oilmagnet477

Love to see this with Corbyn doing a stint as the Christmas Fairy

got so fed up with sonos constantly dropping out, I sold the lot and with the proceeds bought a yamaha receiver amp with bluetooth and a pair of wharfdale diamond 11s. Got those in the kitchen now and use old mk1 Ipad which is still going strong (just won't do anything else on line because of Apple built in obsolescence!). It holds all my music (or enough at least 64gb). The whole music round the house thing sounds cool but I never really used it. I also bought (with the same funds from selling Sonos) a Denon AV receiver amp which is in the Sitting room and we use that for projector/cinema but it will also bluetooth to the same ipad. Never had a single problem since. Good luck with yours - I have now also binned BT Broadband - utter crap in middle of nowhere Norfolk. Now have 4g Vodaphone router with a £30/month unlimited phone sim - getting about 10mbps on average which is about double what bt were able to do - I doubt we will ever get fibre and even if we did, we are so far from the exchange I don't think it would be any better. What I really don't understand is how the router gives me 3-4 bars but my vodaphone mobile struggles to get 1 bar? Antenna power I guess...... I liked it with the grey finish!

If, God forbid, the boat should get into trouble during the voyage to Portugal, I assume the Coastguard/lifeguards would be rowing out to the rescue? What will I have to exhale to become 'Carbon Zero'?

My Wife was talking to a Gynecologist at the hospital the other day. Apparently, Corbyn is a Cunt. As it goes, a Gynecologist is the right person to ask...

Healthy or not - the way we fish (globally) is a disgrace. However much anyone criticises modern farming techniques, eating meat is at least self sustaining - by that I mean that what we (re)produce, we eat (in one form or another). Fishing has (historically) massively taken from the sea with little thought about replacing what is taken. Over fishing and industrialised trawling has had a massively negative impact on the environment. On the whole, I believe the UK has responded in a better way to control fishing and protect areas for fish to re-generate. Farmed fish have also had a beneficial effect. If other Countries continue to abuse the environment and also infringe our waters, what long term chance do we have? The quota system has led to enormous amounts of catch just being thrown back, either dead or to die - a total waste and a classic example of not thinking through the implications of EU Policy.

Dan - not having a go. Seriously, as I said, I'm happy to let anyone do whatever they want. As Kimbers' says though, if we all go veggie, there will be massive implications. Excluding Vegans (who I'm sorry, I think are just plain nuts!), most veggies would admit to prefer keeping dairy products and eggs (to name but a few things) in their diet. However for example, cows only produce milk by virtue of breeding - that offspring generally supplies the rest of the food chain - I have worked in Agriculture and very specifically to increase animal welfare standards. Is what we do perfect - no! but our standards lead the World and giving a grass fed beef animal a decent life before it enters the human food chain is surely better than killing it at birth simply so we can provide milk, butter and cheese etc. Ergo, if no one eats meat, what do we ultimately do to replace dairy products? Mass produced Soya (whilst not killing animals per se) is no better (and probably worse) for the environment. I readily accept that we face a massive dilemma (and I take on board that your emphasis wasn't on saving the planet!). I also accept that we should ALL eat less (and consume less entirely, food or otherwise). As a Nation, I suspect that we were far healthier under strict rationing during the War - I'm guessing no one enjoyed the experience but our Society today is not a great example of how we should continue. As I said before, I'm interested to see how your experiment develops.

I don't exclude the possibility that these products taste good - if they didn't MacD would be dead. But why pretend to be something they aren't - surely that is simply designed to play on people's psychology? meat is already good enough that we haven't seen the a piece of steak disguised as a carrot

I rest my case! Veggie burgers? I don't understand the need to eat processed food (as a meat eater, I refuse McD etc) so why replicate it with vegetables. If you want to eat veg - chew on a carrot

Dan, you are entirely at liberty to try what ever you want, good or bad and it will be interesting to observe the results - Not sure 1 week would be considered a long enough test though? I am a dyed in the wool meatist and will probably never change my mind but I don't have an issue with anyone of an opposite view as long as they don't ram it down my throat (Not accusing you there) I have 3 immediate observations: 1. As the primary food provider in our house I have more recently attempted to introduce a 'meat free night' in order to satisfy the younger element - I will not put anything that is vegetable and has been made to look like meat on a plate - over processed crap as far as I'm concerned. Tofu is simply reconstituted w*nk as far as I'm concerned so that's out. Some how a roast dinner without the meat just doesn't do it for me. I struggle to see how I could deliver not only wholesome but interesting and satisfying food on a regular basis without meat based protein 2. As far as living longer goes, surely we are living long enough (statistically) already - irrespective of what I eat now, I'd rather die young than end up a vegetable in a chair that no one can eat! If someone can explicitly and without doubt prove that eating meat causes dementia and not eating meat doesn't then I might be more ready to listen. 3. Meat eating has predominantly been the cause of Humans being at the top of the food chain and with bigger brains etc etc (I am not bringing what we do or don't do with those brains into this thread - that's a whole different ball game!) Maybe if we'd never eaten meat we'd still be swinging from the trees? Will watch with interest supping my beer or wine of choice

Couldn't agree more but I didn't want to come across as a total misogynist! However, in my defense there are plenty of women on R4 I can quite happily listen to all day long - so it comes down to quality not quantity. I only wish jobs were awarded on the basis of merit instead of having to meet some PC quota for gender equality. No wonder Mayo left!

Why, when I use this facility online, am I bombarded with photos of people I don't recognise (or even care to?) The whole point of radio is that you LISTEN to it and don't give a shit about what they look like. The fact I detest Zoe Ball and Sarah Cox has NOTHING to do with their looks. It is the fact that they talk BOLLOCKS God how I miss Wogan!

Not seen anywhere since 1999 and the rate I'm going it's going to be a good while longer!

@Barrykearley You know, it's bloody tragic! A 1300 Mk4 Spitfire was my first car (I had a works car as well but not owned by me) back in the day 1988. I just used your Reg number to check out insurance quotes for my son on a 6000 mile policy - cheapest £1999 fully comp. Is it any wonder that young kids are going into Citroen Dealerships and buying the latest crock of shite with a year's free insurance! I remember my Spit very fondly - it led me to buying a 'grown up!' GT6 (which I sadly sold 20 years ago for £350 (DOH DOH DOH!!!). I'm 6'5" and with the 'laying down' ability of these cars had loads of room. Best I ever got was 6 up in the Spit. Got stopped by the fuzz with four of us on board and didn't get nicked

With regards to getting a deal (any deal) done, it really strikes me that everyone is utterly clueless. IF the UK leaves the EU with NO DEAL then the Border between Eire and Northern Ireland will HAVE to have border controls - just as there will be between England and France. Why can they not see (ignoring the Remoaners!) that any solution, be-it Boris's or Teresa May's, is going to result in a compromise if we are in actual fact going to do anything that looks like leaving. The backstop was rejected because it wasn't 'leave' enough. I actually think BoJo may have pulled this one out of the bag - unfortunately, will those 40 odd ex-Conservative MPs now support this new deal (were it ever to get to Parliament?). Without them , even if the ERG could support the new arrangement, I'm still not sure Boris has the numbers - however, losing this deal because of Parliamentary discord may well significantly increase BoJos chances come a GE. Imagine a FTSE 100 Company with a Board of Directors who behaved like MPs in Parliament. It wouldn't last 10 minutes! Who wants to re-Nationalise anything and grant control to this lot of total F*CKWITS

Good to see her at last. Looking forward to seeing her in on the road. At least that will be one of us!

Listening to some of the 'talk' from the Labour Party Conference! Do these deluded fools think that referring to each other as 'Comrades' is ever going to make them more appealing to the mainstream human beings. Have none of them read 1984 or Animal Farm?. Perhaps they have and they yearn for it!

Andy, I'd normally agree 100% - except that economically it makes better sense to spend £200m (with the hope of seeing a ROI) than spending £600m to bring people home with ZERO gain. If all holiday makers are covered by ATOL insurance then why the need for the Govt to spend £600m to bring people home in the first place - maybe that is what the question should be? My point was simply about economics - but then, Govt's are never very good at that....

Can any one explain the logic of the Govt not coming to the rescue here? I appreciate that TC's problems are many and varied but on the face of it, I have little doubt that Brexit uncertainty (rather than us leaving the UK period) can probably be blamed for contributing to making a bad situation worse. In this case, a very large finger has to be pointed to all Politicians (not just the Govt). It seems daft to me that the Govt could (and it appears are happy to) fork out £600m to get everyone home but that would still result in the demise of TC and the loss of 000s of jobs, with no chance of getting any of that £600m back. Why not take a large stake and help it survive (and face up to the fact that this is what Brexit uncertainty has cost in this case). Maybe if it were the Thomas Cook Bank, the deal would already have been done.......?

I have, possibly and justified(?), the most conflicted view here? Having re-chassised 3 x series 3s (88 and 110) I find myself in a difficult place.... I LOVE the old design BUT Dinosaurs don't rule the world for their inability to adapt. Both of the new cars are amazing in some respects but don't necessarily meet the needs (and never will) of the 'die hards'. However, given the piss poor sales of the final Defender to the 'Die hards', and, in reality, their very limited appeal, you'd have to forgive JLR for moving in the direction of profitability, sales and *POTENTIALLY* improved performance and reliability! whilst I find the concept of a £40k/£45k car a difficult one to swallow, compared to the new Jeep Wrangler - at a similar price - there is NO contest. The Wrangler (IMHO) is bollox by comparison. I hope the new Defender finds a market - I have an unscientific, gut feel that this range will be a grower.......... I have driven the 'old' Defender around the 'off road course' at Solihull and cannot fault it's off road ability but at 6'5", a 'Defender' product that I was comfortable in would be a massive step forward.

Greg, as before, there's little point in arguing with your obvious knowledge of the system and I don't think we will ever agree. However I'm sorry, but I have to have one more go! - there is SO definitely a 'them and us' at play here. Whips aside, how can you not see that we have to put up with a voting system where the absolute majority wins, irrespective of the number of people who vote, versus a Parliamentary system that doesn't follow the same convention. If Labour were going to vote against the Govt, therefore clearly killing off the 2/3rd majority rule (a rule which doesn't apply to the general population when we vote), then why not vote? Abstaining is pointless. Slightly off topic, if it weren't the case that there is a 'them and us' culture, how come Civil Servants who earn over £150k have their pension contributions capped at 7% whereas Doctors, on the same earning basis have to pay 14%. How come a Civil Servant on £150k+ is 'poorer' than a Hospital Doctor (working all hours) on the same money? Don't get me started on MPs pensions!!!!!! It's those with their noses in the trough who look after their own interests.

Sorry, I'd have thought it was obvious! They may both be enshrined in Law, it's just their law is different, or interpreted differently to us. Is an 'abstention' a vote? It isn't in my book, you appear to imply differently. Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. so therefore tonight's vote was won by more than 2/3rd of those who voted. That is how public elections in the UK work so for Parliament to insist on a different set of rules means that there is a difference between us and them

A large percentage of the population 'abstain' during most voting opportunities in this United Kingdom. I am however reminded that the BEST turnout in a recent vote was for leaving the EU. Fat lot of fucking good that did!

In a General Election, irrespective of turnout, the majority wins, assuming the winning party wins over 50% of seats (ie a clear majority over everyone else.) So within Parliament, to call a GE (under the Fixed Term Parliament Act) a majority of 2/3rds is required. Pardon me for not understanding how yet again it is one set of rules for us and another complete set of rules for those in Parliament but how is 298 v 56 not a significant amount over 2/3rds of those who bothered to vote? Christ on a bike, we need some MASSIVE reform of our political system in this Country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!