badgerx16

Without the LDs there isn't a Government.

I might just go to watch the phew lose at my nearest league ground. ( 1&1/2 miles as the gull flies from my house to Highbury ). I wonder if FTFC will let me in wearing one of my Saints shirts ?

In a very good post, this paragraph probably contains the most important, and most overlooked, detail - where the money to pay for the next gen CASD will come from. The 'special' budget is going, and the full cost must come directly from the MOD - at what cost to the Army & RAF, and consequently our 'real' ability to project force ?

What is the solution for Italy, Germany, Holland, Sweden, or Spain ? Or over 150 other countries around the world ? Why does the UK HAVE to have these systems ?

Devil's Advocate question - Deterrent to what ? It's unlikely to be a terrorist threat, who would you target to counter it ? It's unlikely to be a rogue nuclear state with a grudge solely against the UK. Genuinely interested in what purpose people who are pro CASD think it actually serves.

OK, I accept that the Tories made a promise at the last election - but it carries as much weight as any other politician's promise. As for 'the people want it", other than the Tory mouthpiece press, where is the evidence that 'we the people' want it ? In my experience most people are ambivalent at best on the issue.

Something we agree on.

Post #14 Actually I think it was June 1975.

What would intervention acheive ? How is Iraq managing since we improved their prospects ?

Spot the difference : On the issue of EU membership we have had a vote, but you don't like the result. On the issues of Balkanising the UK, ( for which there has been no previous poll ), the Welsh and Scots get a chance, but the English don't.

Let them find their own way - trying to impose our views and form of democracy on them will only lead to greater trouble.

I want the English to get the same opportunity.

We had a vote in 1974, and we live with the result. Why pick on EU membership for a review referendum, why not have a new poll on votes for women ? Or how about a return to the man with the red flag walking in front of cars ? Your OP mentioned 'popular opinion', I'm not sure what the concensus is - I do know where the loudest shouting is coming from. What if the referendum was held and the vote was to stay in ? Would you want a series of recounts until you get the result you want ?

No we cannot. HTH

"Vengeance is Mine" sayeth the Lord.

Lounge 75, TMS 24. Obviously the thinking / working elite have found a bit of spare time for Saintsweb.

The point is we don't need to change anything, other than a semantic point about allowing somebody to apply for something that will be automatically turned down. The parole process is quite capable of keeping 49 people locked up until they die.

Is it the prisoners themselves, or smart arsed self-promoting lawyers that take these cases to Court ?

It's the European Convention on Human Rights, and if you are willing to give up all the protections it gives to you so as to ensure that a handful of murderers can be locked in an oubliette, then I think you would be making the wrong choice.

1) Just because they have the right to request a parole hearing doesn't mean it has to be granted - the system is quite capable of keeping them locked up for the full term. 2) When people refer to 'the worst offenders', etc, where is the line drawn ? There will always be that grey area that blurs the definition, ( yes I know - Brady, Sutcliffe, Rose West, etc, but they are very much the exception ).

It isn't just the names, it's the random spelling some parents come up with.

"Quality Seeker"; apparently I'm John Lewis' ideal customer.

Why are 'righties' so hard of thinking ? Simply substitute 'NHS' for 'publicly funded health care system'. If Gov't spending was to be cut to 20% of GDP, that is something we would no longer have, whatever you want to call it.

The private systems don't have to labour under the burden of having to provide 'universal' service to all who want it. How many private hospitals still end up using NHS facilities, or pass on patients to state care ? How many private schools are there on 'sink' estates, or take pupils of a lesser ability ?

So private education is cheaper than that provided by the state ? Similarly health care ? Let's see the figures.