NJS

It's the kids who are the "victims" as well - if they say they have worked damned hard which of course may well be true they aren't getting any credit so the brighter ones are losing out from a perception pov.

I think its a basic stepping stone - if I was looking for someone for a non-technical job I'd look at how they did in technical subjects to that level assuming they took something else later. Obviously now I only look at people with proper degrees anyway so GCSE maths is pretty meangingless.

I sat my Maths 'O' level in the last year that calculators weren't allowed for our exam board. The argument in going to calculators was that taking away the pain of log tables would mean the actual maths could become more advanced. This suggests that never happened. Onviously kids can only do whats put out in front to them (to use a footballing cliche) but I don't see the point of making it easier to get high grades - I think they should use percentiles instead of absolutes for grading - then people might "trust" them again.

Popped in today and got fobbed off. If you're not happy at being moved to the corner don't bother asking about alternatives until after the 17th (deadline for renewals). Apparently they hope the majority won't be picky, they're going to lift the entire Leazes L7 and drop it in the corner so everyone will be sitting around the same people they did before, just further away and £100 cheaper. If that's not for you, come the 17th, you can arrange an appointment to discuss where you can go. Did you get a chance confirm that the new family enclosure is L7 Milburn towards the Leazes?

Me too - being such an argumentative git I'll be independently auditing every sale. Incidentally I noticed from the ads that Coldplay have done an exclusive deal with iTunes - not saying it will limit sales but its another example of sucking corporate cock. Also BT I love the way you shifted it to "increasing sales" after I named a band who'd outsold them during their lifetime (RHCP) - I admire your twistability in the face of defeat. No you had to go back to 1999 to find them, which indictated that they weren't the biggest band TODAY AT PRESENT CURRENTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOW But Coldplay were alive in 1999 weren't they? How many has Coldplay's new album sold this year TODAY AT PRESENT CURRENTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF NOW?

Me too - being such an argumentative git I'll be independently auditing every sale. Incidentally I noticed from the ads that Coldplay have done an exclusive deal with iTunes - not saying it will limit sales but its another example of sucking corporate cock. Also BT I love the way you shifted it to "increasing sales" after I named a band who'd outsold them during their lifetime (RHCP) - I admire your twistability in the face of defeat.

BT: Another point you miss is calender timing - the new Coldplay album is out this month I think which gives it 6 months. Say U2 release an album in December then it obviously won't outsell Coldplay. However at the end of 2009 it's possible it will have sold more. That's why we are trying to get it through your head that performance over a decent time period is the only fair criteria. At one point you seemed to accept this by defining 2000 and/or since Coldplay formed. That is now dead as we have named artists who have sold more. We also trumped your "demand for tickets" argument with U2. You then tried "the media" - no evidence/examples forthcoming. So we're left with the contrived bet of "most sales in one 12 month period, January to December, of a nominated year" Also you say Coldplay are the biggest band NOW - despite the fact that sales of that album are ZERO for this year.

I usually get capped when I kick off my weekend porn download on Friday nights - it isn't that big a deal as it just speeds back up during the night. However I'm still thinking of cancelling just on principle. I first got Telewest in 2000 I think which was one of the first broadband services around and I paid £50 pm for quite a while (though the speeds increased over time). Now I pay £37 for 20Mb which will become 50Mb some time this year but its all pointless. You only need 1Mb tops for browsing so I don't know how they can actually sell broadband that is capped at this level - 3Gb (evening limit) isn't even a DVD. My first question when they offer 50Mb will by what's the point? Also I know its a cliche but the customer service has went completely tits up since the bearded twat bought it.

It actually annoys me more to see a good footballer fail to live up to his potential than to see a limited player make a good living. The injuries didn't help but we should have got so much more from him. Still a Saint for the free kick though.

I think if we're going to compare, doing it over the same time period is only fair? Well make it since Coldplay formed then as I said above, RHCP beat them. (and with the magic number of albums)

Also if you sneek 1999 in then RHCP outsell Coldplay thanks to Californication.

No Coldplay released their first album - everybody else got frightened and retired.

Another 22m for two albums - RHCP.

Cue links to articles in Q and NME - not realising the covers declaring them the biggest band on the planet are there to sell magazines. A rational basis like album sales and tour sales of course don't count - the NME said so, so its true. Find me a band that have had bigger 3-album success since 2000. Lets see when U2 release their 3rd album of the decade eh? (Before pissing on Coldplay at the box office from a very great height again).

Also if U2 do get their arse into gear and get the new record out before the end of the year and Q have a cover declaring them the biggest band in the world does that trump the "album sales this year" card?

Cue links to articles in Q and NME - not realising the covers declaring them the biggest band on the planet are there to sell magazines. A rational basis like album sales and tour sales of course don't count - the NME said so, so its true.

How many Q awards/NME awards and fucking grammies do you think U2 have won over the years? You sound like a typical teenager - what is popular now and what I like must be the best thing like EVER. The football equivalent of a sky/premiership fan - history is nothing.

But since Coldplay were formed both them and U2 have had 3 albums. Coldplays sales from these 3 are double that of U2s. So where is your evidence to suggest that a U2 album would outsell them? When this is provided I'll accept defeat. U2 have only released 2 albums since Coldplay released Parachutes. Coldplay are a pop band in the main - if housewives decide they like the single the album will sell well - if they don't and it doesn't the band are fucked and will disappear - they have no real fanbase like some of the other bands mentioned on here like U2, Radiohead and even Oasis. They might win the trophy for album sales this year but in 5 years time will people look back on them the way the look back on "proper" bands? - will they fuck. They also do not have the fanbase to do a major US tour - a massive factor is US CD sales. It could be the fact that they have young families etc that they don't do a 'major' US tour. Though I wouldn't call their current U.S tour small. Suggesting that coldplay have no real fanbase is the most idiotic statement I've ever read and you, sir, are the biggest fucking idiot I've ever encountered. And your statement about "5 years time" is another joke. The fact that they have been around for 8 years and that each album has sold more than it's predecessor suggests that in 5 years time they'll be bigger. Post anymore shit like this and it'll just get ignored because it's utter tripe. U2 have families. Who buys Coldplay albums? - yes that have fans who like indie music but I'd bet they sell a shit load to people who buy 10 CDs or less a year - I know people like this and they have Coldplay albums - they sit alongside their Dido and Moby ones - they have no great loyalty which is what we're talking about - they are a fad. In the league we're trying to talk to you about 8 years is absolutely fuck all.

But since Coldplay were formed both them and U2 have had 3 albums. Coldplays sales from these 3 are double that of U2s. So where is your evidence to suggest that a U2 album would outsell them? When this is provided I'll accept defeat. How to Dismantle an atomic bomb = 8 million copies All that you can't leave behind = 12 million That's 20m already. I don't know what Pop! (1997) sold but it was number 1 in 35 countries so that's enough I guess. and that doesn't sound like ''double'' to me Ok not double, but less. Parachutes was released in 1999 I believe - Coldplay sales and income 1996-1999 - 23p.

But since Coldplay were formed both them and U2 have had 3 albums. Coldplays sales from these 3 are double that of U2s. So where is your evidence to suggest that a U2 album would outsell them? When this is provided I'll accept defeat. U2 have only released 2 albums since Coldplay released Parachutes. Coldplay are a pop band in the main - if housewives decide they like the single the album will sell well - if they don't and it doesn't the band are fucked and will disappear - they have no real fanbase like some of the other bands mentioned on here like U2, Radiohead and even Oasis. They might win the trophy for album sales this year but in 5 years time will people look back on them the way the look back on "proper" bands? - will they fuck. They also do not have the fanbase to do a major US tour - a massive factor is US CD sales.

So will they be playing to more people than U2 did on the Vertigo tour - Yes or No? BTW a quick google had record sales for U2 Vs Coldplay at 137m Vs 20m - isn't that a bit of a Real Madrid Vs Hartlepool comparison? And if we go off 80s success then Liverpool are the biggest club in the premiership today? Liverpool have one more trophies than other English team in history - they have a shout as the biggest team - yes. On that Analogy you could call Coldplay Chelsea - are Chelsea a bigger club than Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal? Why Chelsea? Recent success no band is bigger. Therefore they're more Man Utd. American idiot which was Green Day's last album sold more than Coldplay's last album - thing is Green Day have a more than 3 album history which is reflected in their place in the "league".

I said a lot earlier in this thread that I quite like Coldplay - tastes are fair enough and shouldn't be up for more than semi-serious discussion but someone declaring them to be the biggest band in the world needs to be corrected imo.

So will they be playing to more people than U2 did on the Vertigo tour - Yes or No? BTW a quick google had record sales for U2 Vs Coldplay at 137m Vs 20m - isn't that a bit of a Real Madrid Vs Hartlepool comparison? And if we go off 80s success then Liverpool are the biggest club in the premiership today? Liverpool have one more trophies than other English team in history - they have a shout as the biggest team - yes. On that Analogy you could call Coldplay Chelsea - are Chelsea a bigger club than Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal?

Detailed album sales please.

So will they be playing to more people than U2 did on the Vertigo tour - Yes or No? BTW a quick google had record sales for U2 Vs Coldplay at 137m Vs 20m - isn't that a bit of a Real Madrid Vs Hartlepool comparison?