Allo, I'm Claire (obviously) and I'm a junior in high school. I love travelling, but I don't do much of it these days. I spent the first half of my life in the Guang Dong Province, the other half (and continuing) in Western Pennsylvania.
I spend alot of my time swimming and hope to make it to nationals this year. I'm interested/infatuated with genocide and I look up to Samantha Power. I also like to write; I'm on the school newspaper staff. However, I really hate it because it all has to relate back to the school. I've always liked to see things on a broader spectrum. I suppose that's why I'm on this forum. Politics on a slightly international level.

I'm 35, have a Bachelor's Degree from Sam Houston State University, a policeman, married, have 2 kids with another on the way, am a collector of fine firearms (my preference being Kalashnikov variants), and am a hardline conservative....even by Texas standards.

Originally Posted by Tantal

I'm 35, have a Bachelor's Degree from Sam Houston State University, a policeman, married, have 2 kids with another on the way, am a collector of fine firearms (my preference being Kalashnikov variants), and am a hardline conservative....even by Texas standards.

Congratulations Tantal and Mrs. Tantal

Me? I'm 35, married with one son. The daughter of an evangelical minister, I consider myself to be a Christian Socialist. I have a BA(hons) in politics and sociology, which trained me to do absolutely nothing so for a number of years I temped and worked in call centres etc. For the last seven years I have been a "stay at home Mum" but am planning for some time to go back to school and do a PGCE (teaching qualification), I volunteer at a local school working towards this end.

Originally Posted by Opinionated74

For the last six years I have been a "stay at home Mum" but have been planning for some time to go back to school and do a PGCE (teaching qualification), that all depends on other circumstances as it will require relocation.

Definitely go for it, you'll love it. My girlfriend's mum is doing the PGCE at the moment and, though the subject tests and work she has to do are tough, she absolutely loves the practical aspect of it. My mother is a primary school teacher for the special needs kids, and she really enjoys it. She went back to work six years after she had my sister and never looked back.

Hi all,

My real name is Greg, im 27, married and have one very young daughter. I grew up in Northern Ireland in an extremely religious family, which probably helped inform my current stance on God and religion. I moved to England to study my (so far unused) degree in business and met a girl in the process so settled here, in Kent. To pay the bills I administer transactional databases for an insurance company (holy boring Batman), though I am currently working on some qualifications which will allow me to trade as a freelance proofreader and copy-editor; my ambition, though it took me long enough to figure it out, is to be a script editor.

In my spare time (whats left of it at the moment) I play a lot of guitar, mostly blues, and Im learning the harmonica, much to my wifes displeasure. I also love movies and watch as many as I can, though I don't go to the cinema much anymore, the £12:50 or whatever enterance fee is a little much; I also read a fair bit and am a dedicated comic book and video game nerd. Busy aren't I!

Midas, you capitalist swine!

Originally Posted by Tantal

Midas, you capitalist swine!

Just trying to emulate 'The American Dream' Tantal; and struck lucky

Originally Posted by Midas

Just trying to emulate 'The American Dream' Tantal; and struck lucky

There is no such thing as "luck", Midas. What we refer to as "luck" is simply the intersection of preparation and opportunity.

Originally Posted by Tantal

There is no such thing as "luck", Midas. What we refer to as "luck" is simply the intersection of preparation and opportunity.

"The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Get"


Said by Benjamin Franklin. Repeated by Albert Einstein and many others besides...

Ok my real name is Johnny, im from Stafford in West Midlands. I work for a company called Armstrong Metal Cielings, currently training to be a Paint Plant Technition. Im a qualified Brick Layer but thier is no building trade so hence no job in that sector. Im very proud of my Country and heritage which is why im a true Nationalist, i live and grew up in the slumps of our town. Its a dog eat dog so you gotta be tough around here. I come from a not so well of family, but as long as i have a roof over my head and food on the table i have all i needs. My up bringing and lifestyle i would say does and has influenced my views and beliefs when it comes to Politics and this Country.

I own a Vauxhall Frontera (4x4), i love off roading and getting my car covered in Mud. I like a bit of a gamble and love to play Poker (Texas Hold'em). I am also facinated with Space the Universe planets etc, i was considering doing further education in the topic but couldnt afford the Uni package lol... I like my computers and have a fair bit of knowledge in them, also like the odd bit of online gaming. A good shoot em up war game. I like to watch anything on TV to do with WW2, films and documentories gotta watch em. I also like to collect the odd bit of memorabilia from WW2, so far mainly dug up dog tags.

And thats a little bit about myself.

Just for the sake of refuting the common misconception that we -Arabs in general- do not get involved in our surrounding communities, and because there's nothing more I like to talk about.

The name is Khouloud (Translates into immortality, don't try to pronounce it while eating, you might choke to death). I'm 21. Suffered from a severe case of identity crisis while I was young due to my former infatuation with Tupac's music, and hence was able to relate to songs about racism towards blacks (Which I'm not), thugs and drug dealers (The closest I ever got to the latter was getting expelled from two schools and teaching friends to smoke). Ended up graduating on top of my class from the Amman Baptist school, was rewarded a trophy for Academic achievement by HRH Prince Faisal in the graduation, I also have tons of certificates for athletic, academic and arts achievements.

Aspired to become a Deejay (Very fond of music in general, Arabic music in particular) slash journalist slash psychiatrist all at once, eventually settled for law (Parents both law graduates) and the belief that one day I will be the first female prime minister in Jordan. Addictions: Salt, Nicotine, caffeine, online poker (Texas Hold'em), pictionary (A geek, yes.) and Hershey's Reese's cups (I have Canada to thank for this one). A horrible, horrible, cannot emphasize that enough, horrible, driver. I'm supposed to be graduating this Summer, dad wants me to go to the UK for my Masters Degree (Which is why I chose this specific forum, to get a glimpse on Brits in general, been only called a terrorist around five times so far, so it turned out to be okay) still can't make my mind up on whether I'm willing to leave home or not. The member solidsteam is my mom, my dad also reads some stuff here so ya'll should think twice before being mean to me.

Obviously into Greek mythology. The Simpsons, American Dad, My Name is Earl and news are the only things I'm willing to watch for over three hours in a row. I would be the happiest person alive if Ekhwan Muslimeen political party members in Jordan were all put to sleep or sent to Guantanamo Bay or any other horrible place. I tend to ramble, this is a demonstration of that because this is not a "bit" about myself, this is like the Arabic version of Bill Clinton's My Life book, which reminds me, I read, a lot, and I believe that Paulo Coelho is overrated, Dan Brown is underrated.

That's it I guess!

Well i guess it must be my turn to step up to the plate:

My Name is Craig, i come from the west coast of Scotland, and i'm in my mid 30's, and have a wife and the standard 2.4 kids, although i'm still working on the .4 bit.

Leaving school, i drifted from job to job for a couple of years doing jobs like bar work, catering and even had the misfortune of working in McDonalds to pay the bills.

Heading back to full time education, i finally earned my diploma in business studies, and currently work in middle management.

My interests are psychology, the environment, strategy games, and of course politics.

one of the reasons i like debating so much is i finally get the chance to open my mouth and show the whole world exactly how dumb i really am, without worrying about my boss reading my comments and sacking me for being an idiot.

being brought up as a Baptist, my religeous teaching has quite an influence on my thinking and my ambition before i die is to see the major religeous sites of the world.... Ironically the place i would really love to see is Mecca.

and for those who don't know about Scotland, no we don't wear kilts all the time, and haggis aren't little sheep with short legs for running around mountains.

What else can i say that will make any sense? i guess i will leave it there before i finally prove that i'm an idiot.

Originally Posted by The voice of reason

...and haggis aren't little sheep with short legs for running around mountains.

Come on, tell the truth, the legs on one side of their body are longer than the other so they don't fall off the sides of steep mountains. There are actually two distinct breeds of haggis, a left handed and a right handed variety depending on which set of legs is longer. The left handed variety always run round in a clockwise direction whilst the right handed variety always run round in an anti-clockwise direction. This makes breeding rather difficult, which is why you don't see many of them in the supermarkets.

Well better add my two cents.
My name is Dan, Im 18 and I live in good old Stoke-On-Trent. Im studying law at university, hence the username and am hoping to go into teaching after i graduate. I work in the local supermarket, making supervisor within a year of my employment. Retail is not a pretty experience as I have learned and I feel sorry for anyone who chooses retail as a full time career. Good luck to them.

Im a workaholic hence my low activity here. I have work, uni, university work, and on top of that I have to fit in a social life. Its definatly challenging.

I wasnt always a conservative supporter and In my younger days I actually spent time contemplating Communism; how wrong and stupid I was. No offence intended to you communists. (Well...not much anyway )
I saw the light a few years ago and perhaps one day politics could be a future aspiration of mine.

Originally Posted by TheLegalEagle

I wasnt always a conservative supporter and In my younger days I actually spent time contemplating Communism;

What when you were five?

Myself I'm 19, a university student who is currently studying performing arts...(no I don't bounce around in Lycra suits/tights for fun either)

My main incentive to join this forum is to broaden my horizons and hope to learn a little bit more about how politics is integral and affects the way I/We live. I've found my short time on this forum to be fascinating and have had the pleasure of speaking to DougieG, Midas, Tete123, Albion69 and others! (Sorry not intended to make you feel on the spot.)

And already I can feel myself progressing further about my own political conclusions on whom to support and which party would best cater for my needs and ideals.

As being a Drama student! I've also been exploring how the knowledge I gain from reading on the forums and the interesting sources cited by it's residents, and how it can be applied in a performance context.

Many have asked me (outside the forum) how politics is related to theatre, and I always like to direct them to a man called Bertolt Brecht.

Some of you may be familiar with Brecht but if your not I'll just say he creates a direct link between politics and performance.
(Not wanting to lecture anyone apologies if you feel I am)

Brecht felt that theatre should be a didactic and dialectic medium to which people could discuss matters such as morality and it's relation to economics.
Amongst other social matters.

(He's another one of the annoying Marxist types! I still love his work all the same though)

I to some extent really want to apply this trail of thought to my performances, and to do this I need to become more educated/open in my approach to politics and be able to present an objective greyscale of topics that can be discussed inside the theatre to an audience. (Hence why I joined the forum)

You may find from time to time I might agree with something a Marxist may say, and sometime what a Conservative would say. I can only say that to some extent this is a result of myself going to private school and coming from a more average social background.

Either way I've garbled enough to probably put you to sleep, but hopefully I'll be able to talk to all you soon enough on a topic of interest.


And thanks again for being as kind as you have in accommodating me!

Hello one and all,

I thought I will give some insight to the secret life of the Liberal Authoritarian.
My name is Grant and I am a student at the Sixth Form college.
I currently study Politics, Law, Use of Mathematics, Financial Management, Communications and computer modelling 3D. In my spare time I enjoy political related activities, playing on the Playstation 3 and taking my dog out - His name is Sugzy and he is a Jack Russell.

After my years at the Sixth Form College, I intend to go to Essex University and study Politics along with Economics, after which I intend to get a job either in the banking sector, with a Member of Parliament or in the Civil Service.

I love watching documentaries, especially on politics and history related subjects such as the Nazi's and Hitlers rise to power - I especially like documentaries advocating Britains great history.

I am an Ignostic - meaning that a coherent definition of God must be put forward before the question of the existence of God can be meaningfully discussed. If the chosen definition isn't coherent, the ignostic holds the noncognitivist view that the existence of God is meaningless or empirically untestable - that loves to use Wikipedia for definitions.

I think you have gained enough information about me, and don't worry, you will gain no more.

I won't bother telling you my real name or where I come from because some of my views are a tad radical and I don't want some hot head to track me down and burn my house to the ground.

I am sick of the invasion of our countries culture by Muslims and am totally sick of the governments over tolerance towards criminals and queers.

I am sick of subsidising the underclass and sixteen year old tarts who want to populate the country with more yobs that will breed like rabbits.

And finally I am sick of homophobes and xenophobes

wow Cagan lol

Dislike Gays, Dislike Muslims, Dislike Young Yobs, Dislike the Underclass, Dislike the young morons...

Wow...

Originally Posted by Liberal Authoritarian

wow Cagan lol

Dislike Gays, Dislike Muslims, Dislike Young Yobs, Dislike the Underclass, Dislike the young morons...

Wow...

It's like we have known each other for years

Originally Posted by CAGAN

It's like we have known each other for years

It is worth noting I quoted you, not my views...

I’m 27, married. I'm not racist as some people think on here. I have friends who have a different skin colour to me. I have reservations about Islam.
I am a nationalist.
I love travelling and sampling different cultures and languages. I believe every country has its unique culture which should be celebrated and persevered.

I'm 43, happily married with an 11 year old daughter (both of whom keep me sane). Have the inlaws from hell; a small zoo of rescued animals (including fish - and thereby hangs a tale). My daughter likes individual clothes, so I customise them myself -this is one thing I can do that I am actually proud of.

I have very poor health which has recently worsened, have to go into hospital again soon for more treatment; lost my mum last year, so now trying to help my dad who lives (quite helpfully) a 320 mile round trip away.

Recovering self harmer, tried suicide (and they're not linked contrary to popular belief), have suffered from severe clinical depression. Had two strokes, second one left me mildly brain damaged - on the plus side it proved I have a brain (albeit small and not so perfectly formed. )

I now volunteer at a dog rescue where I work with emotionally damaged dogs - learnt a lot from my pets who all had HUGE issues when we adopted them; so am now putting that knowledge to good use. It's done me loads of good too, helped my self esteem for one thing. I've also lost four stone in weight (illness AND exercise)! Still hate the way I look, but at least I'm not as eye burstingly ugly as I was. Think hippo now instead of whale.

I write fiction; belong to an internet site where we post and rate each other's work. My outlaws are nagging me to get the book I've written sent off - I keep telling them its a waste of time, but (apparently) I'm a "silly little defeatist" as "someone has to be the next JK Rowling" - well, it won't be me. I write because I enjoy it; not because I want anything else from it, or because of whether I'm any good or not.

I have a HUGE interest in history - two favourite (sort of) stately homes are Tutbury Castle and Haddon Hall. My only claim to fame is that I met Gene Pitney when I was two and he, apparently, bought me a chocolate ice cream.

I am a 'no fixed abode' now with regards my political views. I used to be a lifelong Labour supporter (as has all my family ever since they came into being as a political party). However since 2005 I have found I can no longer support 'nulab'. I don't think much of the LibDems, and I don't honestly know if I could ever bring myself to vote tory.

I am a Londoner born and bred; but now live in Staffordshire - not far from Stoke on Trent. Despite what some have said in the media, this is the best place in the country to live. The people are very friendly, I live in a teeny village (my daughter's whole school numbers 90 - some of my mates have kids in classes that big in London), and I have the peak district just up the road. Most of all there is space to swing a cat; a luxury lacking in London.

Oh and I believe in God; I also have a mate who is a druid, another who is a wiccan and an adopted asian sister who is a Sikh. My best friend in London is black and I have a few vietnamese friends there too.

I speak a bit of French and German - enough to get me food. And I can swear in Gaelic.......really fluently.

I'm Charlie, currently living in the West of Scotland and studying for my HNC in Social Sciences (History, Politics, Philosophy and Sociology) and I'll be continuing to study history and politics at Uni next year. I was raised in Scotland, through I'm completely non-nationalist (both from a Scottish and British perspective) and I'm against the breakup of the United Kingdom. I'm not currently working, through I previously worked in retail and I've done voluntary work for Oxfam and Ammesty International. In my spare time I play video games, read and do some writing, through not as much as I used to.

I'm Chris, I am from New Zealand. I am 100% a socialist and completely back the New Zealand Labour Party.

I have recently finished school and am currently deciding whether to attend university or just go straight to a job.

I have a natural dislike of anything of the right wing.

That's about it.

Hi

I am a lazy student, which is nice and loads of fun. I have done all sorts of jobs here and there to get by and am convinced being a student beats work hands down (if you ever hear a PhD student complaining about how much work they have/ how tough it is , tell them to shut it and try working in a real job!!). My research is on Youth Policy and New Labour from 1998-2008.

I love to read. I have a passion for philosophy and politics (of course) and especially like Buddhist/ Hindu philosophy. I am not religious nor am I atheist and hate the term spiritual, so am hard to categorize that way.

I have stood for a (nameless) political party in one local council by election and one county council election, and was an approved parliamentary candidate before I became disillusioned with mainstream politics.

Originally Posted by Liberal Authoritarian

Hello one and all,

I thought I will give some insight to the secret life of the Liberal Authoritarian.
My name is Grant and I am a student at the Sixth Form college.
I currently study Politics, Law, Use of Mathematics, Financial Management, Communications and computer modelling 3D. In my spare time I enjoy political related activities, playing on the Playstation 3 and taking my dog out - His name is Sugzy and he is a Jack Russell.

After my years at the Sixth Form College, I intend to go to Essex University and study Politics along with Economics, after which I intend to get a job either in the banking sector, with a Member of Parliament or in the Civil Service.

I love watching documentaries, especially on politics and history related subjects such as the Nazi's and Hitlers rise to power - I especially like documentaries advocating Britains great history.

I am an Ignostic - meaning that a coherent definition of God must be put forward before the question of the existence of God can be meaningfully discussed. If the chosen definition isn't coherent, the ignostic holds the noncognitivist view that the existence of God is meaningless or empirically untestable - that loves to use Wikipedia for definitions.

I think you have gained enough information about me, and don't worry, you will gain no more.

Essex Uni is a great place to study politics (social life is shit tho) . Maybe when you meet Albert Weale, Ernesto Laclau, you will have a better idea of what I am talking about and won't need tell me to *uck off?? I can hope.I am also going to apply for a teaching/ research position in the Government dept for 2010 - 2012 so who knows I may be your teacher (what fun that wll be!!). Don;t worry too much tho, I doubt I'll get the job!

Sorry to name drop.

Originally Posted by Marxist Nutter

Essex Uni is a great place to study politics

I know, thats why I wanted to go to Essex.

The Top Universities in Britain for Politics are Oxford, Cambridge and Essex.
I will never get into Oxford/Cambridge, so Essex is the only one left

won't need tell me to *uck off??

My comment still stands. It is not your belief that annoys me.

I am also going to apply for a teaching/ research position in the Government dept for 2010 - 2012 so who knows I may be your teacher (what fun that wll be!!).

Well I can always request a different lecturer, Im sure.

Originally Posted by Liberal Authoritarian

I know, thats why I wanted to go to Essex.





Well I can always request a different lecturer, Im sure.

As I say, don't worry about it, I would be very lucky to get the job there!!!

However it is unlikely that you can request a different lecturer (however you may be able to change seminar groups). Also I wouldn't be too bad as a teacher I don;t think. From experience I think you could do a lot worse. You may even have Hugh Ward as a lecturer and I would not wish that fate on anyone, even if he is a very smart guy!!

Originally Posted by Marxist Nutter

As I say, don't worry about it, I would be very lucky to get the job there!!!

However it is unlikely that you can request a different lecturer (however you may be able to change seminar groups). Also I wouldn't be too bad as a teacher I don;t think. From experience I think you could do a lot worse. You may even have Hugh Ward as a lecturer and I would not wish that fate on anyone, even if he is a very smart guy!!

What is wrong with Hugh Ward?

Originally Posted by Liberal Authoritarian

What is wrong with Hugh Ward?

If you think I'm grumpy/argumentative/arrogant/rude You ain't seen nothing yet!!!!

Originally Posted by Trouble43

I've also lost four stone in weight (illness AND exercise)! Still hate the way I look, but at least I'm not as eye burstingly ugly as I was. Think hippo now instead of whale.

Eh, you do not have to be anorexic to look good, I'm sure you're just being humble.

Also, people are stupid, if you keep telling them something for a long time they're going to end up believing it, I convinced everybody that I'm pretty, I'm sure you can do the same.

Anyway, I hope you get well soon! @--->--- (That would be a retarded flower).

Originally Posted by Hestia

Eh, you do not have to be anorexic to look good, I'm sure you're just being humble.

Also, people are stupid, if you keep telling them something for a long time they're going to end up believing it, I convinced everybody that I'm pretty, I'm sure you can do the same.

Anyway, I hope you get well soon!
@--->--- (That would be a retarded flower).

Oh I will never be anorexic size again trust me! The last time I weighed six stone was when I was twenty three. I am now 9st 4lbs - down from 13st 4lbs.

Ah but you see I am sure you are pretty - you even have a nice name. Hestia's much more interesting than mine. Although I'm sure there's some on here that would say Trouble suits me.

I am not doing too bad - got to go in for more treatment soon, but hopefully only as a day patient. I hate the drips they stick me with, but hey ho if I'm good and I don't get sick while Im there I am pretty sure I can escape their clutches! LOL!

You sound a very nice person Hestia, I look forward to debating with you.

(the flower looks like a rose to me)

Originally Posted by Trouble43

Oh I will never be anorexic size again trust me!The last time I weighed six stone was when I was twenty three. I am now 9st 4lbs - down from 13st 4lbs.

I meant that you don't have to be a certain size to look good, beautiful people come in different sizes, shapes and colors.

I am not doing too bad - got to go in for more treatment soon, but hopefully only as a day patient. I hate the drips they stick me with, but hey ho if I'm good and I don't get sick while Im there I am pretty sure I can escape their clutches! LOL!

LOL! Well, a wise person once said somewhere on this forum:

Seriously though, I know life sucks most of the time - but it does have its okay moments. You're probably due a brilliant okay moment fairly soon if youre this miserable now...right?

Right?

You sound a very nice person Hestia, I look forward to debating with you.

(the flower looks like a rose to me)

Flower, rose .. It was supposed to be a virtual get-well-soon gift, I'm a chocolate person myself but it would've taken me a lifetime to draw you a box of chocolates so this'll do.

Been here a while but I guess it's still an idea to let people know what I'm about!

My name, as you may have gathered, is Keiran. I'm half Irish and half English.

I work for a large local authority, assisting Executive Members of that authority's Council, with diary management and casework.

I've got a degree in Politics, and would like one day to become active politically though I'm not much at the moment. I once worked for the Green Party, but don't intend to do that again in a hurry!

I am distinctly left-wing, though I think a balance is important in pretty much all things. I don't agree with the policies of any of the main three parties at the moment, and think modern politicians are fundamentally failing to achieve on a wide variety of fronts.

I'm most interested in child welfare, and think this is the key to everything in a society.

I'm also a martial artist having trained in Karate for around six years, and a dj (only occasionally these days though!). I am obsessed with electronica and probably always will be!

I'm Jack and I am currently studying history, economics and biology A-levels, but i also have a deep interest in politics, and hope to study it at uni next year ( currently waiting to hear back from a couple!).
I read a lot, mainly lefty stuff though (Klein, Marx, Chomsky), which has helped to shape my ideas on politics quite considerably, but through my study of economics, I have developed a more pragmatic approach to how things should be done in terms of the economy, somewhere just left of centre. Whilst i can see where Marx is coming from in terms of the evils of captialism to a degree, i cannot see a more effective way of doing things, so i consider regulated capitalism a neccesary evil.
I am a staunch civil libertarian who feels particularly strongly about issues such as freedom of speech, social mobility and human rights. As hard as i try to look at it any other way, i cannot shake the feeling that organisations of the far right are simply a mechanism to expliot the ignorant in the pursuit of power, though i still feel that they should be given a platform.
Otherwise I take an interest in art, film and have a pretty eclectic taste in music i think.

Originally Posted by Hestia

I meant that you don't have to be a certain size to look good, beautiful people come in different sizes, shapes and colors.

Well, I'm more hourglass now than very large apple.

LOL! Well, a wise person once said somewhere on this forum: Right?

My old granddad (Irishman that he was) said that we all had to have a bit of rain in our lives to appreciate the rainy days; and, if we had a deluge, it only meant a heatwave was on the way.

Flower, rose .. It was supposed to be a virtual get-well-soon gift, I'm a chocolate person myself but it would've taken me a lifetime to draw you a box of chocolates so this'll do.

Well its more than I could draw on the computer! Thank you.

Just trying to revive this thread. We've had several new members recently, so how about giving us some more details about yourself than is in the "Introduce Yourself" thread? If you're not sure what to include, just read through some of the posts to get an idea.

Also, if you're feeling particularly brave, why not post a picture of yourself too - our infamous mug shot gallery is here.

I’m a student, and have always been on the right (Don’t ask me why; have never liked the way this country has been run, even when I was a kid). I hope on day to become an MP. That’s about it. I’m not going to post a picture of myself for obvious reasons.

To expand on the other 'Introduce Yourself' thread.

I'm Roger, aka Rodge, live in a small town in East Northamptonshire with my good Lady wife. I'm now on the wrong side of 60 and still learning.

Left college a long time ago with a degree which did me no use whatsoever. 12 years with the RAF after taking the Queen's shilling working on electronics and radar systems. I was posted to a role which allowed me to see the Near East, Middle East and large parts of the Far East. I loved Malaya to bits, adored Singapore but disliked the Persian Gulf with a passion. Gibraltar was quaint, Cyprus little more than a holiday camp and Malta a lot smaller than I thought.

After the services I move into computer communications (think - making broadband work) and drifted into a sales position before going self employed in 1990. I was lucky enough to be sent to the USA four times and visited Boston and California. I was an Antiques and Collectables dealer until a few years ago when I decided that enough was enough and now I'm semi-retired. Still dabble with the A & C's but bargains are difficult to find these days.

I've always been a shooting, fishing, horse riding type although I've never fox-hunted - don't agree with it. For the other shooters here, I keep a Sable s/s for formal shoots, a Browning B25 30" for clays, a spectacularly cheap and tacky Lanber for throwing in the back of a Land-Rover. Also keep a Browning semi-auto .22 for vermin. I moved here for two reasons, one is the quantity and quality of the fishing and the other is that my daughter lives at the other end of the town with her husband and my two grandsons.

My previous wife was diagnosed with cancer some years ago, and we found that the best treatment she could get was in South West Wales (Haverford West) so we moved there. Sadly she died after two years of treatment. After a time, I met my (now) wife and as we had little to keep us in Wales we moved to our current address.

My wife is Russian, originally from Rostov-on-Don and she has a daughter and three grandsons. I now find I'm bi-lingual, no prizes for guessing the second one.

My interests are; reading (almost anything), shooting, fishing, listening to radio, music and my wife.



As for politics, I've given a lot of thought to the subject over the years. I think I would be best described as 'old labour'. The current labour and conservative party don't appear to have clear water between them and I'm very much against the EU so, for me, the Lib-Dems are a no-no. I would be more than pleased to see the emergence of another party which truly represents the views of the populace, and if they could get rid of the Whips I should be delighted. At this time I can't find it in me to trust any politician, I believe the whole lot are more interested in themselves than the voters.

Religion - Atheist.

End of story.

Thanks for the resume Fisherman, and very sorry to hear about your first wife I must say it's good to have someone else the 'wrong' side of 50 here; give all these young whippersnappers some real life experience, and who's another atheist to boot!

My own weaponry comprises of a Browning 'Prestige' 12-bore for everyday shooting, rather knocked about at the moment; you know how it goes and a pair of Holland & Holland 'Royal Brevis' 12-bores for competition use. I also have a customised Ruger 10/22 semi-auto fitted with laser sights which I use for vermin and for rabbits if I feel like something slightly more challenging than simply letting fly with the shotgun, and a Steyr Mannlicher 'Pro Hunter' rifle in stainless steel and carbon fibre. One or other of them probably gets used 3 weekends out of 4.

I do like the Persian Gulf, I've been to most of the countries surrounding it on various business trips in the past and I've found most of the people very friendly and welcoming, but I guess that's rather different to being stationed there in the forces. Have you been to Russia yourself? A fascinating place, although my travels have been limited to Odessa, Kiev, Moscow and St. Petersburg, and various points in between the first two since it was a road trip.

Greetings Midas,

I know of the Prestige although I've never used one. It looked very similar in design to my B25. Quite surprised that you would use H&H for competition work, I mostly see o/u in the comps. I'm guessing that your Ruger is a .22 which would put it on a par with my Browning, but a whole lot younger. As for laser sights, I still use tele but once in a while I take them off and use iron sights. I couldn't believe the hassle the police gave me when I wanted a sound moderator, it was like I'd asked for a 9mm pistol. Thankfully someone at police hq showed some sense and realised it was an 'add on' not a whole new rifle.

Sadly my visits to the gulf are not happy memories, Masirah was bad enough, but Salalah was a whole new experience. I see that Salalah has since been designated as 'active service', shame they didn't ask me about the bullets and mortars at the time.

I've visited Moscow quite a number of times, find the place most interesting. Very odd mixture of old and new cultures. It's interesting to see the babushkas walking along the street rubbing shoulders with look-alike models wearing Prada. Our next planned visit is to Rostov which we both hope will go ahead next year (They're finally allowing outsiders to visit).

Originally Posted by Fisherman

Greetings Midas,

I know of the Prestige although I've never used one. It looked very similar in design to my B25. Quite surprised that you would use H&H for competition work, I mostly see o/u in the comps. I'm guessing that your Ruger is a .22 which would put it on a par with my Browning, but a whole lot younger. As for laser sights, I still use tele but once in a while I take them off and use iron sights. I couldn't believe the hassle the police gave me when I wanted a sound moderator, it was like I'd asked for a 9mm pistol. Thankfully someone at police hq showed some sense and realised it was an 'add on' not a whole new rifle.

To be quite honest I've not found much difference between the H&H and a decent o/u; maybe because I treat competitions more as a bit of fun rather than deadly serious like some folk! I know you can sight up an o/u slightly better, but... Yes, the Ruger is a .22, below in all its glory with a 25-shot mag - quite interesting to see people's faces when I'm carrying it out in the country

Sadly my visits to the gulf are not happy memories, Masirah was bad enough, but Salalah was a whole new experience. I see that Salalah has since been designated as 'active service', shame they didn't ask me about the bullets and mortars at the time.

I've not been as far down as Salalah, I know mainly the stretch between Muscat and Sur and into the mountains behind, in the Al Hamra area, I have been right down in Yemen though, but at a different time. I'm off that way, to both Dubai and Muscat, again in September - at least it's cooling off slightly!

Let's see, ho-kay.

I'm Dirk. Wonder if you could have guessed that one? I've finished school and i'm off to University in Aberdeen in 2010. I'll be studying politics and sociology, majoring in the first.

I was born in Colchester, Essex. I now live in Scotland. I'm different because i am for Scottish independence. Unlike other sassenachs.

Not sure i have to explain my political views. I'm a modern communist - i.e. not a Stalinist. I'm also pretty anarchistic in my views.

Originally Posted by Comrade Dirk

Let's see, ho-kay.

I'm Dirk. Wonder if you could have guessed that one? I've finished school and i'm off to University in Aberdeen in 2010. I'll be studying politics and sociology, majoring in the first.

I was born in Colchester, Essex. I now live in Scotland. I'm different because i am for Scottish independence. Unlike other sassenachs.

Not sure i have to explain my political views. I'm a modern communist - i.e. not a Stalinist. I'm also pretty anarchistic in my views.

Hello (again) Dirk! No need for the formalities now I guess, I'm sure you'll have seen them elsewhere. Colchester seems to ring a bell for another couple of members, LA and MN if I'm not mistaken both have/had a connection with the place.

Originally Posted by Midas

Hello (again) Dirk! No need for the formalities now I guess, I'm sure you'll have seen them elsewhere. Colchester seems to ring a bell for another couple of members, LA and MN if I'm not mistaken both have/had a connection with the place.

It's next to Braintree on the A120. I think it's the A120.

Braintree is superb for clothes shopping.

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