That's what an uggo would say, aye, aye? AMIRITE beautiful people? Hello? Hello...

The Greens are simply too radical (in both political and pragmatic terms) for most.

I think you'll find that's less amusing than you think - I know someone who was driven to suicide by neverending hilarious "uggo" comments over a period of many years. No different to racism etc in my opinion.

I think you'll find that's less amusing than you think - I know someone who was driven to suicide by neverending hilarious "uggo" comments over a period of many years. No different to racism etc in my opinion.

I do apologise, I really, really did not mean it like that.

(Cripes, I'm no oil painting that's for sure! I hate bullying and prejudice in all it's forms, in fact I *abhor* it, but honestly, this was just harmless japes/fun)

This is PC gone mad, we need to apply some common sense here.

I think if there was a party that was truly inclusive and positive on all points, and didn't try to fuck anyone over, the non-voters would turn up in their droves and it would be a landslide.

But isn't that, essentially, the LibDems?

I think that the LibDems were esssentially a protest vote party and oculd say whatever the mood took them to and then they found themselves in power and got found out that they're not so cuddly after all and lots of people were surprised by how right of centre they actually were.

I do apologise, I really, really did not mean it like that.

(Cripes, I'm no oil painting that's for sure! I hate bullying and prejudice in all it's forms, in fact I *abhor* it, but honestly, this was just harmless japes/fun)

Moving on:

Joey Barton on Question Time. The fuck? Is everyone else on holiday?

Fair enough squire, you seem like a decent enough chap. I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it, but it still hurts to think about it even now. People can be such cunts.

But isn't that, essentially, the LibDems?

I'm a Tory (well, sort of - kind of a relic from the 40s/50s; "Patrician Tories" like me don't really exist anymore), but that's why I voted LD at the last GE. Classical Tory economic thinking figures heavily in all of my political opinions and beliefs, but even I tire of seeing the downtrodden get downtrodden even more EVEN IF the mean population net benefits.

Isn't he that violent footballer bloke? Wtf...?
The BBC annoys me. Just think of all the people they could've got on the panel; prominent business people or those giving sterling public service, yet they get him on, presumably to generate a bit of controversy and interest. Bah.

And not just because I'm still holding a grudge against Dimbleby for not picking me when I was 17.

I think that the LibDems were esssentially a protest vote party and oculd say whatever the mood took them to and then they found themselves in power and got found out that they're not so cuddly after all and lots of people were surprised by how right of centre they actually were.

Have you contacted Operation Yewtree?

But, it is always refreshing to hear a thoughtful politician talk about what they believe or how they think society should be, even if you disagree with them.

Until I just googled him, I had no idea who Mr Barton was. I wish I could say the same about Mr Moron.

If it were me, I'd have Ken Clarke, Alistair Campbell and John Prescott on every week as although i don't often agree with them, what they do have to say and the arguments and points they make are very interesting.

That's just it though. Things seem to be getting shittier for a lot people with each passing generation.

Nobody talks about any noble concepts any more. Things like social mobility, I don't remember the last time I heard a Prime Minister or opposition leader try to make a serious issue out of that. What do we get instead? Fucking Big Society nonsense,

wages so shit that working people are often unable to make ends meet,

the poor and the sick being painted as worthless scroungers who we should no longer even bother to veil our contempt for.

This is PC gone mad, we need to apply some common sense here.

Bamba, I don't want to be a massive bore here, but can you explain to me what you meant with that comment? Maybe you were joking when you dug out the old PC gone mad thing, what I was on about is you don't kick someone when they're down. It's not about being able to take a joke, it's about endless repetition of the same thing again and again over years, nothing to do with common sense or political correctness, that sort of thing can drive you to distraction and more eventually. It's about common courtesy and decency and generally not getting a kick out of making other people feel bad.

Cue: someone shouting at me for even saying anything in the hallowed halls of the politics thread.

Grim's explained it; I thought my original post he references was made in this thread so my subsequent comment would make sense in situ but I was obviously mistaken there.

Also, as I hope you realise, none of the stuff you list there (endless repetition, kicking someone when they're down, getting a kick out of making other people feel bad, etc) or anything like it was actually happening here. It's essential that context is taken into account whenever someone makes a joke about anything and in this context, with respect, I think you're over-reacting and giving poor Saturnalian a hard time over nothing. Cue: someone shouting at me for even saying anything in the hallowed halls of the politics thread.

Wait, they let Barton talk? I thought he was there solely to lamp Piers Morgan.

The whole 'employment' thing is a thorny issue. Full employment is a thing of the past (unless you go the Soviet route of bullshit jobs) so, what do you do with the people who can't get jobs but are willing to work, or the people who don't want to work. You could almost say the lazy fucks on Benefit Street are actually performing a social function by deliberately taking themself out of the jobs market.

The 'Tesco pays bullshit wages' thing, well the government will always allow them to get away with it, because if you made them pay a living wage, they'd cut staff right to the minimum, and that would fuck up the employment figures. (Three people doing 16 hours a week for fuck all topped up by tax credits = three employed people. One person doing 40 hours a week at a decent wage= one employed person. Amount of actual work done = the same.)

Joey Barton, QT, and his "four ugly birds" analogy....

Man, it was excruciating

As is well known, Joey Barton has occasionally struggled to contain his anger in the past – indeed, you could say that on a few regrettable occasions his anger has overpowered him, nutted him in the face, kneed him in the danglers or stubbed a cigar out in his eye – but the midfielder has manfully faced up to his issue, albeit after being manfully sent down for it, and he now appears to be a changing man.


The QPR shuffler has won admiration for striving to overcome thuggish tendencies and for engaging in discussions on a wide range of topics on Twitter and elsewhere. And when people disagree with him online or point out inconsistencies in his reasoning, he does not resort to physical violence, instead preferring a more sophisticated reaction, perhaps involving the deployment of words such as ‘muppet’, ‘helmet’ or ‘beIIend’ or a spot of metaphorical wad-waving. Barton is a shameless attention-seeker and it is his luck to exist in times where attention seekers always get what they want – including an invitation to appear on the BBC’s flagship current affairs debate programme, Question Time.


Yes, amid a full-blown housing crisis in Britain, a “political earthquake” across Europe and escalating conflict in Ukraine, the Central African Republic and Nigeria, the BBC has decided that the best way to deepen public understanding of the major issues of the day is to ask Barton to share the expertise that he has managed to amass on these matters in between launching free-kicks in the general direction of Charlie Austin. The Fiver has no beef with Barton being allowed to express his views on whatever he fancies – he could be more honest than many politicians, but we would quite like the BBC to come right out and admit that Question Time is just another reality TV show, where the point is not to pursue enlightenment but to provide entertainment through cringes. Then again, you could argue that the corporation has basically done that by announcing that Barton’s fellow panellists tonight will be Jordan, a lemur who does a hilarious Noel Edmonds impression after a few drinks, and Piers Morgan. OK, that last one was just a ridiculous exaggeration for comedic effect.

My old man worked all hours (and by that I mean 60hrs+/week; we hardly saw him as kids), slaving away as a toolmaker (a HUGELY skilled job with 7 year apprenticeship; he proudly wore his shirt and tie on the shop floor and was massively respected).

Agreed, but I'm sorry, I want to differentiate between genuinely poor, disadvantaged, ill and/or disabled people (or people who are genuinely trying, but failing, to improve their lot) - upon which no decent person would not sympathise, and want to do something about their plight - and people who are not "ill" in any meaningful sense of the word (at least not too ill to contribute something useful to our society), or just plain lazy. Apologies, but we must acknowledge there are people like this, and plenty of them.

Wait, they let Barton talk? I thought he was there solely to lamp Piers Morgan.

The whole 'employment' thing is a thorny issue. Full employment is a thing of the past (unless you go the Soviet route of bullshit jobs) so, what do you do with the people who can't get jobs but are willing to work, or the people who don't want to work. You could almost say the lazy fucks on Benefit Street are actually performing a social function by deliberately taking themself out of the jobs market.

The 'Tesco pays bullshit wages' thing, well the government will always allow them to get away with it, because if you made them pay a living wage, they'd cut staff right to the minimum, and that would fuck up the employment figures. (Three people doing 16 hours a week for fuck all topped up by tax credits = three employed people. One person doing 40 hours a week at a decent wage= one employed person. Amount of actual work done = the same.)

I work incredibly hard at being lazy, it doesn't come naturally for me, but it's a skill I've learned over the years and i'm now extremely proficient at it...

A tie in a workshop? Sounds dangerous.

According to the Mail

I'm going to stop you there.

I've heard reports from other sources that Parliament is in a serious state of disrepair (eg BBC, 2012).

EDIT Link to their own site: http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-h ... n-project/