Bijou Drains
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I’ve put a comment on RT, it might increase/inform the debate, if cdes wanted to either comment and/or join and uptick it, it would help keeping the contribution at the top of the mesage board, you never know someone might do a little further research about the party?
“This is not the Washington Post!”
My mistake, too many father’s day beers were taken. Sill impressive though, considering the Examiner is seen as highly conservative in outlook.
I am always surprised when people expect their musicians to be prophetic, politically insightful or worthy of very hard scrutiny. Generally they are none of those things, they are musicians. They make songs and play instruments.
It’s a bit like when Question Time invite comedians onto their show, most of the time they are full of the same kind of shite that the politicians are, although they might be able to produce it in a slightly more amusing way. It doesn’t mean that I can’t find some of the stuff some comics funny.
In the same way I have low expectations for musicians when it comes to political insight, once in a while one of them does come up with some profound political stuff (won’t get folled again by The Who, or If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next by The Manics, for example), but most of the time the political stuff they produce is horse shit.
I do think it’s a bit harsh to say Bob Dylan has done nowt worthwhile since ’79 though, Infidels had it’s moments, Oh Mercy was another good album, Good as I Been to You was ok and did include a version of “Arthur McBride” (not as good as the version I remember being sung one night after conference though) and I really liked Rough and Rowdy ways.
Ironically in the early years of the Labour Party they were in favour of proportional representation, something that the Liberals strongly opposed. By the time Labour took over as the country’s main opposition party they started to oppose it and th eLiberals began advocating it. Shown how much real political principle either party has.
From school days, I think it works as follows:
Labour – Tweedledum – Adjective
Liberal – Tweedledummer – Comparitive
Tory – Tweedledummest – SuperlativeIf you look at historic elections it shows a massive drop by Labour, I suspect there has been a massive amount of tactical voting, this might be the sign of things to come, i.e. Labour and Tory voters combining as an anti-Tory block.
According to the BBC Andrew Lloyd Webber is determined to defy an extention of lockdown and open his theatres on 21st June, even if he faces arrest.
I do hope they extend the lockdown. Having that talentless, scrotum faced, reactionary fuckwit, locked up would at least be some compensation for having endured the pandemic.
Whilst on the Chinese side a new “charm offensive” is being encouraged.
Surely as Socialists we should be engaging in our fellow workers (whether they are in uniform or not) about the need to recognise their class interests. Ousting some members will not achieve that. Unions should be pressuring the Police unions to change, rather than kicking them out.
Looks like the wise man has been heard for once
“What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes. It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.”
Bobby Robson, NewcastleLooks like Athletico Madrid are pulling out as well, looks like it will be Juve v West Auckland Town all over (Lipton Trophy), bet West Auckland Town beat them again.
From the latest news it looks like it’s all got Pete Tong anyway, Chelski and Man Citeh have withdrawn from super league, looks like there’s several multi millionaires with egg on their collective faces.
“But can someone tell me why the government has jumped right in and is showing so much interest? Is it just to gain a bit of popularity?”
I think that some of the response by Boris is partly a way of him trying to show he is responsive to the the voters, but the possible revenue loss to the treasury might also be a factor.
The amount of money coming into the treasury through the Premier League and through the rest of football is phenomenal. For instance, The transfer of footballers is subject to VAT However, transfers between football clubs in the EU were relieved of VAT, however I assume this will have changed with Brexit. £1.93 billion was spent on transfers last year. The current wage bill for the Premiership is at £2.8 billion, with income tax being charged at most of it at 45%, that’s a new fitted out aircraft carrier every couple of years.
If the “super” League clubs are expelled from UEFA, FIFA, etc. then in future they would not be have to pay smaller clubs for transfer fees, in the same way that Rugby League teams used to poach Rugby Union players, and now Rugby Union Teams now Rugby League players.
With the six clubs playing half of their games outside of the UK how long will the clubs work out that it’s better to put their training grounds in Dubai, Monaco or Gib and fly the players in, then the players can go non dom and save the tax (or more likely reduce the wage bill).
A large portion of football revenue is paid from outside of the UK and the revenue that comes back (TV money, sponsership, etc.) is paid in the UK. The revenue is on a nice little earner for UK Ltd and I’m pretty sure Boris and his gang won’t be keen on anything that screws up that cash flow.
