pap

GDP can be an incredibly misleading statistic as an indicator of the health of a society, particularly when making comparisons with the US. Many of the public services we enjoy in the UK, such as universal healthcare, are essentially industries over there, meaning that part of GDP over there is reliant on people being ill. Same thing with privatised prisons and the like. The money that the private security firms makes is included in GDP, but again, GDP is being raised by something we essentially wish to avoid, such as locking loads of people up. As for the intent of the various superpowers with respect to Iran, it's difficult to predict which way things will go. At the very least, China will be looking to ensure that the economic empire they have built continues to expand and is protected by a capable military force. Further than that, I don't know - but some analysts paint China as a company looking to catch up with the US on all fronts, including military. Then you look at international perception. We are perhaps guilty of having a very Western-centric black and white view of the world, in which the assembled forces of Western democracies are nothing but paragons of freedom. People around the world will have different views, and you don't have to travel too far to hear them. If the US is involved in a second war of aggression, then that's only really going to feed the enmity of people who have a slightly less than stellar opinion of the US, and has the potential to inflame the whole region. That all said, the most recent reports paint Israel as the most likely nation to launch a first strike on Iran. William Hague was on the Andrew Marr show this morning warning them against this course of action.

Does he need it? Shatner has done a fine job of sending himself up over the years. I will say this for him, though. His musical career is considerably more impressive than Leonard Nimoy's. Ta for the tip, though - I shall seek it out.

I'm guessing the underlying point being made is that Turkish expects (or is at least assuming) us to be in the Championship next season. I am slightly more optimistic.

Completely agree. Nothing quite so ridiculous as being in the away end of a Northern ground and hearing us sing anti-Pompey songs. Time to forge new rivalries with the sides we'll be playing next year. I remain confident that we will be promoted this year, so I'm only really worried about the teams that'll come up with us.

I didn't know who David Bull was either, but I recognise him from this description. The missus and I both lol'ed at his point blank answer

Not sure that precludes them being involved, if I'm honest. While it is true that China's current power is economic, I think we can both agree that it is looking to modernise its military, and it's developing technology designed to take out US materiel. In many senses, a proxy war would be an ideal way for a country like China to exert a bit of power. They don't necessarily have to get involved themselves, but they can certainly finance it or be an unofficial part of the supply chain.

A couple of new stories to report. First, we have news that there is a growing view amongst US officials that either Israel or the US will strike at Iran, with the sweet-spot being earmarked as September/October. At around the same time, William Hague has warned of Iranian nuclear armament leading to a new Cold War. Personally, I worry about a US/Israeli first-strike. Russia and China enjoy much better relations with Iran than the West - there is a good chance of proxy war under these circumstances.

Nice to see that 4-nil isn't just an area in Southampton. Very pleased for Aaron Martin and Chun Tadanari. Looking forward to the Football League show tonight.

Does anyone know if Dave Merrington is broadcasting from the Saints bogs? He really sounded like he was trying to crimp one off in that last little bit.

Derby are sounding very shaky at the minute. Saints fans sounding ace, though.

Get in there, Jos the Boss!

Glad to have lowered the expectations. Good to see that Bearsy's specific complaint has been noticed across people across the board. He was justifiably enraged at my mishandling of his moniker, correctly calling me out as a scoundrel looking to subtly undermine him through vowel-bombing. As for your solution, aren't we past that point already? Don't get me wrong - it's invaluable advice for anyone looking to save money on colonic irrigation costs, but Bearsy's itch is already present. I'm not sure how an unguarded garden hose is going to make a difference at this point.

I liked this thread before people started posting pictures of bum worms. You just have to go and ruin it, dontcha?!

Not like you to mince your words, saintscottofthenortham

Pretty accurate assessment, imo. I'm right in thinking that Yorkshire has no Premier League representation at the moment, which is a little surprising, as its a pretty huge area and I remember the days of Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday being in the top flight. It is, as you say, a prime candidate for a big money takeover. The circumstances behind Bates' takeover were a bit murky, iirc. Didn't the Leeds fans have to go to some lengths to actually find out who their owner was?

Guilty about reading The Sun! There is hope for you yet, sir

Most of my guilty pleasures are things from my teens that I fiercely retain, especially when it comes to music. Still love Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet, and love listening to live recordings of gigs I've been to ( Thunder's 1990 set at Donington ). A lot of other guilty pleasures involve really bad films that I saw over and over again in the 1980s, like Commando. Don't have too many modern interests that I'm guilty about. Used to watch (and really enjoy) the likes of Desperate Housewives with the missus, but don't even watch that now. 24 would also be a very guilty pleasure - utterly at odds with the way that I see the world, but still very very good.

Football has very few "winners". I appreciate that clubs get a fair old whack for finishing anywhere in the Premier League, but the vast majority of clubs don't make a lot of money. The Indy did this assessment of Premier League profitability in Feb 2010, the last time PFC went into admin. These are Premiership teams, most of them in ill financial health. Even those who don't owe money to the bank owe money to their owners. So clearly, it isn't sustainable - rising player wages are a big part of that. In the longer term, its difficult to see clubs being able to spend the same amount of money under the new Financial Fair Play Rules. That said, I'm not sure that players will immediately start plying their trade elsewhere. The European Leagues are well-respected and have a long history - the vast majority of world-famous club teams exist here. While there will undoubtedly be money-focused players who end up playing on big contracts in the likes of Russia and Qatar, there are a lot of other considerations ( visibility to national team selectors, image rights ) that'll keep players in the European leagues. Finances in football have been far too mental for far too long. If cutting our cloth to save the game means playing more home-grown youngsters on more modest contracts, not sure how that is going to be a bad thing for the English game in the long-run.

I don't think it is unreasonable to have an opinion on a person based on what they prefer to read as an adult in a democratic society with publications across the political spectrum. We have a competitive press, who essentially put their cards on the table. If the Sun advertises itself as being the paper for "people with insatiable appetite for celebrity tit-tat and general bolox", why is it wrong to assume that the people who buy it might be looking for that?

Semi-serious question:- Which makes you fart more in bed? Ale or lager? Ms pap has been rather vocal about some of the ale-related hurricanes and I would like to compare notes.

I admire your unleashing of bold emphasis on the linguistic issues at play, but I have to ask, would Sun readers even notice?

I've been watching David Hasselhoff's Celebrity Roast. The format of the show is this. One celebrity is roasted by numerous other celebrities, who each do a five minute skit. This one is nostalgia gold. David Hasselhoff is the roastee, while the likes of Pamela Anderson, Hulk Hogan, Jerry Springer, George Hamilton and a few people that probably only Americans will know make up the numbers. The host is Seth McFarlane, creator of Family Guy. The skits are variable, but generally, it's brutal and very very funny. On Netflix.

I am disgusted at your unfounded accusations, sir. I am merely trying to establish which Star Trek hottie would perform best in a medical emergency! (no, Robert Picardo will not be part of this test!)

I actually had a scenario in mind in which I'm stuck in a jungle and bit on the bell-end by a poisonous snake. My winner would be the most successful extractor of the poison. I'd give them both an attempt, like. I'd even bring my own snake. Blalock is much better looking when she is not a Vulcan, btw.

Wasn't that impressive during Leveson, I have to say. Wonder how the interview went:- RM : "Are you my son?" JM : "Yes" RM : "You're hired!" Perhaps JackanorySFC can add more texture to this.