1_man_army

They do you [wagon] ;) edit - y_guy you're a [bleep] for beating me to that there lol.

Definitely not a second account, but yeah that would be me. When you say Dan, is that Scottish Dan? I haven't spoken to him in years. Haha, I know. But I remember some mods/admins accused you and Matt of being the same poster, since you two "knew eachother RL" and would often agree with eachother on topics. Ah drama. [/hide] They did? I don't remember that but then again I'm always surprised about how little I notice / remember about the goings on of these forums in the time I've been using them. Anyway, Hi Rizla. Welcome back.

edit - nevermind

Like a lot of people I'm tipping Spain to win the tournament - most of the big teams have 2 or 3 great players, Spain have 7 or 8 and that will be the difference - the depth of their squad. I think Holland will do what they always do, fly through the early stages while playing brilliant football and then get put out in the last 8. England have a relatively easy group but I think they have been having too many poor performances & they have too many problems in their squad to win the tournament. I think USA can give England problems tomorrow and get a draw or even a shock win, USA may not have any superstars but they're a strong & organised unit. I still think Argentina can bring it together as well, Maradona might not be Marcelo Lippi when it comes to tactics but he can inspire his men like nobody else and they have so many options going forward - Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Milito & Aguero are all world class. Obviously you can't count out Brazil either.

He didn't say they weren't facts, he just questioned the other user's objectivity.

The fact that I had a friend request added to the suspense at first but after then I caught on once I realised it was somebody I knew in real life. Good try though.

Those powers are almost purely ceremonial, the Monarchy doesn't tend to make the decision about dissolving parliament they are there as the rubberstamp once the decision has been made by the party leaders. Can you ever see the Royals dissolving parliament against the will of a functioning government (even if it doesn't serve the interests of the people)? Not likely.

I'm not in favour of having a Monarchy, nobody should be given such a status just because they passed through a certain person's womb. They might only hold a fraction of the power they once had and much of that may be ceremonial but that is too much power for a group of people who serve no real purpose. The cost of keeping them in the style they are accustomed to could go towards paying for things that people in this country need like schools & hospitals instead of allowing Prince William & Prince Andrew to use the RAF as their personal taxi service for example. To me, any form of Monarchy serves no purpose and has no place in a supposedly modern democracy. I still find the tourism argument a bit baffling; nobody meets the Royals when they visit (generally), the tourist hotspots like Buckingham Palace would still attract tourists (look at how well the Versailles Palace in France does). Many tourists may come here for our history but that seems a weak argument to me - look at how well the other Europeans nations do without their old Monarchies.

I didn't say that security wasn't important for Israel, my point was there must be a way to increase supplies into Gaza while at the same time maintaining Israel's security. Both are needed in the long run. I know it isn't simple but there must be a way found that is acceptable to both parties.

[hide] The problem is that the 15,000 tons, while sounding like a huge amount, is only around a quarter of the pre-2005 levels and this has severely effected the living conditions of the 1.5M inhabitants of Gaza. If Israel insists on keeping the blockade in place then there at least has to be some way found to severely increase the levels of supply to Gaza without putting security at risk. That would increase Israel's standing and would be a big propaganda coup for Israel against Hamas. The problem with the current measures are that while they may reduce the levels of weaponry getting into Gaza, it plays into the hands of Hamas because it helps them recruit from another generation of dissilusioned young Palestinians. By no means would removing (or atleast lessening) the blockade solve all the regions problems but it would be a positive step provided it could be made to work satisfactorily for both sides (Israel and the people of Gaza) That's Netanyahu's speech again, saying Israel agrees to, and agreed to, deliever any humanitarian aid that anyone wants to send: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUG12kU8-jE&feature=player_embedded#! This all flotilla idea wasn't about the aid, it was about provocation. If it really was about aid, they'd have no problem with letting Israel deliever it on it's own, or through Ashdod, etc. [/hide] I know they were offered to go to Ashdod in this case and I know what Israel has said on this matter but I'm talking about the blockade more generally. The problem is that right now there still aren't enough supplies getting through at the moment, hopefully in light of Netanyahu's speach (which I'll take time to listen to later) the numbers will increase significantly enough to improve things for everyone. Hopefully, this will also lead to the end of arbitrary confiscation of aid and supplies that has happened at times as well (again, I'll listen to the speach later to see if this is included). Again, I'm not commenting on the particulars of this specific instance as I haven't had enough time in the last few days to keep up with it and I don't want to debate using old info.

The problem is that the 15,000 tons, while sounding like a huge amount, is only around a quarter of the amount needed (according to the UN ) and this has severely effected the living conditions of the 1.5M inhabitants of Gaza. If Israel insists on keeping the blockade in place then there at least has to be some way found to severely increase the levels of supply to Gaza without putting security at risk. That would increase Israel's standing and would be a big propaganda coup for Israel against Hamas. The problem with the current measures are that while they may reduce the levels of weaponry getting into Gaza, it plays into the hands of Hamas because it helps them recruit from another generation of dissilusioned young Palestinians. By no means would removing (or atleast lessening) the blockade solve all the regions problems but it would be a positive step provided it could be made to work satisfactorily for both sides (Israel and the people of Gaza)

Don't be silly it has to be a graboid. Good call but I beat you to it :razz:

I saw the picture this morning in the newspaper and I thought it was fake at first, it's just so bizarre. I wonder what they'll do with the hole and whether it might get any bigger. Don't be silly it has to be a graboid.

To clarify, the weapons found on board were knives and sticks as well as tools which were used to prevent the IDF boarding. I thought I'd clear this up in case people wrongly thought it was a shipment of arms that were going to be provided to Hamas. Below are images that the IDF released: http://idfspokesperson.com/2010/05/31/pictures-of-weapons-found-on-the-mavi-marmara-flotilla-ship-31-may-2010/

What is this [cabbage]. An expression meaning don't get mad...? Heh, yeah. Never you mind my thinly-veiled racist remarks; it's called expressions. So that means it's alright. This forum. Damn you and your stupid political correctness. If you were on the side being insulted, I'm sure you wouldn't be saying the same thing. It isn't even as much about "political correctness" as much as it is about being polite and treating people with respect. [/hide]Yet he didn't even get insulted. You don't need to be insulted to be able to empathise with those who are.

Barcelona have signed David Villa, their team just got even more incredible. I'm really looking forward to watching them next season.

Well this is what happens when you mess with Van Rumpoy: Don't worry nodody died...this time :wink:

Where are the cuts being made? On the poor whilst the rich receive tax cuts? Most likely. I just hope the Lib Dem influence can help soften the blow and not make things as bad as many people imagine. I'm still not entirely optimistic though.

At the end of the day, while I don't like the Tories I hope they do a decent job because like it or not we are all stuck with them for the time being. Some of their policies are quite frankly madness but hopefully the Lib Dems can keep them from their more problematic policies. It's interesting to me how successful they were in avoiding the Europe issue during the election, it is the traditional fault line within the different wings of the party and when you add the Lib Dems into the mix it could make things interesting when it does ultimately come up. Yes it does, the fiscal deficit is huge and cutting it should be the first priority for any new government, as the conservatives have rightly made it. All 3 parties were agreed that the deficit had to be slashed, the problem with the Tory plan (and to a lesser extent the Labour plan) is that it is too reliant on efficiency savings. They also have too many unfunded policies which will cost - raising the threshold for inheritance tax (which will benefit the few) and giving married couples £20 per year (which won't particularly benefit anyone and has been shelfed in this parliament period because of the Lib Dems). The real issue is the timing and placing of the cuts.

Who says Democracy is the best? To add to that...who says democratic governments don't use fear to get their people under control?

Then the company annoys me for making it possible to play them at such a volume that breaks them. It's really your fault for playing them too loud. Sure, they make it possible, but it's going to damage the headphones over time, and it'll be worse for your hearing. As for things that annoy me, people who play music too loudly with headphones on, on a public bus. What's the [bleep]ing point of the headphones if I hear it anyway? And as an extension, those who play their [cabbage]ty music loudly on a public bus, knowing everyone else is going to hear it. I hate that too. It's one of the many reasons I hate taking the bus. I don't need to hear your damn hardcore techno music, nor do I have to see your damn [wagon] crack, so pull up your pants. On that note, I hate wannabe-gangsters, the ones wearing white baseball caps crooked and walking around with their pants around their ankles. You know where the pants fad came from? Guys in prison who wanna get butt [bleep]ed pulled their pants down around their [wagon]. MORE PROOF HIGH SCHOOL GANGSTERS ARE GAY Actually, it's because in some prisons, belts are banned to prevent prisoners from using them to commit suicide and to stop them being used by addicts when shooting up (they used to tie them around the arm so that they could find a vein).

I doubt that they'll even consider offering Cable the Chancellorship. That (I would think ) is a complete non-starter since that role virtually dictates what you can do in every other department of government.

Clegg has stated that the Tories have the first refusal on forming a coalition because they have the most seats. The only way a Lib-Lab pact is possible is if the Tories are completely unwilling to compromise with the Lib Dems. I don't think Cameron is brave enough to go the minority government route and even with the Ulster Unionists he wouldn't have a majority. Of course, a Liberal-Tory coalition would be the most interesting ideology clash this side of WW2 but it is the only possible strong government possible right now. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/07/clegg-cameron-brown-coalition-election-results

A poor result but hopefully if the Lib Dems do form a coalition with the Tories (which seems the most likely scenario now) then they can reign in some of the more radical ideas that the Tories have. Hopefully, they push for electoral reform in a big way. The way the election was run in some constituencies was laughable, from not having enough ballot papers to not being prepared for the high turnout...they actually decided a council seat by drawing playing cards for god's sake. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8668624.stm

There are reports that some polling stations have been overwhelmed by an unusually high voter turnout, which has caused major queues and has led to certain stations turning people away (presumably after the 10pm deadline). David Dimbleby just reported stories of some people not being able to vote because of a lack of ballot papers. It seems that many polling stations were unwilling to extend their polling hours to accomodate these problems. Labour's Harriet Harman has suggested already that this could lead to legal challenges in close constituencies (so surprise there). I fear this could be our 'hanging chad' scenario... Oh, and Nigel Farage (former UKIP leader) was involved in a plane crash while trying to use the plane to show a banner for his party. What a surreal day, only in America :???: