Quote: KLRiley @ January 7 2012, 1:07 PM GMTThe first point is that they have gone bust. (Go on, you know you want to.)
Okay, if you insist -
It was a false economy
There was no money left in the chest
Silly Con Breasts (my Sun headline)
and
Tat for Tit
Howzzat?
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ January 7 2012, 12:49 PM GMTYou've obviously never been to a local GP, who gives you that condescending talk about smoking and drinking and exercise. Self righteous, judgemental hypocrites the lot!
My GP has had more condescending talks with me then Prince Phil in a home for Africans with Downes Syndrome.
But you know the GP still treats you don't they?
Quote: sootyj @ January 7 2012, 1:38 PM GMTBut you know the GP still treats you don't they?
With all the enthusiasm of a trafficked sex worker on her 30th massage parlour customer of the day.
Well in fairness you are usually drunk, smoking and sporting a ridiculous pair of 36dd silicone boobs.
Quote: sootyj @ January 7 2012, 1:46 PM GMTWell in fairness you are usually drunk, smoking and sporting a ridiculous pair of 36dd silicone boobs.
Good news for HS2- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16457493
Is there anywhere else in the world where a high speed railway line is considered 'controversial'?
I will happily kill anyone who wants to build HS2. 
It's going right past the house in the country where I grew up, and f**king up the entire area. Nothing has actually made me so angry in years.
Quote: youngian @ January 7 2012, 7:16 PM GMTGood news for HS2- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16457493
Is there anywhere else in the world where a high speed railway line is considered 'controversial'?
Yes, pretty much every proposed line in the world is controversial because they cost billions and are unlikely to recover their costs. The economy is in the toilet, remember?
Railway buffs of my acquaintance assure me that HS2 is an unnecessary and expensive white elephant and that the money could be far better spent on increasing the capacity of existing services. All the lobbying is coming from the construction industry, who see the chance to make vast profits from ripping off the taxpayer. But governments love prestige projects so it will almost certainly happen.
And all just to save 40 minutes or something for a journey that's already perfectly easy to make. Utterly pointless.
At least the inevitable crashes will be spectacular.
Quote: Timbo @ January 7 2012, 7:23 PM GMTRailway buffs of my acquaintance assure me that HS2 is an unnecessary and expensive white elephant
I think of myself as a railway buff / enthusiast and was an HS2 supporter.
However, the closer it gets the more I'm swaying away.
I would like to see more spent on the existing rail network with 140mph running the norm rather than the exception. Longer, more frequent trains. I know Network Rail say that that is not the answer, well they would wouldn't they?
And, if we are to build new track I would rather it be dedicated freight lines. I remember once standing at Dover and seeing lorries originating from Scotland coming off the ferries with their cargoes.
It should be the case that nowhere in the UK is more than 50 from a major rail freight head and, it follows, no HGV journey of more than 50 miles should be allowed.
And look at the continental loading gauge, more liberal than ours allowing double deck trains both commuter and high speed.
I could go on . . . .
Quote: Oldrocker @ January 7 2012, 8:56 PM GMTI remember once standing at Dover and seeing lorries originating from Scotland coming off the ferries with their cargoes.
Coastwise RoRo is potentially more carbon efficient than rail, and is actually a scandalously underused form of transport. But I agree about getting freight back onto the railways.
The best way to get lorries off the roads though would be to decentralise distribution networks - produce from Kent is transported to a distribution hub in Nottingham to be shipped to stores in Exeter. Hauliers complain that the price of derv is putting them out of business, but the truth is that the big retailers still find it cheaper to continue racking up road miles rather than go back to the days of regional distribution depots.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16458524
Wanker, wanker, wanker !
It's interesting that the two big news items on BCG are the return of what can now be called 'veteran' comedy writers - with Curtis and Elton working together again and the BBC asking Saunders for a new series of "Absolutely Fabulous".
There has been plenty to enjoy in recent years, in sketch and comedy, but fewer writers seem (in my opinion) to be developing a body of work - a writer or team come along, run a great show for a few sereis, and then the ideas seem to run out - they don't go much further - or scale back. There don't seem to be people developing the range of work over many years of Curtis, Elton, French and Saunders, Mayall and Edmonson, Fry and Laurie, Atikinson et cetera.
It seems rather inevitable that television producers should return to them for something sustainable and with an assured following.