He's signed a contract with....









...Man U!! Ha! Thus proving that we're ALL a bunch of dupes, including those ninnies in the media, who've slavishly reported everything without any questions!

Re. publishing, let me collect a few thoughts, and then I'll get back to you.

He appears to have shown a degree of intelligence and business acumen, because after all that's been said over the last few days, he's signed a new contract with.....Man.U.

2CViking, I really, really, am talking with my tongue firmly in t'cheek with much of what I say.

The whole immigration issue is a giant kettle of worms - if we are permitted to emigrate to warmer climes such as Spain, Portugal, France, Goa, Nepal, Aussie or god knows where, then how can we say 'no' to people coming into this country?

I also value the culture in these diverse lands and would hate to see it diluted excessively. When I visit Turkey, I want to hear the call to prayer, and I want my children to be picked up and kissed by complete strangers. I don't want either of these things in Blighty...

Similarly, back 'home', I do NOT under any circumstances want to hear a Minaret sound out a single squeak. Church bells, yes - but because they are part of our culture, and not because they are a religious call to worship.

It is a very hard balance to find, and I don't believe there are any simple answers to it. When I lived in Kennington, London, the only bovver I had was with the moronic white family at the end of the terrace; their little fat kid smashed one of our windows because he assumed that me and my bro were obviously gay... His equally fat older sister would waddle out of their house mid afternoon and shout across the street to her friend "Hey! Sharon! Wanna get a bag o' chips and a v-ee-oo?" (I'm guessing that's 'video'). The Asian family next door were as polite as you could hope any neighbour to be - their only fault was to allow their cooking smells to drift over the garden wall - makes my tummy rumble to think of it even now.

I have to be a bit 'right wing' here and say that I think the British culture - with all its faults, but with many good things too - should largely be preserved and anyone coming to live here should in essence 'adopt' our way of living - by that I mean 'integrate' and not set up small versions of their own homeland (er, like Brits do in Portugal...)

You wanna be a Muslim in this country? No problem - do what you want, but do NOT let your Minaret sound a single squeak. You wanna set up a Muslim school? NO! And ditto for any other faith (but that's a different issue...!)

I agree, Old Nail - when I travel to other countries, it's their culture I want to experience and immerse myself in.

For all 'our' faults, tho', I still think that British folk are a pretty nifty bunch on the whole - and that (along with family) is what really makes 'home' feel good. Where will you find a more witty, warm, easy-going bunch of peeps? And a lot of ars**oles too, I know. But they exist everywhere

I think his manager must have shown all those qualities for him you mean, because Rooney strikes me as being as thick as he looks.

Just as when I visit Bolton - I don't.

Check out this band folks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCofsVH3cA8

Nice find Joe, that band has a kind of blues-ey blue grass feel to some of their stuff.
They even did my theme tune!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHe8drYDF_U&feature=related

haha, mine too!

also, check out kitty daisy and lewis, probably the most talented british group at the moment! and they are brothers and sisters around my ages, listen to this canned heat cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcywnNixrQw

Worth watching just for the drummers jiggling.
I like that kind of stuff, makes me want to reach for the Jack Daniels....Oh dear...

Yeh, she has a mighty fine set of chesticles or topbollocks or whatever you call them!