Gorgon

It might well be argued that it wasn't theirs to begin with since the properites and castles were all bought and built with taxpayer money.

To be fair, Charles and his sons do have a lot of duties they deal with. So it's not all jetplanes and parties. Throw in the Queen as a general UK Ambassador type and the figurehead of state and spirit of the nation, and they do put in the effort. Say what you want about the majority of countries around the world, but state visits by the Queen and the immediate family can do a lot of good diplomacy for the country. Just because it isn't all in strict "official" form of diplomacy ... Well, it might make you feel good about yourselves and it might be entertaining, but it's undemocratic. Why not get some more healthy traditions which don't include showering one family in wealth and castles in return for the strenuous duty of handing out the honours list, doing a few charities and receiving dignitaries. The French had it right, off with the head and no feeling sorry after the fact.

And all of that for some ponce on account of an accident of birth. I wouldn't mind that job.

Why would one watch such a thing. I mean Is the outcome in doubt.... The republican in me gets really pissed at such pointless extravagance, but I suppose it will more than pay for itself in tourist derived income.

Damn, and I thought filibustering was exploiting the system. I've never seen anything like that. Does the vote really stand if there is a horde trying to get in with hammers ?

He reminds me of Worf from Startrek TNG, although that's probably a compliment. Still, it's hard to act when you don't have any lines.

I think the against vote could help curb ultra nationalist parties. A lot of people are really annoyed at them, but have no particular level of interest in the remainder of the political sphere. With that admission, perhaps reverse voting would be undemocratic and would be serving as a method to stifle the unpopular to an even greater degree than is already the case, and as we know the unpopular is often the necessary but painful change.

He's visiting Denmark today I think, it was in the Paper at work.

The problem is that people are even dumber than their elected representatives. If we had to have referendums on every item of national importance the result would be ruinous.

Wireless modem ?, internet browsing ?. Can it hook up to anything ?

My steam name is 'suckmywetfarts.' I don't have the game, but why waste a chance to say 'suckmywetfarts'

Hold on, if you lose a state all the seats from that state goes to the opposition. I'm sorry, that's not protecting minority rights, quite the opposite. If you happen to live in a republican stronghold as a democrat, or vice versa, your vote is worthless. You might as well stay home.

I have another Idea, you should be able to throw your vote against a given candidate or party as well as for it. Same difference you say, not at all. I can't think of any candidates I would want to vote for in the coming general election, more than a handful would be fighting over my 'blackball' vote though. It would increase turnout more than any such previous initiatives. Of course it might well end up with the winner being the one with the smallest vote deficit, but that would mirror reality pretty well.

I'm still hoping for more Sean Bean and less kids and direwolf pets.

I'm enjoying The Borgias a lot more. Jeremy Irons is great as the Capo di tutti Catholics.

http://bankofamericasuck.com Lol

but, the ascendancy of China is undeniable. Ten years ago Dalai Lama was successfully bringing attention to the problems of his displaced people, he was everything the west wanted an 'Arafat-like entity to be. Peace and harmony, willing to negotiate etc. Now he's toxic. No one in office takes the meeting out of fear of being shunned from the Chinese market.

I noticed a piece on graft in the paper at work. The Danish brewery Carlsberg apparently has admitted to greasing the wheels to gain a foothold in the Chinese market, but wouldn't say exactly how much, and obviously couldn't say to whom or where. How do you put that on your tax return anyway, don't you have to declare it.

Production goes where wages are the lowest. If you invest heavily in education though, you (a country) can be even richer than before all the manual labour jobs went overseas.

I think it's more to do with the staggering number of man hours required to build one.

The plural of swine is swine.

A tricked out trike ?. That cancels out all his other achievements. Those are foul. http://i-beta.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/art...7/50277.jpg?v=1

Why didn't they just go all out and chose Imperial March.

Gasprom is not just about selling oil and gas, it's direct extension of domestic and foreign policy. Making money is not the only concern.

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