Huge_Vitae

Dunno Chesters, Ewan Blair is reportedly worth a lot more money than his Dad, Tony Bliar, so you don’t have to be an ex PM to make dosh, kids qualify as well…

At least in our non democratic Country anybody can stand for election, in Frogland to stand as President you have to get 500 already elected people to vote for you in the first place, so the corrupt vote for who the population are allowed to vote for in the first place! Just like China, “here’s a list of approved candidates you can vote for, we call it democracy!” But China is a bit better than your beloved EU, they got a list of one person to vote for. Macron got +50% of the votes cast, not 50% of the votes available and then only after others were knocked out leaving just two candidates in the final round.

Welcome to the forum, that’s like asking “what’s the best car to buy!” Depends what species you are chasing and where you are doing it, there’s a vast range of tackle, generally speaking boat equipment is not a lot of good for fishing from shore.

Is there a punchline missing?

He’s a narcissist who attention seeks, he gives no opinion except that given to him or quoted by others, by definition he will seek attention and respond to any and all replies even those telling him that nobody cares or listens hoping that the conversation will continue. Very sad life. As Chesters says, as I have said many a time, best to set him to ignore and enjoy the list of his postings where he, basically, talks to himself.

Exciting times as the first photos are received from the James Webb space telescope.

“Truly the eight bravest men I’ve ever seen.” On the night of the 19th December 1981, in horrendous storm conditions, the mini-bulk carrier ‘Union Star’ suffered engine failure east of the Wolf Rock. Refusing tug assistance, the ship found itself being swept towards the coast at Boscawen Point, west of the Tater-du lighthouse. The Penlee lifeboat launched from Mousehole in total darkness, 100 mph winds and waves cresting to 60 feet. A naval rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose found itself unable to lower a winch due to the strength of the wind, and it was left to the lifeboat ‘Solomon Browne’ a 47ft wooden Watson Class boat, to make the attempt to rescue the ‘Union Star’s’ complement of eight, which included the captain’s wife and two teenage stepdaughters. By this time, the ‘Union Star’ was just 300 yards from the rocks. Time again, the lifeboat, also with a crew of eight, made approach runs in mountainous seas, and the helpless helicopter pilot could only look on in the wavering rays of his searchlights as the tiny lifeboat was repeatedly hurled onto the ship’s deck, then swept off again but, in this way, its crew managed to grab four of the stricken ship’s crew and get them aboard the lifeboat. “We’ve got four off,” the lifeboat radioed to the coastguard as she prepared to make yet another run in towards the ‘Union Star’ then, as the coastguard repeatedly tried to raise her, there was nothing but a shocking silence. Only when daylight came was the devastating truth realised. The ‘Union Star’ was a capsized wreck in the shallows, and the lifeboat had been smashed to matchwood, with total loss of life – the entire crews of both the ‘Solomon Browne’ and the ‘Union Star’ had perished. The helicopter pilot, Lt-Cdr Russell Smith USN, was to write: “The greatest act of courage that I have ever seen, or am ever likely to see, was the penultimate courage and dedication show by the Penlee (crew) when it manoeuvred back alongside the casualty in over 60-foot breakers and rescued four people shortly after the Penlee had been bashed on top of the casualty’s hatch-covers. They were truly the bravest eight men I have ever seen, who were also totally dedicated to upholding the highest standards of the RNLI.” RIP: Trevelyan Richards (56) – coxswain, James Stephen Madron (35) – 2nd coxswain/mechanic, Nigel Brockman (43) – asst. mechanic & fisherman ,John Blewett (43) – emergency mechanic & telephone engineer, Charles Greenhaugh – landlord of the Ship Inn, Mousehole, Barrie Torrie (33) - fisherman, Kevin Smith (23), Gary Wallis (23)

And, if you did have a telly back then you would be able to watch all those programs again this Christmas.

Well done matey, a lot don’t make it so enjoy!

I tried to put that picture of him into Google lens to see if it appears elsewhere but the image has apparently been removed.

Very sad news another great character lost from our little community and an even greater loss for you all. Shocked and saddened, my condolences for your loss.

It’s coming Chesters.

You’re so right Martin, when I was a serving in the forces, and I’m almost sure it’s still the case, I got paid a daily rate, I also paid a daily rate for food and accommodation. On occasions when food & accommodation was not up to standard, such as living in a muddy trench! We received a small rebate on payments. In Queens Regulations it clearly states that no payment will be taken from any member of the services who is a prisoner of war FFS, the Country holding you pays that, bloody good of the establishment to not charge you. Dont know if this story has any merit… https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59243206 Easy to check simply because if they had been buying drinks at the airport they will have charged it to expenses, they certainly wouldn’t put their hands in their own pockets!

IF, you are referring to me as an apologist then you are being a DICK I do not support or condone them. Some seem to lack the simple ability to look past or in a different direction than the media wish them to look. A serving MP, who is supposed to be (quote from the plebgate affair) “the elite of society and the most important people in the Country” gets a suspended prison service for threatening to throw acid in the face of another person and carries out a string of verbal threats and abuse and it barely gets a mention. Cox earns what, 900k a year for legal work and the Country is supposed to be outraged. Is that because Starmer only got 50k! Perhaps that’s because Cox is the better Lawyer FFS. Get rid of the lot of them, that’s what I say. Or at the very least have some way of removing them when they cock up. Goes back to the point I was making, Paterson has been found guilty of breaching the rules of conduct, there is no appeal. He has gone. Webbe has been convicted by the legal system and yet she will remain in Parliament until her appeal (months) and then a recall petition (months) what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Yes but equally we all should remember that MP’s are subject to violence, threats of violence, stalking and harassment almost on a daily basis. They are, after all representatives of the population and as such should be made up of a representative, proportionate cross section of the population. A percentage of the population steal, murder, thieve, defraud and generally treat others as a commodity. It should be accepted that a percentage of representatives will do the same. Cash for questions (although in this case there is slightly more to it than being reported, hence Owen Paterson’s recent actions) cash for honours and possibly cash for indecent images is nothing new. There is certainly nothing new in the fact that the (employer’s) voters have limited powers to remove the offender, it should not be up to other MP’s to determine the fate of a member who breaches the trust of the electorate. If you get away from the media and political crap you might see that there is a case to say that Paterson although in breach of the rules, MIGHT have been justified in doing so and in any case a right to appeal should exist, certainly in a bipartisan system. Read this link, not in the news much… https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-58913968 and tell me that the Paterson case is worse.

Dennis Hutchins, 80. Proud Soldier, member of The Life Guards. Forced to stand trial on a case without any new evidence or indeed any evidence whatsoever. A sad reflection on the legacy of Tony Blair and Bill Clinton’s quest for hero status in basically bending over to terrorism but avoiding getting one or two up the butt themselves. The Germans are treating that Nazi death camp guard better than any rights Dennis was afforded. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58826189

Gen. Colin Powell, former Sec of State.