Wilko

Why do we need the armed forces for defence? Who is threatening to invade us? At the moment, the armed forces are fighting what many people see as questionable wars overseas that seem to have little to do with defending the realm. Aside from the spurious argument that 'if we don't get the terrorists abroad, they'll pour over our borders and blow us all up', is there another reason? We are told the biggest threat is from terrorists. If this is the case, surely we need to pour more money into intelligence, rather than soldiers. Please give a sensible answer. Thanks.

Solid performance. Nothing spectacular, but he worked hard and did his job well.

Of all the fascinating threads with well-made points that bungle has ever made, this one has gone on for the longest. I'm outraged.

Last year, I went on a nine-day wine and food holiday with the bird and two friends in the Loire. This year, we're doing the same, but in Puglia, South Italy. Cute, small places with nice restaurants and quaint guest houses are the order of the holiday. I can't wait.

As a reporter who dabbles in a bit of footie reporting on a weekly paper, I can say that even at the level of a very poorly-supported Blue Square South club, football fans are a right bunch of moaners. I was once lambasted by the club's press officer for announcing a (relatively) big name signing and then slagged off on a fans' forum for putting it in jeopardy. However, the public in general can be just as bad. There are a lot of armchair journalists out there.....

Sometimes you lot really are a sad, embittered bunch of people. If you don't like the Echo, don't buy it.

There is one simple way of solving the problem of binge drinking: stop supermarkets selling alcohol so cheaply. Asda is particularly bad at this. It has been known to sell its own brand vodka at a loss, even cheaper than the equivalent quantity of mineral water. Unfortunately, we all know that the Government is only interested in appeasing large companies, rather than saving small, independent pubs. Therefore, hundreds of pubs close every month, while we have a Tesco express on every corner. It's the future.

More unashamed populism from the Tories.

Let's hope Cameron is shown up as the vacuous ponce that he is.

Cheer up you miserable old buggers.

More on this here: http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/news/091214clubban.shtml

No, you grow up. You are opinionising on something you clearly know nothing about. The club knows it has no chance of controlling bigger media organisations, but is trying to bully the Echo because it thinks it has a change. Southampton's local newspaper was giving its readers what they expect - as good a story as it could possibly write, not a cursory few paragraphs from a watered-down club statement. As a journalist whose job is impeded by PR people every day, I know exactly what goes on. They phone me up, waste my time, lie to me and will deny even the most black and white of topics, until it is out in public, at which point they try to claim what I write is not true and usually say it is unfair to their organisation. That is what they are paid to do. The whole point of real journalism is not to just ****ing regurgitate PR spin and press releases, but to print the real story. Unfortunately, the world is increasingly run by over-paid sharp-suited PR people, many of whom have no idea how newspapers work and are under the impression that they have a God-given right to control what is written about their organisation. Newspapers are not there to give metaphorical hand jobs to local clubs, businesses and councils and it makes me sick that some of you people think that is how things should be.

The Daily Echo will still get stories about Saints. There are not hundreds of media outlets covering Saints in any great depth. Goodwill between news outlets and organisations is a too way street and in this situation the club is just being naive. Once the documents are on the planning website, they're in the public domain. The club ballsed up by not arranging the press conference before the application went live on the website. Skates recently banned The News from the ground for not writing enough 'positive' stories. The media must be editorially independent and the banning of journalists from football clubs is a worrying trend. We are heading toward a future in which the only news people receive is the official, spun, watered-down version of events. This is what the PR-driven press release culture is creating and it applies to football clubs as much as it applies to local authorities, the Government and businesses. I suggest you stick to researching for computer games.

I can tell you all that a Saints scout was at the Memorial Stadium today. I didn't get a chance to ask him who he was looking at, but he was gone by the 70th minute. Of all the lot on show, I reckon Jeff Hughes and Chris Lines CDAJFU.

Once the documents are in the public domain, the club can't expect the Echo not to write about them. That's as far as it goes. All this crap from PR people about press releases is just that - crap. Any journalist worth his or her salt would write the story and it would be doing the fans a disservice not to run with the story. The club is being naive and will go crawling back sooner or later.

Hope it's pay on the day as I did not purchase a ticket. Worried now.

Tim, I have no PM facility, please send me an email tothemaxwilko5000@hotmail.com Cheers, Wilko

Tim, Can you email me on tothemaxwilko5000@hotmail.com. Cheers, Wilko

Mods - I think somebody is abusing the quotes function. I wasn't there today. I was working to fund my trip to Walsall next week. However, you must surely concede that those videos prove that you don't have to be in the right stadium to create a good atmosphere.

I'm fed up with this ****e excuse being wheeled out every time Saints fans can't be bothered to get behind their team. For details on how to make an atmosphere in a '****' stadium....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KehqWbdQwAk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBBPoyXEOhM&feature=PlayList&p=89649DB65BB8FB9F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N66jOVp6lc&feature=PlayList&p=89649DB65BB8FB9F&index=10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a61dYJOczBI&feature=PlayList&p=89649DB65BB8FB9F&index=17 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHLWclMs_Pw Doesn't that look like fun? I'm glad you all agree. Now let's try it at Walsall.

I reckon our billionaire should celebrate it by following the lead of Randy Lerner by putting a good cause on the front of the shirt. Much better than selling out to an airline for a pittance.

There's a fair chance that, if I was born there, I would be living in poverty.

This place is very good for a pint of real ale. I vote we have a few in here before heading to Walsall. http://www.thewellingtonrealale.co.uk/ If you like ale and haven't been before, it's definitely worth the short walk from New Street station to check it out.

1. I was not born in the southern hemisphere 2. Nice jumpers 3. Good chip shops 4. Real ale 5. Cheese

Bitter internet warriors in slagging off journalists shocker!