matelot

I don't have a problem with anyone's sexuality. However we've all come across gay people that display characteristics that are unhelpful. I don't really see a problem with associating these characteristics with being gay. We've all met an effininate gay guy that minces about. Do you think it wrong to call someone "gay" if he is mincing about instead of working? Or do you think it wrong to call someone gay if he doesn't want to get dirty? Niger derives from the Latin word Niger which means black. It honestly seems crazy to me that calling someone a nigger is widely offensive but an African nation calling itself Niger is ok. It's also ok for a black person to call another black person nigger? I think some people love taking offence...

I think Mandela was a 100% good man with his heart in the right place. However I can't help thinking South Africa is going the same way as Rhodesia/ Zimbabwe. I honestly think in 50 years South Africa will be another failed african nation.

I see a lot of timber like that used for transporting things like steel beams. It's a long shot, but if there is a steelwork fabricator in your area it could be worth an email. Is there a garden centre you could sell them to? They'd make good edging to lawns etc.

Perhaps the world would be a better place if people were less willing to get offended on the behalf of others? What exactly is wrong with using "gay"? You do know there is a country called "Niger"? There is also a country called "Nigeria"? Should they change their names so you're not offended?

Vespasian is very good. However sometimes his half wit brother escapes from the attic and writes some pro EU guff. Andrew Neil is good as well.

Does this £7.40 include the economic cost of millions of workers driving to work and getting stuck behind tractors?

I think farming subsidies are one of those things that made sense 50 years ago but not any longer... Obviously during WW2 the U boats nearly starved Britain to defeat. So after the war I could see why politicians were keen for Britain/ Europe to be self sufficient in food. However I don't think anyone can realistically see the UK suffering a naval blockade again... I don't think any of the reasons presented to retain farming subsidies seems particularly strong.... Economically farming doesn't really matter to the UK, my perception is that farming provides jobs that pay a poverty wage. If the jobs disappeared I don't see it as a disaster for the UK. Environmentally farming is one of the biggest polluters in Europe (ie slurry discharge into water courses). They get away with derisory fines that no other industry would get away with. Sheep farming absolutely rapes the land of vegetation and trees. Sheep have been described as "locusts" and anyone comparing hills grazed by sheep and natural forests would agree.

Something like this: Terram Geotextiles | Filtration | Separation | T1000 | Road Construction Without wishing to sound like a civil engineering professor.. Imagine picking up a handful of peat in your hands and squeezing it. The peat will shoot out between your fingers and hands. Look at the open texture of the hardcore. If you place the hardcore directly on the peat the peat will be pushed into the spaces in the hardcore. In time the hardcore/ road will sink. A geotextile between the peat and hardcore means the peat can not be squeezed in the spaces in the hardcore.

At one stage they were talking about pulling up the root plates to burn as well. However I'd imagine doing so would cause a mess and cause serious soil erosion. From a landowners perspective I cant imagine them getting more than a few quid for brash/ roots. Better to leave it on the ground as a fertiliser

How deep did you place the birch? Do you place the birch in one direction or lay it criss cross? I'd love to see any pics if you have any? On a peat I'd probably have specified a layer of geo fibre on top of the peat.

lol, some florist in London is selling sticks.....

Farming must be one of the few industries that makes the country poorer. I get a train through a main fruit growing region of the UK. In fruit picking season there are literally hundreds of migrants picking fruit on each farm. They'll all be on minimum wage (if that )and claiming in work benefits. So we have an industry that claims billions in subsidies and requires the taxpayer to subsidise their workforce. It hardly seems an industry that does much good for us.... If farmers cant compete we should just import more food...

I think one of the problems farming has is that lots of rich people buy farmland to reduce Inheritance Tax.... stop that loophole and watch land values half.

I agree that some tree planting could increase flooding. However I'd argue that in 90% of cases tree planting will reduce flooding.

I guess a lot of politicians etc have farms.... It also annoys me that farmers don't pay business rates...

If it's a big nationwide house builder they'll have an environmental director. An email to him might focus some minds? Or getting the local newspaper involved?

A lot of flood defences alongside rivers cost big money. It would seem reasonable to get rid of the sheep in the catchment and save the £50m that flood defences will cost. I'm always amazed at how little economic output a lot of farms produce. A hill farm might produce 1000 sheep a year worth £100 each. In the great scheme of things it's small change. I'd prefer more trees to sheep.

Is "cheap food" really a good thing though? Society has a problem with people eating too much.... I don't know if my memory is playing tricks, but there does seem to be a lot more land whales these days

However many farm grants encourage farmers to be environmentally unfriendly.... Without grants we would have a lot less upland sheep farming. Without the sheep we'd have more trees and the land would act like a sponge to absorb rain

They do however carry placards around London threatening violence...

I’d imagine every single one of us thought “Islam” when they heard about the London attacks… I think the West will have to follow the example of Israel. In Israel terrorists don’t have a trial by jury, they are simply imprisoned if a military officer considers them a threat. Israeli justice also takes vengeance against the family of terrorists. For instance their house is bombed and family members are harassed at check points etc. We do have a good idea who they are though? They are the ones that have come back from fighting in Syria with Islamic State. They are the ones that preach hatred on street corners… tbh, your idea that we “don’t know who they are” is absolutely ludicrous. I completely disagree with you, the Intelligence Services seem very good at finding the “bad eggs”. The problem seems to be that politicians seem unable to undertake their key role ie protect the electorate. It’s not really a case of forming political parties though. It’s just a case of being honest, how many times have politicians told us Islam is a “peaceful religion”? I don’t like being lied to; however I fully appreciate that some here prefer being lied to.

I'm fairly sure you'll be back. But thanks for presenting such childish and inarticulate arguments - I'm sure most people reading our exchange would think my arguments are stronger.

Calling someone a "racist" ten years ago might have won arguments. However, it just makes you look as if you don't have any reasonable arguments nowadays... It quite clearly has though... The attacker doesn't look very European to me.... If you had any "common decency" you would admit that multiculturalism hasn't worked and it has brought slaughter to Europe's streets. How many more people have to die before people like you admit you were wrong? Or have you spent so long defending mass migration you cant now back down?

I've been against allowing third world mass migration into the West for twenty plus years. I bet you've spent the last twenty years spouting your political correctness? How many times have you shouted someone down as a "racist" because they thought third world migration was a bad idea? We all knew that allowing migrants from some of the most violent cultures on earth would bring terrorism to Europe. It's political correctness that killed the 3 people and injured 40 others in London yesterday.

Hi treefolk, Perhaps if you can articulate a better question I might be able to answer it for you?