Verbal

I've been to one place in particular where sustained investment in public education has made a big difference. In the mountains of Northern Pakistan, around the (very liberal) Hunza Valley, Saudi inroads have been rolled back by Ismaili funding of schooling. They started with girls only - but found that the suicide rate among the girls shot up, partly at least because after being so well educated they were still having to marry the same sullenly stupid and socially conservative men. So the Aga Khan people started a more universal education programme, and the effects on the region are marked. It's the one place in that part of the world where it's relatively safe to travel, whether as a local or a foreigner - and the impact on the region's culture is pretty obvious. The tragedy is that for all its natural and cultural beauty, no one seems to dare to there. On the other hand, I can tell you some pretty depressing stories of the awful consequences when Arab money rolls in - as it is increasingly now even in the large cities.

If we (and many others) don't, the Saudis will, and have. 7/7 was one of the outcomes of Saudi long-term funding of extremist madrassas, which have virtually replaced a collapsed public education system in many parts of Pakistan. So even in terms of self-interest it seems a good investment.

Nice tweezer work.

The answer can be found on a £5 note.

This has to qualify as one of the most thoughtless (in the literal sense) comments I've read in years - you've outduned dune, something I thought not possible. So your basic 'premise' - to use your funny terminology - is that those who cost the welfare state more should pay for it. In case you hadn't realised, that isn't then a welfare state at all - or any kind of recognisably civilised society. People protested because the tax was wrong. Thatcher u-turned on it - this same 'lady' who is 'not for turning' - because even in her ideological haze she could see it was a disaster. As for going on protest marches, I've been on a few. It is a democratic right, you know.

Welcome back despot.

Good question Nick. I'm going to quote this whenever these crackpots start off about their glass doughnuts.

In the 80s we had de-regulation (and de-mutualisation) - quite a different kind of competition. As things stand after the credit crunch, there are fewer, consolidated banks occupying a virtual monopoly in parts of the banking sector (especially in merchant and investment banking.) The absence of real competition has driven costs of borrowing ever higher, and economies like Britain's ever lower. Regulated competition to drive down costs, and the obscene bonuses that are now financed by lack of competition, is an economic priority that the banks, of course, would rather ignore.

No, I'm just not seeing it: saying 'butchers' and reading working folk newspapers. I have you down as Alex from the Torygraph.

I somehow can't see you saying 'butchers' in real life.

Really? You'd be quite a catch.

Do yawns count?

What people say and do in US politics are entirely different. It's called separation of powers...or pork-barrel politics, if you're a cynic/realist.

By aligning himself with popular sentiment among voters, has he shot himself in the foot? Is that your question?

Most people go to their dictionaries for a definition. You go to YouTube. Sad, don't you think? BTF is right.

About whether you understand the meaning of a word? I think that debate is already settled.

No. You don't deserve it. Anyway, your attention deficit disorder evidently kicked in before you got to my second para about posting in a previous incarnation exclusively on the main board. I used never to grace the lounge with my presence.

Then your grandad would have learned something, been grateful for the knowledge, and passed the rest of his life happily. A lesson for you in there.

Do you really think I could add to Alps' misery?

My grandad would have won though.

So I see.

Yes, but you've named them all 'trousers'.

He asked a question. I answered. What's the problem?

My grandfather and great-grandfather were both stokers at a gas works whose location vis a vis the stadium you can probably guess. My father delivered match balls to The Dell in his first job. So I can trace my and my family support of the club practically back to its origins. Can you? Under a different name, I did post exclusively on the main board, but now choose to give it miss and just go to games. The reason I post on here is because I'm a lifelong Saints supporter. Not THAT surprising is it? Thanks for asking though.

If this is how your idle away your time while you wait for your redundant lifespan to conclude, I could even start to feel sorry for you. Can we stay on topic here? The Tories may be able to ignore a march of more than 400,000 people. I bet the LibDems are in full-scale panic. Once again, EM gave a rather impressive speech.