David Cameron's Europe Speech

[ahinton]

Norway and Switzerland are in Europe.....we are not....look at a map.....

I have looked at a map, but it must be wrong if you are correct. You are presumably trying fitfully to argue your "case" by splitting hairs in drawing attention to what you perceive at Britain's island status; by such a token, is Ireland also not in Europe? - and the Balearics, Gran Canaria, Sicily, Corfu, Crete, Malta, Rhodes and all those other Greek islands also "not in Europe" purely by virtue of being islands? Anyway, remember that Shakespeare's "sceptr'd isle" and Purcell/Dryden's fairest one (which incidentally includes the lines
Venus here will choose her dwelling,
And forsake her Cyprian grove),
originate from centuries ago and, whilst I'd be the first to admit that "sceptr'd promontory" doesn't scan so elegantly as the Bard's original, Britain is now linked to the rest of mainland Europe by a tunnel that neither your map nor mine probably shows all that clearly, so its island status, whilst arguably not entirely rescinded thereby, is certainly now at the very least compromised.

[ahinton]

1: We can't "leave" Europe ........... look at a map
2: The kippers policies would have us in a war with Iceland (and they have Björk )

and in reply to Jazzbo

I did Henry V for O level , it seems that Davy and chums haven't read it !!!

Perhaps they were away at the time or maybe even partaking of something more recreational than educational as famously offered by Eton...

[ahinton]

Has the definition of 'Europe' now changed as well, ahinton ... ?

Not everyone will agree on a definition of what constitutes Europe, especially given that, for example, the Council of Europe includes almost twice as many nations as does EU, but it remains a fact that the land mass concerned comprises Europe and Asia only and that part of it which is not taken up by Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sikkim, Mongolia, China, the Koreas and the Far Eastern nations to the south and east of these is arguably therefore Europe.

It is certainly not my view, merely the current claim of some of those who say they voted 'Yes' in 1975?

Fair comment.

[ahinton]

1: Britain is not in Europe......check on a map if you won't take my word

See my response above to a similarly erroneous point made earlier by Mr Pee.

2: A war with Iceland is long overdue

Is it really? Between whom and Iceland? Why? To achieve what end?

3: I did English Literature for O'level

Is that an Irish name?

[Beef Oven]

See my response above to a similarly erroneous point made earlier by Mr Pee.


Is it really? Between whom and Iceland? Why? To achieve what end?


Is that an Irish name?

You know better than the late Robert Simpson concerning Bruckner symphonies, now this!!! Odds Bodkins!!!!

[Beef Oven]

Can anyone remember what's happening about Leveson's recommendations?

Me neither!

Amsy, here's a bit of Leveson for ya!

It's a bit out of date, it's from 1984.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9817625/Leveson-EU-wants-power-to-sack-journalists.html

[ahinton]

There are more important issues to be discussed at the moment Amsy

Is he really an" important issue to be discussed at the moment"? I thought that he was merely the leader of a minor British political party with a history stretching back no more than two decades, a paltry 3% support from the British electorate at the last General Election and an even scantier representation as follows:
House of Commons 0 / 650
House of Lords 3 / 724
European Parliament 12 / 73
London Assembly 0 / 25
Northern Ireland Assembly 1 / 108
Scottish Parliament 0 / 129
Welsh Assembly 0 / 60
Local government 39 / 21,259

As Sorabji once said of musical lexicographers, doubtless mindful of those lines in Pope's Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot (did you ever encounter that in "O'level" English Literature?)
Yet let me flap this bug with gilded wings,
This painted child of dirt, that stinks and stings
"Insects that are merely noisome like to think that they can also sting" (a line that the musicologist Simon Abrahams once rather neatly paraphrased as "Tenors that are merely noisome like to think that they can also sing"). Mr Barrage can and does certainly make a fair amount of noise; however, for the truth of what all too much of his sound and fury signifies, we must defer once again to the Bard and his "Scottish play", methinks...

[ahinton]

You know better than the late Robert Simpson concerning Bruckner symphonies

From where do you get such an absurd idea? Robert Simpson (an admirable symphonist in his own right) knew better than most about Bruckner's symphonies when he was alive; what he did not know, however (and I presume that this might be what you're going on about here), was just how much material Bruckner wrote in the finale of his Ninth Symphony - and, since so much of this material has come to light in recent times and Simpson died almost 16 years ago, he can hardly be blamed for that!

now this!!! Odds Bodkins!!!!

"Now" what, precisely?

[Beef Oven]

Is he really an" important issue to be discussed at the moment"? I thought that he was merely the leader of a minor British political party with a history stretching back no more than two decades, a paltry 3% support from the British electorate at the last General Election and an even scantier representation as follows:
House of Commons 0 / 650
House of Lords 3 / 724
European Parliament 12 / 73
London Assembly 0 / 25
Northern Ireland Assembly 1 / 108
Scottish Parliament 0 / 129
Welsh Assembly 0 / 60
Local government 39 / 21,259

As Sorabji once said of musical lexicographers, doubtless mindful of those lines in Pope's Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot (did you ever encounter that in "O'level" English Literature?)
Yet let me flap this bug with gilded wings,
This painted child of dirt, that stinks and stings
"Insects that are merely noisome like to think that they can also sting" (a line that the musicologist Simon Abrahams once rather neatly paraphrased as "Tenors that are merely noisome like to think that they can also sing"). Mr Barrage can and does certainly make a fair amount of noise; however, for the truth of what all too much of his sound and fury signifies, we must defer once again to the Bard and his "Scottish play", methinks...

He's officially man of the year 2012, that's why we're all talking about him, and why you are labouring like a lion to research him!!!

[amateur51]

He's officially man of the year 2012, that's why we're all talking about him, and why you are labouring like a lion to research him!!!

Man of the year 2012?

Ah, yesterday's man - how fitting

[ahinton]

He's officially man of the year 2012, that's why we're all talking about him, and why you are labouring like a lion to research him!!!

1. Sez who?
2. We're not ALL talking about him (and a lot of those who do refer to him probably say things about him of which you would not likely approve)
3. I'm not labouring like any feline on this; the two or three minutes that it took for me to copy a piece of text from Wiki and add the paragraph that followed hardly amount to what I'd call "labour" at all, let alone "research"!

[ahinton]

Man of the year 2012?

Ah, yesterday's man - how fitting

Couldn't have put it better meself! (and indeed didn't, as you will see)...

[handsomefortune]

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110329025320/memoryalpha/en/images/f/f4/Spock_wearing_neural_stimulator_2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Spock&h=903&w=1200&sz=166&tbnid=ziorQ4F0G6x-sM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&zoom=1&usg=__2RLSs_ShOH6FAMRhP3P-z8scRCs=&docid=FwjbomgvkQU0gM&sa=X&ei=hHYBUYv1OsSZ0QWBoIGADQ&ved=0CE0Q9QEwBQ&dur=10002

if only he'd had a go on spock's neural stimulator back then though!

i would not likely approve of his wearing a v dodgy spiv's coat nowadays? whoever advised him to wear that coat was so wrong. (perhaps it was max clifford, or kelvin mckenzie's doing...or perhaps someone wanted to make nigel look extra extra seedy, in order to win a bet)?

[Beef Oven]

Man of the year 2012?

Ah, yesterday's man - how fitting

Now you know this runs until Jan 2014, so he's gonna be around for a little while longer!!!!!!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It is a disgrace - a sop to his Rabid Right and UKIP - it surely is the death knell for any renewal of the Coalition .

Long may Dave make such speeches then.