Another Drive4show 'Anything goes' thread

by dynamark Sun 11 Aug - 8:07

First topic message reminder :

Hi folks not been around much lately due to new job and no access at work.
Digs I would avoid franchises and any long term property commitments connected to the business.
I very nearly bought into a coffee shop /café a few years ago and in the end it was the hours and time involved which put me off but the lad who bought it is flying .He will be open this morning and doing good business.Anything like that is all about position of course.One of the best businesses I have seen is a café bar in Bristol on the hill up to the Clifton area .opens at seven in the morning and closes at two in the morning.Change of menu and prices late afternoon and lighting /music for the evening trade.
Seen a few things in my new job with a large housing association providing social housing for the unwashed,unemployed,unfit,mentally ill,etc.One surprise is that they have properties and areas where only set religious groups are allowed to live.They call it 'creating communities'?
Hope all are well.

by JAS Wed 25 Sep - 10:23

Roller_Coaster wrote:Who else is there in that bracket of tormented sporting genius with the penchant for self destruction do you think?

Best
Gascoigne
Maradona

stand out for football to me. Had other high profiles such as Tony Adams and Paul Merson but didn't quite fit with the genius aspect to me.

Jim Baxter was another

by mystiroakey Wed 25 Sep - 10:24

Alex higgins and Ronnie O'sullivan are two very much on par on genius yet self destruction levels.

by mystiroakey Wed 25 Sep - 10:25

And George Best.

Something about british and Irish dudes I suppose!

by **navyblueshorts** Wed 25 Sep - 10:33

Demons? My arse! Too much money, too little brain, terrible advisors, leeches sucking on the ones with the money, societies that somehow think it's funny to get p*ssed and that it's OK for celebrities to snort/inject/swallow entire pharmacies, etc etc etc.

by westisbest Wed 25 Sep - 10:36

JAS wrote:
Roller_Coaster wrote:Who else is there in that bracket of tormented sporting genius with the penchant for self destruction do you think?

Best
Gascoigne
Maradona

stand out for football to me. Had other high profiles such as Tony Adams and Paul Merson but didn't quite fit with the genius aspect to me.
Jim Baxter was another

Not forgetting the Legend that is God.

Aka Paul McGrath

by mystiroakey Wed 25 Sep - 10:36

Thats crazy talk NBS.

But the reality is the way Paul has been dealt in this country is infinitely more moral than the way diego was put on a pedestal in Argentina for his behaviour.(he even got the national coaching role!!)

Gazza is fried and sadly probably has an iq of less than 80!!, If it wasn't for football I doubt he would be alive.. But he is nothing like diego who is an evil coke fueled tw*t that feeds of his ego..

Its very clear to me when you see a genuine depressed soul(chemical imbalance) over just a tw$t

Gazza, Ronnie and A.Higgins fits that category IMO, and without sport or fame would still have issues..

by MontysMerkin Wed 25 Sep - 10:37

My exgirlfiends uncle used to teach Gazza when he was a youth. Remedial English I think it was. He felt very sorry for him even then.

by MontysMerkin Wed 25 Sep - 10:38

And she was a fiend!

by super_realist Wed 25 Sep - 10:39

I think it appears that more footballers have that Genius/Madman thing because you can get away with it more in football.
You couldn't be a raving alcoholic and still be top of most other sports.

by mystiroakey Wed 25 Sep - 10:45

It is just so sad that the BEST English player by an absolute mile in the modern era was Depressed and hell bent on self destruction.

His potential was up there with the greatest of all time..

But anyway- GOOD LUCK PAUL and the family..

by incontinentia Wed 25 Sep - 11:20

westisbest wrote:
JAS wrote:
Roller_Coaster wrote:Who else is there in that bracket of tormented sporting genius with the penchant for self destruction do you think?

Best
Gascoigne
Maradona

stand out for football to me. Had other high profiles such as Tony Adams and Paul Merson but didn't quite fit with the genius aspect to me.
Jim Baxter was another

Not forgetting the Legend that is God.

Aka Paul McGrath

don't be silly, God doesnt have any demons!

by MustPuttBetter Wed 25 Sep - 11:46

Alex Higgins is a great shout Mysti

by Roller_Coaster Wed 25 Sep - 12:17

Higgins, good call as is Tyson (although brilliantly effective/destructive rather than boxing genius to me).

McGrath crossed my mind, but genius seemed a little bit too much to me. Good achievement of Ferguson to do without his talent on the pitch and great call from Villa for having a punt on him certainly a supreme defender for his time.

Does seem to be British/Irish affliction(?) mainly although whether that's as much due to the geography of us as contributors (and my knowledge lacking - I've not heard of Baxter for example) or predominantly an affliction of these isles and the attitude to drink/drinking/drunks. Any more global ones (he says waiting for the stateside contingent)?

by gaelgowfer Wed 25 Sep - 13:29

£300 penalties for men who spat in street

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10332523/300-penalties-for-men-who-spat-in-street.html

Tiger ... oh Tiger ...........

by **navyblueshorts** Wed 25 Sep - 13:36

mystiroakey wrote:Thats crazy talk NBS....

Not really. Some people have genuine issues. Combine that with what I mentioned above and it's a pretty potent cocktail.

by Davie Wed 25 Sep - 13:36

a £160 fine, legal costs of £120 and a victim surcharge of £20.

I wonder who the victim was

by golfermartin Wed 25 Sep - 14:04

Alex Higgins
Ronnie O'sullivan (although not in self destruct mode yet)

Forget that - a page behind!!

by incontinentia Wed 25 Sep - 14:08

watching the documentary last nite i was reminded that alcoholics anonomous is a religious organisation. where do atheist alcos go?

by super_realist Wed 25 Sep - 14:22

incontinentia wrote:watching the documentary last nite i was reminded that alcoholics anonomous is a religious organisation. where do atheist alcos go?

I didn't realise that Inco. At least they don't proseletise that fact too much or hold your recovery to ransom by requiring you convert or anything.

by mystiroakey Wed 25 Sep - 16:08

When Gaza went back to the AA group that he used to go to . He had to end his small speech about how alcohol affected him with a prayer. And it seemed as though every meeting ended in that prayer!

Not sure if it was the AA though- it could have been a different help group!

They stated that Gaza only gets help in the states now!!

Seems a bit odd. Hopefully he hasn't been drawn in by Tom Cruise and co!! He is exactly the type they like to work on!

by super_realist Wed 25 Sep - 16:10

mystiroakey wrote:When Gaza went back to the AA group that he used to go to . He had to end his small speech about how alcohol affected him with a prayer. And it seemed as though every meeting ended in that prayer!

Not sure if it was the AA though- it could have been a different help group!

They stated that Gaza only gets help in the states now!!

Seems a bit odd. Hopefully he hasn't been drawn in by Tom Cruise and co!! He is exactly the type they like to work on!

I'd rather be a deadbeat Alky than take "help" from any sort of religiously affiliated group.

As for Tom Cruise, I don't think Gazza has the financial clout to make it worth his while.

by mystiroakey Wed 25 Sep - 16:14

Yes your right Gaza probably hasn't go much at the moment(money wise) , and i think all his medical fees are being taken care of by richer friends anyway!

by beninho Wed 25 Sep - 16:24

Do people remember the mid 90's britpop, loaded, chris evans TFI friday era. When Gazza was always getting drunk. It was all such fun and people found it to be such a laugh. Now wish something had been done for Gazza at the time instead of thinking him as a hero of lad culture.

by super_realist Wed 25 Sep - 18:47

Anyone seen pictures of Steven Lee the match fixing snooker player. Bloody hell. Makes Shane Lowry look like he's spent the last year at Auschwitz.

by **navyblueshorts** Wed 25 Sep - 19:51

super_realist wrote:Anyone seen pictures of Steven Lee the match fixing snooker player. Bloody hell. Makes Shane Lowry look like he's spent the last year at Auschwitz.

Where is that :yawn: emoticon?

by super_realist Wed 25 Sep - 20:20

You seen him though Navy? He's like a weeble.

by kwinigolfer Wed 25 Sep - 20:30

Lowry was smaller(less portly) than I expected when we saw him at Oak Hill.
But Lee looks like he has Lowry's daily diet for breakfast.

by SmithersJones Wed 25 Sep - 21:28

navyblueshorts wrote:
mystiroakey wrote:Thats crazy talk NBS....
Not really. Some people have genuine issues. Combine that with what I mentioned above and it's a pretty potent cocktail.

I agree completely. Expect to see more in the near future.

by McLaren Thu 26 Sep - 1:53

Super what annoyed you about Ed?

Does it annoy you that some people have seen through the bull poop spouted by the likes of Friedman and Hayek?

by super_realist Thu 26 Sep - 7:22

It's not just me Mac, it seems it's almost everyone, he's a million miles behind even Cameron in opinion polls. That's how bad he is.

His capping of fuel prices is also juvenile and poorly thought out.

Did you hear his speech? Dreadful.

by JAS Thu 26 Sep - 7:46

Awful reflection of the nation and the way it now thinks that a complete and utter charisma free zone like Ed actually stands a chance of being elected. My personal view is that he's the least electable Labour Leader since old Michael. And don't get me started on Balls...nauseating, utterly nauseating!! ...and I'm a former card carrying member (emphasis on the word FORMER!!)

by beninho Thu 26 Sep - 8:35

Labour got the wrong brother. I also like Burnham. This Tory government are horrendous and labour should be wiping the floor with them the fact that they are not is a worry. The Tories will be worse if they get in on their own next time.

by super_realist Thu 26 Sep - 8:36

I really don't see how Labour in the last three years would have been any better.
Of course it's easy and trendy to slate the tories, but what would/could Labour have done to make things better.

by beninho Thu 26 Sep - 8:44

The benefit cap and bedroom tax are both Tory schemes which has had a massive impact on some of the poorest people in the country. Some people agree with the policy but it has been badly implemented. I agree though that it would have been a tough government for any party to have had after the last election. Though the sooner Gideon goes the better. It may be trendy to slate the Tories but I've never voted them so I can slate as much as I like.

It's a Shame though that politicians are based on charisma and likeability rather then what they say or do.

by super_realist Thu 26 Sep - 8:49

I agree with the bedroom tax not being a good idea and to a lesser degree a reform of the benefit system is necessary though not massively financially significant in what the changes will save.

Labour have been responsible for some terrible policies too so let's not assume they always act in the voters interests or would instantly make things better. Things were also bad under Gordon Brown

by JAS Thu 26 Sep - 9:21

beninho wrote:The benefit cap and bedroom tax are both Tory schemes which has had a massive impact on some of the poorest people in the country. Some people agree with the policy but it has been badly implemented. I agree though that it would have been a tough government for any party to have had after the last election. Though the sooner Gideon goes the better. It may be trendy to slate the Tories but I've never voted them so I can slate as much as I like.

It's a Shame though that politicians are based on charisma and likeability rather then what they say or do.

It is indeed Beninho but that the way things have gone in the past 30 years...probably all started with the Tories character assassinating both Foot and Kinnock and achieving a degree of success from doing it. Then then tables turned when Blair and his minions came along with an Honours degree in Spin and all of a sudden a whole plethora of Tory leaders were rendered unelectable.
We all bought into the early days of the Blair/New Labour project (well most did) but really, underneath it...where was the actual substance? The Blair Brown era was a triumph of spin...having the wool pulled over our eyes whilst they emptied the piggy bank!!

by MustPuttBetter Thu 26 Sep - 9:30

beninho wrote:The benefit cap and bedroom tax are both Tory schemes which has had a massive impact on some of the poorest people in the country.

Ha!
The bedroom tax is a restriction of housing benefit for families renting property with spare rooms. In other words, renting property bigger - and more expensive - than they need, and then claiming benefits for me to help pay for it!!
Bloody right that benefit should be restricted! I've got an idea - if you're terribly poor and your benefit has been cut, why not rent somewhere that's not bigger than you need??
Makes me laugh these people (not you Ben, the 'protesters'). I can't afford a property that's bigger than I need or can pay for, but these types want my taxes to help pay for their property with a bunch of unused rooms. Give me a break.

As for the benefit cap in general, it was the ridiculously over generous benefit system that contributed greatly to getting the country into this mess, expanded beyond all sustainability by err, Labour

by MontysMerkin Thu 26 Sep - 9:39

MustPuttBetter wrote:
beninho wrote:The benefit cap and bedroom tax are both Tory schemes which has had a massive impact on some of the poorest people in the country.
Ha!
The bedroom tax is a restriction of housing benefit for families renting property with spare rooms. In other words, renting property bigger - and more expensive - than they need, and then claiming benefits for me to help pay for it!!
Bloody right that benefit should be restricted! I've got an idea - if you're terribly poor and you're benefit has been cut, why not rent somewhere that's not bigger than you need??
Makes me laugh these people (not you Ben, the 'protesters'). I can't afford a property that's bigger than I need or can pay for, but these types want my taxes to help pay for their property with a bunch of unused rooms. Give me a break.

As for the benefit cap in general, it was the ridiculously over generous benefit system that contributed greatly to getting the country into this mess, expanded beyond all sustainability by err, Labour

But could be easily paid for by having a fair tax system.
They call it a drive to the bottom - surely we should live in a country that looks out for the less lucky/intelligent/affluent etc members of society? Especially with the amount of cash sloshing about (see bankers/big biz).
Constantly demonising people less well off (not just monetarily) than ourselves does not make for a balanced and happy society.
Less than 500,000 job vacancies in the UK with nearly 3 mill out of work. Do the maths.

by MustPuttBetter Thu 26 Sep - 9:42

All very utopian Monty
I'm not saying there aren't people out there who should/could be paying more tax.
But to say those affected by the 'bedroom tax' are poorest in society is a joke. People renting places with excess rooms the poorest in society? How? I can't afford that so i'm poorer! Why should i subsidise those people??

by MustPuttBetter Thu 26 Sep - 9:45

And since when did one opinion on one subjext constitute 'constantly demonising'??

by super_realist Thu 26 Sep - 9:45

There is as much demonisation of those who dare to work hard, use their initiative and have the temerity to make lots of money and generate profit.

Much of the wealth in this country is generated by a staggeringly small percentage of people.

It doesn't necessarily follow that simply because you have done well, you should have to unduly and unfairly subsidise those who haven't by paying disproportionate taxes.

By the way, the official unemployment rate is 2.4 million. Still too many, but not 3m

by beninho Thu 26 Sep - 9:46

I am fully aware what the bedroom tax is. The issue with it seems to be that the amount of people that are affected by the cut in benefit are not represented by the amount of smaller social housing properties available to move into. It was designed to move people to smaller properties therefore freeing up the larger properties. It does not work and was badly thought out. As all it has done is put people in rent arrears. Or would you rather people go into private rented which costs a hell if a lot more and then use up more of your precious taxes?

by MustPuttBetter Thu 26 Sep - 9:58

Not if you insist it affects the 'poorest in society' you're not

It was designed as part of the initiative to make the benefits system fairer.
I don't care what those people do.

As i've asked, why should i - as someone who cannot afford somewhere with spare rooms, bigger than i need, but does go out to work and have a kid - subsidise someone else who would quite like a property bigger than they need but can't afford. Why should i pay for that?

If you can give me a good answer to that that's fair enough. Otherwise, the benefit cut is quite obviously, by definition, fair

by mystiroakey Thu 26 Sep - 10:38

I am buying a property with 5 bedrooms and will be using 1 of them!!

I had better not get stitched up on this!!

by super_realist Thu 26 Sep - 10:42

Rent them out to the unemployed Mysti,

by mystiroakey Thu 26 Sep - 10:44

Ok I just read into it..

It only affects people on Housing benefit then..

Why is anyone complaining!

I was thinking about going Labour this time, but why would anyone want to scrap this tax.. Its fair enough tbh.. Anyone on a benefit to live in a house shouldn't need extra space!!

by SmithersJones Thu 26 Sep - 10:56

Lots of people affected by this would happily move to smaller properties, there just aren't any available. Lots of others need spare rooms for things other than sleeping in, such as medical equipment.

by beninho Thu 26 Sep - 10:56

Mr MPB, thats what is good about this country, we all have different views and opinions. I Believe that the cut in benefits is harsh on people, as these people have usually been placed in these properties by the councils, and given an open ended tenancy. They have not specifically set out to choose to live in a property with extra bedrooms. But it should therefore be the responsibility of the council to help these people move to other social housing. The problem though is that there is not enough of it. The issue with fairness, is nonsense though, as people in private rented accommodation, have chosen the property they want to live in, people in social housing are usually assigned a property, or offered in on there needs at that time.

But as i say we both have differing views, and neither are right or wrong.

by super_realist Thu 26 Sep - 10:56

Of course Oakey, how could they do anything for a property you own?

by super_realist Thu 26 Sep - 11:00

I think in terms of having children returning from Univeristy, disabled people, medical equipment etc then it's unfair. Making people share a room is also unfair.

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