Isn't that actually Whitehall?

Sweet ride! What's the bhp on that thing?

I love that sign. Simple and direct.

It *is* on Whitehall, but that is just along the road from Parliament.

More specifically, it's about halfway along Whitehall, at the entrance to the Horseguards building, which is... not so surprising, really.

ASBO for the horse, whilst we're at it.

Hahaha

his horse has made a bit of a mess on the public highway, n all.

"Last night, some hooligans tipped over a dustbin in Shaftesbury."

Growing up in London, I recall the first time I saw a guardsman in front of Buckingham Palace, and it as a somewhat painful memory. We were visiting "the Queen's house" - and of course I believed everyone loved the Queen. Nobody told me there were going to be scary, angry-looking men outside protecting her from people. I didn't know anyone who would want to harm the Queen, but I concluded that perhaps the Queen wasn't all that nice after all if she needed people to protect her. And come to think of it, why weren't we allowed to even say hello to her?

At the age of six or seven, the relationship between the rulers and the ruled suddenly hit me square between the eyes.

"Does this robe make me look fat?"

Be careful giving an honest answer to a man carrying a sword.

could anyone explain to me what a yob and a hoodie are? i'm wearing a hoodie right now, so does that make me a "yob"? m'thinks its a British colloquialism

Nobody told me there were going to be scary, angry-looking men outside protecting her from people.

You find bright red tunics with gold braid and gigantic fur headdresses scary? It's as if they dressed them up as extras from The Wizard of Oz to disempower them. Of course, the honor guard at Syntagma in Athens wears skirts, tasseled caps and shoes with giant pompoms.

Look more like a member of the Royal Chavalry to me.

Here's what went through my mind, much to my later amusement:

"Another post about violent youths in England. There's no text. Just a picture of a guard on a horse. Where's the yob? That's a funny sign. What a dirty entrance way. I still don't see the.... he-e-e-ey, wait a minute!"

A yob is a ruffian. Cory is making sport of characterizing the citizenry by its apparel.

This being a monarchy, he's not a citizen, he's a subject. Even if he were in a republic, he still wouldn't be a citizen, because he's a professional soldier.

Either way, it's a terrible gag. This isn't going to be another of Cory's banana-like detours is it?

Just look at it...

The first clue announcing the movement of Cory's column from the Grauniad to the Daily Hate?

more importantly he's pointing out that this man is carrying a very large blade. any other member of the general public carrying such a blade or even a blade a tenth of that 'knife' would find themselves in a tight spot with the law.

It could be worse. He could be carrying a camera.

Didn't you steal this idea from here?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10816453@N00/3728507013/

What's a ruffian? :(

HA. that was wonderful.

James Blunt was a captain in the Life Guards before he became a guitar-wielding T-shirt wearing singer.

What's a ruffian?

bully, gangster, goon;
homeboy, hood, hoodlum;
hooligan, mobster, mug;
punk, roughneck, rowdy;
thug, tough, toughie.

cabaloa: This being a monarchy, he's not a citizen, he's a subject. Even if he were in a republic, he still wouldn't be a citizen, because he's a professional soldier.

Wrong on both counts. (a) British citizens are, indeed, citizens with rights -- this isn't a pure monarchy, it's a constitutional monarchy -- and (b) professional soldiers don't renounce their citizenship when they sign up (although they take on additional duties and responsibilities).

Cory's point stands, though. If I happen to carry a Leatherman tool with a 3" or longer locking blade in public without a bloody good excuse, I'm committing a serious criminal offense with a multi-year prison sentence attached; this guy, in contrast, get's to menace the public with a three foot pig-sticker!

Irony, irony, wherefore art thou, irony? (Not among the boinger commentariat ...)

Yob was originally back slang (yob = boy). Ironically it is now part of the demonisation of boys.

Recent research by Women in Journalism on regional and national newspaper reporting of "hoodies" shows that the word is most commonly interchanged with (in order of popularity) "yob", "thug", "lout" and "scum".

Sweet ride! What's the bhp on that thing?

Err...one?

Check out the bling on his baseball cap!

Read Robinson Crusoe for the first use of the word "yob".

Read Robinson Crusoe for the first use of the word "yob".

Come on, you'll have to do better than that. The Project Gutenberg version certainly doesn't contain 'yob'.

Meh. "Brandish" = "to shake or wave (as a weapon) menacingly", which he's clearly not doing. You can carry a weapon without brandishing it.

Uh, one.