B.C.G. JAG

Possibly, but a lot of accounts from her peers suggest otherwise. There doesnt appear to have to been quite the appetite for such a full scale assault on the unions and she appears to have been pretty much alone in her determination not to find compromises. Much as I dislike all Tories, I think we wouldnt have seen such extremes if say Heseltine had been leader. But on the point of her funeral, she should only be afforded the same respect she showed the working people of this country and those living under Pinochet or the tyranny of Apartheid, ie, none whatsoever. Im not condoning violence, but exactly how are the MET going to police the whole length of the ceremonial route and be able to extinguish any trouble that flares up elsewhere? Its asking for trouble.

Yup!

For anyone Mac based, google VPN Secure. You can get a uk proxy for 2 days on trial for $2. Works fine for me (in Australia) so I can join everyone live online at least. Heartbreaking not to be there, but will be wearing the colours come 1am.

I tried BTguard as it came with good recommendations but I got twat all out of it. My neighbour is trying a different one out just now and says he can get all the BBC channels, so if it works out I will pass the details on.

Cheers Kni. I see very little changes with the opportunistic my Anwar. Good grief Charlie Brown, good grief.

Just out of curiosity, what was the story about Aamer Anwar? I knew him years ago and am always interested in the amusing twists and turns of his career.

Brilliant, I'll be attending every game I can when I'm in the country and going crazy in Greaves. I can actually feel my shoulders have dropped by down to where they're meant to sit. Think we'll all be toasting that. I understand that the Club may well have wanted to some wriggle room in the run up to the vote, but this statement could have come a lot earlier and there will need to be some damage limitation with the press.

It seems almost across the board, Scottish football fans want to see the 3rd Division route. Rangers fans want to exact some revenge and pain on SPL clubs, some want to see punishment, or revenge for years of cheating. For me, it's about whether or not our game has any basic notion of sporting competition. Why should one team be promoted above any team from the Second, Third or Amateur leagues without even having kicked a ball in anger yet? What a kick in the teeth for anyone, any of us, who have braved the rubbish Scottish weather, travelled miles and emptied our wallets to follow our team, hoping rather than expecting them to progress. What is actually the point in following a game that is rigged? Seriously, even those on here who are saying they will go back no matter what, will you still feel the same when it's pishin doon, you've got a hangover, money's looking a bit tight and the missus is griping about going shopping - will you still think, ahh, but I must go along to support this completely rigged, uncompetitive pantomime? No, for me, it's a done deal. If the game is so openly and unapologetically rigged in favour of one team, then I could do without the terminal depression of pretending to be excited about what happens, when it's so obviously a set up. It's maybe easier for me on the other side of the world. As I said in another thread, I'll just throw my lot in with AFL here. Ironically, my local team - the Western Bulldogs - play in red, white & blue. The whole of Melbourne's Footscray is painted in those colours, every shop, restaurant and park bench are draped in those colours. It reminds me of the last time I was in Belfast. All that's missing is a tank on every street corner. Despite my severe reservations about them due to the colours, they are a genuine family club (my kids go to the Bulldog's Kindergarten!) and their attendances are about as low as their position on the ladder is. They've got a lot in common with Thistle and when I tell people about Thistle, they always say The Doggies are the right team for someone like me to follow. I can't bring myself to wear their colours though! I'll just keep my Jags gear for games. No, even if Servco get slotted into the first, I'd keep buying Thistle merchandise, even if the games themselves would be pointless. Well, I say that, but it's on the proviso that Thistle voted against that result. If they vote for an SPL1 result, then, they're just complicit in it too. Everyone is of course entitled to their own opinion, but I just can't square paying to watch such a rigged game. It's a sport - take the sport out of it and what have you got left? Answer - "He's behind yoooooooo!"

I used to post a bit more on this forum, but since moving to the other side of the world I just silently dip in now and again. I decided against posting on matters Thistle, because as I'm on the other side of the world, I'm a little out the loop. What I can tell you though is that the entire Rangers debacle is news over here. Occasionally it makes it into the headline news on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's radio bulletins. How much people really talk about it I don't know, but they do want to talk to me about it because of my country and city of origin. Rangers name is dirt, the world over. If they are allowed to cheat their way back in they will be held in contempt by sports fans everywhere. And so will anyone else who lays down the red carpet for them. I have up to now been hugely proud to educate the people I meet over here on all things Thistle. Everyone is universally impressed by a small club that sticks to it's principals in the face of our overwhelming neighbours. I worry that that proud position is under threat. I'm genuinely surprised that anyone connected with Thistle could even suggest giving Newco a leg up. Is the integrity of our game really up for auction? If we prostitute ourselves and vote yes, I go too. I'll just give up on Scottish Football. It will be a joke. I don't spend much on Thistle now, but we will be back in Sept for a couple of games, new shirts etc. But I won't associate myself with any club who whores themselves out. I'll take my kids to AFL games and they can get into that. If Rangers are allowed into SFL 1, we kill the whole game. Jim, this isn't about a few pennies here or there, it's about the future of the entire game. Vote yes, you kill the club. Vote no, and demand play offs anyway. Take that to David Beattie.

Apparently our house shook a fair bit, but to be honest, I was having a crap at the time and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary...

This to me is the nub of it. Have a laugh, do as you want, but when you are in kit you're representing the club. If the Club doesn't have an online policy it should probably have one - there's nothing too bad about the photo, but the potential is there. Someone should probably also sit the boys down for half an hour and explain that unguarded personal tweets could have a detrimental effect on their careers if they happen to say something politically unacceptable. They should also be careful of accepting random fans - the difference between telling a sex joke to a mate at work and a young female fan is significant, but not everyone is savvy enough to be able to control who sees what online. It's all common sense, but it is something that we all have to think about more and more now - how many of us regret something we've posted on social media (or even what someone else has posted on your page) that has been seen by employers, clients or family? Everyone everywhere is learning the hard way nowadays and I don't expect Partick Thistle FC to be world leaders on media presentation, particularly young players. It's just another thing for them to be aware of. That doesn't mean being a boring stiff about everything. It's just being a bit more aware of what is acceptable in what context. That's part of being an adult. On another point, I have also noticed that the Club's tableclothes do not always reach the floor, exposing a portion of table leg. Such overtly suggestive behaviour by the Club is simply unacceptable, particularly when minors or ladies may be present. I also hold the Club responsible for the highly agitated state in which I currently find myself.

I get to celebrate that wee bit earlier over here! Happy Anniversary everyone!

Well that's hardly setting an example.

That's going to be my last trip to Firhill for a while and what a game to finish on! After that, it feels like anything is possible. Who would have thought it after the terrible start we got off to in the season. Let's just hope it's not a blip.