THE BRITISH THREAD II

Thanks - I now can see l'égalité ...

Even the Speaker of the House of Commons sometimes has to stand in his underpants. He's a wassock.

Mourning the decline if not demise of The British Thread. Where's Smorgs when the nation needs her?
Anyhoo, Manchester was jumping yesterday. I must confess I'm not too keen on the pre-Christmas scene in our cities, but the buskers are good, and seem to be proliferation at a rate of knots. Cost a fortune, too. I always give buskers some money if they're any good, if they're putting something into it.
Some kids from the music colleges do it, and add a touch of class.

Let's hope idoesn't occur and that Smorgs returns.

Merry Christmas Brits ... Walter too.

If Smorgs returns, it will live.

You are as responsible as anybody for the state of the British Thread Mac.

I have done my best to raise interesting subjects on many occasions only to find that there is no appetite for any sort of examination of them. And none of them were anywhere near as interesting as some subjects I might raise if my natural discretion was not so sensitive to the discomfort of others as it is.

There seems to be an inclination to avoid bottom lines and an obsession with not giving offence. Hence the thread is boring and that explains the lack of interest in it.

It was an American lady who initiated Brit Thread 2 after BT 1 foundered upon some mysterious happenings. I assumed she was on a fishing expedition into the state of our nation.

If so she would do well to watch the Leveson Enquiry and to read Mr Blair's fascinating memoir of his time in office.

I bet Piers Morgan regrets his autobiography.

Back in the olden days of A2K, many long-running threads had to have several incarnations as they kept going. As I understood it, this had something to do with the way the original A2K hamsters coded the server which made long/big threads unwieldy, or some such techno reason that no longer is in effect with the modern A2K.

Merry Christmas to all of the British denizens of Brit Thread 2! (... and Walter)

He admitted that most of it was fanciful.

But he was an expert at not just finding the clitoris of the public, as Mr Heseltine is said to have done with the Tory Party, but to know how to tickle it.

The tabloid side of both newspapers and television is a sort of detailed psychoanalysis of the nation's psyche and I suppose the enquiry Lord Justice Leveson is leading, with the aid of what looks to be some pretty nasty pieces of socialisation work, represents a concern on the part of our betters with whether or not such a psychoanalysis might be considered to have gone quite far enough. I hardly think it represents a desire to get down to fundamental levels.

I got the impression that Mr Morgan feels that the enquiry, which might last two years, is a waste of time and, as such, might be thought of as theft of the taxpayer's hard-earned pittance by a bunch of legal asswipes with snotty accents.

I think it is brilliant theatre.

What did you think of the wall light which Mr Morgan had on the wall behind his head? It got me wondering whether he had control of the decor for the video link evidence from the US or whether the judge had a say in it.

I wonder if the enquiry will look into the authorisation for the manufacture and sale of the devices with which phones can be hacked so readily. If ethics are a consideration shouldn't we be looking first at the ethics of those involved in that work?

A man, and only ladies of high rank have been mentioned so far, who can resist the temptation to hack Sven's phone is hardly the sort of chap to employ as a journalist on a newspaper which can only survive in a dog-eat-dog milieux by doing a proper job on the clitoris of the public.

So it is really a question of whether the public's clitoris should be tickled and how much. And whether ethical considerations are of any relevance regarding such matters.

I wouldn't put it past celebrities to provoke journalists if they were aware that their phone was being hacked.

I had a sense, Tico, that there was a far more interesting explanation than that mealy-mouthed nonsense.

I guess you are, yet again, wrong.

Well Tico--you are free to guess all you wish to. Whether your guess constitutes a refutation of what I said is not a matter for me.

If the "yet again" refers to my incorrect picks on the NFL thread I cannot deny that I have been wrong on many occasions. Otherwise I don't know what it might refer to. Perhaps you wouldn't mind enlightening us all as to what else it refers to.

I merely meant that you have been wrong in the past. Surely you don't deny this ....

I didn't deny it. I admitted being wrong on the Pick-um game on more occasions than I would like.

I asked you what else I had been wrong on. You don't seem to have any evidence for anything else.

I didn't give much thought to Morgan's lighting actually. He wasn't happy though, and that was good to see.

You were wrong when you said I was snooty with anyone I couldn't patronise. You were wrong when you accused me of being a "well-heeled" dude. That's twice in just one post.

But unless you're claiming you are never wrong (which you are not), I fail to see why you would demand evidence from me of when you are, and attempt to hang significance upon the event should I not undertake your invitation.

So you're a chick?

You are wrong.

Yet again.

I think you are a well-heeled dude. And I think you are snooty. And you're tricky too. Your previous avatar was chosen by you.

You said I had often been wrong. That is true. On the Pick-um game. But the impression you sought to create, taking advantage of that game where being wrong is common, was that I was wrong on debate threads. Pedantically, you were right, but the impression you sought to create was false.

You really ought to apologise to the viewers you took in.

And, of course, there is significance in the event should you not undertake my invitation.

I don't think you are an authentic conservative as well.

And I still think that--



is nonsense. There are numerous threads a lot longer than BT1 was when it was locked. What does a weildy thread look like?