chrisp65

Yep, looks like the out sourcing of democracy to Capita by Barnet Council is going really well.... Hendon Times Capita telling people to 'come back later', brilliant. I bet next year you'll be able to pay a little extra and get an enhanced executive service where a vote is almost guaranteed.

Yeah, in ye olden days you could wait for the manager to leave the bar, unscrew the front of the machine and write down the sequence on the rotating drums. The skill was in not winning too much and having the machine taken away.

Come on man, I was being hipster. Music is music was supposed to be the thrusting message. There's nothing better than a Blondie / Beatles / Jam mixtape.

let me just consult my map....... yep, both Birmingham and Leeds are above the M4 you're a northerner

I think statistically, the Hispanic vote is around about 1 in 12 voters. Of those, the majority traditionally vote democrat anyway, and live in democrat voting states. So the maximum damage Trump can do to himself by alienating 100% of the Hispanic vote would be limited. But a small and slightly ropey exit poll in Nevada suggested Trump got a higher cut of the republican Hispanic vote than Rubio or Cruz. Which I think means, for Trump, being rude to Hispanics probably makes very little difference.

Historic Kits So a bit like a combo of the two 1884 kits.... Personally, I'm all over a revival of the 1885 kit.

I've got broader taste now than I've ever had. I still struggle massively with what I would clumsily describe as 'rock' and all it's variations from Bon Jovi to U2 to Kiss, Supertramp, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne etc.. That said, my last few gigs and my next few up coming could loosely be described as punk, folk and a sort of country n western techno.... Coming up in December, my first ever gig at the Hammersmiff Empire. Alabama 3 (again!).

I miss Useless. I just hope he didn't take 'bantzz' as criticism. There is no such thing as good taste and bad taste, music is music and all that. (obviously mid atlantic rock and anything with high sales volumes is total shit, but yeah, you know)

turn the clock through 90 degrees (or change the batteries to something with more oomph)

somebody on that twitter yesterday pointed out that given the 2016 we've had so far, that's quite an optimistic line up for 5 months time...

I'm not sure giving someone the middle finger in an east coast park is the right way to celebrate gay rights. But, the more I think about it....

I don't think the Children's Commissioner is saying once you've ticked a box you have to stick with it. I'd suggest that for the great majority of teenagers up to 18 years old asked to fill this in, the answer will be a spectacularly simple one. For that tiny minority of people that already know at 13, 14 , 17, 18 that they are something else then there are boxes there for them too. It kind of suggests there are lots of version of normal, doesn't it. I'd also guess, that if a 17 year old doesn't know what a trans girl is, then that's probably not the box to tick. So many people hung up with everyone else having to conform. Exactly how many parents have complained about this I wonder? I bet no parent with a child that is struggling with their gender has complained about this national survey. There you go, I must be very right on.

I know one bloke that 'forgets' his kids after a decent pub lunch so he gets an hour's free babysitting.

Yep, we generally eat the evening meal together, sat at a table in a room that doesn't have a TV in it. I'd guess that happens 5 or 6 evenings of most weeks. It's not strict, if someone is going out or not hungry then that's fine, we don't go all Jim Jones over it. It's just the habit we are in. Sometimes we even continue to talk to each other after the meal has been eaten.

To be fair, the article is in the Daily Mail. They're still upset they didn't back the winners in World War II. I don't see it swaying many voters.

Crap parents in restaurants / shops / trains / planes / football grounds. Ban them.

I think I saw them at The Windmill in Brixton about 10 years ago.

The only saving grace is that they are quite close to London so they can get in to town for a beer and a shisha quite quickly.

I think there is every chance the guy is caught in his own hellish loop. He's sees what a absolute pigs bollock he's made of the club and how much of daddies money he's spent and decides he's really going to sell up. But then, if there is any interest shown, it makes him think there must still be something worth buying...and therefore he should keep it. So the deal goes away. At which point he realises what a pigs b he's made again, how much money he has spent again and then he really really tries to sell it. But then, someone shows some interest and his brilliant business brain kicks in again.... It's no conspiracy, it's a very rich but utterly clueless individual that can't help but **** up everything he touches.

on a lighter note of political corruption of the highest order... The Labour run council of Cardiff West has been going around at night and in the early hours removing Plaid Cymru placards from private gardens. When the first lot went, they were replaced, when the second lot went, the police were informed. A quick bit of local rummaging and the council 'fessed up. They've said they mistakenly thought the placards were on council houses and housing association properties and were trying to make all the 'council estate and properties' political neutral during an election. A weird little inconsequential diversion. Did anyone else think the council could remove posters from local authority housing stock? Plus of course, just unlucky that they only managed to remove the Plaid ones, I guess. Plaid will finish a distant third or fourth in that area.

If there is a specific leaflet headed up and aimed exclusively and specifically at muslims, by either party, I would find that equally distasteful.

Leaflet specifically for Indians. Tories will get the police to keep your family home safe from burglary, labour will tax your jewellery and cannot get a deal from government to keep you safe. I wonder what the USP's were on the other leaflets for other ethnic groups?

As my own non-scientific version of a political survey, on my commute through town I can take a tally of the number of party political posters in gardens and windows. Traditionally, a drive through town would see nothing but labour, arrival at the first green lane would see the first blue conservative sign. At the last couple of elections, there have been Plaid and Tory green and blue signs in town, remarkable for their previous absence. For the election coming up here on 5th May, I'd say blue signs and posters have a comfortable majority in town and a 100% stranglehold out in the Vale. We have received pamphlets through the door from Tory, Plaid and UKIP. No labour. I think Labour could be about to lose control here, I think they might be in a bit of a mess. Could be wrong, just a hunch based on junk mail and window posters.

he clearly dictated all of that in to Lescott's magic pocket

it's almost as though we'd benefit from some sort of inquest to establish facts and put an end to conjecture