James.

So much bad news in this part of the forum so I thought I'd try to lighten the mood with a nostalgic look back at some of the unsung heroes of Foxestalk. I'm kind of hoping Finnegan contributes because I like Finners and he's having a rough old time of it. Pretty sure he's got a good memory for the old days on here. I'll get started... who remembers BartonFox? Great poster - sharp wit coupled with absolutely brutal put downs. Quick search suggests he disappeared after claiming to be ITK on the Martin Allen sacking before getting it colossally wrong - out with a bang though, as it should be. Less obscure but also a fantastic poster of his day was Nationwider. Seemed like a great guy. Maybe this thread will tempt some of them out of the shadows.

Does anyone know if there have been any serious attempts at covert / special forces operations in North Korea to bring Kim down? Surely that has to be the most attractive option, albeit, I assume, incredibly difficult if not impossible.

Pretty sensible from China surely? NK now know they won't have Chinese support if they strike first. The US know they could get drawn into a much more serious war with China if they strike first. Basically they are rightly telling both sides to shut the f**k up.

It shouldn't be legal because you don't get it or because you didn't like the smell? @Adster obvs, I thought my reply would appear below his post

No offence but as per my post I was looking for a link to a respectable news article or research piece describing the positives of Brexit from someone of power, influence or expertise as opposed to just what MattP off Foxestalk thinks will happen.

You seem to think that everyone's views are fixed. Surely recent history would suggest that a lot can change in just a few months. And it's not just the London media is it. It's businesses, trade associations, academics - it's a relentless stream of news and views all going the same way. I would genuinely like to read something positive about Brexit that was written recently and is based on sound judgement. Does anyone have anything?

Maybe but I think there are some twists to come. Pressure will continue to build, bad news stories will continue to roll in and the reality will become unavoidable. As such politicians and parties may change their view. All it would take is a second referendum and you probably have a remain vote.

Really starting to wonder if we will actually leave. As time goes on "the will of the people" which is nowadays pretty much the only good reason anyone can give for leaving the EU will fade away and the crushing reality of 1. how f*king insanely complicated and expensive it will be and 2. how shit everything will become will set in.

Oh, well that's a relief then. I misread the sub-header in the article and thought it was about not prosecuting people who were illegally renting. To be honest even in this situation I think the need for truth and a final death toll outweighs the need to prosecute sub-letters.

Whatever they were before they are now victims of a horrendous tragedy and as such should be treated accordingly. I'd be pretty worried about the humanity of anyone who argues otherwise. And to be honest whatever people may privately think, given the delicate civil and political situation around this, surely no one in power would dare to publicly suggest prosecution.

Raving in the early 00's. Ha. Sounds very familiar!

I think the cold hard reality of the sheer amount of work that needs to be done (spoke to a civil servant friend working on Brexit and he tells me it is practically an impossible workload in renegotiating every facet of our interactions with other countries) as well as the short term economic reality will gradually feed into the nation's consciousness and could make for interesting times to come.

I've seen what it can to do friends of mine (and to be completely frank myself) but that's exactly why we need a different approach. Legalise and then invest in education and treatment so people know precisely what they are doing to their bodies and their minds. The global war on and prohibition of drugs will go down as the one of the most catastrophic failures of our time. Fortunately there is every sense that momentum continues to build towards a more pragmatic and sensible approach.

That's not the point. The current government will take the fall. Labour are probably quite relieved they are not in power while this shit show unfolds. It was a light hearted jibe at your tendency towards anecdotal evidence. I take your point on voting trends.

Not sure what PMQ's has to do with the daily running of parliament. It's a bit of theatre. For me it's refreshing to see a politician engage people in the way Corbyn did. I'm not even that big a fan in terms of his actual policies (when I do those who should I vote for surveys believe it or not I come out half Tory half Lib Dem) but for once there was a political leader who actually seemed quite normal and people responded. Fair enough re evidence. In the same way you based your view on levels of immigrants working for the NHS on attending a Christmas party I had my own anecdotal evidence to hand. Regardless we can not simply write off this phenomenon as naïve youngsters or liberal elites... too many people voted for him for that to be the case. And yes 43% voted Tory but really it's the change in momentum that is the interesting thing. To go from what.. mid 20's polling to 41%? - that's a sign that a lot of people out there are 1. engaged in a way they haven't been before and 2. wanting change. And importantly I imagine when Brexit starts to unravel the momentum will only continue to build.

Brilliant. Keep Corbyn in the Commons because heaven forbid he might talk to real people and they might actually like him. And keep May in the Commons so she can no longer be woefully exposed at being a human. What a sorry state of affairs when we want to keep politicians away from the people who put them into power. leicsmac just mentioned balance and that's the key thing for me. I don't think huge swathes of the Labour voters want the UK to be like Venezuela. And it's horribly naïve to put this swing in momentum down to middle class students / Glastonbury goers / whoever else. People from all walks of life, across the ages and classes just want something different from the Tories who have been f*king things up royally for the past few years.

You may not have seen this in General Chat but I recently went to a game in the Argentine Primera Division - write up on my blog here, touching on the ultra scene in Argentina. El Diablo Rojo

This is a wonderful thread and others have alluded to really does help put some things into perspective, particularly as a father myself. FoxesTalk is a mixed bag at the best of times but its threads like this that really set it apart and keep me coming back. Re fundraising I think it's safe to say you have a kind audience right here on the forum so you could set the Just Giving up and trial it on here to see where it goes. Do not worry about asking, people have a choice. I would happily chuck a few quid in.

I came on here to post that link and as soon as I saw you were last poster I knew you'd got there first. Is a fascinating article and one of the most persuasive arguments for a complete overhaul of drug policy that I've read. As he says towards the end one day we'll look back on these times and wonder what the hell we were doing. Momentum is building though so hopefully that day comes sooner rather than later.

Hats off to you mate this is seriously impressive stuff. Feel bizarrely proud! My copy arrived last week and will get stuck into it very soon. From a quick glance it looks the real deal. And a very welcome surprise of a name check in the back (at least I think it's me otherwise this is quite embarrassing). Good work mate, hope all is well.

Well done sir, properly excited about this

Carl have you thought about stopping smoking weed. From quite a significant amount of personal experience as well as that of many friends of mine I would say it's often at the very least a step in the right direction.

One thing this thread should tell you is that you are far from alone. Absolutely see your GP and get a referral. There are professionals who can and will help you. I can say from experience that this works. Read about mindfulness, meditate (seriously) and do some yoga. Talk about it to whoever will listen and care. Things will get better.

Sorry for being lazy but what are the best add ons for watching Leicester and sport generally? I have Sports Devil but I assume there are better?

My point was that you don't know if it has worn off completely. Just because you feel normal doesn't mean there isn't a residual physiological impact. If I have a pint, 1 hour later I may "feel" normal but that doesn't mean my reactions are the same as if I had never had the pint.