pap

Lambert is a legend in my eyes already. That's why I chortle so much when the anti-scouse brigade talk about "bin-dippers", etc. We'd still be in League 1 without his contribution.

Thanks for posting that dubai_phil. Amusing stuff from Boris as always, and more on the money than many other analyses of Anglo-French relations. I wonder if anyone has said "Now go away, or I will taunt you a second time!"

I think Boris is the Tory that non-Tories could get behind. No idea whether he could run a country or not, but that hasn't stopped the current incumbent.

Much as I dislike adding to dune's 'popular' threads The Tory leaning papers have a couple of stories about France becoming increasingly isolated. A week in politics is a long time :- Mail article Telegraph article

Breaking Bad became something epic toward the end of season four. What is astounding about that achievement is that it happened in a very organic way. No "jump the shark" moments. The characters are what drives this show, and much like The Wire, I enjoy seeing all of them. Saul Goodman is just amazing. I have enjoyed Dexter this year, but I know a lot of people haven't (for reasons you're all too aware of, but again, no spoilers). The major problem with the show at this point in its life is the tendency to hit the reset button. Apparently, in the Jeff Lindsay books, Deb finds out about Dex pretty early on. I hope they're moving toward that. I think it'll be an interesting dynamic. The real question for me this year is why Dexter even bothered getting involved to the level he did. His sister is running the department and could desperately do with a win. Dexter literally had no relationship with the killer apart from that he cultivated himself. No reason to get involved with the amount of evidence that he would have been able to accumulate. I've seen the first couple of episodes of this. Have to say, while I think it was well done, just got the impression that it was Early Edition with more pizazz and less information. Might give it another go. Do the following episodes step the game up at all? I'm in the same boat as you are on the relative quality of UK and US drama. Most of the stuff I enjoy watching is from the US, although we are making some excellent stuff too. Misfits is a really great show, which I'd wholeheartedly recommend. As for why we're poles apart, I think a lot of it has to do with commercial revenue. The Beeb is constantly under review, and has always been subject to smaller budgets than its US counterparts. ITV knows where its bread is buttered, so ploughs its cash into reality nonsense. Channel 4 deserve a lot of praise for their output. I know they kickstarted the reality rush with Big Brother, but they do really good and subversive work for a commercial broadcaster.

So would you feel comfortable telling your kid "that bloke over there is known as the laughing paki"? I wouldn't. Horses for courses, I suppose.

I'm really on the fence with this one. If it turns out that he isn't Pakistani, do we really want to a part of our folklore to be our own collective ignorance? Granted, it's not in the same league as Hartlepool's monkey-hanging exploits. Plus it is a bit racist.

Does anyone know if the guy is actually Pakistani?

Aye, I know - but the downside is that people expect you to know what you're doing

I know. Was just joshing. Things get heated in the midst of a debate. All is forgiven.

Right. Mini-pap on the left. (I say "Mini", but at the time of writing, she is only an inch shorter than me, and will soon overtake).

Which one is you?

The south coast derby is also featured on this week's Football Weekly.

Ah, you're talking to me now, then? More like this.

You know what I look like!

I'm now at that difficult tenth level. Choices, choices.... Jedi Guardian (tank) or Jedi Sentinel (damage). Never really been very good at tanking.

See if you can watch it from the start. A lot of fun to be had there. I think the cheerleaders thing was a riff on "Save the Cheerleader" from Heroes Of course, Misfits being what it is, they went in a different direction.

Never really bought the 1-v-26 argument. I said so on this very thread. I am not ITK, just occasionally right

You having a bath, hamster?

Fair enough. The Bank of France is independent (which I have just learned thanks to Wiki ) Can't really disagree with their assessment either, but it's a bit like grassing your neighbours up because you've got into trouble.

Thatcher's government was on its way out prior to the Falklands. I remember a Labour activist telling me about canvassing in the run-up to the 1983 General Election. Knocked on a door which was promptly answered by an unemployed male. Spent a bit of time telling the guy what Labour would do to improve his employment prospects. When he asked if he could count on the guy's vote, he said "No. I'm voting Conservative. Maggie won the Falklands, didn't she?". The moral of this story. Populist moves work, especially if it involves the UK sticking two fingers up to everyone else. Honestly don't know whether Cameron and co would be returned in a General Election, but the short-term poll jump they've seen would indicate that there is at least an element of populist support at play. And derry has a point. Miliband is unelectable, and the Lib Dems have no hope. My tips for the big winners in the next General Election? UKIP and depending on what happens next, the Tories. Wouldn't be surprised if it happens in 2012, either. I know they're saying that this is a 5 year parliament "no matter what", but that's dependent on the Coalition holding. How much more can the Lib Dems actually take?

This is staggeringly short-sighted of the current French government. Seems weird that they would play this card. Is this really a government we want to have a defence agreement with?

I don't mind Boris. Doesn't hurt that he's wildly entertaining in interviews. Nor mine, really. Do you think Davy-boy was expecting a yes to the demands? Looked very much like he'd fecked up from his body language, etc. Still, could be a happy accident.

Any indication as to whether it's Mossad or CIA?

Putting my largest tinfoil hat on that I own, isn't Tehran on some major tectonic fault lines?