Renton

First there is the hype and then there is the anti-hype. We were never as good as people hoped but we have not turned to shit overnight. We're about 8th best in the world but we didn't play to that potential in a single game. We were shite against Germany I'm afraid. Whether that's a true reflection of how good we actually are is a different matter. Germany are no great shakes which makes it worse for me. What potential? There is no potential imo. England are not a top 10 side and things are only going to get worse. You're just a wonderful ray of sunshine you aren't you? Where's the young talent coming through though? The premiership, for whatever reason, is killing the National game in England.

First there is the hype and then there is the anti-hype. We were never as good as people hoped but we have not turned to shit overnight. We're about 8th best in the world but we didn't play to that potential in a single game. We were shite against Germany I'm afraid. Whether that's a true reflection of how good we actually are is a different matter. Germany are no great shakes which makes it worse for me. What potential? There is no potential imo. England are not a top 10 side and things are only going to get worse.

Fucking hell. The team and manager are an utter disgrace yet the worst thing for you were the England fans who actually made the effort to get there? Heard it all now. If you're such a superfan, why weren't you there? Or are you missing the good old days of football thuggery?

Not a single member of the german team that just won 4-1 plays abroad though They all do - Germany.

Btw, I fear for stevie tonight.

Putting Heskey on showed he wants his pay off IMO. And the mugs at the FA extended his contract before the tournament! Redknapp very diplomatic there....

Still pissed off that I didn't wake up. Sorry mate. Surprised they're sending anybody higher than a plod round to be honest, was fully expecting the "Yeah there's been a spate of these, we'll take your details and add them to the file, here's the incident number thankyou and goodbye" (I have been listening into the feeds for East London, but I've not heard us have a mention yet... ) Arse is clearly dropping there like Fishy, sounds to me like someone needed a bit extra cash and decided to stage a "burglary" thinking it would be a piece of piss. Now its gone too far and people are getting hurt. Just 'fess up and pop the telly back in time for the game, theres a good lad. Peasepud brave enough to say what everyone is thinking.

Still pissed off that I didn't wake up. Sorry mate. Surprised they're sending anybody higher than a plod round to be honest, was fully expecting the "Yeah there's been a spate of these, we'll take your details and add them to the file, here's the incident number thankyou and goodbye" (I have been listening into the feeds for East London, but I've not heard us have a mention yet... ) I'm not surpised they're sending a detective round, I think it's standard policy nowadays. We got one when some scrote ripped the number plate from our car. Never heard from him again like. Anyway, commiserations, getting burgled is a right shitter. It'll come as no consolation but getting burgled was the norm in the 80s and early 90s, it happened to me four times in two years once. Because of this I couldn't get insurance, so I pretty much ended up owning nothing to my name at all. I'd like to castrate the twats that did it but there was never any serious effort to identify them.

This had dropped to the second page whilst HF is cavorting through the States. I watched 'This is England' again last night. Third time I've seen it and it just gets better on each viewing. It's not long so anybody who hasn't seen this must give it a go. I would have been almost exactly the same age as the protagonist so it really brings back the memories of what a shit time the 1980s was, but how I miss them in a perverse way. I read on wiki that a TV series starring the same characters is planned soon on Channel 4 - 4 episodes at first. It's set in 1986 which was the age I started drinking and fingering girls. Could be great, I can't wait.

The Times pointed out that regionalised 'double dip' recessions can occur. Guess where this will affect in the UK?

I think that the lack of idealogical differences is a bit of a myth, and I think it is promoted by the right as cynicism helps undermine"do-gooders" and those with a progressive agenda. Apart from the early par of the New Labour the Tory Party has always been very succesful at defining the language political argument is coached in, which was a big part in the very efficient election winning machine they once were. I'm obviously not claiming New Labour or any of the current candidates has a strong traditional socialist agenda - that idealogical battle is over. The Labour years have brought in the minimum wage, improved funding and improvement to the NHS and education which are far too easy to decry. I am fairly certain the next few years will illustrate the idealogical differences all to clearly -though the Tory Party will be claiming every decision they make is 'unavoidable'. I couldn't agree more with this. Good post.

Article today in the Times about the inevitability of the North South divide worsening under the coalition. Don't think I can link to it now though, and I'm not paying for it twice!

I saw about half of the half and my impressions are England have NO chance against these teams. That's not being pessimistic either because in reality I couldn't give a shit about England either way, it's just realism.

I'm all for high tech solutions, but thats just it with nuclear - only half of it is high tech, the other half distinctly low tech - bury the waste ....with a half life of 40,000 years.... NIMBY please (but have a guess which part of the country has lots of secluded spots where nobody goes). Sure there are some nasty years ahead but a least with oil you only pay once, no matter how much it costs. With nuclear you pay again and again with little or zero margin for error. You haven't given any alternatives though. Modern nuclear stations are pretty failsafe, more people have been killed in conventional power stations in fact. Chernobyl was nowhere near as bad as was anticipated. It could have been a lot worse like but it would be unfair to compare that decrepit piece of Soviet junk with a modern plant. As for waste, seriously, who gives a shit? Just bury it securely 2 miles underground and forget about it. Apart from the expense I've never understood why it's an issue. Compared to the pollution caused by fossil fuels it's nothing to worry about imo. Until we get fusion we're stuck with fission as part of the solution I'm afraid.

There the least of my problems nowadays on Northumberland street. You have to run the gauntlet of beggars, pollsters, and worst of all charity workers. The latter have recently become uber aggressive in their approach, following you up the street, trying to be pally and strike up a conversation. Just fuck off you cunts. Fortunately I am adept at using the 'human shield' approach.

In no way I said or wanted to suggest that there isn't any rivalry. Of course England is seen as a rival - how could it not looking at the history of the teams and those classic matches? Of course there is a fair share of idiots thinking of English people as "Inselaffen" but then I think the predominant feeling of the gereral public towards England rather is one of respect. And as much as our only tabloid (Bild Zeitung) is probably trying to stir things up a bit themselves, people are not getting as agitated about the match as English people do. It's a match at the knock-out stage of the World Cup, it's a match against a good team and an old rival. But in the end that's it. It's totally different to the climate a match against the Dutch would create, which would indeed bring out the awfully worst from the German majority. You can also argue that a match against Italy - another rival - would bring out more venom from the common "kleine Deutschländer". Your only ally, and there's venom. I can understand the respect thing though to be honest, battered you in two world wars, battered you in a World Cup Final, greatest culture on earth, while you's are doing line dancing in tents drinking out of 4 pint glasses with leather shorts on. I think and I mean this Germans would like to be more like the English, I really believe that. Same is true of the dutch definitely, although they'd never admit it. Aye, and good job we're not arrogant like them as well.

It's massive for them, I don't care what they say. Ah it definitely is, still think England will win but obviously on sunday i'll have a couple of hotdogs (using frankfurters) a bottle of some german beer, and i'll maybe get Stevie printed on the back of an old bayrenMunich top to wear during I'm doing a themed night for the final. I'm hoping the Dutch make it. That way I can drink Grolsch, smoke weed and watch porn. For a change.

Exactly the reaction he craves that Ant.

The Jormans kicked the fuck out of Sunderland as well, while we were defended by Brave Geordies Spitfire pilots.

Iirc Germany see Holland as their main rivals and that view is reciprocated.

Any link Rob? Anybody who is against nuclear power on principle is an idiot imo, one reason why I will never accept the dogma of the Greens. Nuclear power is crazy - its just kicking the can down the road. If theres one industry thats guaranteed to need massive bailouts in the future its nuclear. Thats when the eggheads that want build more will suddenly start emigrating - I guarantee you now that will happen. Well what are the alternatives then? Renewables can only provide so much (and not much). Gas won't last forever and makes us dependent on other countries. Is it still acceptable to use coal? The French have successfully used Nuclear for nearly all their energy needs for decades, and import electricity to us - at considerable profit no doubt. Like I said it should be open for debate and not dismissed out of hand based on irrational fears and prejudices.

None of those would fill me with confidence. Not even Rooney on current form, if he is still playing by then. Maybe Lampard. Anyone got the odds for England 1 Germany 1 and for us to lose on penalties?

And you think your opinions of Ed Balls are entirely objective, and not affected by you political allegiance, but of course, mine are, as are that of the audience. No point in discussing things further, you have about as much self-awareness as Fop did, and all evidence points to him as being a Bot who suffered a catastrophic meltdown. Never has this been more true. 'Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level, and defeat you with experience'.

Might be worth early adopters seeing if the reception is an issue. Beeb.

I thought Balls did fine tonight, giving Cable a good kicking for being a sad old hypocrite, in what way do you think he was using rhetoric? He got enough applause from the audience. Cable was dying by the end. However, I must remember I am biased and you're completely objective, so you're right of course. Didn't see Abbot, but did you see Will Hutton before this? Echoed everything Chez has been saying. It'll be on iPlayer if anyone is interested.