Gloucester Saint

That video is quite funny. Farage has got charisma even if there’s a lot I disagree with him on. This is where Starmer loses out to the likes of Streeting and Burnham who are charismatic as well. Not that bothered by it personally but they can expect some clog, as Duck would say, given the Rayner stuff https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce845w70g0yo

I know you a theory initially that it was now a certain poster who is very active in the Lounge which I must admit I thought it was too. On reflection the grammar and syntax seems too different and whilst I didn’t agree with everything Dune said he had quite a dry sense of humour and could laugh at himself as well.

They’re actually good for the natural environment if done well and a good social/outdoor exercise opportunities too. Alfred Wainwright was scathing about Haweswater in the 1930s bur the Lake District needs water. Seven new ones are planned https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-in-to-build-first-major-reservoirs-in-30-years

Plenty more further back - 1960s glut - JFK, RFK, MLK, George Wallace in 1972, Harvey Milk 1978, Reagan attempt 1981. It should be instructive about gun control, but the penny never drops. As others have said, Trump can’t invoke the rule of law after what happened on Capitol Hill and bears some of the responsibility although the gunman is first and foremost. Tragic that a fella of 31 with kids is gunned down. No excuse for doing it. Horrific act. But if you have 1) free and easy access to lethal weapons 2) divisive and toxic political culture and 3) poor national mental health (this was what happened in the Wallace shooting) with constant attacking on state and federal programmes trying to mitigate that, these incidents be it political figures or even worse, schools (Columbine, Sandy Hook) will keep happening.

Favourite Mandelson story is when he allegedly went into a Hartlepool chippy when he was their MP with photographer to appear to man of the people. Cod and chips please and could I have some of the guacamole over there? (mushy peas). I don’t know if it is actually real or not but repeated a lot over the years and made me laugh at the time.

As are the far right as we know all too well here with Jo Cox and over there with JFK, RFK snr and MLK. Both extremes are dangerous and too prominent since the financial crisis.

He’s forgotten about this then https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5581530.pompey-fan-westwood-is-facing-a-st-marys-ban/

My old man said be a Pompey fan I said fuck off, bollocks, you’re a cunt, you’re a cunt. Give this an outgoing on Sunday

Marian under heroes, was sat behind his goal in the 3-0, lovely technique and a really classy player before injuries ruined him. Oakley’s 30 yard monster in the 2005 cup game was memorable as well. Pahars artistry Oakley’s monster https://www.facebook.com/southamptonfc/videos/onthisday-oakley-stuns-pompey/496438827922422/

Similar, maybe not £100m but quite a few friends from university days who are in the tens of millions worth and more than the likes of Rupert Lowe (but way better human beings). It buys you out of some of life’s everyday stresses but does make them happy? Only if they’ve got the same balancing factors that create a happy environment/family/friends and that is very rarely ‘things’ and the expensive holidays and cars wear off. Most of them don’t flaunt it either. One of them has gone through a very expensive divorce where the lawyers have pocketed a sum that would buy you a 5 bed house even up here. His wife has lied through her teeth from spite and hence he only sees his kids on a very limited basis until their court case has its next hearing. So he’s no happier or better off than than a bloke using Fathers for Justice who grits the roads for a living.

Plod must be very confident they can maintain the bubble.

Free speech apparently and just as batshit crazy as RFK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62z4rd87nlo

Vile. I remember Iain Baird getting death threats when signed for them from Leeds for their one and only top flight season in the 1980s, having started his career with us. He flopped though, their fans turned on him and IIRC he got injured at QPR I think was, the club got him treatment at a private hospital the club credit card account had reached its limit and payment bounced. A foretaste of 20 years or so later…plus nearly going bust late 1990s. Venables saw them coming as well.

I was there as well in my STH in Kingsland North and agree that it was a big jump from 96 and 1988 in terms of a hostile atmosphere for them. The Bates heckling really kick-started it - dreadful decision by Lowe in the first place - and was a firecracker after that. Big piece in The Times covered the sheer hostility I heard/saw and the chants coming from all four sides, executive boxes, the lot. Colleague of mine who was a Londoner and a Chelsea boy bought another colleague’s ticket after they had a family illness and he reckoned it was as tasty as any London derby he’d been to, only Hammers v Wall would beat it. Needless to say, disgusted at the Bates incident. Some older skates did write to the News and Echo in disgust tbf at it, and apologised, but it wasn’t just a few of them, it was a significant portion of their allocation. Serious noise when Beattie scored and even the Kingsland North was a mosh pit. Bates incident is probably where in my mid-20s and we’d played them so rarely that the extent and depth of the loathing hit home.

Billy called them out on Twitter about it when they celebrated ‘David Norris Day’ anniversary the following year. Would you celebrate a last minute goal at the fish shed if we’d been dropped to L1, facing yet another admin whilst our promoted rivals established themselves again in the top flight? I wouldn’t, strange bunch.

@steve green excellent response covers it and he is also right around inflation and interest rates which I can remember hitting double digits including early 1990s. I prefer the music and football from the 1970s and 80s, you lot have actually seen us win a major trophy in 1976. I enjoyed the JPT but not the same…. Major and Blair kept on with lower income (direct tax) levels but VAT had already doubled in 1979. Infamous thing was top rate of tax in 1970s 83% off earned and 98% on unearned but there are caveats even within that in this very interesting article https://taxpolicy.org.uk/2025/05/08/tax-rich-1970s-loopholes/#:~:text=People associate the 1970s with,investment income) was 98%.&text=83% income tax plus 15% investment income surcharge.

Third of my degree was economics from a top UK University so that’s a third more than you then and handle six figure operational budgets at work and brought in tens of millions of income for the last decade bar the lockdowns. Postgrad in a relevant area too. Had my own business for years before that. So yeah, I know a lot more about this topic than you guessed at. Some people will have a different opinion, which is fine. It’s called a democracy….but this passed you by. Many posters on here do have different politics and views but the difference is they can debate them in a civilised way with some manners. Even Chat GPT is more articulate than this. Let’s hope you never need A&E or an ambulance so those nurses and doctors stealing a living have to waste time treating you. Don’t bother responding directly, I won’t see it, you’ve joined another abusive poster called Guided Missile on ignore. I hope you are both happy together. If I wanted to read this type of post, there’s plenty of them on the Lounge, but I come on the main board for SFC and football, not to see the lunatic rants of a poundshop Patrick Minford (you might need to look up who he is).

He pissed on the seats at the league cup game in 03 and was banned for the PL game at Xmas. I remember singing ‘Ding Dong Ding Dong, where’s your Bell gone’? at their section. Then tried to go to the England v Kosovo qualifier wearing a Pompey shirt (idiot) and wasn’t let in. Just add some more bitterness and mythology from them. If he’s in the bubble next Sunday morning and they’re banning alcohol on board he will have the shakes like crazy.

No, because he isn’t a politician. All in favour of deporting him but Hayling Island is actually quite a nice place. How about those forts in the middle of the Solent if the fans of both clubs have a whip-round? Their fans like him as much as we do. Hopefully wouldn’t hear his bell from there either. Petersfield would smell more pleasant too.

Yes, I did comment on it because I know the mentality of the people who do that sort of thing. I grew up and moved on my life, some people don’t or can’t. Yes, they are right wing nutters same as anyone signing about Boris at SMS when he was PM would be branded a loony leftie understandably. It’s abnormal. 99.9% of people want to watch a game. If I wanted to hear political signing, I’d go to a Conservative, Liberal or Working Man’s club. God forbid, even that dump of a pub Reform bought in Blackpool if I wanted a pint of Carling from filthy pipes. Governments don’t tend to be very popular in power. Maggie wasn’t popular at all 1979-82 and 1988-90. Maggie recovered with the Falklands, Cameron won in 2015 but only by promising the referendum. Blair did maintain good ratings, Boris started spectacularly and plummeted. Major started well but never recovered from the ERM. Oh, and what part of ‘I’m a Liberal Democrat voter’ was difficult to comprehend? Summary: Russell Martin is asked to comment on whether he’s met Rishi at a midweek game. Says he hasn’t and their politics are different. Gets hammered from the right-wingers for being out of his lane and apparently is disrespectful. A few hundred National Front sing about a centre-left Prime Minister at a nothing and dire England game - that’s Ok apparently. No need to correspond further on the topic. There’s loads of people at other England sports with a divergence of views and rugby/cricket is Conservative with a small c. But people there have manners, education and keep things in a decent place focused on the sport. Also, our Barmy Army hasn’t smashed up town centres or racially abused people. England football fans or a segment of them have been doing it since the early 70s.

Those games are a joke and have been for years. Like cricket and rugby, full international status should be much harder to attain and get into.

Bollocks. What a load of. Unlike you, I’m not a politics-obsessed nutcase. Do you know how many England football, England cricket, rugby let alone several hundred Saints and neutral matches I’ve sung a song about a Prime Minister or any politician? Answer: like 99% of normal people, never. Not about a Tory, Labour, Lib Dem etc. The only time I’ve ever heard it was from the Northam in solidarity with Ukraine straight after Putin’s illegal invasion. If people want to sing about that sort of thing, go to a party conference or a Patriotic Alternative event. I go to watch sport. Full stop. Same applies to the Just Stop Oil nutters who nearly injured Bairstow and Warner invading Lords during the Ashes. Reform has nowhere near a majority of support. 70% don’t. 48% of Remainers for a start - me included - and that figure is higher since Brexit has failed so dismally. The party I voted for has around 70 more seats for a start.

Quite the opposite - Reform UK spent £40k just between mid-July and mid-August 2025 on Facebook and Instagram adverts mainly about asylum. This figure was considerably more than the main parties spent combined. Rather drives a coach and horses through the idea of Reform as plucky underdogs clutching St George flags. Chances are the money came from overseas.

That was vile, bad enough that their gun running owners swizzed local SMEs but to do it to St John’s Ambulance… Still not forgiven them for interrupting the Bates silence (although stupid of Lowe to have given them the opportunity).

Last sop to the Labour left as they have another go at welfare reform I would guess, but people more ITK with the Labour Party might know better.