Tonsu

I'm gutted. Not being on the album means I almost certainly won't ever see it live :( Meanwhile the horribly-average Major Minus seems a shoe-in live, and ETiaW will end the gigs for the foreseeable future...oh well, at least I'll have an obvious opportunity to go the toilet and bar during the gig (Major Minus) and won't mind leaving early to beat the crowds (ETiaW).

Please please read the links and sign the petition people. This is where Japan REALLY needs our help, because it is run by a government that will not stop this course unless we object, they will just send families back to live in irradiated areas that most of the rest of the world consider extremely dangerous.

I am sorry for what I have said to Oasis fans, but when the new film of Spike Island comes out you will see the difference that The Stone Roses had...it was a cultural revolution (a very peaceful one) in Britain in 1989-1991 (when hope stopped that they would ever release the follow-up lol). They really ignited the imagination of a nation of youngsters, along with the acid-house scene and Madchester in general. Reflecting on recent events I wonder if some of the troubles had their roots in attitudes seeded then and never addressed by subsequent governments... /should get to bed, goodnight :)

GTFO!! What? :o I loved their first two albums (those were my uni days so it was perfect timing too) as did the rest of the country. After that they were still very talented (of course) but their albums were average, (I'm sure they were still good live if Liam could get out of bed :P) and commercially disappointing (not that that matters, but just saying). I can certainly deny they are one of the greatest British bands ever!! I doubt they'd be top thirty if you consider not only sales but also popularity, influence, sustained success, long-term critical acclaim, international attention, etc etc etc. Oasis never fulfilled their potential. The Stone Roses did it in a handful of singles and one album!! U2 and Coldplay are both top twenty, probably (without counting up to see the obvious ones). Oasis would be top thirty, probably, but only on the strength of sales.

Two posts for the price of one...

Wow, it's pretty good, and a really interesting arrangement with the Japanese instruments :sunny: It's heartbreaking watching some of that footage again though... Many thanks for posting, let's hope it does well as a fundraiser, and all credit to Coldplay for letting them cover the song :)

Fabulous theory, and I have absolutely zero doubt that some of these elements will become clear :)

Fabulous theory, and I have absolutely zero doubt that some of these elements will become clear :)

The email message says this (in the phonetic alphabet) but the stress is on the first syllable, so it's ZY-le-to. But, yep, the middle bit is 'let'. It's 'zie' rhyming with 'pie'.

I love it :) This Mylo stuff is far too much of a coincidence imho. It's got to have been a band project all along, surely, (and if it has been then the denial is meaningless of course).

Great interview Pat, thanks!

Labour were forced onto the back foot over cuts, because you're quite right, they had wasted a lot of public money when times were better. And Gordon Brown has to take responsibility for that. But the pledges to make cuts were political promises, designed to win votes and keep them in power. There would have been cuts had they won, but not like this. Nurses and other hospital staff, police, social workers, youth workers...Labour would never have cut these things.

Chuck, I'm sure you will agree with me, NO economic or humanitarian crisis has EVER been solved by the government retreating into itself and cutting money (supplies, support, medical care, social care, etc) from the people. And the crazy thing is we can afford it, we have the money!! Some good analysis on the TV just now. The last time there were widespread city riots in the UK was the early-to-mid 80s (I remember it well, I grew up with it). Then we had: - cuts in government spending - high unemployment - a stern Conservative government Right, back to watching the live stream. Take care everyone, and let's hope this finishes soon.

Forgive me for snipping your post hystw :) Did you follow the financial figures? We were just starting to pull out of negative growth by the election. Things were turning round. Since then it's been all downhill. Not only has the economy been worse every financial quarter, but services are being cut left, right and centre. And, with all due respect, **** the IMF. How have they helped Britain in the past? Never. We are not in the Eurozone, so our hands are not tied and our currency and economy will never collapse. We don't have to worry about that. But, how much social harm are we prepared to accept before we stop cutting money from hospitals, the poor, the disabled, and the young?

Some very interesting points in there, but capitalism cannot (by definition) 'collapse'. If the present system should, something would be along to replace it. That's the essence of capitalism. Anyway, a very interesting article considering the last few days in England.

Kat, it's been known to make sense since the 30s (and proven true on huge scales right across the world). Unfortunately the Tories have never admitted that reality.

The police indeed lie, and cheat. Usually the worst of that goes on at the top levels though in the UK. Even if they are sometimes useless (or occasionally unfair) the ground-level police in this country generally mean well. You can't fake live TV coverage from the frontlines (all across London) and I've been watching it all night. It's all real. All honest. And what those police have gone through in the last three days is unbelievable. Just check out BBC News 24 on a live stream for an hour. You won't believe it. (I'm just listening to a live feed - interview with a lady whose block of flats was burned out but luckily she and her family were able to somehow escape.) Violence is everywhere, you are so right, and London is still no more dangerous generally than any capital city, so don't let it put you off visiting sometime :) Indeed. You're so right. The cuts that have been put in place here in the southeast are the same as anywhere else. The thing is, most people round here are quite wealthy. The cuts only hit the lowest-income groups, and they're 'invisible' out here. But go into any homeless shelter, or hospital even!!, and the services are being cut so obviously I'll bet. They're cutting support for cancer sufferers for goodness sake!!!!! We've seen evidence of the cuts growing recently round here. There are a lot more kids on the streets, as well as older people who have no doubt lost work. The shops are emptying, there are not so many people on the trains or buses. People are scared to spend. There's been a growing resentment for a while, a feeling of hopelessness, and I think this bromance government have got it utterly wrong by just ignoring it and forcing cut after cut after cut. No-one really thinks they care about the people. And I really believe that's true myself. 100%. Social democracy ftw. Completely agree kat :(

Been watching live for an hour or so...shocking scenes. I never expected this, but then this is the first series of riots we've had really since the rise of social networking - it's incredibly easy for people with all sorts of motives to come together to cause trouble. There are always simmering tensions in some of London's poorer boroughs. and even in the 'best' areas, you are never more than a couple of streets away from some very poor and dilapidated housing. Just look at Belsize Park - generally a very very expensive area, but with some completely rundown, drug-riddled social housing just a minute or two's walk away. OMG Croydon is alight now - residential buildings as well as businesses. It's easy to try to make a political point at a time like this but I've been hearing tonight that Haringey (where Tottenham is) and Hackney have seen cuts of 80 or 90% for youth services and facilities due to the government cuts. That's unbelievable, because in these areas if the kids don't have anything else to do, they'll be sucked into drugs and crime. It's that simple. London is one of the crime capitals of the world, I'm really shocked to hear that anyone didn't suspect that. London, Paris, New York (I know it's been cleaned up a lot in the last 20 years but I guess a lot of stuff still goes on), Tokyo...huge amounts of money, power, corruption, organised crime, vast disparities in income and wealth and entitlement... Incredibly sad, and it continues to be a huge worry, but in a sense perhaps this is the shocking wake-up call that as a society we've (imvho) needed for so long. Hoping everyone can stay safe and this madness will end very, very soon.

The taxi driver would have been the main witness I think, so I guess he's the one who has sparked the investigation (?)

It's very sad to see, especially just a few hours after the Spurs game finished. I almost went along, and would probably have gone for a drink nearby afterwards for a bit, it's scary to think about. I know one chap who lives on the High Road and watched some of it happening in the road just outside his window :o The shooting is the subject of an IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) inquiry - it's far from clear what the situation around the shooting was until they report back. The family are far from happy and made a protest yesterday - a genuine protest, despite the fact he seems to have been a gangster - because they have not only lost a son, but the circumstances are said to be highly suspicious. Unfortunately any protest in London attracts looters (just remember the student protests) and there are some very poor and very criminal people around that part of London particularly. Very sad to see.

Wow, almost £800, an amazing total :dance: I'm so glad someone with ebay feedback won - I found the high-bidding people with zero feedback a bit 'odd'... I hope whoever won will have a wonderful dinner with Debs. Really, I knew I'd never have a chance of winning with my bid :P but was happy to help the process along. While I was top bidder though I did have to consider what I'd talk about. Apart from a brief mention of LP5 ('you know how much we're looking forward to it, right?' - aka 'stupid question :laugh3:) I would have loved to have chatted about Kenya, the problems in East Africa, Cancer charities, and Prince. I hope whoever goes enjoys every moment - sure they will! :sunny:

I've only just seen this, thanks a lot guys! :hug: Hope everyone is well :)

Happy birthday my friend, hope you're having a really wonderful day :sunny:

You've made my day, thank you so very much :)

I'm presently top bidder, but that won't last long :cry: I expect a friend of Debs or someone connected to the band to win (call me cynical, but it's so obvious that compared to most of us they have a lot of money, plus of course they will want to see Debs do well - as she should). In a dream situation this would actually go to a fan, but of course a respectful and considerate one... Good luck everyone :)