bridge too far

Maybe because, years ago, both towns were Labour strongholds and distrust of the Tories runs deep?

The incident I mentioned happened over 30 years ago but I tell you what - I'm FAR more nervous about accidents and incidents befalling my beloved grandchildren. Maybe we get more scared about stuff as we get older, I don't know.

All allowances are taxed and subject to NI. My mileage allowance used to be taxed for example. That doesn't mean it was my salary. The average councillor claims something between £4K - £12K pa in expenses / allowances. If you want a council comprising elderly wealthy men and women then by all means do away with the allowances. If, however, you want a council made up of people like you and me, who work for a living and have families to care for then you must expect them to be NOT out of pocket. A friend of mine has just, this week, been elected as a (Tory) councillor. He has 3 children and is a self-employed builder. If he takes his council work seriously, he will have to attend lots of committee meetings as well as full council meetings, hold surgeries, visit the local electorate etc. Undoubtedly his business and, to some extent, his family will bear the brunt. Even though he's a Tory, I don't begrudge him one penny of his allowance.

Yep Lord D - I see what you're saying. But, on a practical level, can the LDs actually choose to side with Labour in spite of the coalition agreement. Let's say for example that the Tories decide to go ahead with their mad NHS reforms. Clegg has, today, said he will not allow the original reforms to go ahead. Suppose the Tories, nonetheless, put the Bill forward. There's nothing, is there, to stop all the LD MPs opposing the bill and, by effectively siding with Labour, defeating the Bill? I'm genuinely intrigued to know if this COULD happen in theory?

And, if you read each of those links, you'll see that, underneath the sensationalist headlines, the articles are actually referring to ALLOWANCES. That's not the same as pay. Many people who become councillors give up a lot of time to do so. They also have to travel a fair bit about the business of the council. If there weren't allowances then becoming a councillor would only be possible to the independently wealthy - something none of us would want, I suggest. However, I'm being pedantic because I don't think the allowances should rise at all - just wanted to correct the impression that councillors receive salaries

Councillors don't get paid a salary.

I think, too, that Huhne is positioning himself for a possible leadership campaign. I've noticed before at PMQs, but it was VERY apparent last week, that Clegg looks very uncomfortable sitting next to DC. I wonder, can the LibDems just walk away from the coalition without the need for a General Election? Can they just oppose the Tories and side with Labour?

To be fair, nor were the Tories or, indeed, the coalition. As one commentator so eloquently put it, Cameron is using them as a human shield.

Exactly. Whilst I wouldn't have left my children to go to a restaurant whilst in a foreign (or indeed British) holiday resort, I, along with many of you I'm sure, HAVE made mistakes when raising my family. I've been lucky that there have been no awful consequences - the McCanns weren't. I remember finding my daughter, then aged 3, climbing onto her bedroom window sill when the window was open. Silly us - but lucky us she didn't fall out. I bet there are NO parents on here who can honestly say they haven't made mistakes with their children.

It's a bit disingenuous to compare the plight of poor Keith Bennett's mother and Kate McCann. For a start, Keith Bennett's mother knows her son was murdered. I'm not saying that makes it easier - of course it doesn't - but she does at least KNOW what happened to her son. The McCanns (unless they're guilty of some of the crimes the ghoulish bloggers suggest) still don't know and I should think not knowing is an even heavier burden to bear. But, more importantly, at the time of the Moors murders, there weren't the world-wide publicity outlets to exploit like there are today. Had there been, no doubt Keith's mother would have used them - and who would have blamed her?

I don't disagree with anything you're saying here. When I said they needed money to search for the child, I didn't, of course, mean that the parents would physically carry out the search. I meant that professional detectives / searchers / whatever would need to be paid. Nonetheless, I imagine both parents still had a lot of stuff to deal with - hence the unpaid leave. Having, in the past, had to deal with a fairly traumatic event with one of my own children, I do know that's it's really hard to function as a normal person in such circumstances. Some people might find it helpful to carry on as normal, others can do nothing but almost cease to function. Thankfully my personal outcome was fine. However, if some of the scurrilous blogs are to be believed, some of the private detectives in this case are a bit dubious. But there will always be dubious characters sniffing around to take advantage of people at a low ebb.

Oh I think you're absolutely right! But I suppose it could be argued that, by taking 6 months' unpaid leave, they were increasing the chance of finding her. And I imagine the Fund had Trustees (these things usually do) so it would be up to the Trustees to allow these two payments. I think, if my child was missing, I'd find what ever financial support I could to continue the search by underwriting my family's living costs. After all, they had two other children to support too. Of course, the difference is that most of us wouldn't be in that position.

If I were a parent of a child who went missing, I'd have far more to worry about to have time to envy (if that's the right word in this context) others. I've got a completely open mind about this whole story and I'm not going to judge someone based on other people's speculation and gossip, or hysterical newspaper headlines (yeah, even the Guardian). If, as it seems, the constitution of the fund allowed for mortgage payments to be made until the McCanns and the Fund decided to discontinue that (once they'd been made 'arguidos' (sp)) then no-one should have an issue with that.

Oh so not quite as the headline would have you believe - only made two payments because they'd taken 6 months' unpaid leave.

Is this true? They've moved house since Maddie went missing? Because, generally speaking, I would expect two doctors to be able to easily afford a £500K house - on their salaries.

I'm not too sure why some are saying that Kate McCann has to live with the guilt (of leaving her children unattended) without seeming to think that her husband must also live with that guilt. Surely both parents are to blame? I can't imagine the pain that both parents must still feel and, if I were to be in their shoes, I would do anything within my power to try to find the child.

This looks interesting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13295273 "Why hasn't someone rung some very, very loud bells and put a stop to all this?" Lord Sugar asked. "What fascinates me about this football business is that a club goes bust on a Tuesday and they are still playing on a Saturday. "Football needs a dose of hard business reality. You go bust - You're gone, you're finished. And until an example of that happens, the penny is not going to drop." Lord Sugar tackles Football is on BBC Two on Sunday 8 May at 2100 BST. Or watch online via iPlayer at the above link (UK only).

I hake it when people indulge in word play.

Light rain here in Oxfordshire but I was woken up at around 4 am by an almighty crack of thunder! Only the one, mind. Shame because I love thunderstorms.

We don't do 'names' or posh, although I did once eat at the White House in London and that was pretty impressive. Best ever meal we've ever had? A little place on the Canal du Midi (Le Chat qui Rire) - like being in someone's house, no matching china, but the most amazing food ever. And a quay side taverna near Tolofon, mainland Greece. Fish just landed - very simply cooked but out of this world!

Bumping this because there's about to be a significant ruling on this matter due shortly http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13277819

Quite a useful site about knee problems http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/patelladisorders/a/kneecap.htm

RICE to start with Rest Ice Compression Elevation

He can't get a signal?

Perfect end to a perfect weekend