buctootim

MLT and LM arent young and inexperienced. They know full well how the media operates and that whatever they say will used for maximum effect. As Dubai Phil says, if you dont want to be drawn into the controversy and fan the flames of a non story - say nothing.

I never used to like it because it looked a bit 1970s and dated. Now I just think it looks deliberately retro. Agree with others the 125 is a bit carp and unneccessary. They've already put '1885' and '2010' in - were not so thick we need someone to do the maths for us as well.

Manufacturing has continued to grow, albeit slowly. Whats changed is that the proportion of the UK economy it accounts for has declined - because the service economy has grown much quicker. GDP has grown by nearly 60% since 1997, but as you say manufacturing has grown by only around 7%.

You're right, currently no-one could vote them out so they can remain in power for a full term as long as the love-in continues. If they fall out and the coalition breaks up the Tories would be back to a minority government - which would likely trigger a new election

Basically Mervyn King has said its a balancing act. Cut too much and you will deflate the economy - setting back economic growth and therefore further reducing employment and the total tax take. It you dont cut the deficit enough rthe city will take fright, cut the UKs credit rating, the price the government has to pay to borrow goes up and we then have an even worse deficit because the amount required to pay the interest is even higher. Merv thinks £6bn of cuts this year is about right.

Taking your lead from David Cameron I see Johnny.

Bythe time Thatcher was elected the problems in much of UK manufacturing were already obvious. Too much of it couldnt compete without government subsidy. Britain made the wrong choice in the 1950 and 60s. Germany encouraged its manufacturing industry to compete on quality, Britain decided to compete on price. At the time it made sense because no-one foresaw the rise of cheap mass manufacture in the far east. In retrospect it was disastrous. Its no coincidence that much of the manufacturing we have retained is high value, research and knowledge intensive - aerospace, pharmaceuticals, arms, software and IT.

Very good point. Clegg is on a tightrope. He needs to show that a coalition government can work; that the LDs can be trusted in government and together with the Tories make very unpopular choices that the public will accept because they see it as unpleaseant but essential medicine. It will be relatively easy for both the Tories and Labour to target the LDs and make any problems appear to be their fault. I hope they can last four years.

I wouldnt do it until the government and the EU sort the supply side out. Too many unknowns at the moments to make it anything more than a total gamble.

No offence intended Smirking. I work for a climate change charity and know a bit about the subject and have read TG's posts on renewable energy for years. I know enough to realise TG knows far more about the technical aspects of electricity generation and distribution than me. TG is right - even if you disagree with him -its very hard to argue that the national grid and the huge utility companies investing billions in wind capacity also dont know what they're doing. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article6910298.ece http://www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlyres/43892106-1CC7-4BEF-A434-7359F155092B/3543/Reactive_Introduction_oct01.pdf "GE’s new WindFREE Reactive Power feature provides smooth fast voltage regulation by delivering controlled reactive power through all operating conditions. By supervising individual wind turbines, the WindCONTROL system ensures that the reactive power performance of a wind power plant can meet—and often exceed—the performance of a conventional (non-wind) power plant. Even when wind turbines are not generating active power, GE’s wind turbine generators equipped with the new WindFREE Reactive Power control feature can provide reactive power. The provision of continued voltage support and regulation provides grid benefits not possible with conventional generation, while mitigating adverse voltage impacts of wind turbines being off-line due to wind conditions. This feature can eliminate the need for grid reinforcements specifically designed for no-wind conditions, and may allow for more economic commitment of other generating resources that will enhance grid security by reducing the risk of voltage collapse." http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/wind_turbines/en/downloads/wind_plant_perf2.pdf

No, thats clam.

Yep. BBC used to be above that kind of crap which is common newspapers. Not any more.

Neither you or Brown are right. As in most things the UK is middle of the pack - and thats the problem with politics in the UK. Marginal differences in shades of grey are distorted in the press and media which leads to all kind of weird and wonderful public beliefs. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/1/34/45160787.pdf

I dont think he knows what he's saying - just letting a little knowledge run away with him. A short, self researched project on electricity as part of a course doesnt mean any more than my first year project on load bearing structures meant I knew how to build a channel tunnel.

Actually maybe taking the deal which would have left BA as still by far the best paid cabin crew in the UK would have been an option. This strike has screwed over the majority of BA staff, the company, the travelling public - and ultimately the strikers themselves - so forgive me if I have limited sympathy for your self inflicted wounds.

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tbh I doubt if you could accurately describe three Tory or three Labour party policies.

Sounding educated / intelligent and sounding posh arent the same thing at all. Being a thick sounding poshy wont get you anywhere at all.

Ah, ta - got it. Might come in handy one day - Im not averse to looking a prat on special occasions.

philo-phobic? que?

Thats because you dont have political parties in club elections. If we had 650 independents standing for parliament we wouldnt need PR.

Actually there are now more socialists in power than for a long time!

Well if you prefer to follow your sports hobby instead of going to Greece, dont go.

Ive heard it from three people on this forum.

TBF two Parliaments of any Government is all the country can stand. They all seem to lose the plot after 10 years.