English living in Hong Kong, if I had a vote on it I would vote Yes. Goodbye, take your part of the debt and close the door on the way out.

Did you take your part of the debt with you when you moved to Hong Kong? ;)

padding out the sift with numpties to make their preferred (internal) candidate look adequate

I can honestly say I’ve never once done this is any of the hundreds of vacancies I’ve recruited for, I’ve little enough time for interviewing as it is. Doubt any of my colleagues have either. Everywhere I’ve worked has had a rigorous process for identifying and offering suitable internal candidates before even looking externally.

In general of you think you’re a top quality candidate, in short supply and would be doing a favour by interviewing for a company then ask for expenses. Otherwise be aware that there are almost always plenty of other candidates just as good as you who won’t quibble over a few quid.

It’s also worth noting that those with a genuine need for expenses, i.e. those on jobseeker’s allowance, can claim at the cost of the taxpayer.

Scottish (not British), resident and will vote yes. The same goes for my wife.

I’ve never understood why people expect expenses for the opportunity of getting a job. Unless trying to woo an international candidate with a weekend stay etc I’ve never volunteered our policy. Paid when asked, yes, but not offered.

Q: Is jock offensive?
A: some people are offended by it, so yes.
5 pages of people trying to justify it and ignoring answers they don’t like to a question they asked.

As the user of a term, be it jock, **** or anything else, you don’t get to decide if it’s offensive or not to he person hearing it. As you’ve newly discovered that some/most don’t like it the decent thing would be to hold tour hands up, admit you didn’t realise and not use the term again. Entrenching your position in schoolboy excuses like “banter” and “having a laugh” doesn’t reflect well on you at all.

FWIW, I don’t have a particular problem with Jock, like others I just use it as shorthand to assume the person who said it is an arse. On the odd occasion abroad when I’ve been confused for English, on the other hand, I’ve been properly offended!

How many years is it since an Englishman wn Wimbledon?

70-something, but then you knew that didn’t you :roll:

Psychology degree + her experience = HR

Interesting. I have a psychology degree and I work in HR. Why do you think a social work background would be useful? Not saying it wouldn’t be, just don’t see it myself.

An actual, informed debate is all well and good, but your average voter doesn’t really give a stuff about the details – that’s for politicians to sort out and/or get stuff up later.

The bottom line is that if England win the world cup next year (ha!) and/or Braveheart is on telly the night before the election, it will be an overwhelming yes vote.

Er… Jock is another name commonly used for people called John in Scotland. Not quite the same thing.

No-one’s saying every last person is for it, or that you have to be, but to call the referendum, something that the people of Scotland voted for, nonsense is downright ignorant. Or should we only action democracy when you agree with the outcome?

I can think of plenty of familiar collective terms for the English, bit the swear filter won’t let me post any of them!

I honestly think the whole thing is nonsense and it’s a group of 2nd rate power hungry politicians who are feeding their own egos

You’re kidding right? Independence is the raison d’etre and central policy of the SNP, a party which has been steadily gaining support for 40 odd years and has been voted into power in the last 2 Scottish governments. The people of Scotland voted for a referendum but maybe we should just call it off as you think it’s a nonsense.

For clarity, I actually do think we’d be better off or at least not worse off. I was trying to illustrate that these arguments aren’t what I’ll be basing my decision on, for me it’s ideological.

Aberdeen doesn’t really reflect the rest of Scotland does it?

I’d say it reflects it rather better than London, Birmingham or Manchester. What’s your point?

Because that’s how much independence means to me. It’s about the only thing I’d put above personal gain.

I’m going to be interested to read the white paper and see the detail of the economic arguments, it will at least have more substance than the no campaign’s scaremongering – mobile roaming charges in the borders anyone?

I’ll be voting yes and frankly I’d still vote yes if it guaranteed that I’d lose my job and took 10 years off my life. It’s not overtly oppressive in the way it once was but ideologically the UK means nothing to me. I grew up in Aberdeen, closer to Oslo than London, and not just in distance.

Ha! Having said all that about the duster it’s not done a winter yet and the best winter car I ever had was a mark one Clio! Front wheel drive, skinny tyres, no power, didn’t get stuck once!

I like the dacia but its not a cari id like to spend time in – ie driving it for work. Its a cheap 4×4 with a cheap interior grand for 20miles to and from work and your must have 4×4 its good. For hacking around the country all day – nah your ok.

I’ve got a duster too, albeit the “top spec” diesel 4×4. Driven it around town, 400+ mile trips and everything in between. It’s not fancy, not a drivers car, but it’s far from a bad for place to be on a long drive. On the big drives I find it very relaxing and the only issue is a little bit of wind noise. Ours is coming up for 10k miles bow and the cheap plastics look the same as they did when we picked it up. We’ll be keep in ours as long as it keeps going.

Please make it stop!

Of course you don’t have to accept them, but if you peer at them, screw your face up, say you’ve never seen these and don’t you have any proper money, just be aware that you’ll come across as a small-minded asshat.

I’ve also seen him as an after dinner speaker. He came across as an arrogant, hateful sub-human arsehole.

With the front Maxxis 2.35-inch tire aired down to 20 psi

I gave up after this ludicrous phrase.

-100 for Paisley Freight! Definitely go for a pallet if possible, think last time I sent something big (a V6 out of a pajero) I used palletline.

Prototype Orange?

From what I’ve read there are 2 key things about those who pass someone to continue their summit attempt. Firstly the margins of error are so small that once someone gets to the point where they need help it’s too late, you can’t do anything so you may as well do nothing. That sounds harsh, but secondly there is a kind of contract implicit in making an attempt – you know the risks and the consequences and that people would walk past you just as you’d walk past them. Sadly there’s also the fact that an attempt is seriously expensive and there aren’t any refunds of you miss your one chance because you waited with a dying man.

I have no personal experience even close to this, it’s only based on what I’ve read, bit I can identify with pushing your limits and chasing a goal. To me it seems incredibly honest, you go in with your eyes open and don’t complain if it goes wrong. I can’t say if I’d still think that as I sat there dying though. I suspect they probably don’t have time to reflect on much beyond the next breath.

I do agree that it’s sad what Everest has become, that it’s not as respected as it should be.

I’ve also long been fascinated by this. Death in general in never too far from my thoughts. I release the reality is/was very different but from this distance I think they look oddly peaceful. At least they died doing something they loved and believed in. Better that than cancer or being wiped out by a car on the way home from work.

Seriously? Again?

It was only a Munro top anyway, so not on the main list. FWIW I pretty much only climb Munros, I’m not bagging them as such but it would be nice to look back one day having done them all. Doing so has taken me to some great places I may not otherwise have gone to. Can only be a good thing in my book. In these days of instant strava gratification there’s plenty to be said for a long term goal.

Unknown, eh? Obviously a vacuous, talentless husk of a human being, unable to even bring his miserable self to create a proper username. Troll.

Hi Claudia!

I’m not sure if this needs pointed out or not, but unknown is my username, I’m not sure what makes it any less “proper” than any others?! Or that expressing an opinion that differs from yours makes me a troll :roll:

And anyway, heaven forbid that I meet the creature. It’s like she’s been force fed episodes of Friends foie gras style until her brain exploded.

Claudia Winkleman is an utter gobshite. The put-on “kookiness” in place of personality is painful to watch and beneath it she’s just a beige talentless vacuous husk of a human being. Sadly, she’s not the only one of those polluting the airwaves.

Glasses?

What I don’t like is how it’s being extended to all veterans of all subsequent wars. The world wars were special, in terms of the numbers involved, in that most were conscripts, and in the carnage. Subsequent wars have been fought by professional soldiers and have not really been wars of survival – the soldiers in Afghanistan are not fighting to save or protect the UK.

This is why I don’t wear or donate any more. always observe the silence and use it to remember my Grandpa. Not that I’m excluding all those who gave their lives but it feels right to think of him as a representative. He survived the war by the way, and I’m just as grateful to those that did make it back.

I once read that the “point” of a valuable engagement ring is to give some financial security to the woman. She’ll be de-valued should you then fail to marry or marry them divorce her, so the ring is to offset the depreciation! Given that my Mrs earns a lot more than me it didn’t seem especially relevant to us!

I proposed without a ring, which I felt a bit sheepish about at the time, or at least would have if I wasn’t so hammered. We went shopping together the next day and every single ring she liked was absolutely nothing like what I would have chosen for her. I’d have played it safe with a “classic” diamond solitaire, but the one she loved most wasn’t diamond and didn’t cost even a month’s salary.

You’re giving it a lot of thought, but don’t over think it. Ignore conventions, buy for her personality if you’re sure or shop together after proposing if you’re not.

Oh, and good luck!

I lived in a basement flat for 2 years. Never again.

Damp was a constant issue regardless of damp proofing, and the ‘being underground’ feeling could never be shaken off.

I’ve lived in a basement flat for 6 years, wouldn’t have a problem doing so again. No damp issues (and this is a 100+ year old building) and it’s ground level to the back so doesn’t feel underground. I’m in a busy area and my flat is much quieter than the ones upsyairs. It is harder to sell because of people’s preconceptions though. Mine is on the market and a recent viewer said she felt it suffered from a lack of natural light – she viewed it at night!

It comes a distant second to the 2004 tsunami

Fair enough, that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the biggest events in our lifetime though.

It’s not newsworthy at all

I disagree. It’s prompted some debate here and elsewhere and been picked up by news outlets worldwide. I’d say that does make it newsworthy.

It might be to YOU that only one of them is offensive (or none based on some of the responses on here), but when you bring in the general population they could find 1, 2, 3 or all 4 offensive.

That is indeed the point I was trying to make.

So basically if one person in the general population may be offended we shouldn’t do something ?

Well no, obviously not. Any given subject has the ability to offend some people. For example a topless woman on a beach in Europe is unlikely to offend many, but the same topless woman in a muslim country is much more likely to offend. Said imaginary woman would likely pay some attention to the context before deciding how much flesh to bare. In this case, I think some common sense would dictate that because of the nature of the event, and the large number of people directly or indirectly affected, there was a pretty high potential to cause offence.

That’s a bizarre argument. It may not be more offensive than other real (?) atrocities but why would it be less offensive?

The thing about offensiveness is that it’s not about your or mine individual reaction, it’s about the potential to offend. Surely you can see that a survivor or victim’s relative could be shocked and upset by these costumes? That’s what makes them offensive. What makes it newsworthy is that they reference the biggest and most shocking news story of our lives, and that they contradict the widely held standard of respect for the dead.

Thanks all, that pretty much confirms my preconceptions of Coventry. No mini-break for mrs unknown then, was only going to happen if the city happened to be some undiscovered gem. I’ll go down Monday morning, and get the hell out of dodge Tuesday evening!

Bah, wrong forum!