Gloucester Saint

Skate alert - it’s Corporate Ho 😉😜

Have a day off. Seriously. I didn’t agree with Jason’s professional and personal conduct but his two kids now grow up without a dad. When one of my close friends took his own life, I saw what it did to his kids and still does. And at least they didn’t have to see him ridiculed nationally.

Anthony Taylor retiring this week and moaning that the press, fans and especially ex-refs create a pressured and hostile environment. Referees so it to themselves in English football. Dozens of horror mistakes every weekend. They wouldn’t get away with their standards in any other industry or sectors.

Because he prefers Rhossli Bay to the Darwen monument.

More than a touch of the Spy who loved Me there, from Bach in 1977.

A skinhead in a West Ham shirt, covered in swastika tattoos and holding a can of Stella would have got at least 22k and north of 60% of the vote in that seat. Even Rupert Lowe could. Parliamentary enquiry is still ongoing, Nigel had another stropsie and a bin won 27% of the vote against him.

Context is key. You could argue if your family took up the right to buy scheme in the 1980s that Margaret Thatcher did - there’s a counter argument that the lack of re-investment into social housing has created the current crisis. Tony Blair’s government introduced the national minimum wage despite broadsheet claims it would cost 1.7m jobs (it didn’t) and the successful Sure Start centres, but many other policies carried on the Thatcher legacy of benefitting the middle classes and wealthy. So if you’re looking for politicians who really focused on the lowest paid and took a universal approach, you’re looking at Attlee/Bevan, and the consensus period up to 1976 when economic policies emphasised full employment and economics ran to the Keynesian model. Callaghan and Healey shifted to monetarism and public sector cuts to the role of the state to jump start an economy stagnating after the oil shocks, energy crisis and militant unions, and Thatcher accelerated that where you get to Lawson as CoE and the quote about unemployment being a price worth paying and the opening up of a north-south divide with de-industrialisation and shift to a heavily service-based economy.

I think Clement Attlee and Nye Bevan might have a claim there.

@hypochondriac I was weighing up whether if the only styles of football available were Ian Branfoot’s or Russball. After a lie down in a darkened room and some cold sweats, I think on balance I’d rather watch Branfoot’s. Watching Martinball, which was basically what Liverpool did in the late 1980s before the back pass rule change to kill time in the last 20 minutes with a narrow lead, I just couldn’t do it again.

I agree with you, but Benfica ain’t going to pay what Dragan wants, not even close. Empty vessels make a lot of noise. Porto were more sensible buying Bednarek, good for their league and in their price range. Historically enormous club, they came over for Nick Holmes’s testimonial in 1986/7 I think it was, but like Old Firm struggling to adjust to current realities in the screwed up world of football 2026 where Bournemouth, Fulham, Ipswich or Brentford represent a more attractive destination for players and agents eager for their cut.

Large bear observed defecating in woodland.

Loads of videos on YouTube like this, it’s mental but pre-dates Trump to post-Waco and the Oklahoma bombing. Having won the Cold War, bizarrely some Americans turned terrorism and appalling behaviour on their own country. Mr Bone Spurs encouraged them on 6 January but the herd behaviours from tens of millions brainwashed by SM, Bannon and Musk were there long before that day. Horrible situation for the cops on duty, attacked and in some cases killed by MAGA ‘patriots’. Glad the GOP finally grew a pair of bollocks over Trump’s plans to divert restorative funds to the Oath Keepers, KKK and all of the other far right loons that day. When you look back at the footage, it was like Nurnberg with all of the swastikas on display. If it happens again in January 2029 or even January 2027 after the mid-terms, they need to protect their legislature. If various nutters or group physically try to storm HoC, they know 100% they’ll be shot dead.

Phil Parsons isn’t doing well is he? And agree, great opportunity for parents to take their kids to first game, good opponent, full away end, both full sides out. @Saint Garrett I agree that the sales of drinks/food with the margins there and what would be taken in the club shop would easily exceed the £12 ticket reduction.

Might be Swing Lowe, pretty sure those were a thing circa 2006 and 2009.

Ian has different views but they’re always well expressed and rational/logical even if I don’t agree with them sometimes. Actually wants to have a discussion - that old fashioned thing - not just post the latest crap from X/Brietbart/Telegram/Reddit (latter does have a range of views) without any context. Soggy got hammered for doing that and making stuff up, but he’s not alone. Oh, and my new campaign #suffrageforsums