Rodders

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah - think it must be the fir first time ive ever heard the original version :oops:

General, I hope the scoundrel who threw anything at the lino is banned for life.

just finished making my favourite biscuits - just had a nice hot one 8) 8oz plain flour 4oz margerine 3oz sugar teaspoon ginger teaspoon baking powder 4oz melted golden syrup 1. mix flour and marge up into bread crumby texture, 2. add the rest in - syrup last, mix to get doughy texture 3. roll into balls with a slight press of the finger in the middle of each on greased trays. Makes around 18-20. 4. Heat in oven 170C at 15-20 min EAT

oh yes yes yes. I've had the greatest hits on recetly - the live version is awesome, but just been thoroughly enjoying Call Me The Breeze.

:shock: let's hope you haven't had actual experience to make such a comparison! im drinking some local dry cider tonight.

Iwas like that at university - until i was offered sex on a plate and my principles swiftly changed managed to do it to a decent soundtract - she was the big lynyrd skynyrd fan - and I was finishing it up midway through Free Bird. I also started at the beginning of Free Bird too iirc

20. pretty old and late all told. It was just awful.

and my favourite: A dyslexic man walks into a bra \o/

Punchline over my American head.. irisih being tickos is a sterotpyical joke format. We do the there's a Englishman,Scottsman and and Irishman... and it's the latter who is generally the victim of stupidity.

no point ours being on tv anyway too.

heh im still at kermode fighting talk the game guardian news daily the onion radio the onion tv the now show ( not on atm ) might try stephen fry's one though

4 red cards each, extra time followed by a limping owen scoring the winning penalty to make it 1-0 after 48 rounds of penalties please.

why is there a need for total distinction? I want someone who'd be pragmatic, not someone who'd stick to some principle even when it's blatantly failing, then have to go through some ridiculous self-haranguing about 'changing the credo'. I don't want uber left or uber right at all. I wouldn't want a govt to tax everyone to death and waste it all, and I wouldn't want a party which isn't too far off this Not the nine o clock news pastiche: http://tinyurl.com/46n7y8

varying socioeconomic factors there I guess. I might just be shooting out stereotypes here, but in Wales / Scotland, where there is plenty of patriotic sentiment, the tories will always flounder - being seen as the most english of english parties, and maybe it's to do with that, historically lots of the mines / docks etc, full of workers in these areas? shoot me down if im writing codswallop and yes the centre has gravitated to the right imo I'm not sure if it's a temporary or a growing gradual cultural shift.

Do you actually live outside the city, then? In which constituency do you live? yes in a rural area Worcestershire Mid. last election: turnout 67& CONPeter Luff 51.5% 24,783 LD Margaret Rowley 20.4% 9796 Lib dems gained 1.6% more there of course I'm sure I'll be moving elsewhere soon enough, when I finally find employment, but even so, it irks me that in places like this potential voters might be dissuaded because those votes are discarded essentially until the next election.

generally i guess because many people feel "safer" voting with a party that isn't going to overhaul their cushty way of life hence polarising parties aren't going to ever take off spectacularly. The Lib Dems need to target the middle ground if they are to ever have aspirations of being a more credible visible force in politics, rather than a large fringe group acting in a glorified pressure group type role.

the problem with voting is most of the votes are rendered redundant in the fptp idea. So as I currently live in a tory safe seat there is afuck all point me voting Lib Dem even though I'd like to. So meaningless, I'll moan all I like and wish they'd overhaul the voting system entirely, including a reform of the houses. Also whilst im no tory, they also won the "popular vote" in England last time round, yet that isn't reflected at all in seats. It's so skewered that apathy can breed quite happily so whilst I think being ignorant of the parties and not bothering is a poor show, refusing to do so because you believe it's a total waste is fair enough. What does spoiling the ballot do? No-one takes any notice of it anyway. Give me, some change including PR, a House of Reps US style and a seperation of voting for my local MP and the Leader /President style type and I'll become more engaged. the current set up is aload of archaic old toss. watched the lib dem conference and whilst I agreed with many of the soundbites, there's just no point at all me voting whilst I currently live where I do.

Interesting to see the comments and the other thread too. I've spent pretty much all day since my last post here playing good old golf, having a proper old carvery, british ale, and then watching the latter stages of the England match and being shocked by how well they played, though later realised croatia had a man sent off. Suffice to see, I don't think I can articulate my feelings on it clearly, as it's all mixed up in ambiguity and conflicting emotions so I'll just shut up

I think i've just grown up with so many negative images, it seems daft ( IMO ) to defend something unconditionally. With the exception of close family, if someone or some thing serially **** up, why be proud of that? Being English doesn't make me better than being french or angolan and I guess I've just grown up seeing alot of stuff in papers about "we're england we should do this and that, sod other countries, sod x y z we deserve this / that" and I find that so embarrassing and illogical. Doesn't mean there aren't traits I don't like ofc and I'll happily claim decent historical figures who are British as part of our past, but then again, what someone else did x years ago, again doesn't mean that now, i am better than anyone else. Patriotism, I find tends to descend into one giant pissing contest, and so generally, I avoid promoting it overtly.

I am yes.

edit: I'll qualify the above just to be sure of what I mean. there are many englishisms I like and am proud of and the values that go as a part of it, but there are equally as many I abhor and find so painfully embarrassing. I'll support and be proud of the elements that I think have a degree of virtue in them, ie the athletes at the games, the spirit of cricket - mock me if you will - might be problems with the selectors there, but generally the way the game is played, and the personnel who represent it. I have enough problems with football as it is with the obscene money and the fact most footballers act like clearings in the woods, and the only reason I follow generally is a link with Villa since I was a kid, especially now we have owners and a manager who exude the kind of traits one can be proud of, but generally, a growing - if small - part of me wishes I'd not been brought up following football. For me, there is absolutely **** all to be proud of in the English football side, from the players, through to the FA, the journalism that surrounds it, and the fans who'll switch from a bit of bigoted chanting to a chorus of boos as and when they please. If they play on tv that I can watch there's a chance I'll probably watch anyway if im not doing anything, but i'm certainly not going to rush out to watch them if I can't when I have extremely limited investment in the team ( will barry score? ) for a start.

i was born in england by total fluke, really don't see why i should support the football team through thick and thin. overpaid prats, an incompetent fa and fans that incur so much embarrassment it's untrue. i do choose to support our athletes in other events and sports as it happens, but football get's a miss I'm afraid.

I enjoyed WC 2002, since then it's all been Villa. Really couldn't give a stuff about the players or the side. It's a closed shop in terms of personnel, managers pandering to out of form overrated tosspots, and most of the more vocal fans who go are absolute tosspots, full of chavs, who embarrass England's sinking reputation by the game. I hope Croatia win tonight cause it'd be **** funnyoot read the tabloid journos go into an apopletic frenzy thinking anyone cares. I follow the English cricket and rugby sides and british athletes at the olympics etc, but the football side? Nah couldn't give a flying **** about it

House - just brilliant in every aspect, and Hugh Laurie's fantastic. West Wing comes in 2nd for me.

7 striking options look poor. A lot of pressure on Gabby to improve and not do **** all in games, Carew to not get injured, Marlon to resemble some form of competence when he starts and Defouneso to not be cowed or bullied when he get's a chance. Short of cover at full back too. goalkeeping dept looks good, milner, and sidwell will hopefully be good and having cuellar luke and nicky in defence is nice, but fairly obvious they weren't our first choices.