Verbal

I wonder whether there's something self-selecting in the way this forum attracts such a high percentage twisting loons from the right and far-right. Labour supporters (and liberals with a small 'l') are a small minority on here, and yet over 40% of the voting population now supports Labour. Football, a traditional working class sport, would, you might expect, attract more rather than fewer Labour supporters. The self-selection probably comes from anonymity and the opportunity to create an alternative identity. There are so many captains of industry on here I'm surprised Southampton isn't a serious rival to Hong Kong. But as Ricky Gervais said recently: window-cleaning isn't a business.

I think Deppo's point about experience was aimed at the dweebish, barely competent Gove, who I can't imagine entering an FE college without holding his nose. You of course are entitled to your opinion - although I'm surprised you're a taxpayer.

Hilarious. If China were to follow the behaviour of the British Raj in 1857 they would be razing all the capital cities of sub-Saharan Africa.

Or take medicine as an example. People should know how good a cranium can be as an echo chamber if it has no brain inside. There really is no bottom to the depths of your ignorance. Would you recommend studying the Raj from 1857?

The evidence of our own eyes. It's all a bit like those scenes in Inception, or watching polar ice shelves collapse into the sea - the whole country seems to be crumbling away in huge lumps.

Sourpuss

Ed triumphs over blue and yellow Tories in Oldham. Not a bad start.

Socialist nirvana. You will be a happy trousers, able to turn to your fellow train passengers and feel at one in true communal bliss.

Excuse me?

The Labour Party was co-founded by Sidney and Beatrice Webb - part of the Bloomsbury set.

Actually that question was starting to dawn on me. It is odd. Saints fans in the real world aren't anything like the twisting loons on here, though, thank god.

What on earth does 'taken from the working class' actually mean? And if it is, as you say, 'your pain', you should by your argument act in your class interests and support Labour over Tory.

They are divided into those who can spell and those who can't.

The party has a long history of that. And why not? Unless you somehow think it is simply impossible to think outside of your own class interests, which would be a truly odd idea.

This is a joke, right?

He'll be happy to hear that. He's from a family of rather daunting intellectuals, and the idea that he has any plebeian - ie working class - qualities is miles from the truth. He will, though, win his first of many by-elections tonight against an enfeebled and unpopular coalition.

Wrong trousers (assuming trousers is your surname?)

This takes us happily back to the various intelligence debates. The left=cleverer/right=dumbass equation seems incontrovertible, based on the thread so far. I wonder if there will be any more confirming evidence any time soon..?

Very, very good.

Ed is not a natural - at anything really, as far as I can tell - but he comes from a good lineage. His father Ralph was one of British Marxism's most respected political theorists. So I still have high hopes.

I agree. The only thing that could have been worse is that he killed someone - like Ian Tomlinson for example. Luckily HIS killer also is now also in jail. Right?

Me too. Much better to pay less and travel on those lovely comfortable slam-doors rather than the nasty new plastic carriages with no seats.

So you haven't travelled by train recently.

Great! Send c/o Turkish Towers.

Oh that it explains it! My apologies. Turkish feebly copied the beginning of my post so I thought it was me.