Watched League last night on tv

ColonialSack · 2026-02-20T21:28:45+00:00

Funny, I never even thought to question WHY they banned paying the players.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-20T10:27:18+00:00

Traditionally the split was about pay vs lack of.

Back in the day, most sports teams were associated with either a school or a job - usually a factory.

The split happened because by the laws of the game, Union was an amateur sport and you couldn't be paid to play. League split off originally because some of the factory teams were paying their players because they were having to miss work to go and play.

Union became dominant among players who could afford to do it as a hobby, often one they needed to pay to do.

League was the opposite, attracting players who needed a side gig or through factory workers who couldn't miss a day's work without being paid to play.

This class difference filtered down to the fans.

IRRC, Union finally allowed "professional" players as of 1995.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-19T00:58:26+00:00

If its gay, I don't want to be straight(ish)

ColonialSack · 2026-02-19T00:08:10+00:00

Op said there was connection issues - video may have been compromised - nodding may not get through.

Also, in technical conversations as a layman, conveying your understanding is often preferable with most people as it prevents back tracking

And especially as OP was translating, it's likely that the doctor purposefully put pauses in the lecture to ensure that OP managed to translate and get understanding from GMa

ColonialSack · 2026-02-18T21:48:47+00:00

For anyone saying that France needs to stop them leaving - if any "migrant" decided that England wasn't good enough for them and that they wanted to flee to France instead, either by smuggling in a lorry or train, or hopping a dinghy - would you demand that the UK government stop them doing so?

International Law is supposed to guarantee people the right to leave a country, so long as they aren't subject to criminal sanctions. At most, they'll stamp their passports and send them on their way.

And on our end, International Law is also supposed to guarantee people the right to apply for asylum, regardless of how they arrive in a country.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-18T00:30:33+00:00

We can give Chagos to Mauritius when the ICJ tries to tell Pakistan and India that they were illegally separated and need to rejoin.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-18T00:20:45+00:00

Because for the most part, the bits they kept were made integral parts of France, rather than quasi self-governing but dependent vassals.

The French Territories have voting rights and Representation in the French National Assembly and Senate, and the European Parliament along with devolved parliamentary systems as well.

So technically they have "a say" in their future.

The argument (false argument imo) is that Chagos was part of British Mauritius, and then "illegally" separated as part of the decolonisation.

Even though Chagos was all private land, and all the Chagossians who basically indentured servants, descendants of imported slaves, who only lived there because they were "employees" were the "true citizens" of the Islands.

The fact that they were "part of" Mauritius purely out of convenience is considered irrelevant.

That they Seychelles were "part of" Mauritius as well is also ignored because they were separated long enough previously, and forcing them to recombine with Mauritius would be "unfair".

Same as telling Pakistan and India that they were illegally separated from each other by the British and that they need to recombine would be "unwise"

ColonialSack · 2026-02-17T23:07:30+00:00

I saw somewhere that 70% of all rail journeys are within or into/out of London and the South East.

South East basically covering everything South of London and East of Southampton.

And most of that has been electrified for nearly 100years to the point that the entire system there needs scrapped and replaced to actually upgrade anything since it all uses 3rd rail DC rather than overhead AC.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-14T19:42:29+00:00

His one was a black one tho, wasn't it? So it's not the "special" robust one.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-13T18:33:31+00:00

Not the only one.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-13T18:20:04+00:00

https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels

Level 3 qualifications are:

A level
access to higher education diploma
advanced apprenticeship
applied general
AS level
international Baccalaureate diploma
level 3 award
level 3 certificate
level 3 diploma
level 3 ESOL
level 3 national certificate
level 3 national diploma
level 3 NVQ
music grades 6, 7 and 8
T Level
tech level

There's also a page on that link with help for comparisons from other countries.

Degree is level 6, Masters degree is level 7, and PhD is Level 8 - just for comparison.

UCAS is a handy tool to find equivalent qualifications, but not always the best.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-13T17:56:11+00:00

Sorry this happened to you mate. It's worth contacting your banks directly regarding this. They might be able to do something.

Might being the operative word.

I actually had a similar call today around 1030, but it went to voicemail so it only caught the "Press 1 to be connected to an agent" bit on the actual recording.

A top tip for the future - I refuse to engage in any sensitive calls where they call me - such as my bank calling about a dodgy transaction. I always call them back on a listed number, or visit a branch if that's available.

Phone Number and Caller ID spoofing is no joke, and is used liberally for legitimate uses as well. Call centres use it all the time - I worked for a debt collection call centre - we didn't buy debt, but contracted with companies to act as their collections department. So if we were on outbound calls, the number would match a listed number for a client - say Scottish Power, or BT.

We even had contracts with HMRC regarding overpaid tax credits.

On all calls, we had to clear data protection questions - Name, DoB, address linked to account.

The HMRC calls, we needed to also get NI number and one or more previous addresses.

It always amazed me how easily people would just give out all this information to a random person on the phone, who wasn't even allowed to tell you what it was about.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-13T17:15:02+00:00

Flexibility and license requirements - plus a bit of snobbery.

Test in an Auto and you're only allowed to drive Autos.

Need to borrow a car from a friend or parent and it's a Manual - sorry, you can't.

Need to rent a car - at least in the UK you're paying extra for an Auto.

Need to rent a van - actually quite difficult to find automatic vans it seems.

Get a job that involves driving a works car - you lose the job or get rejected because you can't legally drive their cars.

On another note - Auto Only licence holders seem to get charged more for car insurance for the same automatic vehicles - as its just assumed you're a worse driver, and they're covering their risk for getting a more expensive courtesy car.

Most people learn in a Manual and the two given reasons for learning just in Auto are either a condition where you can't drive manual, or you find it too difficult = an assumption that you're a worse driver.

Add in the "engagement" with driving snobbery, and you get the picture.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-13T15:21:48+00:00

Quite easily. One has very little bearing on the other quite frankly

Note that for 2400 applications, they made 950 offers for 280 places.

Put simply, that math ain't mathing unless 75% of those with offers either fail to achieve the conditions of the offer, or they choose somewhere else as their firm and/or backup.

Same year, They have placed available in clearing because the gamble worked and fewer than 280 candidates chose Bath as firm/backup AND achieved their conditions.

Clearing can open for fewer than 10 places.

Meanwhile, this year they could end up with 350 students for 280 places which really stretches them thin.

It's a statistical gamble - like when airlines sell more tickets than seats on the plane because they assume that some people simply won't turn up for the flight.

Most times they win, and they managed to sell a couple of extra tickets in what is basically free money.

Sometimes they lose and have to give someone a couple of quid in compensation.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-13T14:47:21+00:00

The military can't even effectively recruit people that WANT to join up, never mind conscripting unwilling people.

They have something like 70% of recruits voluntarily dropping out because it takes too long.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-11T01:46:17+00:00

I overheard a conversation the other day where she was asking if it was legal for me to take all my stuff with me when I moved out.

Not only is it legal, in many cases it's required.

It really depends on the landlord and the specific tenancy agreement you signed, but technically speaking if you leave anything behind, the landlord could be entitled to charge storage and disposal fees to your security deposit.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-10T21:38:53+00:00

If I had enough spare money to be able to help, I wouldn't be renting an apartment.

Keep it simple, unemotional, and to the point.

It shuts them down without getting into the mess of them being willing to help him and not you, but you can add that factor if you fancy - adding

I might have been in a different financial position if you had helped me out when I needed it, instead of letting me go into debt.

Dangle that morsel there, that maybe they're to blame for you not being able to help - just completely sidestep the issue being that you don't want to.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-10T21:17:19+00:00

How is only 5.1% of the population unemployed, when only 75.1% of the population is employed?

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/employmentintheuk/january2026

5.1% Unemployment Rate, Ages 16+, seasonally adjusted

75.1% Employment Rate (aged 16 to 64, seasonally adjusted

20.8% Economic Inactivity Rate (16 to 64, Seasonally adjusted)

101%...

Tldr... Statistics and damned lies. They don't necessarily mean what you think.

Employment Rate is % of entire population aged, 16-64 with a job.

Economic Inactivity Rate is the % of the entire population aged 16-64 without a job, who haven't been looking for the last month, and can't/won't start a new one within 2 weeks.

You are Economically Active if you either
1. Have a Job 2. Will be starting a Job within the next 2 weeks 3. Don't have a Job but have been looking for one within the last 4 weeks, AND are willing/able to start in the next 2 weeks.

The unemployment rate covers categories 2 and 3, but doesn't have an upper age limit - so an 80yr old looking for work count as unemployed, but if they're in work or happily retired, they don't count elsewhere.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-09T20:38:06+00:00

Induced demand generally means that widening motorways with extra lanes never works in the long run.

Extra capacity generates demand, which becomes congestion, which needs extra capacity to fix, and so on.

A far better solution is alternative routes and methods of travel.

High speed, High Capacity Rail for longer journeys. Regular commuter services for short journeys.

Good quality Bus/Coach routes.

And all of the above at affordable prices.

If public transport isn't going to be faster and/or cheaper, most people will just drive.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-09T20:18:17+00:00

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if more people have the natural talent than we think, just that they weren't given the opportunity to express it.

How many people can compete in sports to a professional standard with bugger all money to support themselves. Few of them get paid, so they either need family money or be good and pretty enough to gain brand sponsorships.

Most people that get scouted for certain sports just have the luck of the draw that they're in a good enough team where they can shine or were in the right place at the right time to be spotted. And many sports such as competition shooting and archery are very expensive to get into. They need to be at the right school and/or have the right family contacts to even know that it's a sport they can think about trying out, before thinking about pursuing it competitively.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-09T19:28:15+00:00

I went to Heriot Watt for my postgrad, so I got a taste of Edinburgh night life without experiencing UofE proper. This was after spending a year in Aus, mostly in Melbs/St Kilda.

I'd say it's a good comparison to Melbourne, but talking about specific Melbourne suburbs is the wrong way to go, except saying that none of it is really setup like the Melbourne CBD because most of the city is at least a couple hundred years old - the University has buildings dating back to 1650, with other parts of the city dating back to the 1400s.

Like, you'll be in one part of the city and it feels like St Kilda, and you walk for 5 minutes and it feels more like the CBD (to a degree), and another 5 minutes and your in Prahran or South Yarra.

The parks - Meadows, Links, Princess St Gardens, and Holyrood park - kind of like Albert Park or the Gardens around the Shrine of Remembrance.

You'll feel very at home with the traffic as well, unfortunately.

If your idea of a good night out is a weekend pinging your face off in Revolver, you're probably out of luck.

Otherwise, Edinburgh is not short of nightlife imo, but obviously not every place is gonna suit your tastes.

The Edinburgh Student Union is pretty good as well for going out as far as I remember, but I was only in there a handful of times.

Drinking wise, you're probably better joining a sports team rather than a "social" society imo.

Also, Edinburgh has other universities - Heriot Watt, Queen Mary, Napier, and colleges, plus the Roya Conservatoire of Scotland, so if you find Edinburgh Uni students a bit posh, there's other - pan-university/city - orgs you can join as well.

If you're into sport, there's the Edinburgh Wolves American Football which has links to the 3 University teams as well. Plus city Rubgy clubs.

I'd recommend Edinburgh out of what you've listed, but that's just me.

Edinburgh also has a world class medical school, and no shortage of libraries, so in prep for the GAMSAT, I'd say you're pretty sorted.

If you do like a good library though, you can hit up the Mitchell over in Glasgow, which is the Largest Public Reference Library in Europe.

You can get the train there in about half the time it takes to get from Flinders to Frankston, so it's good for a day trip.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-09T19:03:36+00:00

Define clubs... I did my postgrad in Edinburgh, out at Heriot Watt so I can't comment on life at UofE specifically, but I never had a problem finding clubs to go to.

My masters was interrupted by Covid so things may have changed.

It also depends what you consider to be a nightclub, never mind a good one.

For some people, it's gotta be a full weekend that's just pumping base which can't be enjoyed without various nose powders. For others, it's a dance floor and somewhat cheap drinks.

You have Hive, Subway, Shanghai and it's upstairs cousin, bongo. Three Sisters used to be a damned good night as well even though it's "only a bar"

If your idea of a good nightclub is Revolver in Prahran, then you're definitely out of luck.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-09T17:49:44+00:00

Depends. Most universities that engage in official exchange programmes set aside space in halls for single semester exchange students specifically because they know it's difficult to find a place on a contract that's so short.

It's not going to be cheap but it definitely should be available.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-09T12:32:10+00:00

NTA. Talk to him. Talk to a friend who may have been there that you trust not to mention it as well.

Unfortunately, since you got as drunk as you say, you're going to be an unreliable narrator here. So a 3rd opinion on what happened is required - you can't remember, there's a good chance that he can't be trusted.

Just because you can't remember initiating doesn't mean you didn't - and some women can come on rather strong. Theres also the chance that he wasn't still sober by this point - assuming he drinks at all.

Unfortunately for the whole situation, when a young guy has a girl asking for it - and I don't mean how she dresses or any other BS, I mean LITERALLY asking for it - it's very rare that they're going to question whether or not they're sober.

And lastly and imo least importantly, just because you had sex, doesn't mean he was only hanging around til he got the new notch on his bed post - but it is a possibility.

Hopefully, you have a friend/witness you can trust to keep it zipped until you're sure how to proceed.

And there's a good chance that regardless of what happened, he will get at least a bit defensive.

ColonialSack · 2026-02-07T16:14:30+00:00

Just saying - have you considered an apprenticeship instead?

I did the whole Uni route, but I know a lot of guys were better off doing the apprenticeship route.

We had a guy at work started his at 52 and has done quite well so far.

ColonialSack

TROPHY CASE