May I be the first to offer you my condolences, Ploughman. Owning a pub overrun by four and twenty Irish nubiles. God, it's the sum of all fears, isn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by Low_Flyer_MkIX:
I was dismayed, but not surprised, to note this week both Brown and Cameron revealing that they're glued to 'The X factor' every episode, being big fans. Says more about them and the state of this nation than I ever could.

The sooner more power is wielded by a proportionately represented European Parliament that curbs or preferably dismantles the archaic and self-serving institutions that have ruined this nation the better. So says this particular true Englishman.

Couldn't have put it better myself!

quote:

Originally posted by Ploughman:
Speaking of the X Factor me olde mucker I have been presented with a conumdrum.

Here's the scene. Saturday night in the pub. Lots of blokes avoiding the X Factor, wives at home, in a word 'tranquility.'

Enter the conundrum.

24 female Irish apprentice teachers visiting the area and who do not have access to a TV. (for some reason they are all drop dead gorgeous, must be that monkey writing Shakespeare again) and who would like to come to the pub if we'd only be so kind as to...you know what I'm going to say don't you...put X Factor on the TV. Now the TV'll be out because of the Wales New Zealand game so what to do?

A pub full of gorgeous women never ever did hurt trade not one bit. But the X Factor? I believe this may well be what is known as 'the slippery slope.'

Damn you Simon Cowell.

Ooooooooh, tricky one!

I'd put the regulars first, but you'd have a better idea of the couple-of-hours-fast-buck-to-guaranteed-regular-income-as-long-as-I-don't-upset-the-locals permutations involved. Of course in an ideal world, I'd say 'stick your X-factor where the sun don't shine, it's a symptom of all that's wrong with my country and I'll have non of it on my premises'.

So, how did you fare with upholding the very principles that make life itself worthwhile? I bet the locals wish they'd watched X-factor now.

They sent the blonde to make their case so I folded like a paper napkin.

Good God! Never seen X Factor before, unbelievable. I was itching to turn it off within fifteen minutes, bloody thing went on for an hour and a half. I'd rather have teeth pulled than go through that again. The fair maidens of Ireland screamed and hooted like they were at a Tom Jones concert and, luckily, there was such a scrum of them around the telly nobody could see the evil that was being perpertrated there. Still, I've gone done dabbled with the dark side, never again.

But. To restore order to the universe I did show several of them how to pour a proper pint of bitter. Good of me I think you'll agree.

Shame about the rugby too, though was a fairly lacklustre game.

Good moment to revive this thread:

The new president of the European Council, although not offically confirmed yet, would be the current belgian prime minister Herman Van Rompuy.

Catherine Ashton, british, is the new high representative.

Congrats to both of them. Hoping we can move forward for the benefit of the many.

The 500 million people of the EU have a new president. He got 27 votes. Ain't democracy wonderful.

The president was elected by those who were in turn elected by 'the 500 million people of the EU' - well, at least those who could be bothered to vote - under a constitution whose terms of membership clearly state that such membership is only open to those states with a free and fair sytem of democratically elected government.

Now there are those who would ask just how the United Kingdom managed to obtain membership with such such an archaic and unfair system of election, I'll admit. But your lament for lost democracy rings hollow from an apparent advocate of a United Kingdom set adrift from Europe, the main purpose of which would be that of an offshore banking business whose prime benefit would be to the discredited clearing houses of the City of London. Maybe we could show those bloody amateur Icelanders how it should be done, eh?