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To eggy, I respect your stance, yet I couldn't imagine a home without animals within. I have two cats and the lizard, and my cats are there for me to come home to. Without them the house would be soulless.

To HPW, Lizzie in the wild would grow to in excess of two feet, but in a four foot tank will probably reach 18inch, a quarter of that being tail. Big enough!

Mms we now have them around my way, not sure what the fuss is about, appear to do the job to me

Moe, that is actually very good!

HPW she's a fascinating creature, my youngest cat loves her! So easy to keep. I have a friend with half a dozen snakes, pythons, but they take a bit more looking after! I

Lizzie (she was named when I was given her!) is a Bearded Dragon, a species native to Australia. She's currently about a foot long, including tail, and is surprisingly friendly. Likes to sit in my shoulder when I'm watching TV!

Percy is fantastic! Meet Lizzie my resident reptile!

I don't think I'm 'embarrassingly' anything; it wasn't me who, embarrassingly, attempted to link a ludicrous tweet about traffic jams to an immigration problem. Nor am I the one who continues to insist that it is inevitable that the UK will become an Islamic country, which it won't unless, as we've already discussed, they move here en-masse - entire populations at once - or start reproducing at an impossible rate. There's reality, and then there's reality as presented by the Daily Mail. Most of what you propose is firmly from the latter.

Also, it's bloody windy outside. This corresponds with plenty of foreigners coming over here. Statistics, you can't look past them. It's their fault. Close the borders, no more wind. Simple.

People will jump on anything to push the anti immigration card. First it's traffic jams, now this.

Fabulous reading, this, keep it up!

Malcolm, cocks do not speak cat!

It looks that way!

"Looked at that way the Germans (only a tad over 2% of world output) and indeed the entire EU might as well pack it in. " Which is partly the point, and no, I'm not being tongue in cheek. Hard as it is for those employed in the industry, the simple fact is the UK - and Europe - is no longer a major player in the manufacturing trade. We simply can't compete, and that's been true for some time. I'm all for subsidies to keep people in work, but there has to be a line drawn in teh sand, and sadly not the one you are looking for. When it comes to the point where the people who buy the steel the industry produces can't afford to remain loyal to home produce, things need to be looked at carefully. Business is not charity.

Save Corbyns cat! Seriously, I agree with Malcolm; I have good mates around here that I can't understand... Oh, and to be fair, cat language is universal; Meeow is the same in any language, it just means "servant, give me food, now"

Ok, so the Chinese have loads of cheap steel, and it impacts on our (barely existent) steel industry. Can we afford to compete, even without EU strangulation or whatever?

Something reminded me of an earlier post referring to "the curious 'Pace or Peas Bush'" in a list of Choppington place names. Someone, I can't remember who or where - either the Choppington or Bygone Bedlington groups on Facebook - recently posted a picture of 'all that remains of Pace Bush Farm' - a bit of a gatepost, I think. It was, I believe, located a little way behind the Swan (Lord Clyde), so mystery solved there!

Thank you Eggy, that helps a great deal!

Bluebarby, welcome, I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy your posts!

I was under the impression we import far more steel from EU countries than from China?

HPW, I recall attending a bird show as described not too many years ago - within the last 15 - in Bedlington, can't for the life of me remember where it was! Your hering gull sounds like a fun fella!

On the note of East to West translation, I once bought an electric carving knife which featured the legend among its instructions.."Not for the other use....."

Jealous! Why does Anna not want to talk to me?

All good points, Canny Lass and Eggy; I think Mr Edmonds displays a degree of naivety with regard to the country he lives in and its transport systems. Here's a thing: when I was a kid I walked to school - hundreds of us did, a mile, a couple of miles, in all weathers - because Dad had gone to work and Mum didn't have a car. If we wanted, there was a bus, but that was boring, walking was more fun. These days, the road outside every school is crammed with cars every morning, so there's some of your extra traffic. Second point: I'm lucky enough to work from home (although a lot of hard work took place to allow me that privelige) and it is clear to me that, in the 21st century, a lot of miles are covered by commuters that are not necessary. How many office-based jobs could be done from home? After all, it's fair to say the majority of homes occupied by those of working age are hoolked up to broadband and have at least one home computer. An example - my brother in law just started a job as IT Manager for a chain of hotels/hostels; they don't have an actual office, he works largely from home when not on site. Many other organisations will see the benefit in terms of this very soon, and telecommuting will become far more popular. A further point that baffles me: why does everyone drive to work at the same time? Surely staggered start/finish times would serve to reduce congestion? I'd suggest all the above are more sensible points than simply raising one's hands, Blobby style, and declaring the country to be full.....

Bizarre in the extreme. I must say it's inventive to be stuck in a traffic jam and suddenly realise it is caused by immigration. I guess the extra 15milion cars (not to mention other vehicles) that have populated the same roads we were using in 1980 are all driven by immigrants. Or, perhaps the very modern trend for two car families - pretty much unheard of until the past couple of decades - is part of the problem. Mr Edmonds wasn't being brave: misguided, yes. Being stuck in traffic is not significant of the country being "full" and nor is it to do with immigration. Quite simply, there are more vehicles on the roads than ever before - everywhere in the world. The original post, with respect, clutches desperately at straws, takes 2 & 2 and makes 5, and many other cliches along the way.