Lighthouse

Planes are old hat. I think we should hire a submarine to tow a banner up the Itchen. That'll learn them.

To be fair, they probably aren't leggings, infact they were probably described as 'baggy' when she bought them.

For the gym, running etc. they are acceptable but probably a bit too revealing as casual outwear. Depends how much of your body you want to show off. I can't imagine they are any more comfortable than jeans or a skirt so the only reason I can think of to wear them casually is because you want men to look at your arse and/or camel toe.

FWIW I bought a 2 year old Lotus for 2/3 the price of a brand new car in that spec. 14,000 on the clock. Still had a year's warranty (which is always handy when you've got a car built buy Lotus). I doubt I'd ever buy a brand new car unless my first name was Sheikh. I'm not saying I made the right choice, just my $0.02

XXX-Ray

If you are taking a uni course which costs £50k and getting a career average of £35k a year, you are doing something badly wrong. A half decent doctor, lawyer, accountant etc. should be earning double that by the time they are 40.

I think we've missed a trick installing the LEDs, if you get the right bulbs you can get them to change colour. I think some kind of flashing light display, choreographed to the right music with red and white light could be quite cool before an evening kick off. Maybe then during the match the pitch could be lit up white and the crowd in red. Would look kind of cool I think.

I largely agree with the second paragraph and I'd be all for concessions on courses which involved important research in fields like medicine or science. I think the debt is something everyone should have to think about. Afterall, what you are basically doing is asking the tax payer to fund your education. Perhaps if people had to ask for the money face to face, perceptions would change. If you made a prospective university student stand in front of a mixed audience from all aspects of society and say, "I want you to lend me money because..." it might put into perspective what they are asking. I'm not suggesting this as a practical solution but it's something everyone should consider.

What makes working class Asians different from working class white people. The stereotypical Asian immigrant takes a low paid job as a cleaner or in a shop or a petrol garage. So why are their children encouraged to be doctors? I understand the fears working class people have with debt but they need to understand this system is different. It's not hard to understand, people just have to overcome their perceptions. Let's flip it over. If an upper class toff turned up to parents evening and said, "I want my little darling going to a posh university, he should have servants to clean his room and do his cooking. I don't him mixing in with any foreigners or those disgusting poor people from a council estate." How would you react to that? Should he pull his head out of his arse or is it not his fault he's a bigot, he's just upper classes and those are his perceptions?

Or you can tell them they will never earn less than £20,000 a year after they've paid their loan off. Go through the maths with them, explain it and give examples. For example £30k a year is £9k above the threshold. 9% of £9k is £810, so they would still be earning over £29k. It is never beyond the realms of affordability, regardless of your social background. £50k of debt would only come about from a substantial 5 year degree in something like law or medicine. If a person is incapable of figuring out how this pretty basic loan system works, there is no way on Earth they have the aptitude to be a lawyer or a doctor. If they think they can earn a better wage from other employment without a degree, tell them university isn't for them.

It's not debt in the sense that somebody will come and repossess your house if you go 3 months without payment. There is no time limit and the repayments are based 100% on your ability to pay it. Even after the repayments you will never earn less than £20k a year. Not understanding just isn't an excuse. If people have the wrong perceptions it's not because they are working class it's because they are ignorant. It's like saying, "I don't understand how mortgage's work so the government should buy me a house." If people are too lazy to do 10 minutes of research on Google for the sake of their future, that's their fault. Regardless of whether they were born in a septic tank on a council estate or they're the Earl of Winchester.

I took this from a BBC article I found on Google in 10 seconds... "The government will lend students the money for fees, which will be paid back when they graduate and begin working. The fees will not have to be paid up-front. The threshold at which graduates have to start paying their loans back will rise from £15,000 to £21,000. This will rise annually with inflation. Each month graduates will pay back 9% of their income above that threshold." How can you honestly tell me that will put people off university. You need year 7 maths skills combined with primary school reading ability to understand that. If anyone 'perceives' otherwise it's their own fault, being working class doesn't come close to an excuse. It's a very simple system which requires no money up front.

If they're too thick to realise they don't have to pay back a penny until they've got a well paid job than that's their fault. If the repayment structure is fully explained at school, there is no reason at all it should put people off.

If you're talking about a system whereby all accommodation is provided and there are absolutely fees to pay back once employed, then no. That would be a disaster and a monumental waste of public money. Every lazy A-level student with no career aspirations would be saying, "hey I get my life paid for for the next 3 years. I don't have to study, pay attention in lectures or get a job at the end of it. I'll just take it easy and go out on the p*ss every night and avoid real life for another 3 years." That isn't aimed at every student but there are plenty of them out there who would much rather take it easy at the tax payers expense rather than go and get a real job.

I hate that Muse song as a pre match anthem, it lacks any kind of tempo or invigoration. Personally I liked Sandstorm by Darude when we used to have that as our walk out music. Personally I think we should come casually strolling out to this. We'd be the coolest darn club on the south coast, or at least we would be were it not for some lard-headed half wit smacking the back boards of the Northam at 100mph over the top of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OPc7MRm4Y8

What you've highlighted there seems to be a large part of the problem IMO. If the majority of people going to uni aren't serious then they shouldn't be going to uni at all. Uni should be all about "I want to be a doctor" - Medicine degree. "I want to be a lawyer" - Law degree. "I want to be an programmer" - I.T. based degree. The tax payer shouldn't be funding university courses for people people, "I don't know, I'm kind of good at geography or something." If you're not going to uni focussed on a certain career path as a graduate, you shouldn't be going, regardless of income. Also, you aren't paying the fees whilst you are studying, that's the whole point.

I disagree that they are the ONLY beneficiaries but even so I'd say this was a good thing. Aside from the large number of jobs it creates, many cities have seen large urban redevelopment projects which were kick started largely by student demands. In several cities I've lived in some of the crappiest, cheap, post war buildings from the 50s and 60s have been demolished to make way for university projects and student accommodation. Isn't that what's going on next to East Park, opposite Solent uni at the moment?

It's only a one match ban anyway, it wasn't violent conduct.

It's okay Bear, she plays hard to get in public but she has been PMing me all sorts of obscene photos all afternoon. Having said that, if you want to share your natural beauty with the rest of us, don't let me stop you.

Summer breaks at uni are about 3 months, no? So you're saying people are paying up to £7000 in living expenses in 9 months. That works out a shade under £800 a month. I'm in full time employment and rent my own apartment for less than that. When I was studying there were 4 of us renting a house together and it cost us £300 a month each, including bills. That is nearer £60k, which is a lot but still possible if you're a doctor.

You would never have to pay anything like that. The government pays £10k a year, you pay them back at a much lower rate.

By that logic, we aren't able to concede any goals either.

I never really bought the argument that it would be too expensive for low income families. If you're earning over £21,000 a year you're not a low income family.

I can't be arsed reading this whole thread. Has Glasgow got her tits out yet?

Missile, give it a rest with all this liberal leftie nonsense. We all know the homeless should be burned as a renewable source of bio-fuel.