Well when you put it like that…. you make a fair point. I always thought of Paul Golding as a well meaning oaf; a bit of a white van man sort who has genuine, if misinformed, concerns and a massive victim complex to boot.

…we should not claim that the actions of this murderer — if things are as they appear to be — have nothing to do Britain First and the broader political environment in which they took place.

We have the second-hand testament of a couple of witnesses who heard the killer shout something like ‘Britain First’, and that is all we have; a phrase that sounds a bit like a political party. There is no evidence, currently, that goes beyond this. It will all come out in the wash no doubt, but at the moment it would be best not to talk about politics. Not due to any sort of anti-intellectualism or other ill will on my part, but because of the paucity of evidence to link the killer to any political party or persuasion beyond what he may, or may not, have shouted.

They gave a cracking display at Arbroath Festival of Heroes.

Cutting the Reds’ display at Farnborough, given the rich aviation history tied up in the place, seems deeply symbolic of the fairly bloodless displays we will see this year and beyond I feel. As much as people denigrate the Reds as either the time for a toilet break or to head to the car, they do a wonderful job of grabbing the attention of those even with a minimal interest in aviation. It is hard to describe how proud the people of Arbroath were to be getting THE Red Arrows to display at what is otherwise a quiet wee fishing village. Seeing kids running around with toy Hawk T1s is quite positive really.

I feel things are a bit gloomy looking to the long term as well. This year we are losing the Grob and Hawk T2 displays, and the King Air display team have pulled out of all 2016 appearances as well. Farnborough is a major draw, and the Reds are relegated to a flypast. As dull as seasoned spotters may consider these displays, they must inspire kids and teenagers on some level… but only if you actually see them.

Maybe he’s wearing camouflage?

By all account the guy was a closet gay…

The Orlando shooter or John Green?

Link here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/14/sir-clement-freud-exposed-as-a-paedophile-as-police-urged-to-pro/

We have moved away from those dark days.

Have you read any of John’s posts on here? :highly_amused:

You have a lot of faith in those in Whitehall, both in that they are in any way representative and that they themselves aren’t simply functionaries who presume to know what is best for us. Besides, yourself and a few others were salivating at the prospect of a UKIP landslide in the 2015 general election. This didn’t come to pass, and you have been a vocal critic of the Conservative government on here in the period since. Perhaps the comfortable and familiar status quo isn’t all that good!