moonraker

So you are not really for a free market then, and there is the rub, free marketeers do not really want a free market but one that is controlled to suit long standing vested interests.

So no exports then ! In a totally free market there is no them and us just me me me

By that token if a company wants to employ an immigrant, an immigrant and another immigrant they should be allowed to, a free labour market would do away with illegal immigration over night. In your wonderful unfettered free market capitalist society the logic is that that the labour market must be free and there would no barriers to immigration.

This is the best advice to date (apologies to all others who rightly said finish the degree). Traditionallymost degrees are not vocational they are about intellect, the ability to understand complex concepts and to demonstrate independent thinking. You only have this chance and if you give it up now you will regret it in the future. My Goddaughter read Anthropology, graduating 6 years ago, she has never worked as an anthropologist but equally she has never been out of work. I am an engineer working in engineering however my 2 closest colleagues read Medieval Languages and History & Politics they are highly valued in the business because they take a different perspective that makes us engineers think about things differently.

This is why I support RBL in preference to H4H. Because of the media the public think that it is only the army who are deployed in Afghanistan, for the past year the RN has provided 40% of the personnel this on top of other operational commitments,including Libya and anti piracy. The RN is approximately 15% of the total armed forces numbers but provides on average over 35% of deployed personnel. Both RBL and H4H are worthy causes and deserve the publics support for the work they do.

I have worn a poppy every year of my life and will continue to do so, but the country I have served and gone to war for and the country of those who gave there life for is one where wearing the poppy is a choice not a judgement. Your response demonstrates the attitude and desires of those that were defeated in 2 Global conflicts and those who wish to impose ultra religious codes on us today. Why I am surprised, you have never recognised the irony of your narrow-minded posts.

Yes I had it just over year ago, I still need reading glasses as they can not correct that but the results are great. I used Optimax, Bristol clinic, no complaints very good service.

To save effort i will repost what I posted on a similar thread in April 2009: I never cease to be amazed at the self righteous fan police. Whilst I am sure that not all of them are under 25, single, no kids, living within the city, the tone and style of their posts would indicate this profile to be the most prevalent. If attendance is a key guide I am a plastic only 3 games this season, despite over 45 years of support behind me. Why so few visits, I have a round trip of 160 miles to home games, I have family who don’t all share my passion and I also enjoy the egg chasing game and am a season ticket holder at Bath (I missed Saturdays top of the table game to support my football club in its hour of need) I took my eight year old, his 8th game, who said on Saturday when I explained the problems we have, "they can have all my money", he hasn’t taken his new shirt off since Saturday. He is of course currently a plastic, but watch out the self appointed fan police, in 10 years time he will be in the Northam setting the rules for the married over 35’s with kids who live outside the city and don’t quite share his youthful and admirable passion for our fantastic club, you never know some of you may have grown up by then and will be one of his targets. PS My son has now been to 24 games has 8 saints shirts and wouldn't dream of wearing any other teams shirt when he plays football at school or in the park, but hey ho were only plastics.

Cant be bothered to read this thread in full, but its simple the EDL have no right to use the Poppy to promote their political agenda. Politicising it is the reason FIFA banned it see the irony! beacause of the actions of organisations like the EDL the ban was imposed. Bunch of muppets.

Great reading I espeicially liked "with a refreshing brand of slick, attacking football with a refreshing brand of slick, attacking football seldom seen in English football’s second tier.

£5k appearance fee, so if they play 2 games in one week they get £10k + normal salary (not a lot), better than some regulars i would imagine.

Heres a bit of edumacation for ya "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" or in case your edumacation is truly as limited and selective as your numerous posts would indictae "if it looks like aparthied and acts like aparthied it is F**cking aparthied"

Watch it on I player

Excellent series, George's final comments truly represent Great Britian and why it truly is Great.

Sat in a fornmal dinner next to WH STH we have both been glued to the updates, I am the one drinking lots of port. We are top of the league

CB I take your point. There are other factors but in relation to mercantile tonnage the countries you name are flags of conveininece and owners choose them not becuase the Flag brings protection or high standards of regulation but because they can avoid regulations and hence cost associated with ship maintenace and crewing. One of the reasosn shipping companies chosse the UK flag is becuase the RN provides a better level of protection than many other flag states. It could therefore be argued that a reduction in the RN may lead to a reduction in the mercantile fleet and a loss of revenue to UK, another case of shooting yourself in the foot, politicians are good at that.

They are neutral country with no military alliances they have liitle or no strategic value, politically, militarily or economically. Their only contribution to any interantional military opertaiosn is UN peace keeping and a small commitment to the EU battlegroup requirment (neaver deployed). In respect of the UK flagged commercial ships v Eire the RN have 9,566,275 tons deadweight of shipping opertaing globally to protect whilst Eire has no more than 500,000 tons most of which operates within European and North atlantic waters.

Here in lies an RN problem at any one time between 25 and 50 % of all UK servicemen in Afgahnisatn are RN, the Army take all the 'good PR' and get the public and political support. Tee RN Medical, FAA, Supply, marines, etc. are esential to opertaion Herrick.

Dont let facts get in the way then DD Ive been at the Navy game for 40 yeasr and the tories are no freinds of teh RN.

John Knott (not the MOD) was repsonsible for the planned cuts to the RN that were stopped because of teh FI invasion. His plans were focused on ASW only, no carriers or amphibious capabilty. If the Agentianians had delayed 18 months we would never have got them back. As one who served throughout the eighties and some of the seventies and nineties you do not need to struggle anymore to find some one who thought the RN was worse under Maggie, and as one who has worked in the defence industry since leaving the RN in 93 (made redunadnt, volunatarialy as I saw the writing on the wall, by the tories, when was the last time a labour governament made a serviceman redundant?) the 13 years of Labour were quite good. A great payrise yes that was staggered in its introduction after Thatcher had made and election promise never to do this. DD you really should check your facts instead of realying on old sailors dits.

Slightly off topic but to educate DD the figures for the demise of teh RN are Royal Navy Surface Fleet 1979 - The Greedy Tories – 18 Years - started with 68 ships Royal Navy Surface Fleet 1997 – The Looney Left 13 Years - started with 36 surface ships Royal Navy Surface Fleet 2010 – The Greedy Tories - started with 29 ships Tories One year on Royal Navy Surface Fleet 25 ships Royal Navy Submarine Fleet 1979 - The Greedy Tories – 18 Years 31 submarines Royal Navy Submarine Fleet 1997 – The Looney Left 13 Years – started with 16 submarines Royal Navy Submarine Fleet 2010 - 1 Year - started with 11 submarines Tories One year on Royal Navy Submarines 11 submarines So whilst governments of both shades have reduced the size of the RN the Blue corner has been by far the most effective, in there 17 years from 1979 the surface fleet reduced by 47% and the submarine fleet by 48%, their latest efforts have already seen a 14% reduction in the surface fleet. In the red corner their record in the 13 years from 1997 is 20% reduction in the surface fleet and 22% reduction in the submarines. The manpower figures don’t favor the blue corner either in 1979 the RN establishment was over 70k by the time the Blues left office it was less than 40k. Note Surface Ship figures do not include MPH vessels.

(and Thatcher)

History seems to mean nothing to the likes of DD, but for liberal and labour governments he and his fellow naval ratings would still be subject to the cat. On secound thoughts not such a bad idea.

Whilst my distaste for Saggy does not go as far as some, he is not the man for the job and as has been pointed out he is essentially a wheeler dealer money spender and those attributes are of little use as a national manager. Like others seeing him fail would bring some satsifaction.

The decision to build additional seating capacity is very difficult and can not be based simply on hard evidence, its chicken and egg without the capacity you don’t know what you can achieve. When we moved from the Dell I seem to remember the Business Case was based remaining in the Prem on average crowds of circa 25k. Reality in the prem was somewhat different average crowds circa 30k. As a non ST holder I attend 6 - 8 games (league position irrelevant) a season. When in the prem this needed careful planning and tended to be for the less glamorous games as getting tickets was easier. One problem with glamour games is that whilst they don’t sell out totally often all that is available is odd single seat which do not appeal to families or groups of mates. Also I have friends who whilst not die hard saints fans enjoy attending Saint Mary’s especially when we were in the prem but are put off by the not being able to get walk ups or last minute tickets. Expansion, as is every business investment, a risk but you will not increase support without it and increased support leads to more that just gate receipts it will increase merchandise, sponsorship, TV revenue etc. There are thousands of potential "customers" out there and I truly believe that average gates approaching 40k in the prem regardless of position are realistic, moving beyond that would require on the pitch success the like of which we have not seen since 1984.