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I never said I had anything against Muslims. I work with them 6 nights a week! I do, however, have a problem with us fighting alongside Saudi Arabians.

Ah, well you see Sym the extremist "lesbiongaybisexualtraansgender/Muslim/Christian/black/Pakastani/et al (delete as appropriate)" also shove "down the throats of everybody else" that they are delete as appropriates, and try to represent it as the normal state of being. That's what makes more conservative (with a small c) people nervous; the throat-shovers delight in doing so, and damage their own case by constantly overstepping the boundaries of reason. Apart from that I have to pretty much agree with you - which makes me nervous! @CL: I'm glad we are both thinkers! Of course we'd all help that woman in a burkah, though a heart-attack in a sack would surely be more difficult to identify than if she were wearing normal Western dress. My Italian is indeed terrible, but then again I'm a buyer not a seller, and my supplementary excuses are that I'm English and old. Even official and qualified Italian speakers of English are awful too, and if you want a proper English conversation you seek out an illegal African in transit - which there's no difficulty locating these days. Several times though I've had to restrain myself from intervening in hillarious Italio/German dialogue, where both parties sincerely believe they share a common second language. That's just another reason why the EU is doomed to political failure, though trade, close cooperation, and mutual respect, will go on regardless.

For those who might be interested the Beeb have a short film about 100 years of coal mining in Blighty; Auntie also has some other mining films available on the same page. All the usual stuff is there but it might be of some use to the whippersnappers on here who haven't a clue what some of us 'old timers' are on about. I liked the bit showing a 10 pin bowling alley in a miners welfare club. It's here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35127257

Bit of a Hobson's Choice there CL, the sort much loved by the hard left. And, to imply that he'd even consider refusing treatment on purely racial grounds would be to presume that which was never intended. Why is a Muslim doctor or nurse here in the first place? It is understandable that they might come for training, but why don't they then go and treat people of their own persuasion nearer to their homeland? If he/she has clearly embraced our society fully, and properly integrated, and is - oh yes - fully medically qualified and speak OUR language passably, then why would anyone have any qualms? But there are any one of a number of alternative scenarios that any clear-thinking human being would be mindful of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Glasgow_International_Airport_attack We won't align ourselves with a huge range of popular yet questionable belief sets in the world, lest we should be identified with their beliefs. Yet are we expected to make an exception with the Saudis just because they are Muslim?

I got curious about this, and though I thought it was 'possibly' Blyth - I even had a location in mind... I them came across this: http://dre.durham.gov.uk/pgDre.aspx?&SEARCH=By+Keyword&TERM=Building+workers&ID=DRE6029&PIC=Y I found that after other research pointed me in the same direction - the dates of construction are correct 1925: http://www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk/nstnrail.html Not saying it's definite, but the interweb seems to point that way!