pap

I'm not actually a supporter of UKIP, ta. We've been in dire need of a forum jester for a bit though, so I appreciate your unofficial job applications on this thread for the post. At least, that's what I seriously hope your comments are about.

UKIP wouldn't exist if any of the major parties did what they say they do; listen while they're in government. There has been opposition to the EU since Maastricht, yet no party has listened to the eurosceptics among us. I wasn't among them myself, but as things have unravelled, I do wonder whether it's a Ponzi scheme within a Ponzi scheme. The point is often made in places like Greece and Spain that the Germans managed to dominate Europe, after all. The dream of federalism? Load of cock. We're having enough trouble holding the Union together. Quite how the EU bigwigs think they can sort a population of 500 million out and satisfy the demands of the financial system is beyond me. Answer: they're not. I expect UKIP to do even better next time round following the exposure they've got during these recent elections. Their appeal is slightly wider than coffin dodgers just to the left of Hitler. Most people will perceive them as a single issue party and vote for them on that basis. Some will just vote for them because an exit from the EU will lead to an end to uncontrolled immigration, and damn the consequences. So much of politics is about personality. Farage knocks the crap out of the other party leaders personality wise. Pint in one hand, ciggie in the other and doesn't give a f**k. Electoral gold. It doesn't matter if we high minded lefties don't approve. People will vote for that sh!t. The Conservatives are saying that if you vote for them, you'll get a referendum. No-one in their right minds would believe them. We've heard it all before, from all of the parties. Both Labour and the Conservatives weaseled out of their pledge to hold a referendum if the European Constitution was introduced. Neither did; the Lib Dems called them out on their weasley behaviour, correctly citing that a name change to the Lisbon Treaty didn't really cover all these new powers being instituted (which were exactly the same as the ones in the European Constitution). Up until 2009, Lib Dem policy was an in/out referendum. Today, Cameron says he can't hold a referendum because his Lib Dem partners won't let him. No other party has offered the British public a choice, and no other party will. I'm not particularly happy about the prospect of UKIP's potentially racist underbelly getting into the mechanics of government, but that's the cost of not listening.

It's totally official! I've heard Brummies and Cockneys talk about how they don't want David Moyes for their team. Still waiting to hear someone from Northern Ireland.

Simple. Tolls on motorways. That way, everyone who uses the roads pays for them, including foreign haulers, who presently don't.

Most taxation terminology is positively Orwellian. Value Added Tax? I bet they still laugh about that in the Revenue every day.

The tax burden for the average individual is approaching something like 50% anyway, once you add in council tax, fuel duty and VAT. There are taxes everywhere and an entire industry to support it. The progressive taxation argument only really works if people at the top end are paying their fair share. That doesn't always happen. I'm in favour of a flat tax, if everything else went. Harder on the smaller incomes? It's debatable. Stuff like VAT, Fuel Duty and tobacco taxation hit everyone. A minimum wage 40 hour a week job doesn't get you a place to live without government help. Progressive tax isn't being applied across the board.

Fergie has been part of the bricks and mortar of English football ever since he moved down South. When Mourinho was gushing with praise earlier in the season, he referred to Sir Alex Ferguson as the "boss of bosses". Cannot argue with that. He was already a legend when he considered retirement a decade ago, and has only really increased his stature in the game since then. I've heard that he is disappointed about the number of Champions League titles he managed to win with United, but no other manager has done what he has done; to successfully keep a team in contention for honours season-on-season, renewing the team as he goes. Manchester United won't be the same club without him. Could Fergie's exit mark the beginning of the end of their dominance?

I ignored this post. What did it say?

I am hoping that Wigan are the Jesus of the Premiership. They die so that others may live. (let's just hope the buggers aren't planning on resurrection).

Possibly. Probably. I think you should go on Northerner training, Super Michael. It's not all bad; but then not all great either. Scousers in particular seem to have a large problem with borrow/lend and teach/learn. They also say lolly ice instead of ice lolly.

Some interesting views here. It is rather sad that UKIP are the only political party really grasping the EU nettle. Don't get me wrong; it's good that someone is - but the party attracts more than its fair share of nutjobs, which is a bit of a shame. What is telling is that no major political party seems interested when able to do something about it. I've heard Conservatives asked a few times whether they'd call an in/out referendum prior to the election. Their excuse? Our coalition partners would never go for it. Would these be the same coalition partners that took both parties to task over the political sleight-of-hand over referenda during the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty debacle? Why yes they most certainly would.

This is the sort of typical Southern ignorance that I have come to expect, and am glad to have moved away from. Anyone who knows anything about the North will know that right now, Turkish is undergoing Northerner training. The first month is a short sharp shock, where you are repeatedly taught not to act like a boorish arse and look down on anyone who isn't from the South East. Once he has made these first, fragile steps he will be trained on other aspects of being a Northerner, such as whippet walking, the precise angle to wear a flat cloth cap ( clue: it's ain't jaunty ) and in some areas, the permanent removal of the word "the" from any spoken English. Man needs time to acclimate, FFS. Stop thinking only of yourself.

Incorrect. Those citizens would have had rights by now anyway, and that is everything to do with the EU. When new member states join the Union, any existing countries can restrict citizens from the new state from entering their labour market for seven years. After that, anyone in the new state gets full EU rights. Blair's government waived the right to seven years grace; they had no long-term power to prevent Eastern European citizens from coming here. No government will while we are signed up for the treaty.

Well, we're not safe, which is a tad annoying at this stage of the season. If we can't secure our safety in the next two games, probably don't deserve to be in this division. The league doesn't lie, as they say. Before anyone tells me unlucky we were on Saturday, we've been lucky at other points in the season. It all evens out. Priority one is survival on our own terms, imo.

Or possibly you are, Lord D. I am not the pedg

Neither big party will touch the issue of Europe with a bargepole. When they've come to power, both have had to get big business on side in order to be seen as credible. Big business will never turn its back on a potential labour market of 500 million people. Lord D would need to employ British people, FFS! It suits so many vested interests to stay in that the major parties will never offer a fair referendum on EU membership. This nonsense from the Tories about a post-2015 poll is just pre-election carrot. Grant Schapps certainly couldn't repeat the line enough times on the Sunday Politics.

I'm a little indifferent to Mr De Burgh, trousers - but my dad used to love him at one point, iirc*. * Although not like that

Why thanks, dinger. My experiences are largely the same as yours. I was a closed minded bugger when I was a nipper; to my detriment as well. As a little metaller, nothing else would do. I even sneered at the Pixies! The Pixies, FFS! At that time, I was much more interested in discovering the roots of rock. Listened to a lot of Led Zep, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple - along with loads of Hendrix. The club scene was really the dam-bursting moment as far as becoming musically eclectic was concerned. Once I'd accommodated that into my life, everything else was fair game. btw, Ride The Lightning holds a special place in my heart too. Saw them at Wembley Arena in the early 1990s. Didn't have time to bone up on all their albums, but managed to get through RTL. Still love it now. Who doesn't love the rousing bass drum in Creeping Death for example ( except perhaps the first-born Pharaoh son ).

The number of seats is low, I agree. However, getting 25% of the vote in South Shields is no mean feat. Farage was on R4's Today this morning talking about Canada's Reform Party, which had no federal seats in 1987, yet had 60 by the time 1997 came around. Given that the balance of power is decided in 150 or so marginals, if UKIP ever managed anything like that it could mean the end of our usual majority governments. The other thing to consider with UKIP is their universal appeal. Though they are likeliest to snaffle votes from the Tories, there are also traditional Labour voters with concerns, Gillian Duffy being the most celebrated example.

Marilyn Manson says that music is the strongest form of magic there is. I'm inclined to agree. Music affects my moods and opinions more than anything else, except for intoxicating substances - although in my experience, most of those just make music better I listened to Rage Against The Machine's eponymous debut in 1993, and it's safe to say that I've never really gotten over it. I was 18 at the time, and it blew me away. Still does, because it's as relevant now as it is then, probably more. Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet was my gateway into the world of rock, which I've been into ever since. Sleater-Kinney's One Beat was also a massive album for me; full of post-9/11 questioning. Finally, Kanye West's Late Registration and Ghostface Killah's Fishscale reacquainted me with rap and hip-hop, some 20 years after I used to construct makeshift aerials to pick up the pirate London rap stations from Southampton. All of these albums, and more, are an indelible part of me - and I'm not sure I could now be without them. Which albums have influenced you the most?

I think we need a choice on Europe, but I'm a little concerned about the transition of UKIP from a protest party to a functioning one. I like Farage. He's a good orator, and some of his speeches have been impressive. Someone needs to ask questions about the accounts of the EU and the suspension of democracy in places like Italy and Greece. That said, I do worry that a good chunk of the UKIP vote is about nationalism and/or racism. I follow a couple of UKIP supporters on Twitter, and they can be fairly rabid at times. Independence from Europe is something that needs to be debated and decided by the British people, but I do worry that we're in the nascent stages of a new wave of potentially dangerous xenophobia.

Indeed. I was involved in a campaign to keep a Sri Lankan family here. The Home Office could hardly be described as a soft touch. Lovely family. All the kids are well mannered, bright and will be an asset to this country. They succeeded in staying here. Good job too - they'd have been put in a detention centre if the appeal had failed.

So was Blair, to pre-empt the whatabouttery.

I know. It's also good to be correct Look at the fragmentation of the NHS as an example. No top-down reorganisation of the NHS, Cameron said. He is a lying bastard.

Don't agree. Our form of democracy is just the chance to pick your dictators. The only exceptions to this are the u-turns led by mob rule. Not much influence at all, really.