Has this country had it

[Ayesha]

Personally I am quite amazed at how well behaved our local area is considering the incredible lack of Police.
Our local station is now 20 miles away in another county. It appears that we have something like 6 officers roaming a 30 mile radius from the place, fortunately it is on the coast.

So it seems that society is self policing to an extent that is hard to believe can still function.

Unless they call out the helicopter any criminal has at least 30 minutes headstart on the cops.
They still have time to stop cyclists for cycling with trailers though.

^
Perfect advert for villians.

[meic]

You would think so, yet they seem to find it too far to drive and of course they are too illiterate to read this.
Not that they would understand anyway with the poor grammar, spelling and syntax.

More seriously, we may lack a Police force but as I said we do have a population that is self policing and I think that our nosy neighbour policy is more off putting to the criminals than the Police are in other areas.
Our crime figures certainly support that idea.

Or we are just too poor to make it worth the journey.

[Si]

Europe lost the war,

They'd stopped doing history at your school then?

[Si]

Europe lost the war,

They'd stopped doing history at your school then?

Sorry but if we are to indulge in pedantry concerning grammar, syntax, etc then we need to be careful with those petards.

[Trev The Rev]

Yes in my opinion this country has had it. Just one example.

Compare Sir Chris Hoy, Knighted for riding a bike to Sir Douglas Bader, Knighted for services to the disabled. In my opinion Knighthoods have been devalued.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hoy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader

[meic]

Doesnt that just mean the honours system is a "mess", just as it always has been.

[Edmo]

I bury my head in the sand on this one

I bury my head in my hands. Notwithstanding the appalling grammar, spelling and syntax errors posted above by those who claim to be some part of the education system, the wretched, prejudiced views put forward suggest we should not be surprised if sizeable numbers leave school with issues. Frightening.There was some comment above which made comparisons between Belgium and the UK. Europe lost the war, and was -in the entirity of a continent- left to starve thereafter. Somehow, we now look there with the idea they offer more. Their high social costs, those liberal policies, that concern for all in society, it seems to have paid some dividends, don't you think?

I'm not sure that Belgium was any worse off than Britain after the war - would have to wade through a lot of information, I suppose. What they certainly had as recently as 1994, and still have, I believe, is streaming of pupils. I have no idea how they deal with unruly pupils. Could check with some old friends, but will probably fill my weekend with more interesting matters.

[Ayesha]

Stiff upper lip Christopher. You're a Knight of the Realm.

[Si]

Yes in my opinion this country has had it. Just one example.
....... In my opinion Knighthoods have been devalued.

Well, considering that knighthoods were originally handed out based upon how much power you had, whether you came from the right family, and whether or not you supported our unelected leader, I think that overall we are still on a major plus here.

[pliptrot]

The fact that we still have the honours system - and all the other ridiculous nonsense that goes with it - shows just how far the nation needs to go before there is any semblance of decency and normality. The UK is a country stuck in a time-warp, where so many believe in empire and so many don't see our true place in the world. Which is sad, given what a great nation we are.

[Edmo]

Yes in my opinion this country has had it. Just one example.
....... In my opinion Knighthoods have been devalued.

Well, considering that knighthoods were originally handed out based upon how much power you had, whether you came from the right family, and whether or not you supported our unelected leader, I think that overall we are still on a major plus here.

Willie McLachlan, a worker in BAE shipyards in Glasgow was awarded an MBE just under a year ago. Why? Over the past 30 years he has raised £1.4m for charities. Ben Kingsley got a knighthood for acting, Elton John for singing, and Chris Hoy for cycling. They may have made a greater financial contribution to society, but the effort and commitment made by Willie McLachlan far outweighs theirs, I believe. The honours system isn't fair: it hands out the greater awards to entertainers, sportsmen, bankers etc, and doles out the lesser ones to ordinary folk who often have been of more value to society. It's anachronistic, and the sooner it dies, the better.

[Fasgadh]

What were the equivalents 50 years ago in the 1960s? At that time I was in grammar school with a strictish uniform code.

It is still usual for this to be the case. As for the original incident, I was pushed off my bike and given a "good kicking" only a km away when I had the misfortune to live in the blighted borough.

[Trev The Rev]

Yes in my opinion this country has had it. Just one example.
....... In my opinion Knighthoods have been devalued.

Well, considering that knighthoods were originally handed out based upon how much power you had, whether you came from the right family, and whether or not you supported our unelected leader, I think that overall we are still on a major plus here.

Willie McLachlan, a worker in BAE shipyards in Glasgow was awarded an MBE just under a year ago. Why? Over the past 30 years he has raised £1.4m for charities. Ben Kingsley got a knighthood for acting, Elton John for singing, and Chris Hoy for cycling. They may have made a greater financial contribution to society, but the effort and commitment made by Willie McLachlan far outweighs theirs, I believe. The honours system isn't fair: it hands out the greater awards to entertainers, sportsmen, bankers etc, and doles out the lesser ones to ordinary folk who often have been of more value to society. It's anachronistic, and the sooner it dies, the better.

I have respect for those who have turned down Knighthoods. The sooner we abolish the monarchy and titles the better. We should introduce awards which reflect the contribution & service.

[mac111051]

Update on the incident
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/crim ... ng-attacks

[pliptrot]

I'm delighted this thread is back on track. If indeed the police have got their men (children) then I wish these scum the most unpleasant of times.