Polaroid Saint

No problem. I am a real man like that. I would hate it if people thought I was some sort of paranoid or obsessive internet warrior with a line in snide putdowns. ;-)

Quite the opposite in fact. I consider my opinion to be of very little merit to me personally. It is only ever a placeholder until a better* one takes its place. If, however, my 'opinions' (I prefer the phrase 'current understanding') can help others form better opinions then I voice them, otherwise I stay silent. I seriously do NOT assume anything in life, real or online; I am genuinely sorry if that is the impression I give. *By 'better' I mean more informed, more rounded, more precise.

Brilliant. Yes it is my 'education' at fault here; I read BOOKS! And form OPINIONS based on research and academia. Shock! Horror! (Although, I would say it is generally agreed - of course open to be further research, proof/disproof - that the human animal is a social one, and naturally tries to integrate. As per that caveat, I'll take the TSW forum rule that any disputable fact is 'an opinion'.) Oh nose! You have outed me as an 'intellectual'! - "Boo Hiss, the man has chosen to spend his life on a quest for knowledge. What a cùnt! Let's ignore his opinions, for his reasonable approach to knowledge gathering scares us." Ignorance may be bliss my friends, but you should not take pride in it.

Once more. Look up Sayyid Qutb. Fascinating man and life. Hopefully that will help with your questions about timings.

You are absolutely correct. Most mass integrations are the final result of prolonged and bloody struggle. That was misleading of me, In my defence I was only using such an extreme example to counter the 'facts' as presented by GM. I do not believe it is a 'fact' immigrants don't wish to integrate. Sorry Sour Mash, I would love to take credit for the insight that Humans prefer to integrate rather than not; but I have to tip my hat to the thousands of anthropologists who have come before me. It is human nature to attempt to blend in. There will always be individuals, groups and iconoclasts who do not bend to this most basic of human traits, but the vast majority of humans prefer not to be noticed, to acclimatise and integrate. We are gregarious creatures, therefore it is in our nature to want to be accepted by 'the group'. Most importantly I refute GMs suggestion that Powell's opinion that 'immigrants do not wish to integrate' is/was a fact.

And he was wrong. It is human nature to integrate. Humanity's history is simply a series of emigrations and integrations (we even integrated with another species with the Neanderthals FFS). Look at the country Powell was so scared of, the States. At the time of his speech the USA was undergoing racial turmoil (primarily due to its racial segregation laws, not immigration, but hey, the facts didn't bother Powell then, so why should they bother us now!?). Let's also remember, this was purely a racially motivated position. Black people. Not religious (nowt to do with Muslims). Powell highlighted America as a warning. That same country now has a multiracial leader and its 'immigration problems' are with economic migrants from Hispanic America (much more similar to the UK in the sixties in fact.) Sure America still has some serious racial issues (its young black prison population for one), but, through multiculturalism, they are continuing to build their nation. Perhaps they could serve as an example of how to handle racial/cultural tensions? You, on the other hand, are suggesting we go back nearly fifty years for cultural advice from a man whose obvious prejudices did untold damage to open dialogue about race in the UK then and since. Bizarre.

Good point on the timings and a key mention of Suez... ...If anyone really wants to know about the recent history of Islamic fundamentalism (rather than pontificate on immigration and foreign policy), then they would do well to look up the name "Sayyid Qutb". This man is at the root of Islamic 'evil' in much the same way Edward Bernays is at the root of western 'evil'. (Don't get me wrong, I don't subscribe to the 'great man theory' of history, but individuals are good markers of historical context). Say again; Sayyid Qutb. Worth learning about.

Slightly redundant maybe? Even if 'National Pride' swells on the day of the vote and a vote for independence is returned I am not sure it will ever happen? All sorts of legal and tricky bits and bobs to sort that will leave the whole thong stuck in the mud - Westminster will bury the constitutional settlement process for years, I would not be surprised to see the results of the referendum quashed (or at least partially negated) by successive legal challenges either. In some ways I wish it were to happen. Then Kernow can get independence too, and them Pimlico and so on. I quite like the idea of an independent Wessex.

Slightly redundant maybe? Even if 'National Pride' swells on the day of the vote and a vote for independence is returned I am not sure it will ever happen? All sorts of legal and tricky bits and bobs to sort that will leave the whole thong stuck in the mud - Westminster will bury the constitutional settlement process for years, I would not be surprised to see the results of the referendum quashed (or at least partially negated) by successive legal challenges either. In some ways I wish it were to happen. Then Kernow can get independence too, and them Pimlico and so on. I quite like the idea of an independent Wessex.

This^

Not worrying too much about the result. The bear is probably right and rumours of a loss are likely to be true. I just want us to nick the SuperLambBananna. As its a bit like the names of them players that left. Go on boys, Fuxk it up. Its on Tithbarn Street. Even just a little friendly, easily removed, graffiti. *gameface* EDIT: I mean look at this thing. The opportunity is too good to waste no? StupidLamboLallana;

Bordeaux got pwnd. Lols.

Still my favourite player despite the histrionics. Hope he proves all the doubters (including himself) wrong.

Watching Hernandez bombing about up front for ManUre. Does this mean he is not for sale, or has van Gaal simply put him 'in the shop window'?

I'm in the Sun one, bit confused by the Rivals one, but I'm in anyway - looks interesting! Also doing SkyPsorts with SocialMedia mates, Yahoo with friends around the world (the only one that seems to be available in different countries) and the Telegraph one at work. I have chosen the same team (where possible) so it wont get TOO confusing. Premierleague official one kicked me out after asking for a fiver, and I couldn't be arsed to try and do it all again (passport no?! FFS) Sorry!

Web friendly version for all your social media needs:

Ooh. This looks good. Added to me wish list. (Just finished The Serpents Promise by the excellent Steve Jones, so this looks like a decent follow up).

...

I am gonna keep checking back here to see if tim has posted a new picture of his namesake. Good work fella, keep it up.

:-)

I am shocked Bats! You don't care about the Official Navigation Partner? Come on man, call yourself a fan!? ;-) (Tip: swap the words Garmin and Google Maps in my post with Long and Ings... ...crowbarred in, I know, maybe too subtle and a bit sh!t, sorry.)

Yeah, not sure if I rate TomTom either though! Great company and all that and I didn't realise Garmin were bigger now (it's these stats you don't always see that are so important to football sponsorship deals these days). However, I would still rather take a punt on a fresh exciting navigation technology like Google Maps. Sure it has issues, but it is young and guaranteed to improve.

Bit concerned about the age of this technology. Uninspired by this signing I guess. Sure, Garmin are proven in the navigation field, with several years experience of navigating at the top level, but it's not that exciting is it? I am sure Garmin will get us where we need to be going, but I would preferred the club to show ambition and either go for an even bigger name (would TomTom come here?), or preferably invest in new emerging talent; Google Maps is worth a punt IMO.