheap shot about the BNP merely demonstrates the truth of this. You have also, almost certainly, failed to recognise that the current success of the BNP is due to the fact that the majority of the population agrees with their immigration policies and not those of the government. They know this even if you do not, and this is why they mostly only talk about immigration. Try reading The Sun; at least they keep it simple and you will not have the wool pulled over your eyes the way the Guardian does.

Saint Vince Cable is a dodgy political economist too. Until 2008, he was a fierce advocate of joining the Euro -- which would have done for us for sure. Seems he changed his mind in the last two years, figuring that control over our economy, particularly interest rates, was what saved us from complete disaster.

Which is what the rest of us knew for years before.

Let's face it folks, this wreck of a corrupt and incompetent government has to go. The only credible alternative is the Tories. All this mindless wishy-washy, dewy-eyed chatter about how wonderful a hung parliament would be would die on the mornng after when the UK's credit rating gets downgraded, and the BofE has to raise domestic interest rates to deal with the debt interest crisis that then ensued. We'd be in the shit with Greece.

Tim.

With regards to P8881.

I am surprised if your first sentence regarding the Guardian has much if any truth in it, and that if it does, I would have expected you to be an ardent indiscriminating reader of it.

The remainder of the posting again contains sweeping statements about public opinion in a similar manner to the way the BNP broadcast theirs.

I dont think the general public are in agreement with your positioning, or that of the BNP., although there are recognisable problems with regard to past and present levels of immigration, some of those relating to the current economic circumstances.

(The solutions suggested by many of that ilk are simplistic and pay no attention to the diversities and complexities of the problems. Also, they do not reflect the possible responses from other countries.)

As far as reading the Sun is concerned I will leave that for you, it seems a suitable level for you. Enjoy it.

As far as my reading matter is concerned, I havent bought a copy of the Guardian within the last 2-3 years.

I have read extracts from the Guardian on a few occasions, but these were either on the Internet, or when they have been sent to me by friends and contacts.


As far as cheap shots are concerned, I refer you to you previous postings.

Have a nice day.

Fred ,,i think it was meant as a joke (TIM) ,lighten up man ...
As it was i thought it was a funny joke ,,,,,,,
This thread used to be so much fun ,,got a bit too political now ....

Well said Jimmy.

One of the biggest problems with this thread, is that it is becoming too personally insulting.
My own opinion of the Guardian is that it is the most politically slanted newspaper there is, but that does not mean we have to insult those who read it.
Argue/debate by all means, but if this thread continues to descend into schoolboy type taunts/insults it will end up loosing those who have interesting things to say.

To those who are targets of such childish comments, rise above it and 'Don't bite back'.

In the past some debates on here have been better than those of our so called political leaders.

As to Fred, I tend to disagree with far more of his political views than I agree with, but on reading his posts, and the way he puts his points over, he is a long way from being an idiot.
I do find it difficult to 'not' get annoyed at people who have any support for Brown and his party, and will debate vigorously on the matter. I have approached several labour MPs and their supporters and argued very vehemently, and have won many points, (they do find it difficult to defend the indefensible) but I would have won far less points if I had descended into the realm of insults.

Greek.

JimmyIf I lightened up any moreyou would see me in AmericaPoliticallyits that time of the yearand as we are faced with Hobson's choice.I vote for Hobson!seems like a nice boy?

JB.

Thank you.

But your interpretation of TIM postings are slightly different to mine.

Those who know me, will recognise my sense of humour is often aimed at myself.

You may notice that Tim had made similar remarks on more than one occasion before I responded.

I do not see the need for abuse, nor do I see abuse as humour, but you are entitled to your opinion.

Perhaps, this post is also meant to be humorous. Make your own judgement.

Fredwe are much the sameyou talk intellectual bo**ocksand I talkbo**ocks bo**ocksIm normally right though

Tabby,

What do the asterisks stand for?

"I'm normally right though.."

You must have stopped the tablets I gave you!

8-(((((

Hmmm? Always thought this lot were a bit dodgy!

From my local rag, the Northampton Chonicle:

Bank staff tricked OAP out of 96k

15 April 2010
By Rob Middleton

Two Lloyds TSB bank employees used their inside knowledge to steal 96,000 from a retired customer's account, Northampton Crown Court heard.

Michael Hollis and Daniel Barlone, both aged 21, were jailed after they admitted to a "sophisticated and calculated fraud".

They used inside knowledge and experience of banking to alter withdrawal limits and make illegal transfers at the Kingsthorpe branch to siphon off the life savings of a pensioner while he was away on holiday in America.

Joe Spicer, prosecuting, said Joseph Greenhowe held an account at the George Row branch in Northampton town centre and had told Hollis he would be travelling from September 17 last year.

But Hollis, who secured employment with the bank despite a previous conviction for stealing 10,000 from an employer, began transferring money to accomplice Christopher Pancoust's account as soon as Mr Greenhowe was out of the country.

The court heard 96,000 in total was transferred over a two-month period and then withdrawn while Pancoust has since disappeared and is now thought to be on the run in Thailand. Mr Spicer said the illegal transfers continued, even when Hollis was arrested and in custody for producing cannabis on September 25. The investigation later revealed Barlone was also involved in making fraudulent transfers.

Mr Spicer said he had even taken advantage of a blind bank cashier, turning off her speaking screen, so she was unaware of any activity.

He added: "The investigation showed it had been activated from her computer while she had no idea it had been done in her name."

Hollis, of South Meadow Road, Duston and Barlone, of The Stour in Daventry, who pleaded guilty to theft by employee while in a position of trust, were jailed for 33 months and 15 months respectively by Judge Richard Bray.

Sentencing Hollis, he said: "It is no mitigation to say the bank has now repaid the customer because I have heard about his distress at this fraud. You were the instigator and suborned the other defendant to assist."

Amanda Bewley, for Hollis, said he had been tempted by the prospect of paying off his mortgage and debts and was then threatened and blackmailed by Pancoust to continue with it. The court heard he had also professionally embarrassed his father who was his branch manager.

Fredfor a cockney asterisks stand for uncontrollable laughterand I still keep taking the tablets

A blind bank cashier?

Yes. That's why I go there for my withdrawals.

;-)

No, seriously, it's an 'audible help thingy', I believe.

On another interesting matter:

NASA hacker's mother stands for Parliament
Janice Sharp takes on Jack Straw in Blackburn

The mother of NASA hacker Gary McKinnon is standing for Parliament as an independent candidate in Blackburn, Lancashire, in a bid to prevent the "erosion of civil liberties".

Janice Sharp, who lives in Hertfordshire, will be standing against Labour's Jack Straw, who is the current Minister for Justice.

"Jack Straw led us to believe the extradition treaty would only be used for terrorists, but it is not being used for this," Sharp told the BBC.

"Once these things are brought in, we don't know where they will go next. It's very frightening."

While Sharp revealed it was unlikely she would win, she said she felt "civil liberties need a voice".

McKinnon, is accused of breaking into US military computers, including those belonging to NASA, in a bid to prove the US government had knowledge of UFOs in 2001.

First arrested in 2002, McKinnon has been fighting extradition to the US since 2005.

A judicial review is set for May 25 and 26 and will examine Home Secretary Alan Johnson's decision that he cannot intervene in the extradition process.

The US claims McKinnon's hacking activies caused $700,000 (433,000) worth of damage. He's also accused of stealing 950 passwords, deleting files at a naval base in New Jersey and rendering the military computer networks used following September 11 useless.

"The fact that the Gary McKinnon extradition case has exceeded the lifetime of this current Parliament is a scandal which belies any promises of swift or fair justice, made by this Labour government," the Free Gary blog said in a story about Sharp's plans.

.....

Hmmm? I might withdraw another 5 to use at Ladbrokes as a bet on her. I wonder what the odds are?