BigD

Compulsory voting gets better politicians????? Rubbish! Australia has Compulsory Voting, and while many do vote, there is a section which "spoils" its voting paper, thus making it an informal vote, not attracting a fine, and not registering a vote for any candidate. Education? We are talking of people from all walks of lfe and all countries, many of them not knowing anything about politics, and not interested either. Forced to vote, they tick whichever candidate is at the top of the voting slip. Hence, a donkey vote! So it is easy for a candidate to be elected by people who are really not voting for him. The politicians and parliament are just as bad - but it makes them idle, as they know thay people have to vote; they do not have to approach anyone for their vote. They just take a chance. Apart from all that, I was always taught that the first rule in a democracy was that we have the Right to Vote. Right? Well, let me tell you that the right to vote also carries with it the right not to vote!

Why do Doctors etc always say things like "it costs the NHS..." x amount of money each year? Think about the actual amount in tax and excise which goes into Government coffers each year - many, many times the cost of hospitalisation. And costs of hospitalisation should be taken from that. NHS gets all its funds from taxation anyway. Pubs and Clubs in Victoria, Australia were forced to have non-smoking gaming rooms and restaurants last year, and clubs all put back money into the local communities. After the 'ban', profits went down by an average of 40%. So, clubs had to have smoking and non smoking areas, costing them money to set up, communities lost much needed revenue from cluibs, and governments lost a great amount in gaming taxes. But all for the public good?

I remember Attercliffe Baths, but not a happy memory. That was where Woodhouse Grammar teachers FAILED MISERABLY to teach me to swim. If they are still standing(are they?), you can probably still see my finger marks in the tiles on the edge of the bath, 45 years later! Oh, I still cannot swim.

Living in South Yorkshire, or West Riding when I was a lad, we were taught a foreign language - English.

Not a big chocolate eater, BUT... Fruit and Nut and Kit Kat really make me sit up and beg!!

So what? Lots of others can't drive and have got their own car. Colour of car? Mine is white, mainly because of the weather here - reflects the heat best, and helps with air conditioning.

Looking at our local news tonight, and saw the England team arriving on the Gold Coast today. They played a game in Brisbane last night didn't they? And won again. I don't think the Aussies are going to be a real threat somehow.

Hey, its real good reading proper English as its sposed to be. I rang my cousin in Bromsgrove last night and she said "You don't sound a bit like Yorkshire, you sound real Ozzie", and I was bloody mad about that.

Hey, leave Aust out of this one. We can make enough mistakes, but we still say 'Barth". Well, I don't, I still use the South Yorkshire 'bath'. But, in reference to an earlier post, in Aust, the stuff growing on the front garden is not grass(as in ass), not graws, but grars. Sorry if I have got off subject, but had to mention this.

I got 'Ilkley Moor' put on on mu Nokia, and no one confuses it with theirs!

Exactly. I couldn't agree more!!

Piece of what?

I thought it was a new park in Sheffield .... obviously haven't missed much.

Ohhhh!! That explains it much better then!! Can we ban intelligent buggers from this forum?

I think we have been through the 'I hate religion' debate enough, but I do feel sorry for the poor old catholics. Or maybe that should be 'rich' old catholics. I mean, how do you expect a 'Chairman' to keep order when he has to be propped up every morning?