And if the television cameras are rolling then the tears appear to fall faster and faster.....

As for the greeting card industry with postage on the increase hopefully that will die a death. Oops!
How about a card for LBC wishing their presenters do not win the Sony.

I don't care about NF but if ID wins his award there will be no end to it. His acceptance speech is already written.
How's this for stomach-churning nausea - an extract from one of his posts

"Of course, as a presenter I know more than anyone how important my production team is. Over the last twelve months or so it’s been a pleasure to work with such a brilliant set of people. And in case I don’t win (!) I’m going to name them now – producers Laura Marshall, Matt Harris, Carl McQueen, Joe Pike, Caroline Allen, Christian Mitchell, Rebekah Walker, Raj Pattni and Hollie Atherton. Our reporting team are superb – Tom Cheal (political editor), Dan Freedman, Declan Harvey (now with Newsbeat) and Tom Swarbrick. I have learned so much from my fellow presenters on the station, especially my predecessors on the evening show, Petrie Hosken, and on Drive, the inimitable James Whale."

and then it gets worse

"I will forever be grateful to Richard Park, Jonathan Richards, John Cushing and Chris Lowrie for giving me the chance to host a daily show on LBC. Chris Lowrie continues to keep me on the straight and narrow and isn’t afraid to tell me how I could improve. Louise Birt was an inspiration for the Sunday Show and we had many laughs together, James Rea, LBC’s Managing Editor is a very patient man and I am sure that from time to time I drive him to distraction, but my thanks also go to him for encouraging me to be the best I can be.
I’m sorry if this post reads like am acceptance speech for an award I haven’t actually won, but I’m writing it now as I don’t expect to win and want to acknowledge all those who have played their part in getting me shortlisted for this award. Thank you."

Yuk...........

But to return to America - I do confess to a preference for good American TV - Homeland being so much better than Spooks!

I love this thread, the political debate is outstanding, I am in awe with you all. I wish LBC would return to a more balanced way of broadcasting. This is why I love Ken and David on Saturday, whether I agree or disagree with their points they always have a well thought out view on issues. I find myself agreeing with David more than I would expect. Strange.

Thanks for voicing my opinion on here! I also always say 'light and shade'. Too much shade at present.

Thank you chinchin. I agree light and shade indeed.

The whole point of this thread is that heavier and weightier matters and longer posts are positively encouraged.
Unlike the other thread where they are not.
So do stop being such a miserable old pedant!

Ah, but is that coz David agrees with Ken a lot?

That's a very good question. I will listen very closely next week!

Does anyone here listen to "Clegg's PR hour" ? Has it ever been remotely useful or is it just him waffling, avoiding questions and trying to appear relevant?

It really is amazing how afraid politicians are of questions. And how the media never ever makes then actually answer them. Even the infamous Paxo just does the bullish thing for entertainment value. Is there any other job where people can just slide out of being accountable so easily and regularly?

Oh wait a minute: banking. I've opened a can of worms there!

Max making a weird argument regarding Archbishop Justin Welby's comments on Max's best mates the bankers aroun 8.30am. Max states Welby has no economic qualifications so he should stick to the Church as we've got a government to handle the economy. That will be our government with George Osborne with his maths O Level as Chancellor then.

Also, I'd be interested to know how many past Chancellors have also been religious. I'd have thought the vast majority of them up until the last 50 or 60 years or so would have been as religious as Chris of Crouch End (who he dismissed as 'entertainment') albeit without the anti-war sentiments.

Max defending MPs food expenses by suggesting subsidised meals are normal/typical/common. Is that really true? Only in one place I've ever worked which was also open to the public and we got a 20% discount which is hardly on par with MP's expenses.

Also, isn't the bulk of firms in this country (and we're always being told that they are heart of the economy) are small and medium businesses. How many of them have expenses and subsidised canteens &c?

Max also just pointed out that Daily Mail bugbear JSA and other out of work benefits &c (actually namechecked the Mail and their role in carping about benefits) is around 1/8 of pensions. Interesting how he does actually know this but chooses to forget when it suits his arguments when he wants to have a go at the 'greedy workshy' and the benefits bill.

LOL.

Very true. What's even more worrying is how privatisation (whether whole or partial through PFI) creates an even greyer area when it comes to accountability where MPs and private firms play pass the parcel with the notion of responsibility.

MP questionning is about the only time I'd condone waterboarding.

MPs on 60 grand a year get subsidised school meals. Utterly insane. That's what happens when someone is told they can make up the rules of their own job.

And don't forget the hackneyed old phrase MPs trotted out in the aftermath of the war in Iraq.
"Lessons will be learnt" was their mantra.

And now they are talking about going into Syria while simultaneously making massive cuts to the Defence budget.
How quickly they forget and how mind-numbingly stupid most of them are.

What a brilliant idea!

Are these from his blog?


'Yuk' doesn't cover it.


As with everything, there's good and bad. However it's worth pointing out, that considering how much of modern culture America is responsible for in the Anglosphere, and they produce an incredible amount of TV and film, how few gems America actually produces. It's a poor ratio.

Remember what happened when the working class organised to give themselves a similar ability: rules on wages, work environments &c.?

Oh, yes, they had to 'crushed'.

It's funny who needs the 'carrot' and who needs the 'stick'. Or rather, it's not funny at all.

Yes it is!
Page 2 - I think the fourth item down
"A Lovely Sony-Tastic Surprise"
http://www.iaindale.com/posts?page=2

As you say 'Yuk' does not cover it.
Quite unbelievable,

Talk about doing a multi-brown-nose-job.........

Gillingham's proffered argument against a living wage' seems to be based on:

'we can't afford to pay the lowest workers more as whatever money is around during this austerity goes towards paying everyone else and, to continue the social and economic apartheid that we currently enjoy, we'd have to increase the wages of those who already have a wage above the living wage'.

And, whilst we're at it, cut benefits to ensure that even working for pittance below the living wage means you're better off than being on benefits, even though even acknowledging the concept of a 'living wage' suggests that those on benefits are not living anywhere above the substinence level as the Daily Mail claims'

We're all in it together, apparently.

Really, can't Blairites and Tories not see what's wrong with this picture?

Edit to add: he (or a caller) has just suggested that people are "happy" to work for a minimum wage? WTF?

A brown nose to go with the hoped-for golden headphones.

I think it may be worse than that: I don't think they're stupid at all. I think they know exactly what they're doing with their popularist rhetoric, which makes them even worse. Popularism that is largely propped up by many LBC presenters, too.

Well what I heard was he was asking should we pay a 'living wage' instead of a 'minimum wage'. He was opening it up to callers, and didn't seem to be coming down on one side or other.

Sunday Times saying true cost of Thatcher funeral £10 Million. Did it cost more than £13.5 M?

Via Twitter.

Just looked at the ST website and the information there (limited because it is behind a paywall), says £3.6m, no reference to £10m.

The figure you quote from Twitter (can't find it myself) which suggests £10m; even if that were the case are you adding the two figures together?

BTW You know the ST is owned by a right wing capitalist that never speaks the truth !

I'm off now to find a charity to hide behind

Tweeted by #nationscreditcard

We are cross posting! http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showp...&postcount=528

I think you should apologise for the allegation, and admit that you have been 'had' !