Pugwash

Actually it was invented by a couple of Americans. Jimi only bought the company a couple of years ago. He was an ex-miner - laid off in the early 80's.

So my accountant says I'm not allowed to pay my missus a couple of grand a year for doing the books, but Green can pay his wife 100's of millions for doing what, precisely? Keeping house in Monaco?

Condolences to Markus' family and friends. A true gentleman, a true Saint. Ruhe in Frieden.

For the kid's shirt I offered 4p a year for five years, with an extra 5p if I won the lottery. They didn't seem to understand.

Big LOL. Just spat my cheese sandwich all over the keyboard!

I've corrected it for you.

Four sure!

Exactly the point I made - "(and I think we do)". The problem is that Joe Public (and a lot of politicians) whose foreign adventures extend to a couple of weeks a year in Florida or Spain don't realise that it's still a wild world out there. Hence we're likely to get the armed services run down with barely any debate.

No, I'm not mental and my psychiatrist can vouch for that. The whole point of a carrier of this size is to project power at a distance, not to protect the activities of frigates/destroyers being employed 'over the horizon' in the numerous and varying roles that they undertake. When these carriers are deployed, frigates/destroyers will be subordinated to a supporting role to protect and serve the 'capital ship'. Whilst you're right that a carrier group is more flexible than land bases, it's not unsinkable and it costs more. It all boils down to identifying what actually ARE British interests? If we believe that we have a role in 'policing' the world or have significant overseas interests to protect (and I think we do) then the carriers make sense. Otherwise, we retreat to our own borders and have a 15-frigate navy, subs, a small army and a strong air defence.

Distasteful Civilisation killer US President QED

I thought that SSBNs were supposed to be the new 'capital ships'? They certainly cost enough. But then I guess there's something distasteful about naming a civilisation killer after the reigning monarch.

True, but then the whole point of Germany's air offensive was to achieve air supremacy in order to negate our naval dominance. A strong air defence is at least as important as a strong navy for an island nation. You need both. As to the need for CVs, they are the only means to project real (air) power for a world player. Question is: are we still a world player?

Men do get a better deal than women when buying annuities with private pensions - especially if they're smokers or have histories of heart problems.

Not quite. The average life expectancy of men is 75 and women 80 in the UK. Assuming those 60-year olds that they're talking about retire at 65 instead, then this would cut a male pension bill by a third and a female pension bill by a quarter. A much bigger saving than an extra 5/60ths or 5/80ths of their full wage. In any case, in a final salary scheme there's usually a maximum (typically 50%) of the final salary achievable, so many long-term employees (30 or 40 years) have reached their maximum contribution level anyway by the time they're 60 and are then unlikely to significantly increase their salary on which the final pension is calculated.

If I was a cheating, morally bankrupt chancer, then (b); As I'm not a PFC executive, then (a)

That's Don Featherstone. Yes he was a physio with Saints, also the father of British wargaming: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Featherstone_(wargamer) Lovely guy. Sadly he's now lost his sight. Incidentally, my vote goes to a chiropractor. I suffered a couple of years using an Osteopath, who never got it right. Eventually went to see a chiro and it was like a new lease of life. Now might only go back once or twice a year as necessary.

If you'd ever been to Kent, you'd understand.

Mods this is getting ridiculous. Just merge the two threads and let them compromise. 1 signing this week please.

I'm going to disregard my own advice here... Yeah you're right, most of us don't give a flying **** about Terry The Builder. What we do care about is everyone else who has to 'go without' because of your blatant greed (both PCFC and the skate fans). I refer you to my earlier post: http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?14620-Pompey-Takeover-Saga&p=761641#post761641

Ignore them, they're on a wind-up. It's the cooling off period while HMRC consider their options, so the skates are trying to turn the thread into some sort of 'Saints/Cheats comparison' argument.

I suppose 'Butch' been lavish in his praise for our strolling square-passing football?

Or: Here we go, we're so flash, Our new shirt has got a sash And you'll love - love your stay here Cos our Nic has changed the beer na na na na na na na na na na naaa our new shirt's got a sash na na na na na na na na na na naaa and our owner's got a stash etc (With a nod to The Primitives - 'Crash')

Tom

Cider vinegar is supposed be very therapeutic, apparently.

It's worth taking a minute to put this into context. Our local NHS Trusts have recently had to introduce wide-ranging cuts in the current economic climate, particularly to their capital development budgets. It would have been nice to build the Southampton Children's Hospital; or to bring all the SGH operating theatres up to standard. Or even to go ahead with the full re-development scheme at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth. The total value of these three cancelled projects amount to about the same as the lost tax revenue resulting from the PCFC CVA.