Saintandy666

It's actually getting far harder to get into Oxbridge. Since they started their proper drive into more deprived communities, applications have sky rocketed. And whatever the standards of work at A Level, I don't really see how standards or at the very least the amount of work needing to be done could have dropped at all. The difference in work level is massive. I have 8 week terms(this is my last week), and I have already done 16 assignments(and each one takes a significant amount of time). For comparison, many of my friends are handing in their first essays this week/next week etc and they started a couple of weeks earlier than me.

Runs it?! Which one???

Fair enough. From what I understand, Oxford have put in a massive effort in recent times to change things up in terms of attitude and feel around the place etc.

Yer, Oxford can seem quite intimidating at first. But tbh, once you are here it is entirely different to what to you expect. It's not snobby or anything like that at all, though I am at a supposedly very liberal college. I think like most things it is what you make of it. And Oxford is definitely a good night out! Plenty of clubs, pubs, bars etc etc

When was that? And which college did she apply to at the time?

I'm at Oxford at the moment. Got 3A's at A level(In Biology, Chemistry and Politics). 7A*'s 5A's and a B at GCSE. Had a year out after A Levels due to various reasons(not a gap yah!), was interviewed at Oxford and got unconditional. All the offers here are AAA or A*AA(never any lower than that). Generally speaking though, as long as you have that baseline level of GCSE's and A Levels(make sure you get it), Oxford don't care so much. They place a massive emphasis on their own admissions tests and especially interviews as the way of seeing how candidates think etc as opposed just to what they know. If you want any help or whatever, just ask me on here or pm me or whatever

It's not really the labour party though is it? It's not like it is Labour party policy(as is quite clear from the aftermath). It seems to be more of a decision made on a personal level by particular workers.

Liedesplein(spelling?!) is great for bars and stuff(as is red light district). Really excellent 5 euro pizza pasta restaurant in that area called 'il Palio' in Liedesplein. There are quite a lot of Argentinian steak houses, but I avoided them on my trips because they were all relatively pricey. If you aren't just going to get high and drunk, check out vondelpark. And also Anne Franks house. Oh, and invest in a tram pass, though if you feel like walking, nothing is horrendously far, but the tram passes are incredible value for money.

Wasn't it Ricardo Fuller who attempted to score against us from a fair play ball drop?

I'm not having a go at you, just the media. I've seen so many poor reports. I remember when sky news pronounced lulzsec's 'lulz boat' as 'Louise boat'. These people are top journalists supposedly! They are meant to have their finger on the pulse.

It never ceases to amaze me just how badly the media understand internet culture, in particular what exactly anonymous are. They are many things, but they are certainly not a 'group'!

All of it was in place via the ECHR. The HRA was enacted to bring the ECHR to the UK in effect. So now people don't have to go to Strasbourg, they can go to London first...

That destroys the whole point of human rights. They are universal, because you are human. If you just let a state decide who has human rights and who doesn't, it's a very slippery slope.

I spoilt both my ballots. Don't agree with the system and I don't see why I should legitimise it. Keep politics out of the police force.

We are free to deport criminals. It's just that certain standards have to be met. If you believe in human rights, then you have to apply them to everyone, regardless of whether they are nice people or not. I kind of like the ECHR. It's good to have that outside protection. What we do need is a proper supreme court like the US.

It's not that simple, or desirable to just stop migration. Like it or loathe it, the demographics of our country means we will need migrant workers in the future. And badger is absolutely right. This has nothing do to with the EU, it is the ECHR which is an entirely different organisation with a much wider membership too. And reforming the HRA doesn't really change anything either as all the HRA does is make ECHR protections accessible in the UK so people don't have to travel to the ECHR every time they want to take something to that level.

The NHS isn't perfect, but for the amount we spend on it, which is comparatively less by GDP than most other countries, we get an awful lot. But as I said it isn't perfect. From family experience, it is extremely fast(at least where I live) for stuff like suspected cancers and so on, but it can be extremely slow and frustrating for things that aren't life threatening and merely just a cause of discomfort. But on the whole, the NHS is fantastic and we are very lucky to have it. I would never be able to live in a country like the US where there is a culture of trying to deny people who need treatment and so on(though with the healthcare reforms, hopefully that will begin change). I'm sorry to hear about your niece though, but I'm sure it will all be sorted out.

We aren't loosing control of anything though. There is only one Abu Qatada. He is the exception. We can't go changing our laws and risk everyone else's freedom just for someone like him.

It's ridiculous, but it is a one off and an exception rather than the norm. So we shouldn't change our standards of human rights for everyone else just because of him.

I think they are keen to be seen to be investigating themselves and being accountable. I agree with you that the core of the agenda should move on to the victims of child abuse(who are now forgotten), but the likes of the Mail and the Sun will not let that happen.

Why does it matter if he gets paid a huge amount of money? That isn't in the spirit of remembrance day whatsoever. He should wear a poppy because he wants to, not because he has to.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9768000/9768610.stm

What about fans respecting his views? Choosing not to wear a poppy on his shirt is hardly an aggressive move. It is a very passive action, and does not affect any of supporter's right to wear a poppy if they so wish.

I don't necessarily think anyone is a 'grade-A front bottom' just because they disagree with me... if that is what you are getting at? People have different opinions, and where possible we should discuss that civilly and coherently where necessary without resorting to anger and abuse.

Not at all. He is paid to play football, not to reflect the views of fans.