Off Topic Thread 5.0

Dave_The_Sheep

That's a political question, Venjur.

Ban!

aloooof

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

That's a political question, Venjur.

Ban!

My brain read this as "that would be an ecumenical matter".

swiwi_

RIP Michael Collins. Respect for being the man who didn’t get to walk on the moon. His book is a great read.

Bazzo

swiwi_ wrote: »

RIP Michael Collins. Respect for being the man who didn’t get to walk on the moon. His book is a great read.

He's up there with the big fella now

irishbucsfan

Always remember Collins because naming the three astronauts on the leaving cert was made easier by him sharing a name with our lad

EDIT: oh yeah, and the fact he flew hundreds of thousands of kilometres through space, risking his life, then all the way back, in order to progress science

Zzippy

aloooof wrote: »

I'm extremely tempted by this, tbh. How does it handle extremely bumpy / massive hollows and dips? If I can get as far as getting it somewhat level this year, I'd be tempted...

Our lawn is pretty level so I don't know but the better ones are designed to handle undulating surfaces and even steep slopes. Good idea to level it regardless. We've had ours 4 years now and it works away brilliantly, lawn is in great nick and I save hours every week I would otherwise be cutting grass.

awec

Deleted User wrote: »

Just to clarify in-case the discussion continues - is it ok to discuss Northern Irish / UK Politics or is it nothing relating to the Island of Ireland?

Any politics on the island of Ireland is a straight no.

Westminster politics it depends. If we think it's too hot, we'll nip it in the bud. Use your judgement, if you think it could annoy the UK based posters on here don't bring it up.

Boris Johnson's expensive taste in wallpaper is fair game.

stephen_n

I would have thought it was his taste in women that’s expensive.

Bazzo

I don't know why everyone is being so hard on him. Who could be expected to live with John Lewis tat for furnishings?

jacothelad

How did this entire bunch of spivs come to govern the UK in the first place? It’s like a bad 1960s comedy. Carry On Carrie?
No one, supporter or detractor, is especially surprised by the substance of the tittle-tattle surrounding Johnson. That is the problem, there are enough unhinged voters to back useless, lazy, incompetent, and contemptuous morons like Johnson regardless of what they say, do, fail to do, and lie about doing. Johnson is a disgrace, Cummings is a disgrace, those that defend either of them are a disgrace. Cummings versus Johnson is like Weasel vs Sewer Rat, in a sack, in a fetid, stinking river. I have no preference who wins, only that it goes the distance and they both drown. I do hope Cummings, a man I detest, does have audio tapes or even video of Worzel Bummage, King of the World Bunter screaming. That would just be perfect. Anybody voting for Boris is committing an act of abuse upon the nation. Even Johnson's moronic supporters won't buy an attack on Cummings. We all know Johnson clung desperately to Cummings last year because he didn't have a f*cking clue as to how run a government without him.
Johnson is a shambolic personality who is completely unsuited to the job of PM; nothing can hide the fact that he couldn't run a bath never mind the complex job of managing a strong, coherent national management team; this is a truth which will out more and more over the next year as Covid recedes and the Brexit disaster further unfolds.

How anybody votes Tory and sleeps at night I have no idea. What will it take to convince people? 150,000 dead from Covid. This number could have been drastically reduced if he'd been a half way competent human being. 125,000 other needless deaths through austerity. Cash for cronies, cuts to NHS staff wages. The list is endless. The bigger question that should be asked is, why is Johnson suddenly under pressure to resign now? Why not the Jennifer Arcuri story? Why not Covid contracts? Why not herd immunity? Arrogant entitlement for sure and chumocracy but what I really have to know is how did he get a £200,000 refurbishment done during a pandemic when nobody was supposed to be crossing thresholds for anything but the direst medical emergency

Why not a million other scandals that everyone in politics and media knows about and frankly should have ruled out his rising to No. 10 in the first place (this isn't a political point- the guy is on tape trying to arrange to have a journalist beaten up, for God's sake). I despise all these people and want nothing but for them them to be hounded out of office. They got into office via a plethora of ever bigger lies and lies about lies. They have governed wholly dishonestly and have now fallen out like rats in a sack. Watching Hernia Truss, Bendover Wallace and Grommit Gove in the Commons defending Johnson's honour has been a nauseating experience, one that has made me viscerally angry.
I don't like Cummings, but it's a strange day when I would easily choose to believe his word over Johnson's, a man who's been one of the most shameless and prolific liars in the whole history of our nation. His lies have caused untold damage to the fabric of our society and it would be very fitting if his lies finally catching up with him were the cause of his political epitaph. Nothing's changed about Johnson from this week to last. But it feels like the mood music has changed a wee bit - even in the Tory party mouthpieces. Have some people decided his usefulness is over? Have they decided he's a liability too far now? Is the useful idiot no longer useful? Time to bed in Rishi, the Teflon Con, before the next GE. Who knows...?The man who made millions by selling the very derivatives which crashed the country in 2008 and then married even more millions. Perfect Tory PM material. Shameless money grubbing f*cker.

The reason is because this is the moment when his rival(s) (probably Gove) and one or two newspaper editors and owners have decided it matters. If Johnson goes nobody should mourn this criminally negligent con man, but we as a country need to do better than to fall for this crap- what kind of democracy works like this? The body count piling up doesn't matter to Tory voters, corruption and robbing the public purse doesn't matter either? So in fact what actually does? A housing market crash would get the interest of Tory voters, especially those who by an accident of birth - rather than merit - are sitting on hundreds of thousands of pounds of equity that has come directly at the expense the younger generations, who do not as a rule vote Tory, and are therefore fair game to be thrown to the wolves. Not much else would rouse such Tory voters from their complacency.

I, in my more cynical moments, think that if it could be shown that Boris at some point gave his backing for the European Super League more people would turn against him. They'd care more about their entertainment of millionaires playing a children's game than the bodies Boris has already piled high. When Johnson was a Bullingdon Boy he notoriously smashed up restaurants and threw cash at the proprietors as he left. It wasn't his own cash, it was his parents. Now Johnson is PM he is smashing up the country and throwing cash at his mates. Once again it isn't his cash, it's ours, lets hope he leaves soon.

Right wing rags that keep this over privileged bell end in power are complicit in the deaths of their countrymen but can wash away their crimes in red white and blue by shagging a f*cking flag and bleating about patriotism while people die.

None of this will make any difference. Johnson voters are identical to Trump supporters. They knew their man was a puss filled cyst of corruption and moral depravity but he is their man, their fanatic, and most importantly their racist. After decades of putting up with wishy washy soft right leaders finally they have the far right in power.

They couldn't give a stuff if their man is a psychopath whose actions directly lead to the death of tens of thousands. Collateral damage, a price worth paying.

Still, it's at least entertaining seeing all this dredged up, even if it'll make no difference to who "runs" this basket case of a country. What a cluster f*ck. Sleaze is Johnson's middle name. I hope he goes, but which incompetent would take his place? They're all tainted and despicable. Shame on them all.

Squidgy Black

Jaco if you wrote a newsletter weekly I'd subscribe to it in an instant

Paul Smeenus

Seconded in it's entirety, Jaco.

Great write up Jaco - thoroughly enjoyable and sadly a quite accurate reflection of the state of play.

Looking back, it's worth remembering that before Boris took the leadership, the Tories struggled in 2017 against Corbyn's labour. Their popularity is much less assured than their actions would suggest.

There is a cult of personality around Boris and as long as he is there saying he got brexit done and it's been a great british success, the people who voted for it can continue with the illusion and keep waving flags. People do not like having to admit they are wrong or worse that they've been conned and I'm convinced this sentiment is inextricably tied to Boris's approval and popularity. The vaccine roll out has granted him an extension of this illusion but there is a massive house of cards at the heart of the UK Government that will at some point strain under reality or have the wrong card pulled by one of the now countless scandals cutting through with the public and that will be the deck gone.

Any diminishing of his unwavering media support would be the other catalyst for his downfall. Any kind of basic scrutiny of the mans actions reveal a pretty grim reality of failed governance and worse and if he can no longer spoof the public freely then he's done.

stephen_n

We’ll see if it impacts on the opinion polls. It seems that most people who voted for him couldn’t care less. It is just like Trump, he could shoot someone on the steps of Downing Street and his base wouldn’t care. Especially if it was an FBPE person.

Yeah_Right

Jaco, is Jonathan Pie your great-grandson? ðŸ˜Seems to have a lot of similar views about the UK government and an eloquent way of getting them across.

Neil3030

jacothelad wrote: »

How did this entire bunch of spivs come to govern the UK in the first place? It’s like a bad 1960s comedy. Carry On Carrie?
No one, supporter or detractor, is especially surprised by the substance of the tittle-tattle surrounding Johnson. That is the problem, there are enough unhinged voters to back useless, lazy, incompetent, and contemptuous morons like Johnson regardless of what they say, do, fail to do, and lie about doing. Johnson is a disgrace, Cummings is a disgrace, those that defend either of them are a disgrace. Cummings versus Johnson is like Weasel vs Sewer Rat, in a sack, in a fetid, stinking river. I have no preference who wins, only that it goes the distance and they both drown. I do hope Cummings, a man I detest, does have audio tapes or even video of Worzel Bummage, King of the World Bunter screaming. That would just be perfect. Anybody voting for Boris is committing an act of abuse upon the nation. Even Johnson's moronic supporters won't buy an attack on Cummings. We all know Johnson clung desperately to Cummings last year because he didn't have a f*cking clue as to how run a government without him.
Johnson is a shambolic personality who is completely unsuited to the job of PM; nothing can hide the fact that he couldn't run a bath never mind the complex job of managing a strong, coherent national management team; this is a truth which will out more and more over the next year as Covid recedes and the Brexit disaster further unfolds.

How anybody votes Tory and sleeps at night I have no idea. What will it take to convince people? 150,000 dead from Covid. This number could have been drastically reduced if he'd been a half way competent human being. 125,000 other needless deaths through austerity. Cash for cronies, cuts to NHS staff wages. The list is endless. The bigger question that should be asked is, why is Johnson suddenly under pressure to resign now? Why not the Jennifer Arcuri story? Why not Covid contracts? Why not herd immunity? Arrogant entitlement for sure and chumocracy but what I really have to know is how did he get a £200,000 refurbishment done during a pandemic when nobody was supposed to be crossing thresholds for anything but the direst medical emergency

Why not a million other scandals that everyone in politics and media knows about and frankly should have ruled out his rising to No. 10 in the first place (this isn't a political point- the guy is on tape trying to arrange to have a journalist beaten up, for God's sake). I despise all these people and want nothing but for them them to be hounded out of office. They got into office via a plethora of ever bigger lies and lies about lies. They have governed wholly dishonestly and have now fallen out like rats in a sack. Watching Hernia Truss, Bendover Wallace and Grommit Gove in the Commons defending Johnson's honour has been a nauseating experience, one that has made me viscerally angry.
I don't like Cummings, but it's a strange day when I would easily choose to believe his word over Johnson's, a man who's been one of the most shameless and prolific liars in the whole history of our nation. His lies have caused untold damage to the fabric of our society and it would be very fitting if his lies finally catching up with him were the cause of his political epitaph. Nothing's changed about Johnson from this week to last. But it feels like the mood music has changed a wee bit - even in the Tory party mouthpieces. Have some people decided his usefulness is over? Have they decided he's a liability too far now? Is the useful idiot no longer useful? Time to bed in Rishi, the Teflon Con, before the next GE. Who knows...?The man who made millions by selling the very derivatives which crashed the country in 2008 and then married even more millions. Perfect Tory PM material. Shameless money grubbing f*cker.

The reason is because this is the moment when his rival(s) (probably Gove) and one or two newspaper editors and owners have decided it matters. If Johnson goes nobody should mourn this criminally negligent con man, but we as a country need to do better than to fall for this crap- what kind of democracy works like this? The body count piling up doesn't matter to Tory voters, corruption and robbing the public purse doesn't matter either? So in fact what actually does? A housing market crash would get the interest of Tory voters, especially those who by an accident of birth - rather than merit - are sitting on hundreds of thousands of pounds of equity that has come directly at the expense the younger generations, who do not as a rule vote Tory, and are therefore fair game to be thrown to the wolves. Not much else would rouse such Tory voters from their complacency.

I, in my more cynical moments, think that if it could be shown that Boris at some point gave his backing for the European Super League more people would turn against him. They'd care more about their entertainment of millionaires playing a children's game than the bodies Boris has already piled high. When Johnson was a Bullingdon Boy he notoriously smashed up restaurants and threw cash at the proprietors as he left. It wasn't his own cash, it was his parents. Now Johnson is PM he is smashing up the country and throwing cash at his mates. Once again it isn't his cash, it's ours, lets hope he leaves soon.

Right wing rags that keep this over privileged bell end in power are complicit in the deaths of their countrymen but can wash away their crimes in red white and blue by shagging a f*cking flag and bleating about patriotism while people die.

None of this will make any difference. Johnson voters are identical to Trump supporters. They knew their man was a puss filled cyst of corruption and moral depravity but he is their man, their fanatic, and most importantly their racist. After decades of putting up with wishy washy soft right leaders finally they have the far right in power.

They couldn't give a stuff if their man is a psychopath whose actions directly lead to the death of tens of thousands. Collateral damage, a price worth paying.

Still, it's at least entertaining seeing all this dredged up, even if it'll make no difference to who "runs" this basket case of a country. What a cluster f*ck. Sleaze is Johnson's middle name. I hope he goes, but which incompetent would take his place? They're all tainted and despicable. Shame on them all.

Communist.

jacothelad

Neil3030 wrote: »

Communist.

:D


No. Brought up in a moral and ethical way and it has lasted for 72 years. Despise parasitic vermin like the current UK cabinet and also as someone from an NI unionist background, many- or maybe all - of the clowns in Stormont.

Social Capitalist would be a better description......;)

swiwi_

mfceiling

When I was younger I used to be able to open bottles of beer using my back teeth as a bottle opener.
The lads used to have a great laugh handing me their bottles, and I would bite the lid off like a human utensil.



On a totally unrelated note I just got a estimated quotation for a back tooth implant at €2199.

swiwi_

mfceiling wrote: »

When I was younger I used to be able to open bottles of beer using my back teeth as a bottle opener.
The lads used to have a great laugh handing me their bottles, and I would bite the lid off like a human utensil.



On a totally unrelated note I just got a estimated quotation for a back tooth implant at €2199.

Your choice of former eastern communist bloc country or turkey beckons…

Squidgy Black

mfceiling wrote: »

When I was younger I used to be able to open bottles of beer using my back teeth as a bottle opener.
The lads used to have a great laugh handing me their bottles, and I would bite the lid off like a human utensil.



On a totally unrelated note I just got a estimated quotation for a back tooth implant at €2199.

Was that down here? I know my aul lad went up north a few years back and it was a 3rd of the price for a root canal and a crown

mfceiling

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Was that down here? I know my aul lad went up north a few years back and it was a 3rd of the price for a root canal and a crown

In a practice in dundrum.

I'll just get it done here as it's quite intensive and done over 6 visits, plus if anything goes wrong I'm only 10 minutes away.
Oh yeah....floss daily!!

Paul Smeenus

Yeah_Right wrote: »

Jaco, is Jonathan Pie your great-grandson? ðŸ˜Seems to have a lot of similar views about the UK government and an eloquent way of getting them across.

He's his great-great-grandson's son.

Yeah_Right

mfceiling wrote: »

When I was younger I used to be able to open bottles of beer using my back teeth as a bottle opener.
The lads used to have a great laugh handing me their bottles, and I would bite the lid off like a human utensil.



On a totally unrelated note I just got a estimated quotation for a back tooth implant at €2199.

I use my wedding ring as a bottle opener. Much safer.
Unless the wife catches me.

Dave_The_Sheep

I have a belt that was perfect for it. Used to be great at parties when people hand you a beer to open, and the open your belt ... they're like "what is he doing to my drink?!"...

mfceiling

Yeah_Right wrote: »

I use my wedding ring as a bottle opener. Much safer.
Unless the wife catches me.

I've never worn my wedding ring (don't like jewellery and can't even get used to wearing a watch).
I used to keep it on the mantelpiece until it went missing. I was throwing out a heap of clothes a few years ago and I gave the bag to my mother, with the instructions to recycle or bin. Figured the brother might want a couple of the hoodies for knocking around in. The mother rings me in a fluster a few days after...."your wedding ring was in that bag"

It's completely disappeared since and nobody has noticed or cares.

molloyjh

Following on from previous conversations on outdoor cooking, Grozny have released this. I may be in love....

https://eu.gozney.com/products/dome?variant=34295553785988

The Inbetween is mine

molloyjh wrote: »

Following on from previous conversations on outdoor cooking, Grozny have released this. I may be in love....

https://eu.gozney.com/products/dome?variant=34295553785988

I see your Dome...and raise you my all time favourite BBQ

molloyjh

The Inbetween is mine wrote: »

I see your Dome...and raise you my all time favourite BBQ

I genuinely laughed out loud and hearty. Well played.

The Inbetween is mine

molloyjh wrote: »

I genuinely laughed out loud and hearty. Well played.

I wouldn't mind...I'm not even taking the píss....I've BBQ'd twice in my life....that's what I used