Rolta

Ah yeah but I think Villareal also suffered a little in the league at times while he was succeeding in the European cups.

It didn't work well for West Ham this season! I'm not saying we'd be that shit, but it's arguable that it it be a bit of a shame if our league form suffered just to play in the Conference. I'd think more of it if there wasn't a group stage.

I'm not really against it, but I wouldn't stick now. We might as well hope for the Europa until it's impossible—I was responding to comments about someone wanting Brighton to get the results they need to secure 6th, so they'd be on the beach for the final day, allowing us to beat them to get 7th. Nah—let's hope they lose/draw tomorrow and we get 6th.

We've been so good under Emery I'd rather go for the Europa League at the risk of losing any European spot altogether. The fear would be that the Conference is a drag, so for a lesser competition I'd prefer to throw everything at keeping up and building on our excellent league form (which would have got us the Champions League) and not throwing away opportunities in the domestic cups. There are a lot of crappy ties in the Conference.

We go for gold surely. The Europa League would be fantastic. The conference much much less so.

I'm reading it now! It's so bleak. And yep, basically the end result of the ideology of neoliberals.

'Soros hates humanity.' 'Labour hate Britain.' It's always dumb exaggerated bollocks. At least Musk is showing his hand now. I wonder how he feels about the likes of Murdoch etc? He's presumably seen the Dominion texts, so he should be aware that there is an oligarch who's TV station is actively eroding the very fabric of civilisation in front of his eyes. Oh, but then he appeared on the station about two weeks later.

I think their economic ideas might as well be a religion to them. This current lot, the ones that took over the party, are that devout and faith-based. The Tories—full of self-justifying shit. And their ideals have been proven not to work time and again. Someone always gets rich though, and it's always a Tory. Some examples I believe: Global Financial Crisis made possible by Reagan-era deregulation. Bailouts, corporations becoming bogus untouchable financial machines. Chile under Pinochet. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/30/pinochet-economic-model-current-crisis-chile

The Tories idealogically have no love for the NHS and that anytime so with them it's all lip service right? They say things just to get people who aren't really paying any attention to continue voting for them. Labour are actual social democrats, so you'd hope a public health system is a massive part of that worldview and they'd treat it with the same investment they did last time they were in power.

Protest > Violent Insurrection

You do understand that 'WE' were the EU—you do understand that it's a union, right? That 'WE' were part of the governing process, complete with vetoes? The number of laws we voted against that were 'foisted' upon us is miniscule, and they amount to things like not putting certain carcinogens in wine—and part of being in a union is that there's some give and take. We were governed by ourselves, but were part of a union when it came to our trade block. You do realise that when countries normally join trade blocks all the democratic stuff that happens in the EU (via the council and the parliament) actually doesn't exist, and we'd literally be forced to take on these 'laws' (standards) anyway. If we join this Pacific trade group, are people going to complain about being 'governed' by the trade group? No, they're not, because they literally had no idea what they were voting for in the referendum. If they don't want their intelligence questioned then they shouldn't say half-baked things that prove they had no idea what they were voting for. One day the penny will drop that all the Leave bullshit is the standard bad-faith storytelling that all grifters and demagogues manage to hoodwink people with. It's the same generation after generation.

Don't France do it? Trump famously went a few years ago and said he wanted one for the USA. Spain also do something with their air force. They do a kind of air parade in Madrid.

I hope those fawning appreciate that they're doing so over an over-privilaged multi-billionaire. And I hope at some point on a level they question what that means about them.

Yes, this bit! I should have said this but too. It was wrapped up in the billionaire comment.

I'm well aware how much they annoy me!

But you do make comments about the example you talk about, about other people just living their lives. What's the difference? Tbh there is a difference. The difference is Sam Smith isn't affecting your life at all. If Sam Smith is 'shoved in your face' it would only be by someone trying to wind you up. You'd never know otherwise. This coronation is the definition of actually being shoved in 'one's' face. I think having a gay guy wear skimpy clothes affects a lot fewer lives than half the country subordinating themselves like groupies to a aristocratic billionaire who is by luck of birth the head of state.

I think you make an interesting point. Most tourists have a superficial at best appreciation of greater societal implications of the showy moments they see abroad. They don't really understand the layers of power and the flavour of support... exactly who is being whatever they're watching. It's a different thing to be a passive bystander than to actively go somewhere with full knowledge (more or less) of the ins and outs of the country and to support something. I just couldn't bring myself to watch this farce for a moment. It's a completely different thing. If it was someone else's culture being subservient to aristocratic billionaires that live by different rules and I had no idea whatsoever about what was going on I might head down and look though, especially if I was on holiday. Why not.

This just makes them more annoying. What the hell are we thinking revering this bunch of inbred chancers.

I was messing around with that comment really. I remember the shoddiness of that process ok. It's crazy how long ago it was.

So the client base wanted the badge as it is now!

Why does corporate mean successful? Plenty of corporations fail/struggle/do badly. You use so many words to justify your use of 'corporate' means good things but I don't buy it. Anyway, different opinions clearly! I lost. The gaslamp will have to live on only in my dreams.

I'm talking about the use of the English language. 'Corporate' is a synonym for soulless (in this context—in design). And not all corporations are successful anyway, and plenty of 'corporate' things are pants—so the point doesn't stand at all!

"Corporate" is never a positive adjective. All yer waffle isn't going to change that! The badge isn't offensive to me. It is better than the old one, but it's also just uninspired and lame. It also has a lot of wasted space in its design and, yep, as others have said, just looks like a boring template—because it pretty much is one!

The Leeds one here is an abomination but that doesn't prove anything. I saw you edited my post a few pages back and effectively said the new badge was original and a masterpiece. I'm sure you said it a bit tongue in cheek, but it's about as far away from original as could be. The alternative was there in front of our eyes. A sihouette that would actually more or less have been original—now we just have another round badge. I admit the new badge looks OK in the mockups, but it's so dull and uninspiring.

I've only been to San Sebastian—though Emery may prefer its Basque name Donostia judging by his use of Basque on social media—and it's a lovely place. The good news is that in August it should be bearable temperature-wise, as opposed to anywhere from the middle of Spain down, which will be unbearable! I hear good things about Bilbao too, and there are loads of nice places in the countryside. Villages and beaches and so on.