buctootim

Bob

You are missing the point - its not about the relative strength of right wing parties its about feeling part of a wider grouping - or feeling separate and different. Those with extensive land borders with other countries tend to feel more cooperative and similar to their neighbours than those with few or no borders. Its no coincidence that the Scandinavian countries feel close to each other but more distant from the EU - which why Iceland and Norway are out whilst Sweden and Denmark are in but dont have the euro

Its true that the sea, navy and trading with the Empire is an important part of our history. Its also part of what holds us back now. The world has changed irrevocably, fond memories of historical trading ties with Empire or Commonwealth instead of Europe don't work anymore. They are busy trading globally based on price and market access instead of sentiment or obligation - just as we are. Our future is as part of the strongest trading bloc in the world. I don't think we are more open to foreigners. The idea that we are special and different is part of the problem - one that afflicts the US too - so maybe its an Anglo Saxon thing. We certainly feel less 'European' than other nations. I get the sense most feel a pride in belonging to an elite club whilst we tend to denigrate it and look backwards into historic victories over them (whilst totally ignoring the role played by European allies) instead of a positive focus on the future.

With leasing its best to take whatever is the hot deal at the time rather than a specific car. Leasing rates dont only depend on the price of the car or the resale value, but can be heavily discounted to leasers by manufacturers as a way to shift stock without having to undercut the dealer price. The total cost of a three year deal (no repairs no road tax) can be as little as a quarter of the dealer price of buying new. You'd never be able to sell a three year old car for 75% of the purchase price. The Skoda Yeti, Honda CRV and Vauxhall Astra are three I like atm. http://www.tilsungroup.com/skoda-yeti-1.6+tdi+cr+s+greenline+ii+5dr-car-38638#.VSB0bfnF89Y http://www.tilsungroup.com/honda-cr+v-1.6+i+dtec+sr+5dr+2wd++sat+nav+-car-38485#.VSB3nvnF89Y http://www.tilsungroup.com/vauxhall-astra-1.4i+16v+sri+5dr-car-32824#.VSB3xvnF89Y

The Dutch Police are appealing for further witnesses to the movement of the BUK launcher on its journey to and from Russia.

Like Monaco the Swiss make a huge amount from providing a tax haven for the European (inc Brit) wealthy to avoid paying their tax, or criminals hiding proceeds. They wouldnt be able to do that as a member of the EU.

Thats true - unfortunately it wont happen given a very europhobic media. Uncontrolled immigration is a downside to EU membership, but the benefits heavily outweigh the disavantages imo.

I took the kids to Centre Parcs in Belgium this week. Drove through France, went to a theme park in the Netherlands and bought groceries in Germany - half the time without even realising you had crossed a border. The roads were full of vehicles of all countries. It made me realise again just how much our lack of a land border and Island mentality shapes, maybe warps, our sense of identity.

Both the Soviet Union and China had a long established policy of invading countries and then populating them with their own people to change the ethnic and political makeup. China did it in Tibet and Xinjiang, Russia in Georgia, Siberia and the Baltic states amongst others. In the Baltic states that ethnic takeover wasnt complete enough to stop them seeking independence when the Soviet Union broke up. Putin wants them back, despite ethnic Russians only making up about 30% of the population and by no means do all of those 30% want to rejoin Russia. Putin has threatened to use any means to 'defend' ethnic Russians in the Baltics including nuclear. Its a crude tactic - foment rebellion with paid agents and threaten anybody coming to the Baltic states aid. Unless NATO shows its means business he will do to the Baltic States what he did to Ukraine.

There was an interesting (and under reported) vote last week - to try to oust John Bercow as Speaker. Apparently his crime is trying with some backbenchers to reinvigorate Parliament in genuinely holding the government of the day to account. Given how the party candidate selection process favours yes men I think hes doomed to failure, but its important to try. If Parliament is just going to be a rubber stamp we might as well abolish it and save the cash.

That's just bull****. Anyone can devise a 'morality' which justifies them not paying tax, skiving off work, thieving, beating their wives. 'They're inefficient / I worked over contract hours last year / they're just profiteering / she uses mental torture' etc. A minority of people are simply happy to screw other people over. There is very little to differentiate tax dodgers, benefit cheats, muggers and general lowlife scumbags imo - except benefit cheats usually have more excuse.

aloo

A lot were and a lot weren't. Thats doesnt mean they were more inefficient under public ownership though simply the mandate was different - ie 'run a public service' not 'run a business to make money from the public'.

Really? amazing how Thatcher managed to get huge sums for hundreds of sales. British Petroleum (1977, 1979, 1981, 1987) International Computers Limited (1979) State Management Scheme (1973) Thomas Cook (1972) 1980s[edit] Amersham International (1982) Associated British Ports (1983, 1984) British Aerospace (1981, 1985) British Airports Authority (1987) British Airways (1987) British Airways Helicopters (1986) British Gas (1986) British Leyland Alvis (1981) Coventry Climax (1982) Danish Automobile Building (1987) ISTEL (1987) Jaguar (1984) Leyland Bus (1987) Leyland Tractors (1982) Leyland Trucks (1987) Rover Group (1988) Unipart (1987) British Rail Engineering Limited (1989) British Shipbuilders (1985 - 1989, shipbuilder companies sold individually) British Steel (1988) British Sugar (1981) British Telecom (1984, 1991, 1993) British Transport Hotels (1983) Britoil (1982, 1985) Cable and Wireless (1981, 1983, 1985) Council houses (1980–present, over two million sold to their tenants) - see main article Right to buy scheme Enterprise Oil (1984) Fairey (1980) Ferranti (1982) Harland and Wolff (1989) Inmos (1984) Municipal bus companies (1988–present, bus companies sold individually) - see main article Bus deregulation in Great Britain National Bus Company (1986 - 1988, bus companies sold individually) National Express (1988) National Freight Corporation (1982) Passenger transport executive bus companies (1988 - 1994, bus companies sold individually) Rolls-Royce (1987) Royal Ordnance (1987) Sealink (1984) Travellers Fare (1988) Trustee Savings Bank (1985) Vale of Rheidol Railway (1989) Water companies - see main article Water privatisation in England and Wales Anglian Water (1989) Northumbrian Water (1989) North West Water (1989) Severn Trent (1989) Southern Water (1989) South West Water (1989) Thames Water (1989) Welsh Water (1989) Wessex Water (1989) Yorkshire Water (1989) 1990s[edit] AEA Technology (1996) Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (1997) Belfast International Airport (1994) Birmingham Airport (1993 - 51%) Bournemouth Airport (1995) Bristol Airport (1997, 2001) British Coal (1994) British Energy (1996) British Rail - see main article Privatisation of British Rail 3 rolling stock companies Angel Trains (1996) Eversholt Leasing (1996) Porterbrook (1996) 6 Design Office units (1995 - 1997, sold individually) 6 freight operating companies Freightliner (1995) Loadhaul (1996) Mainline Freight (1996) Rail Express Systems (1996) Railfreight Distribution (1997) Transrail Freight (1996) 6 track renewal units (1995 - 1997, sold individually) 7 infrastructure maintenance units (1995 - 1997, sold individually) 25 train operating companies (1996, operations contracted out as franchises) British Rail Research (1996) British Rail Telecommunications (1995) European Passenger Services (1996) Railtrack (1996), (18 October 2002 went into voluntary liquidation) now in public ownership as Network Rail Red Star Parcels (1995) Union Railways (1996) British Technology Group (1992) Building Research Establishment (1997) Cardiff Airport (1995) Central Electricity Generating Board National Grid (1990) National Power (1991, 1995) Powergen (1991, 1995) Chessington Computer Centre (1996) Department for National Savings (1999, back office functions contracted out) East Midlands Airport (1993) Girobank (1990) Humberside Airport (1999 - 82%) Kingston Communications (1999, 2007) Laboratory of the Government Chemist (1996) Liverpool Airport (1990, 2001) London Buses (1994, bus companies sold individually) - see main article Privatisation of London bus services London Luton Airport (1997) London Southend Airport (1993) National Engineering Laboratory (1995) National Transcommunications Limited (1990) Natural Resources Institute (1996) Northern Ireland Electricity (1993) Property Services Agency (1994) Regional electricity companies Eastern Electricity (1990) East Midlands Electricity (1990) London Electricity (1990) MANWEB (1990) Midlands Electricity (1990) Northern Electric (1990) NORWEB (1990) SEEBOARD (1990) Southern Electric (1990) SWALEC (1990) SWEB Energy (1990) Yorkshire Electricity (1990) Scottish Bus Group (1991, bus companies sold individually) Scottish Hydro-Electric (1991) Scottish Power (1991) Severn Bridge (1992) Student loans portfolios (1998, 1999, 2013) The Stationery Office (1996) Transport Research Laboratory (1996) Trust Ports (1992–1997, ports sold individually) 2000s[edit] Actis (2004, 2012) BBC Books (2006 - 85%) BBC Broadcast (2005) BBC Costumes and Wigs (2008) BBC Outside Broadcasts (2008) BBC Technology (2004) British Nuclear Fuels Limited AWE Management Limited (2008) BNG America (2007) BNG Project Services (2008) Reactor Sites Management Company (2007) Westinghouse Electric Company (2006) East Thames Buses (2009) Leeds Bradford International Airport (2007) National Air Traffic Services (2001 - 51%) Newcastle Airport (2001 - 49%) Partnerships UK (2000, 2011) Qinetiq (2002, 2006, 2008) South Eastern Trains (2006) Teesside International Airport (2003 - 75%) UKAEA Limited (2009) 2010s[edit] BBC Audiobooks (2010 - 85%) BBC Magazines (2011) Behavioural Insights Team (2014 - 67%) Bio Products Laboratory (2013 - 80%) Fire Service College (2013) High Speed 1 (2010) Lloyds Banking Group (2013 - 6%) Manchester Airports Group (2013 - 35%) Northern Rock (2012) Remploy (2012, 2013, factory businesses sold individually) Royal Mail (2013 - 70%) The Tote (2011) East Coast Trains (2014)

Thats why I said working poor and tax and benefits system. I agree about the minimum wage, the fears about job losses simple havent materialised and I suspect you could safely push the minimum wage up to £10ph.

Sure, they can show what you want. In general though a tax and benefits system which favours the poorest rather than the richest is better for economic growth. On average give the working poor more money and they stop claiming benefits, start paying tax and spend money on things which recycle the cash back into the economy (buying food in local shops, repairs to house etc). Give wealthier people more and they spend it on foreign holidays, imported electronics and cars - ie more of the money leaks out of the UK.

You'd better vote Labour then, higher growth with their policies. http://niesr.ac.uk/media/press-release-macroeconomic-implications-parties-fiscal-plans-12045#.VRVRKPmsU9b

Just another one who lies to get votes. Says Labour is going to raise National Insurance even though they haver explicitly ruled it out.

Peasants

He is successful at engaging the young, but then they find out he's got no solutions or even usable tactics so they'll get even more disenchanted and dis-enfranchised. You've got to have more to offer than "its really bad and unfair".

Its a shame he got pipped to third by Gerry Halliwell

No response to air traffic control for 15 minutes and deviation from the flight plan would do it.

Thats my problem with it too. Its on the tv occasionally because my 12 year old likes it, so every six months or so I watch it and enjoy the first 10 minutes or so until you remember how it all inevitably goes and lose interest again.

Odd state of mind mind that thinks its okay to kill 150 people but draws the line at crashing into Marseille though.

Specially if mum reads bodybulding.com