pap

Out of respect for Minty, and specifically his prior frustration, I'm going to dispense with my usual eye for an eye approach in the face of hostility and aim for something approaching civility. I'd suggest that you get your facts in order, or provide some kind of context. It is of course your right to question my historical knowledge, particularly when I've impugned yours. There is, however, a difference in the way we've gone about things. Exhaustive as it may have been, I responded to your previous posts point by point, leaving nothing out and providing examples of where your better comparison of Northern Ireland so obviously evaporated. I lived there for three years, under the roof of a local politician, in touch with people from both sides of the community. My landlady's theory about why GFA is working is perhaps simplest of all. People like prosperity, and the stability arising from the Good Friday Agreement has brought prosperity about. You won't concede that over half the turnout rejected Hamas, and you probably won't acknowledge the high proportion of young Gazans that have never got to cross a box. Of course 44% is a veritable landslide to our understanding, but we do not live under the same conditions that Palestinians have to, and despite that, Hamas cannot command a majority mandate. I'd like, if I may, to address the question of anti-semitism, once and for all. You've brought the question up in two separate posts. I can say unequivocably, with one exception, that I've never wished a single person harm since I hit the legal age of adulthood. I didn't necessarily solve my problems in the best of ways before then, but council estate innit. A clash of two worlds. If I were this raving anti-semite that you suggest, but won't outright say, do you think I would be linking statements from former executive director of the Jewish American Congress? It's a lazy charge, which doesn't stick, and is becoming increasingly diluted through widespread "cry wolf" declarations from the likes of Netanyahu. Personal reasons for the exception, and the lad's not Jewish. The catalyst for these events is disputed, but for the record - I'll happily condemn the deaths of any non-combatants. I just refused to be baited by your baseless accusations at the time they were made, and that doesn't excuse the disproportionate outrages by Israeli state forces in Gaza. The other rationale for the incursions, the much amplified rocket attacks, have been effectively neutralised since Iron Dome came in. Bringing this back to where we started, I'm not going to insult you any further, but neither will I let you characterise these events as a straight up contest. It isn't. In terms of capacity to do harm, actual harm caused, equality in fighting forces, equality in casualties, access to diplomatic or legal representation, effective representation in the world's relevant ruling bodies. Israel is backed militarily and politically on every front. Every effort to aid Palestine is blocked, normally by the US, but sometimes by us. We abstained on the most recent vote. So for all your accusations of dragging your estimable self down(?!) to your level, I'm going to take the high ground in this post and let you get off scot free with the insults. I'm a patient man, and history is written by the victors, after all * * [damn, pap, damn!]

Kelv seems a top bloke, did the biz rising through the divisions and is amusing in videos. Rabbit in headlights at this level. Gazzaniga was preferred. Don't think he will be our 2nd choice again.

Interesting question. You might want to consider Warsi herself in your answer. There have been articles today claiming that this is an example of tokenism gone wrong. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/05/lady-warsi-resignation-cameron-gaza Warsi is unelected, and was given a peerage so she could be part of the Cabinet. That in itself suggests a certain lack of confidence in getting her into cabinet through proper channels, perhaps an indication of the difference in the will of the leadership and potential Conservative voters. Addressing your question directly, let's start with the obvious. The largest amount of sympathy for Gazans is going to come from the Islamic community, two million strong in this country. This article includes a claim that the naturally Conservative Muslim vote could be harnessed in 77 marginals, half of all seats that matter. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100239760/the-tories-are-failing-to-connect-with-muslim-voters-this-is-not-good-enough/

I've just watched Sayeeda Warsi's interview on Channel4 news, recorded after her resignation today. The whole segment was very good - they interspersed Osbourne's counter-point and news of the ceasefire into the interview, giving something approaching balanced coverage. First off, much respect to Warsi for speaking out. I've already seen some cynical comments about this not being a matter of conscience, merely a consequence of the massive pressure of the Islamic community she comes from. I'm sure her heritage informs her opinions, but she came across well in the interview and genuinely seemed as if she was speaking out based on her personal feelings. Warsi was never great on-message. She was belligerent, spoke over people and still drops the ol' Yorkshire depth charge every now and then She did well here, pointing out the obvious futility of spending UK taxpayer cash on patching up people injured by British arms, or the fact that our government could not bring itself to say that Israel's actions were disproportionate. It's a brave move, sincerely expressed and more significant than some of the cynics might think. The Conservatives elevated her to a ministerial position to court votes, a reasonable long term strategy given the amount of conservative Muslims out there. Those votes will be keeping a close eye on what both she and the Tories do next. Today, she has got a lot of cross-party respect. The Channel 4 news coverage has also been excellent. Little bit here:- http://www.channel4.com/news/why-i-quit-over-gaza-exclusive-video-with-sayeeda-warsi

If nothing else, it just illustrates how much the barrier to entry has been lifted through rapid application development tools. I'd be interested to see if the authors break cover.

If those players don't find form, and quickly, they will all catch flak. It's a good job Lovren isn't the sort of chap to throw a tantrum when things aren't going his way

Always been the same. Money solves a shítload of problems. Probably chicken feed.

Yeah, there's that too - but it certainly won't do their development any harm and it's nice for the club to be included at this level. I wonder how much of a thing they'll make of it, commercially.

From the Echo today, apols if posted before:- http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/11387229.Saints_to_take_part_in_new_European_Cup_style_competition_for_under_21_teams/ Could be good practice for our CL dream, eh?

Trevor Francis having a pop:- http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11669/9406982/rickie-lambert-looks-uncomfortable-in-liverpool-shirt-says-trevor-francis

Baroness Warsi has just announced her resignation on Twitter. She can no longer support government policy on Gaza. Sayeeda Warsi @SayeedaWarsi · 10m With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza

I figure it's a slow burner, bletch - but very much inspired by some of your TMS threads.

The most constructive comment I've seen reckons that Rickie is too much the supporter, still in awe and needs to settle into the business of being a professional footballer.

If the FFP stuff is even half on the money, then there are mitigating circumstances behind the move. Always thought Lallana was the better fit for what they need right now. Might just be the case that at 32, Lambert's best years are now behind him. Despite losing him, I don't want to see him be a flop at Liverpool. Not good enough for them as a youngster is one thing. Not good enough as a signed pro carries a shítload more stigma.

It's a shame for Rickie because he deserves better, but was always going to be a risk. Even the local LFC fans can be wholly unrealistic at times, and they are nowhere near as bad as the entitled masses further afield. Expect similar criticism of Lallana when he puts in his first poor performance. You're talking about a group of fans who hounded out a CL winning manager as a "fúcking fat Spanish waiter", after all

Brian Eno: In a world of horrors, why I single out Israel http://stopwar.org.uk/news/brian-eno-in-a-world-of-horrors-why-i-single-out-the-crimes-of-israel#.U-Bs9PldXcg

Ha! Another Long Blondes fan. Kate Jackson sounds ideal, doesn't she? You could have both, hmm?

I think I'm on my fourth. It's a lot of trial and error, and sometimes, just luck. Most of the time tho', you can get away - even in the piddlin' Sidewinder. Divert your power to engines, do a bit of strafing about while they shoot at you to minimise the impact, then hit your super charger as soon as it's ready. It'll take about 6x-10x longer while you've got other mass nearby, but I've never been caught once I've gone.

TV Tropes is one of the best sites on the Internet. It's designed for lazy writers, and the specific gig is:- 1) Visiting it 2) Losing yourself for 9 hours Trope-surfing. 3) Realising everything has been done before Don't believe me? Check these articles out:- Entitled bastard Suspiciously Idle Officers Discount Lesbians No holds barred beat-down Instant Soprano The challenge? Pick three tropes for a story and task your fellow muppets to craft a short (as you like) story encapsulating them. I'm expecting the Bear to weigh in with a sexy tale or two. Maybe we can even coax saintbletch out of coding hiding to demonstrate his undoubted skill. david in sweden may combine a few tropes to tell a story of a bold hero with an interesting slant that underlines many key themes. ottery can say whatever the fúck he likes, just so long as he comes back I'm counting on the hard core conservatives to handle the action movies, and I'm not expecting them to take any shít. There is no judgment, just potential multi-million book/film deals in the works The floor is open.

I've spent some time reviewing this thread this evening. I am happy to report that I am now prepared to be unjustifiably judgmental about your tastes while being totally subjective myself. First of all, much respect to everyone that picked Dark Side of the Moon. A true, enduring classic. I once heard some crazy story about someone listening to that album and then completely dropping out of day-to-day life. I half believe it Nice to see ericofarabia mention Alice Cooper's early stuff. Apart from School's Out, people tend to forget all about his early career, largely because he was one of the artists to have his identity supplanted by Desmond Child in the late 1980s (he was not alone). Much respect to stug76 and ChicagoSaint for not just bringing AC/DC albums to the table, but Bon Scott albums to boot If I'm honest, I'm not sure AC/DC ever produced a truly great album start to finish, and besides, it gets confusing as fúck when you take the Australian versions into account. Joe Kirkup gets a mention for mentioning Shack, a band I didn't think I'd see mentioned here. aintforever gets a special mention for having a very strong set of albums. 4 out of 5 are genuine classics, imo.

Some sick puppies in this world. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11011366/Bomb-Gaza-the-disgusting-games-on-Googles-app-store.html

One of the things I disliked most about my penultimate permanent place of employment was my boss' tendency to send emails to everyone, when he really wanted to address one or two people who were taking the píss. He lacked the bravery to confront, not a problem I'm overly burdened with.

Azeban City is a bit of a red herring at the beginning of the game. You're better off doing the run between I-Bootis - Chango Dock (Fish) and Aulin - Aulin Enterprise (agri meds, then terrain enhancers). This might be handy too:- If you want to add me in game, I'm "pap".

I know you think you come across as someone sound, rational and unafraid to speak out, but actually, it just looks a man who is scared of addressing the same thing with Lord Verbalmort (he who must not be named), acting like a compliant lackey, waiting to pick an easier target, and ultimately failing.