sonyc

Have you ever read Krishnamurti YF? He explores 'thinking' in a lot of his work and its illusive nature. His large body of 'work' (though he would have not called it that) focusses on who we think we are.

So by logic, a pair of alleyways running on from each other in Scotland could be known in future as a Paula?🙂 Love the heel and outsider. I may have heard one of those terms from my days watching Still Game (never missed one episode...just the humour amuses the sonyc household, including our lads growing up).

I read this article too Ron. I read Unherd once a week or so to give me new perspectives (though often I don't agree with some contributions). I've copied one of the commenters below because it's an 'essay' of some beauty and shows a keen mind. Also it has the kind of dry humour I like. It is worth mentioning that Unherd can also be an echo chamber too. I think we both exchanged a post about having a philosophy thread (maybe a year or 18 months ago) and the reason I say this now is that this subject reminds me of the thinking of Günther Grass. His work is often about the detail, the small things, about the people who don't make history. He dislikes every kind of 'ism' too, whatever wing. We need to have complete freedom to express or we will just end up being an increasingly totalitarian society. If you begin to stop people expressing their politics then you leave a huge vacuum for conspiracy theorists. Grass also knew the power of literature. It endures and occasionally finds expression many years later, decades even. That comment: "Our great misfortune is to live in a time when the stupidest, most ignorant, most arrogant, most narcissistic, least life-experienced, least useful and plain old nastiest of us also tend to be the loudest, most visible and most bullying of public conversations. Solely, I hasten to add, by virtue of shamelessly seizing the tribal talking stick and hogging the bloody thing. If one doesn’t flatter them by wearily rote-intoning the requisite entry platitudes of the moment, one simply doesn’t get a democratic say at all. Thank you, Marshall McLuhan; thank you, Reggie Fessenden; than you, modern mass media technology. Helpfully over-amplifying bullies, grifters, snitches, narcissists, curtain-twitchers, predators, grubs, thugs, lemmings, loonies and general sociopathic f*ckwittery since 1900. This modern Priesthood: The People You See On The Telly. One often fantasises of a sudden mass uprising of the invisible, un-broadcast sane and grounded multitudes. In which we all suddenly snap out of our mass media hypnosis-psychosis, and recognise both the ‘journalism’ and ‘celebrity culture’ it has given us as the monumental epistemic cons they are. Professional Talkers? The Undeserved Famous? If I were world dictator I would round up every last one and exile them to the moon. Elon and Jeff could duke it out to see who gets to be mummy and daddy of this intrepid new human tribe: the Stupid Loud W*nking Moon Media People"

Number 3 is often a big debate our way. A snicket or a ginnel? Always used the latter but unsure why. The former is probably a bit more Yorkshire and the latter more a Lancastrian term (maybe @TheGunnShow can offer his take - northern based too but also as the interpreter expert too 😀). Anyway, in my very young days it would have been an alleyway. Number 1 might be even more controversial.

There's a truth in that. Bad publicity can be used (look at how Trump uses anything) and it becomes a weapon.

Very odd. And I don't agree with it either. There is somewhat a deep irony in the decision though- in that Braverman was due there and she is famously antagonistic against peaceful protest.

Everyone could read your original post and then subsequent post about the Barbican and London Bridge and consider the point you were making. There was no subterfuge or veiled language. You also stated "Culprit" with a colon after then "draw your own conclusions". To now state you didn't is plain dishonesty. Don't bother to make some further catty remark about getting your dictionary out. Everyone can see and read for themselves. The world is full of problems without people like you stoking more division and playing on peoples' emotions.

Great minds....

Well I had us finishing on 80 points (though one more win plus possibly a draw should do ...but we could win our next 3) and I thought that would be enough for 5th...with Southampton to finish in 4th. I know we don't like how good Southampton can be but to be honest it's been such a weird season that I can see us beating anyone in the play offs. No fear really. Who might actually want to play us? We have the weapons (in attack anyway)

Sat 13 Apr 2024 14.39 BST Observer Ministers’ decision to impose Brexit import checks on 30 April will lead to shortages of some foods, flowers and herbs, industry leaders have warned. In the week after the government was accused of blindsiding the British food industry by giving 27 days’ notice that every consignment of items such as camembert, steak, tulips and chives would be subject to fees of up to £145, small retailers such as delis and farm shops have been scrambling to make sure they still have products to sell. But they say some EU exporters have already decided that they have had enough of British red tape and are either pausing supply operations or have given up completely. Food wholesalers and trade associations have told the Observer of suppliers in EU countries who are already looking at other markets instead of the UK. Since 2020, importers have had to deal with mounting levels of Brexit bureaucracy, including phytosanitary certificates, plant passports, import licences and export health certificates. Next month, they will have another form to fill out for animal products, plants and herbs and must pay a “common user charge” (CUC) of up to £145 per consignment

We get Cuckoos in early May normally so it's good to read they're on track! Maybe earlier in the South of England. My elderly neighbour asked me excitedly last week "Did you hear the Curlews arriving?" And I had just seen a pair over the fields on the dog walk. You can't miss them because of that amazing song well before you see them. I think they either come from Scandinavian countries or from our coastal areas to come inland to breed. The local farmer expects 1800 lambs and that is just his flock. Last year the fields were full. He is is working through the night with his son. The fields are still very wet but hopefully some Spring warmth is coming. Edit: photo from last year.(Start of June, when the lambs had grown quite a bit). Just one small field of about 30 adjacent.

This subject reminds me of a very, very old joke (primary school!)..... ...two eggs were boiling in a pan and one said to the other "it's so bloody hot in here" and the other replied "well, just wait til you get outside...you'll get your head kicked in" #getscoat

Sorry LYB. The joke was just waiting to be made. And I did agree with your take. I've always treated people with openness and suspend belief. I used to have to do that in my days as a therapist - otherwise my own opinions and feelings would get in the way and I could never have been neutral. Likewise when I meet anyone now. I am just friendly as ever and I've met many a dodgy character, outside of work whom I've known from others have done bad things (like beat people up etc) but in the moment I don't judge. What I think privately stays private. The best people to probably judge I would say however are people who've experienced abuse. Not me as a Pink Un poster. That's why I rarely post on some subjects. I have a view but actually it's far less important than the people being affected (e.g. in the various wars going on). Anyway, there you hopefully can now appreciate my apology. And maybe you could just see my response in the lightest way it was intended. When we can't make a joke it is a sad place (and tomorrow marks 20 years of me being on this forum I've just seen....a reminder to myself that you and one or two others might well think that's enough time😊).

As long as he wasn't colour blind then no.

Extract from The Times .... How privatisation went wrong The dire financial plight of Thames Water is merely the latest evidence of an obvious truth, says Libby Purves in The Times: privatising essential services is a “dead 1980s dream, fit to join Joan Collins’s Dynasty shoulder pads in the dustbin of history”. When Margaret Thatcher entered office in 1979, there was some logic to selling the likes of steel, aerospace and shipbuilding back into private hands. Even some on the left could see the value of replacing “weary jobsworth managements” with “go-getting business-like dynamism”. But more critical services soon went the same way: power, railways, water supply, sewerage. By 1990, more than 40 state-owned firms had been sold, often at knock-down rates. Apart from perhaps BT, few of these privatisations have been a success. Ofgem has had to fix power prices and bail out failed companies; the rail industry is a shambles; “and let’s not start on the Post Office”. Other countries were much more cautious: Ireland’s mail, rail, buses and water have stayed public, along with Denmark’s national grid, France’s postal service and Switzerland’s “immaculate” railway system. Strikingly, almost no one else has “entrusted clean water to private profit”. The reason is so obvious it’s barely worth stating: in the absence of decent competition or effective regulation, private companies will alway prioritise their shareholders over the public. Of course, the Tories will be loath to undo “St Margaret’s legacy”. But with Thames Water, they need to bite the bullet: let it fail, “pick up the assets dead cheap and run it properly”.

Unlike today, we will turn up and 90% of the stadium will roar us home. A classic 2-1.

5) some, like our team on rare occasions, don't have have a spine

Southampton are a cut above from what I'm seeing and but for improved finishing would be out of sight. Quite a gap in class. I'm hoping that our players get that performance this lunchtime out of their systems during the week and are determined to put it right against the binners. In our own front room ... as one DF would have said.

Yep. And they have been better than 100% of the whole division for the whole of this season (until Friday just gone).... I mean that is a fact. Perspective needed. Our performance has been disappointing too and many players are having an off day. Can't think of one player who has excelled. Leicester look a quality above and we are what we are, a club aiming to be in the play offs but only a couple of months ago we didn't look like we would either. Outplayed today but we have an important match next week.

Yeh, I also get that we are woeful but some fans just are not supporters. In the true sense of the word. Only post when things are tough.

We could all hear you sharpen your pen when the equaliser went in. Perhaps we've simply had a plan to contain them and hit them on the break...just saying. A game lasts 90 minutes so let's see where we are then.

Andy Hughes...Andy Hughes👏👏👏 Never thought I'd be typing that!

Yes, I've made this point many times. A collegiate / collaborative long term plan. It's been done in Scandinavian countries as well as in Germany post Berlin Wall. The funding needed was identified and political commitment to see the various projects was not for discussion. Good point about businesses needing the long term view too. That kind of thinking would also unite a country and there might actually be quite a few things to be proud of. We are good at one off events, normally the cultural (Olympics, royal events etc) but somehow the everyday stuff that affects the whole country is subject to political cycles...and again to say that's the shame about the last 14 years. What a waste of opportunity.

Yes BB it will make a difference. I recall seeing a feature on it on TV a few months ago. Yet, it won't solve the issue of continued sewage dumping. See article below. I think in terms of infrastructure some party ought to begin the conversation about increased taxation and what it will help to pay for. Labour have stated they will beef up the powers of the regulator, banning bonuses, making CEOs face criminal liability, plus improved monitoring. Many Labour MPs are urging Starrmer to re-nationalise but the cost is enormous ("fiscal caution and responsibility" being the kind of responses to that request). It isn't enough as a response but 100 times more responsible than what the Tories have been doing. https://www.wired.com/story/sewage-environment-climate-change-london/