Whitey Grandad

If I were I'd be Prime Minister now ?

My uncle and aunt were moved into one in North London in the 1960s. There were two lifts, one stopping at odd floors and one at even. You didn't need many young mothers with prams to make the waiting times unbelievable. The flats were lovely inside and a big improvement on their previous housing but I never felt safe in them.

I wouldn't seek to make political capital out of this disaster, but it's definitely something that could have been avoided, or at the least mitigated. Pesonally I have never liked tower blocks be they for domestic or office use. I was even less convinced when I discovered that low-rise housing can achieve a similar density to high-rise so I never saw the need for them. We shall need to wait for the full enquiry but some steps need to be taken promptly before anything similar happens. Sprinklers could have been fitted for about £200,000 I believe, the gas pipes in the main access column were reportedly unprotected despite regular protests, the power supply appears to have had surges, the fire safety advice now seems totally misguided. But above all, why was there a need for the cladding anyway?

From the Huffington Post: Introduced in 2006, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order meant building owners were responsible for assessing fire risk in multi-occupancy buildings, not the fire service. The old system of fire brigades issuing safety certificates was scrapped in the biggest revision of fire safety guidance since 1971.

I've already got the spectacles so that just leaves 'all of the above'

A decent man, it just didn't work out. Phew, that's a relief.

Just after you've booked your holidays around the dates.

You lucky barsteward. I shall miss the first three home games.

Bugger. The first home game I can get to will be 14th October. I hope my grandson can get someone to take him

I'll try and sort something out. I've used a Dropbox before but they have changed their methods are you local to Eastleigh/Hamble? Don't worry about recompense. Just chuck something in a local charity if you're happy.

These are all stored on my network drive in the loft. They are from cheap VHS so the quality is not what me might expect today. 1990-1991 is not too bad bu the other two are pretty sh!t. Season 1990-1991 Season 1991-1992 Matt's Premier 50

I'm just watching France- England at the moment. Give me 30 minutes and I'll let you know.

I have two season reviews and a Matt's Premier 50, or somesuch. I have transcribed these to digital and will post them up somewhere if anyone is interested.

A General Election with an explicit manifesto pledge would supersede a previous referendum both constitutionally and politically if a sizeable majority were achieved. I can't see that happening somehow.

That was our choice. Nobody forced us into it.

A middle position is achievable. It involves EFTA/EEA in stages and I can recommend having a look at this. http://www.eureferendum.com/themarketsolution.pdf

Applies to anyone on gardening leave. Jones, Hoddle..

Boufal's playing style invites damage to his ankles. He tempts the lunge and then skips away.

Oy! Watch it.

Read up about Article 112 of EFTA

This. If the takeover is agreed next week as rumoured then I can understand the wait.

Clarke for PM?

That really is surprising.

Recount at Southampton Itchen

Be my guest: The Premier League has given clearance for a £190 million takeover of Southampton by a Chinese company after months of investigations. Gao Jisheng, the chief executive of Lander Sports Development who has been accused of paying bribes to Chinese politicians, has passed the League’s owners and directors test and an announcement is expected next week. Southampton and Lander have been informed that the proposed deal is close to being given the go-ahead. Katharina Liebherr, the Southampton owner, has been negotiating with Lander over a sale for almost 12 months, with the Chinese property development company offering £190 million for 100 per cent of the club’s shares in March, as revealed by The Times. The matter was then passed to the Premier League, whose lawyers have investigated the sources and sufficiency of Lander’s funding, the company’s business plan and the structure of the deal as well as subjecting all potential owners and directors to the fit and proper persons test. The Premier League are satisfied that all aspects of Lander’s bid meet their requirements. The Premier League undertakes such due diligence before signing off any potential takeovers, but Lander’s offer for Southampton has attracted more interest because of Gao. The 64-year-old property developer and sports entrepreneur has been involved in two corruption cases in China and was named in Chinese state media as one of a number of businessmen who allegedly gave bribes to Xu Maiyong, the vice-mayor of Hangzhou. Gao has always maintained his innocence. Lander is proposing a phased takeover of Southampton in which it would initially buy into the club before going on to take full control. In talks with the club Lander has pledged it will not sell any players this summer, including Virgil van Dijk, who is wanted by Chelsea and Manchester City as well as Liverpool, who have been reported to the Premier League by Southampton for allegedly making an illegal approach to the Dutch defender. Liebherr intends to keep some of her Southampton shares in the short term to provide continuity before selling up completely if Lander’s promises of additional investment materialise. Lander appears happy for Liebherr to stay on as a minority shareholder. The chairman, Ralph Krueger, is likely to remain in place, although Lander will seek representation on the board. Liebherr’s willingness to sell stems from her belief that Southampton require additional investment to cement their position as a top-ten Premier League club and a desire to spread her assets across a wider portfolio. The Times revealed earlier this week that Liebherr is also facing the prospect of a large tax bill as a result of an investigation by Germany’s Public Prosecutor’s Office into the estate of her late father Markus, who bequeathed Southampton to her following his death in 2010. Lander would be the second Chinese owners in the league after Guochuan Lai’s takeover of West Bromwich Albion last year. A meeting of Premier League chairmen yesterday agreed to toughen up the rules surrounding takeovers of clubs, though it is not clear when they will come into force. In the future, prospective owners or directors will be barred if they are judged to have misled the Premier League, or to have engaged in conduct that would constitute a criminal offence in the UK.