What's caused the downfall of this country?

[Storer68]

A bit of perspective me old fruit is needed here.......

Cheap gin, first imported from the Netherlands in the 1690s, became an extremely popular drink in the early 18th century. Politicians and religious leaders began to argue that gin drinking encouraged laziness and criminal behaviour. In 1729 Parliament passed a Gin Act that increased the tax on the drink. This action was unpopular with the working-classes and in 1743 resulted in riots in London. The crowd ignored the magistrates reading of the Riot Act, and a great deal of damage was done. The government responded by reducing duties and penalties, claiming that moderate measures would be easier to enforce

 

[Storer68]

Where is the "Palace fans" option ?

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I am not divorced, but I am sure many people reading this thread are. I know that in the 60's there was a piece of legislation that was put in place, which basically was a catch all for divorce which goes something on the lines of "an irretrivable break down of marriage". Before this piece of legislation adultery or mistreatment or whatever had to be proven..

Not sure what you mean by "catch all" but prior to the 1960's it is my understanding that there was a need to prove/establish fault by one of the parties in order for a divorce to be granted. This is now not the case but it has to be established/proved, in court, that the marriage has irretrievably broken down. Proven adultery and mistreatment (eg unreasonable behaviour, desertion) are examples (I think there are five in total) of categories under which a divorce can be granted.

Now I am not saying this piece of legislation is wrong as I have not been in an unhappy marriage and each couples situation may be intolerable but this and continuing pieces of legislation has made divorce so much easier over time in the UK.

Don't see your point here? What's specifically wrong with the current legislation, how would you want it amended?

.............. Divorce leads to the break up of the family unit which is THE building block of any society. It has nothing to do with Thatcher.

Really? I believe Margaret Thatcher once said that "There is no such thing as society"

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Everything on the poll.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Divorce leads to the break up of the family unit which is THE building block of any society. It has nothing to do with Thatcher.

I feel it is worth repeating this....Thatcher didnt believe in society and famously said so.

 

[drew]

I feel it is worth repeating this....Thatcher didnt believe in society and famously said so.

You can repeat it all you like but either Simmo isn't listening or he suffers from selective dyslexia!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

A bit of perspective me old fruit is needed here.......

Cheap gin, first imported from the Netherlands in the 1690s, became an extremely popular drink in the early 18th century. Politicians and religious leaders began to argue that gin drinking encouraged laziness and criminal behaviour. In 1729 Parliament passed a Gin Act that increased the tax on the drink. This action was unpopular with the working-classes and in 1743 resulted in riots in London. The crowd ignored the magistrates reading of the Riot Act, and a great deal of damage was done. The government responded by reducing duties and penalties, claiming that moderate measures would be easier to enforce

We're not the only ones who have scares when the proles take to alcohol. Absinthe was banned in France when it became the drink of choice of the working classes.

 

[Lord Large]

The fact THATCHER is no an option is a joke.

The fact most people are saying Blair is almost as big a joke...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I blame Sarah Beeny for encouraging greedy muppets to actually BELIEVE their dreary rabbit hutch is worth a quarter of a million quid.

Oh, and the government - obviously - for not doing enough to ensure that EVERY household is lifted out of poverty so they can install a 40 inch Sony Bravia with full sensurround speakers and Setanta Sports.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

No option for that c*nt Gordon Brown.

 

[Lord Large]

Thatcher and the collapse of community and explosion of the materialistic 'the world owes me a f***ing house with a mortgage I can't pay and expensive clothes on credit I cannot afford' kcik started the whole sorry shabang.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Don't be bitter.

 

[Hungry Joe]

New Labour would never have existed without the climate created by Thatcherism. She certainly has a lot to answer for. Shame on them both.

 

[Lord Large]

I'm not bitter. I've got a mortgage I can pay and live well within my means.

But too many people in this country are ruled by consumerism based almost entirely on credit. Nobody seems prepared to wait for anything these days. It isn't just the chavs either - its the families who over-stretch themselves for a nice four by four to keep up with the playground set, the students who take our loans and then spunk it on designer clothes and the latest mobiles phones...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

No option for that c*nt Gordon Brown.

Gordon Brown is a decent and honest man. Hardly his fault Fanny May and Freddie f*** and Northern Cocks got greedy and blew the world economy into recession. Actually, can't WAIT til you all get the spiv Tory Boy government you deserve. Will be totally in keeping with the Southern set of me-based values. Scotland's got the right idea, distancing itself from England, aligning more and more with Europe and becoming a place that looks after its people, rather than denying them life-saving cancer drugs on the advice of their accountants. What a land fit for heroes. Better shot of it. Maybe the North of England should consider doing likewise, and leave the Home Counties entrenched in a morass of greed, selfishness and stupidity. Cos it seems to like it that way. IMHO, like.

and... RELAX

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

New Labour would never have existed without the climate created by Thatcherism. She certainly has a lot to answer for. Shame on them both.

New Labour was purely and simply a PR job aimed at seducing Middle England into thinking that Labour were electable. And it worked. Gordon Brown might feel personally embittered that Tony B.Liar got the leader job ahead of him, but if Gordon Brown had got the job straight off, Labour would not have been elected. Tory Boys would have reacted to Gordon Brown then like they're reacting now. They wanted a snakeoil-salesman then and they're GAGGING for a snakeoil-salesman now. B.Liar had more in common with David Cameron than he ever had with Gordon Brown.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Gordon Brown is a decent and honest man. Hardly his fault Fanny May and Freddie f*** and Northern Cocks got greedy and blew the world economy into recession. Actually, can't WAIT til you all get the spiv Tory Boy government you deserve. Will be totally in keeping with the Southern set of me-based values. Scotland's got the right idea, distancing itself from England, aligning more and more with Europe and becoming a place that looks after its people, rather than denying them life-saving cancer drugs on the advice of their accountants. What a land fit for heroes. Better shot of it. Maybe the North of England should consider doing likewise, and leave the Home Counties entrenched in a morass of greed, selfishness and stupidity. Cos it seems to like it that way. IMHO, like.

and... RELAX

Tom the man is a one eyed sweaty hardly what this country needs right now.

 

[Lord Large]

He is hardly what the country needs no, you are right.

But he is hardly as much to blame as countless others.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Tom the man is a one eyed sweaty hardly what this country needs right now.

So tell us what it does need

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

So tell us what it does need

David Cameron MP - for Witney