Things you have recently learnt

rjsterry

ballysmate said:

rjsterry said:

Funny how neither Stevo nor Bally ever bring up Anthony Eden.

From previous page.

I suppose I could be considered an oldie. I have referenced the great lady quite a few times on this forum to get a rise out of lefties and I have rarely been disappointed.

Again, she delivers.

You seem to have mistaken me for a leftie.

Stevo_666

rjsterry said:

Stevo_666 said:

rjsterry said:

Stevo_666 said:

rjsterry said:

Stevo_666 said:

rjsterry said:

Funny how neither Stevo nor Bally ever bring up Anthony Eden.

I think its a personal choice as to who we choose to admire. Unless there is a centre-leftie approved list of great PM's that we have to use to be 'on message'?

OMG, you have a thin skin on this.

Nope, you missed the

Admire who you like, just interesting you feel the need to defend.

They dont need defending really, their greatness says it all

Indeed, yet up you pop every time they are mentioned. I'm intrigued, given your views on European integration and the importance of winning elections that you pick out Churchill for praise. Also, given we are now 4 Conservative PMs on from Thatcher, it's rather unflattering to them.

She deserves a statue for this

rjsterry

Stevo_666 said:

rjsterry said:

Stevo_666 said:

rjsterry said:

Stevo_666 said:

rjsterry said:

Stevo_666 said:

rjsterry said:

Funny how neither Stevo nor Bally ever bring up Anthony Eden.

I think its a personal choice as to who we choose to admire. Unless there is a centre-leftie approved list of great PM's that we have to use to be 'on message'?

OMG, you have a thin skin on this.

Nope, you missed the

Admire who you like, just interesting you feel the need to defend.

They dont need defending really, their greatness says it all

Indeed, yet up you pop every time they are mentioned. I'm intrigued, given your views on European integration and the importance of winning elections that you pick out Churchill for praise. Also, given we are now 4 Conservative PMs on from Thatcher, it's rather unflattering to them.

She deserves a statue for this

You've lost me there, but anyway. She's already got one. It's not a great work of art seen up close, but deserved.

briantrumpet

rjsterry said:

ballysmate said:

rjsterry said:

Funny how neither Stevo nor Bally ever bring up Anthony Eden.

From previous page.

I suppose I could be considered an oldie. I have referenced the great lady quite a few times on this forum to get a rise out of lefties and I have rarely been disappointed.

Again, she delivers.

You seem to have mistaken me for a leftie.

Most of the 'lefties' (i.e. anyone to the left of Bally/BB/Stevo) actually seem to be giving Thatcher some credit, one way or another, and RC is just saying she's insignificant...

rjsterry

briantrumpet said:

rjsterry said:

ballysmate said:

rjsterry said:

Funny how neither Stevo nor Bally ever bring up Anthony Eden.

From previous page.

I suppose I could be considered an oldie. I have referenced the great lady quite a few times on this forum to get a rise out of lefties and I have rarely been disappointed.

Again, she delivers.

You seem to have mistaken me for a leftie.

Most of the 'lefties' (i.e. anyone to the left of Bally/BB/Stevo) actually seem to be giving Thatcher some credit, one way or another, and RC is just saying she's insignificant...

He's not even saying that: just that suggesting that she's not the *only* thing to happen in UK politics in the last 50 years.

Pross

kingstongraham said:

And some less great things if you grew up in South Wales, for example.

I dunno, I had a lovely scenic run around the mountains this morning. Prior to Maggie the area was an industrial wasteland.

blazing_saddles

Pross said:

kingstongraham said:

And some less great things if you grew up in South Wales, for example.

I dunno, I had a lovely scenic run around the mountains this morning. Prior to Maggie the area was an industrial wasteland.

She certainly was an expert at taking industrial sites in South Wales and turning them into recreational areas.

shortfall

rjsterry said:

ballysmate said:

rjsterry said:

Funny how neither Stevo nor Bally ever bring up Anthony Eden.

From previous page.

I suppose I could be considered an oldie. I have referenced the great lady quite a few times on this forum to get a rise out of lefties and I have rarely been disappointed.

Again, she delivers.

You seem to have mistaken me for a leftie.

How would you describe your politics? Genuine question.

rjsterry

Mixed. I think the whole political spectrum is a very limiting idea but if I had to pick a single point on the spectrum probably dead centre. Dare I say a centrist Dad. Have voted LibDem previously, mainly because he was a damn good constituency MP and as you've probably noticed I'm pretty pro-European, but they seem to be lost in the wilderness at the moment and shifting too far to the left for me.

shortfall

Ok thanks.

ballysmate

I would also claim to be dead centre.
Others may say that they see me as slightly to the right of Ghengis Khan.
Perspective innit.

pinno

Ghengis was a decent chap really. I think he was middle for diddle.
If a city immediately capitulated, he would treat them well. If they held out (the longer, the worse it got), he would ransack and slaughter.

Rape was not tolerated in his ranks. Each soldier had to have his full inventory - strictly adhered to. He employed Mandarins as accountants and auditors, stock takers, he also employed scouts from various places who spoke various tongues. He once accommodated a priest sent from the Vatican (to report back on the 'Devil's Horseman') and helped him build a Catholic shrine!
[He spent 2 years there, cataloging Mongol life. When he returned to the Vatican, they didn't believe him and subsequently executed him for being a liar].
The shrine is one of the few artifacts remaining from that era because it was made of stone, whilst Mongols lived in tents.
But the long and the short of it, is that he was obviously an equal opportunity employer and non partisan. There were Buddhists and people from other religions living in what was the capital of Mongolia and the Capital of the Empire.
Very egalitarian sort of chap.

Ref.: Chambers, The Devils Horsemen. Fantastic read.

rick_chasey

pinno said:

Ghengis was a decent chap really. I think he was middle for diddle.
If a city immediately capitulated, he would treat them well. If they held out (the longer, the worse it got), he would ransack and slaughter.

Rape was not tolerated in his ranks. Each soldier had to have his full inventory - strictly adhered to. He employed Mandarins as accountants and auditors, stock takers, he also employed scouts from various places who spoke various tongues. He once accommodated a priest sent from the Vatican (to report back on the 'Devil's Horseman') and helped him build a Catholic shrine!
[He spent 2 years there, cataloging Mongol life. When he returned to the Vatican, they didn't believe him and subsequently executed him for being a liar].
The shrine is one of the few artifacts remaining from that era because it was made of stone, whilst Mongols lived in tents.
But the long and the short of it, is that he was obviously an equal opportunity employer and non partisan. There were Buddhists and people from other religions living in what was the capital of Mongolia and the Capital of the Empire.
Very egalitarian sort of chap.

Ref.: Chambers, The Devils Horsemen. Fantastic read.

Not like you to be pro-murderous invaders, Pinno. Especially not those with big bureaucracies.

pinno

I'm struggling to see if that was actually a humorous reply to a partially tongue in cheek post.

pblakeney

I'm reminded of an interview with Chris Froome when asked what he thought of Jumbo being serious.
Paraphrase from memory - "Yes, they are serious. They should lighten up a bit."

rjsterry

ballysmate said:

I would also claim to be dead centre.
Others may say that they see me as slightly to the right of Ghengis Khan.
Perspective innit.

I can certainly see some overlap. I think most people's views span quite a wide 'bandwidth'. And I think it's more complicated than just adding a Y axis like that chart the other day. The results of a recent attitudes survey were quite revealing, particularly the difference between MPs and their respective supporters. These two graphs are fascinating.

https://ukandeu.ac.uk/largest-political-parties-out-of-touch-with-their-voters/




According to that, Tory voters are closer to Labour MPs on economic issues.

kingstongraham

In the original US release of "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash, and on the remastered version on Combat Rock, there's the sound of a watch alarm going off, and I have no idea why.

at 1:50

https://youtu.be/0pCFVX6lzHU?t=110

laurentian

kingstongraham said:

In the original US release of "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash, and on the remastered version on Combat Rock, there's the sound of a watch alarm going off, and I have no idea why.

at 1:50

https://youtu.be/0pCFVX6lzHU?t=110

. . . and now I've recently learned that too! All those years of listening to the record . . .

pblakeney

I've known of it's presence for decades but did think it sounded out of place.

ballysmate

There is a celebration of Black Country Day



Bostin'

orraloon

Is that a BCM demo?

ballysmate

orraloon said:

Is that a BCM demo?

You may laugh, but it's not without controversy

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/21/black-country-flag-britain-colonial-past-slavery

morstar

ballysmate said:

orraloon said:

Is that a BCM demo?

You may laugh, but it's not without controversy

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/21/black-country-flag-britain-colonial-past-slavery

It’s not a very diverse group in the picture given the region.

ballysmate

They were the local MPs

Here's a pic from Dudley Zoo reflecting a better black/white balance.

shortfall

Some very expensive bike frames are built to such poor tolerances and with such poor quality control that they are not only sh-it but potentially very dangerous as well.

focuszing723

It funny isn't it, a bit of extra weight on a carbon frame is probably a good thing as long as it's layered up well too.

orraloon

morstar said:

ballysmate said:

orraloon said:

Is that a BCM demo?

You may laugh, but it's not without controversy

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/21/black-country-flag-britain-colonial-past-slavery

It’s not a very diverse group in the picture given the region.

What does BCM stand for? See if you can think of a word beginning with C.

rick_chasey

Not sure where else to put this but I do find it oddly coincidental that the BBC broadly ignores the gulag problem in China for half a decade but as soon as China takes over HK they start publishing drone footage of prisoners being loaded into trains to be sent to them.

veronese68

kingstongraham said:

In the original US release of "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash, and on the remastered version on Combat Rock, there's the sound of a watch alarm going off, and I have no idea why.

at 1:50

https://youtu.be/0pCFVX6lzHU?t=110

I've heard that and I wondered about it as I don't remember it. Good excuse to dig out the original album and play it now.

Ben6899

morstar said:

Define disproportionate?

If your working career started in the early-mid 70's, you are currently around retirement age and your entire working life will have been influenced directly by her policies as will your housing situation.
Two absolutely huge, direct impacts on an individuals life. Due to your age, you will clearly understand the cause and effect she had.
I'm 15-20 years behind that generation but old enough to know the things that shape these experiences are her policies as I saw them implemented, I just wasn't working age at the time.
Young people may not be aware of it, that is the only difference.
That a history student is frustrated by it shows you are either ignorant or dismissive of collective individuals personal history in favour of more grand, international political history.

To contrast. Slavery may be a bigger deal in global history but has no direct impact on my life.
If I were a miner in early 80's who later purchased a council house and some shares... Thatcher has had significant direct influence on my life experience.

Good post.

Ben, 40, half of family were miners.