I read the news today oh boy! Page 2,302

God doesn't exist, sorry to break that to you so bluntly.
But your constant name calling does.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 1st July 2021, 6:10 PM

God doesn't exist.

I do believe we've found something we agree on.
I won't make a habit of it, I promise.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 1st July 2021, 6:10 PM

God doesn't exist, sorry to break that to you so bluntly.

You won't know until it's too late.

Quote: Lazzard @ 30th June 2021, 8:58 PM

Indian variant.
The clue's in the f**king name.

There's loads of variants but we can't call them what they really are.

I just did.
The Delta variant was previousky known as the Indian variant - because it came from India, not Calais.
You can't blame immigrants for everything.

Quote: lofthouse @ 1st July 2021, 5:57 PM

(But I think you're a c*nt)

Why can't you all just stop being utter dicks to each other?

Stop the sniping. Stop the name calling. Stop the bitching. Disagree like civilised adults and move on.

I'm sick of asking this - it's not a huge commitment from any of you. From here on in anyone I deem to be acting against the ethos I'm setting out here is getting suspended, moving up to banning if repeated.

Quite right,sir.

Well done to Labour for proving the naysayers wrong and winning Batley and Spen (which is a terrible name for a constituency). Not exactly a resounding victory, but a win's a win.

Batley was once a boom town. It had The Batley Variety Club which attracted the worlds biggest stars at the time. Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong, Roy Orbison et al.
Not any more. It's a rundown derelict mill town. It's only importance was this recent by-election as it could have had an effect on the labour leader.
You'll never hear of it again.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 2nd July 2021, 8:01 AM

Batley was once a boom town. It had The Batley Variety Club which attracted the worlds biggest stars at the time. Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong, Roy Orbison et al.
.

Yes, remember it well and was often tempted to make a trip there as at the time is was massive and had a high reputation for a quality night out.

Three questions - Why/How did it get so big, when/why did it all go pear shaped and is the club still there?

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 2nd July 2021, 8:01 AM

Batley was once a boom town. It had The Batley Variety Club which attracted the worlds biggest stars at the time. Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong, Roy Orbison et al.
Not any more. It's a rundown derelict mill town. It's only importance was this recent by-election as it could have had an effect on the labour leader.
You'll never hear of it again.

That's pretty much true of a lot of northern towns. Once mighty, now shitholes doomed to remain shitholes no matter how much levelling up rhetoric we get from Governments (or whatever the equivalent buzzwords were ten or twenty years ago).

It was a great club - the road it was on was called locally The Las Vegas Strip - all flashing lights and water fountains.
In fact the owners (Corrigans - from travelling fair ground people) went to Las Vegas to see how it was done before they built it..
I read they were not very good business people though. One big mistake was, they bragged how much they had paid each star to appear and every other minor star's agent knew they had money to burn and asked for much higher fees than normal. So they eventually couldn't make ends meet and went bankrupt.
At the time, it was very futuristic with fog boxes and lasers (common now but amazing then)

It was sold and became a discotheque for a while and now it is a gym.

I think the picture below is of the BEE GEE's on stage.
One of them fancied a barmaid there and married her!

Image
Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 1st July 2021, 6:10 PM

God doesn't exist,

Thanks for clearing that one up. Philosophers have been getting their panties in a twist for centuries. Duh.
Matt Hancock, a corrupt politician. Wow. I live in Italy.

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 2nd July 2021, 9:38 AM
Image

Thanks Stephen for the info., but (Tut, Tut) where are the face masks. Whistling nnocently

Those were the days. Will they ever come back. :(

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 2nd July 2021, 9:38 AM

It was a great club - the road it was on was called locally The Las Vegas Strip - all flashing lights and water fountains.
In fact the owners (Corrigans - from travelling fair ground people) went to Las Vegas to see how it was done before they built it..
I read they were not very good business people though. One big mistake was, they bragged how much they had paid each star to appear and every other minor star's agent knew they had money to burn and asked for much higher fees than normal. So they eventually couldn't make ends meet and went bankrupt.
At the time, it was very futuristic with fog boxes and lasers (common now but amazing then)

It was sold and became a discotheque for a while and now it is a gym.

We have the rights to Maureen Preest's (his right-hand woman and confidant) memoirs.
It's a fascinating story.
Did you know "The Hungry Years" was written by Neil Sedaka about the disintegrating relationship of the Corrigan's - which he observed at first hand?
Listen to the lyrics.
At least that's the theme music sorted...

Quote: Stephen Goodlad @ 2nd July 2021, 8:01 AM

... Batley Variety Club which attracted the worlds biggest stars at the time. Shirley Bassey, Louis Armstrong, Roy Orbison et al...

I'd love to have seen Lou Armstrong's expression when he sang "It's a wonderful world" in Batley. Laughing out loud

Mind you the only famous people my home town in Yorkshire attracted were Big Daddy and Jive Bunny. :(