Ashberto - back to our conversation last week, do you really think now is the time for the

Not sure that did much for the credibility of his paper.

so could in no way effect that circulation drop. Morgan was widely praised for his stance at the time - certainly within the industry

when their readership falls, their advertising revenues quickly follows, and they have to lay off more staff and edge closer to the cliff.

Unless you are arguing against the huge weight of evidence that shows this is what happens when papers get serious?

This is not to say there is no place for serious journalism. But it is the personality stuff that makes papers viable businesses.

Millions of people who knew that a war was being fought on false pretences, and/or correctly predicted that it would end badly, marched in protest. But despite being correct in their analysis, they are sneered at such terms as 'wastrels and eco-mentalists'. They certainly worked harder to develop an understanding of the conflict than the jingoists who backed it. And they certainly didn't march for 'eco-mentalism'.

The destruction of the Iraqi state and the subsequent vacuum into which extremists poured was predictable, hence the rise of ISIS was a consequence of the war.

Pretending to give a damn about Saddam is nonsense too. Such 'strongmen', are no problem when they are strategic allies, so crocodile tears about the nature of the regime are entirely fake.

because of the entrenched, class- and ideology-based nature of the two main parties, which polarises debate to such an extent that it becomes more like a discussion between rival football supporters than a political conversation. The fact that there are so many people (and I include myself in this) who would never vote for one or other party regardless of their policies is the real problem, since it makes everything into a shouting match. And, in a shouting match, personal insults are always going to be a currency.

The nature and editorial direction of the press and media merely reflects that situation. It doesn't create it.

because of your mum, do you mean?

Thw World needs a good war or 2 every now and then

if you want something said, you ask Britain.

We are an island. A small, fairly insignificant one at that. It doesn't really matter what we do (or even that we do anything at all), so instead we just talk, in the bland, light-hearted, flippant way you *can* talk if nobody is waiting for you to actually solve anything.

means is 'people who agree with me'.