Bad things happening in London

[Ben]

By Richard Edwards

12:01AM BST 22 Sep 2007


The Liberal Democrat leadership hopeful, Nick Clegg, admitted he served a community sentence when he was 16.



The home affairs spokesman was punished for destroying part of Germany's most precious botanical collections in a "drunken prank".

He had to spend weeks digging gardens in a Munich suburb and faced being expelled from Westminster School. The incident occurred when Mr Clegg, now 40, was on an exchange trip in Munich.

He has also told how his classmates shamed him by mocking their German hosts with Nazi goose-stepping routines and Hitler salutes.

The Sheffield Hallam MP had claimed, when asked whether he had ever taken illegal drugs, that politicians had a right to a "past private life".


But at the party conference in Brighton this week, where he announced his leadership ambitions, Mr Clegg said the cactus prank was the "worst trouble" he got into.
He said he and a friend became drunk and found they had two boxes of matches, in a greenhouse full of exotic plants.
They began lighting various plants, watching their tiny hairs burst into flame. They ended up burning two greenhouses of cacti.
Mr Clegg said: "I think we all have blemishes in our past."

[robertlouis]

you are welcome but we have a mad bitch of a prime minister that's running our country down the drain as quick as she can

We had one of those just over 20 years ago.....

[Ben]

We had one of those just over 20 years ago.....

I think Margaret Thatcher actually believed that so-called free market capitalism could bring about a utopian society. (Well, there aren't any "free markets." A free market means: no minimum wage laws, no child labor laws etc. etc.
But so-called corporate capitalism needs a big State. Just in case they need to be bailed out... ) Anyway, she was an intellectual committed to the ideas of Friedrich Hayek....

[robertlouis]

I think Margaret Thatcher actually believed that so-called free market capitalism could bring about a utopian society. (Well, there aren't any "free markets." A free market means: no minimum wage laws, no child labor laws etc. etc.
But so-called corporate capitalism needs a big State. Just in case they need to be bailed out... ) Anyway, she was an intellectual committed to the ideas of Friedrich Hayek....

And in doing so led the most socially divisive government in this country's history since Charles I provoked civil war.

Thatcherism's contribution to the last week's events in terms of the creation of attitudes is all too obvious - the creed of me first and fuck you, greed is good, destruction of industries and communities with nothing structural to compensate, and the accelerated growth of a burgeoning underclass estranged from the rest of society and society's moral principles and standards.

We hear plenty about "misguided mollycoddling" ( (c) The Daily Mail), but hardly anything about the right's huge contribution to the varied factors that have led to this week's disgraceful events.

[robertlouis]

Can you guys share your soccer jokes with us? We wanna laugh too. We just don't understand the humor but we're willing to listen if you care to explain. I'll tell a few knock-knock jokes in return to show my gratitude.

So why are Fulham fans complaining about their £1M statue of Michael Jackson when Chelsea paid £50M for theirs?

You're on your own, Dino.....

[Ben]

And in doing so led the most socially divisive government in this country's history since Charles I provoked civil war.

Thatcherism's contribution to the last week's events in terms of the creation of attitudes is all too obvious - the creed of me first and fuck you, greed is good, destruction of industries and communities with nothing structural to compensate, and the accelerated growth of a burgeoning underclass estranged from the rest of society and society's moral principles and standards.

We hear plenty about "misguided mollycoddling" ( (c) The Daily Mail), but hardly anything about the right's huge contribution to the varied factors that have led to this week's disgraceful events.

As Noam Chomsky has pointed out: we're taught from childhood and through school and TV etc. etc. that you should only care about yourself. No one else matters.
You know: gain wealth forget all but self. And it actually goes against fundamental human attributes which are: sympathy and concern for others.
But the culture -- be it England or America -- is intent on driving that out of us. Ya know, no one else matters. That philosophy has brought about a cultural malaise.

[Ben]

Selfishness is part and parcel of corporate culture... which has become the culture. We adopt, as it were, corporate values. Not human values. Like sympathy for others. But corporate values like, well, the new i pad --

[Dino Velvet]

So why are Fulham fans complaining about their £1M statue of Michael Jackson when Chelsea paid £50M for theirs?

You're on your own, Dino.....

Let me try...

Ummmmm...

OK... Remember, I'm not British, OK?

Here goes...

So why are Fulham fans complaining about their £1M statue of Michael Jackson when Chelsea paid £50M for theirs?

Since the death of Michael Jackson, Chelsea began a marketing campaign that this statue is "Just like shagging the real thing!".

[robertlouis]

Let me try...

Ummmmm...

OK... Remember, I'm not British, OK?

Here goes...

So why are Fulham fans complaining about their £1M statue of Michael Jackson when Chelsea paid £50M for theirs?

Since the death of Michael Jackson, Chelsea began a marketing campaign that this statue is "Just like shagging the real thing!".

Good try, here's the real story.

Just before the Fulham chairman unveiled his statue of Michael Jackson, Chelsea paid Liverpool £50M for their Spanish striker Fernando Torres, who took something like 15 matches to score his first goal for them.

[Dino Velvet]

Good try, here's the real story.

Just before the Fulham chairman unveiled his statue of Michael Jackson, Chelsea paid Liverpool £50M for their Spanish striker Fernando Torres, who took something like 15 matches to score his first goal for them.

Fernando Torres IS a statue, right?

Necrophilia jokes are all the rage with the young hipsters these days though.