Top Gear track might be a laugh for a few runs…

… butI reckon the proper race tracks willbe more enduring

All that not whitstanding, surely the fact that his first wife died before he actually re-married negates all of the divorce thing. Afterall it kind of was “until death they do part”.

Wasn’t it his first wife who said something along the lines of [paraphrasing] not room for 3 in this relationship??

Don’t really give a monkeys. I’m of a cynical persuasion, and smell a whif of the moronfodder / keep the proles quiet during the recession

Had a 156 Sportwagon as a company car 10 years ago. Fairly hammered it and the only thing that packed up was the battery, so no complaints.

Have hankered after an Alfa ever since, but my car requirements (family biking / camping, dogs) are very different.

I think long term reliability is very dependent on engine – the twin spark petrols seem to have a question mark over them regarding extended life. The Fiat 16v diesels are supposed to be very good.

As above, keep servicing up, find a local specialist etc…

and, if you find a good one, enjoy…

Close to the monarchy rkk?

Clue is in this bit

Was thinking last night

ie idle speculation

Camilla?

Never will be Queen. Was thinking last night, Chaz will probably get by-passed. Establishment still has an issue with a divorcee on the big seat.

I’ve just (this week) been getting back into GT4 with the logitech wheel, cos I’m off to the ring in 2 weeks and need to learn the track

Here’s one for you then – starts getting dark from 3:00 though

PILF to start off with

Does that make pilf’er (ing) a new sort of crime?

Supposedly been distributed by now

Can’t see any reference to gethin on the official tender notice. Merthyr Tydfil CBC (or is Gethin just in RCT?) – anyway, only NPTCBC and CCBC are named, see below.

Expressions of interest are sought from competent and qualified parties to provide Forestry Commission Wales (FCW), Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and Caerphilly County Borough Council with Civil Engineering Services to design and project manage the delivery of new Mountain Bike trails across South Wales.

The Forestry Commission Wales will be awarding this contract as a direct award to one supplier. It is anticipated that the Contract will commence on 1st April 2011 and conclude in December 2013. The estimated value of the contract over this period will be in the range of £200,000 to £250,000. During this period the successful supplier will be expected to project manage the delivery of approximately £955,000 of new mountain bike trails within Cwmcarn Forest, Afan Forest Park and Margam Park. Additional funding for mountain bike trails in South Wales could be secured by FCW during this contract period and FCW may offer this additional opportunity to the successful supplier of this contract.

I guess Gethin hasn’t got funding, but could be included if funding was secured at a later date…

Never really had a look at the iPad – normally too many spotty kids playing with them whenever I’m anywhere that has them…

… that said – it struck me that it should have been branded as the PronPad…

the lovely Cheryl

Euughhh 😯

No, but it’s fair to say that the logic for not doing so has long since expired…

My father’s family wouldn’t wear them when I was young. We come from an area with long established links with the military – Navy, RN Dockyard, Army. Even so, when I was grrowing up many people were bitter towards the British Legion. All their efforts were targetted at the WW2 veterans, with no thought spared for those who served in later conflicts. My father’s generation (locally) saw service in Korea, were uncountably outnumbered, and were then ignored when they got home.

I’ve got no reason to perpetuate such views, especially as the British Legion have long since moved on – but old habits etc

Polecat coloured ferret – known as a fitch ferret in dvon & Cornwall (and elsewhere AFAIK)

oh, and Elfin – nice Fitch

however this isn’t the way that UK game and property laws are written.

This is what pisses me off… 👿

Country landowner = property owner FFS – It’s a wild animal.

Used to wind me up as a kid being educated by grandfather’s views than no, those salmon, trout and pheasants don’t belong to the bloody squire….

Have been puzzling over this.

Figured on driving down to the Aosta valley. Further than France, but food, drink and lift passes cheaper?

On the prices though – wow, last year was a shock. So the Euro has strengthed against the pound (by what 20%), so the travel companies stiff you by doubling their prices….

Didn’t book anything in the end and cadged a late flight only + hire car + out of resort accom.

June 17th/18th/19th

Ta,

That’ll do for me…

Black Dog

Clegg was quick to drop his knickers for taste of power by conveniently forgetting / ignoring some of his party’s most important manifesto pledges.

Alternative – chummy up to Brown and keep him in against the will of the electorate??

Forgotten the election result have we?

War crimes? A deliberate war to gain popularity and votes? I doubt many would agree with that. Surely?

I think people will debate for a long while whether the Falklands inadvertently precipitated the ensuing election victory, or whether there was more cynical manipulation of the events….

Knowing the way we Brits work, I’d put my money on incompetence, indifference and negilgence * – you know, the normal sort of bumbling and tinkering that we excel at.

* Reference the 1981 Defence Review and diplomatic signals prior to the Argentinain invasion.

8 & 10. They’re good for 18-20 or so miles

This is my favourite new discovery Cornish IPA from the St Austell Brewery from M&S

Saw that at the w/e – and assumed that it was St Austell’s Proper Job IPA re-bottled for M&S?

ETA – although looking at this, perhaps not??
Proper Job / Cornish IPA

They sell it in Waitrose

Butty Bach?

What was ,where was the source/brewer please?

For Butty Bach Wye Valley Brewery

Badger Long Days is nice with Thai / Chinese. Raspberry flavout quite prominent, so not really good for more than one.

Their Lemony Cricket summer ale is far better IMO

Sweet and nutty at first sip, refreshing like an IPA, but with a load of more subtle, complex flavours the longer in your mouth…

The problem with ‘opposition’ is that all it usually entails is disagreeing with the party(ies) in power unless it would be a PR disaster not to agree (dangerous dogs/knife crime etc).

Quite right.

But, all parties try to re-write history when they come to power. The re-packaging of the previous regime’s legacy has more credibility if you vociferously opposed what they were doing at the time.

The Tories opposed Labour stealth taxes, but promoted more, not less, business regulation 🙄

At every turn, CMD, George / Gideon and all the other condem cabinet members are including a line on Labour getting us into this mess…

It’s all rather disingenuous

That Paloma’s a nasty piece of work.

Yep

Was it not Labour’s fault that they had a free hand in helping wreck the economy? Did they not bend over backwards to accommodate these banks too?

Of course, the Tories (and the City) would have wholeheartedly supported any Labour plans for greater regulation of the financial sector, wouldn’t they??

As they would have poured scorn on any foreign military adventurism??

and they wouldn’t have cosied up to W, would they??

Lets face it – For most of 1997 – 2010 the Tory party did little in the way of effective opposition, mainly because TB’s brand of “socialism” was not that far removed from what went before

More of a retrospective than documentary…

Closed between the VC and footbridge to Rhyslyn car park. We’d finished the Wall and planned to ride back to GC via Afan VC, but then had to double back and go up the other side of the valley.

WHy dont you try and post some data to support you view of the Iron lady as some some sort of collective responsibility cabinet parliamentarian
She suspended the cabinet and used a smaller war cabinet during the Falklands conflict, removing Unions from GCHQ was taken without full cabinet approval , removal of whets etc. It did not even meet every week- Labour were no better.
Perhpas you can cite numerous examples of a ministers overruling Thatcher or her bowing to their collective will rather than them to hers.
Even you call it her governement in your post – says it all really.

No need to look for data – there is video evidence of Thatchers Cabinet Government…

there’s a boucheries chevalines in Sunderland?!? how bourgeois!

Probably unemployed pit ponies

Lower rail track link is closed between Pontrhydyfen and Afan car park. We had an annoying loop back around last time we were there

ETA Bits of Skyline are still closed (Handy Andy, Joyrider?) These bits seemed to have been closed for years…

What I find quite remarkable about this thread (apart from the predictability) is that one person is being held entirely responsible for everything perceived to have been wrong during the Conservative government of that era. The clue should be in the word Government ie. a democratically elected body collectively responsible for running the country.

Blair was (rightly) criticised for his presidential style of Government that by-passed Parliament and to an extent, Cabinet.

But, if you remember those times Woody, you must surely remember the constant cabinet re-shuffles as Thatcher removed anyone who disagreed or showed weakness. As someone posted above, the Conservative “whets” were systematically removed and replaced by “Yes Men”. She pioneered “elected dictatorship”

Seems like graciousness and dignity eludes these socialists!

Wishing someone dead is pure miserable nasty hatred. Shame on the OP and it’s supporters! (the description “it” is befitting of such low life).

This is a classic case of people showing their true colours!

This attitude is totally contradictory to the values of socialism and is indicative of the control freak tendencies of your typical lefty!

I wouldn’t wish death on my worst enemy, let alone a politician.

Sad feckers!

I’m no lefty, in the political sense. What this thread shows is the well documented polarisation of views regarding Thatcher and her Government.

Whether her legacy is judged as good or bad will depend on political persuasion (amongst other things) and will never be agreed upon.

What will be agreed upon is that both Thatcher and what she did was incredibly divisive for this Country.

Setters are mental from birth – in a lovely way 😉

Sir Mark Thatcher

FFS 🙄

Just post up on the other thread that you rather liked Mrs T

What would jesus do?

He’s supposed to be a bit soft on sinners, isn’t he?

or does she have to repent first – no **** chance of that then