SeanMacGabhann

You want to name somewhere in public or private sector that doesn't have incompetence? or lack of funding? or both? If you honestly believe you can do a better job then there will be plenty of vacancies as talented people will shy away from dealing with the level of mistrust and abuse meted out to them What about the successes outlined in the paragraph above from the WHO? Is that not progress? If the people involved are incompetent then hopefully they will be removed. It isn't for us reading our papers to make that call - we just don't have all the facts. What will probably happen (if the hysteria doesn't distort) is that further lessons will be learned (no one in any field of knowledge knows everything yet) and things will improve some more. And future incidents will happen. Some twisted broken human will have learned the system and it's new rules and devised a NEW way of tricking it. So we will learn a little bit more. And so on and so on

what a brilliant line giggirl.. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go and lay down

There might be a case for the BNP to be nicked for contravening the Data protection Act mind you...

For the simple reason that it's in the interests of the papers to highlight the worst possible cases - most of the incompetence you mention is people saying "yeah well I advised them to do something different and they didn't listen" Newsflash: There isn't a single event in history where you can't find several people who say something like that. But no-body is infallible. If that same person has made a callin the past which endagered a baby they aren't going to go on the news and say "phew - I told someone it was safe to send baby x back but they didn't listen to me" What is the extra evidence that is coming out that changes the story in any way? I'm not saying the service can't be improved - it almost certainly can be. But claiming this is down to incompetence when we aren't in posession of al lof the facts is not on What about "Yet the number of children killed has fallen steadily - down 50% in England and Wales since the 1970s. Professor Colin Pritchard, an expert on child abuse, points to World Health Organisation statistics: Britain was fourth worst among western nations in the 1970s. Now it is among the best: only four countries have fewer child murders per million. Compare America, where child murders have risen by 17% since the 1970s. "Our child protection has never been better," Pritchard, of the school of health and social care at Bournemouth University, says. "Especially in the front line." And social workers are better trained. "I am awed by what these young people have to face." for a smidge of balance?

And to completely condradict myself from an earlier post (so apologies in particular to hoser on this point) this morning as I passed the start of the 40 route on Etherow St, I saw two 40's start the route at the same time. Then, not 2 minutes later a third started off - and then nothing for 20 mins Something is afoot - I used to be able to set my watch by the 40 at the start of LL up until a month or two ago

Tindersticks at Union Chapel on Dec 16th I see As of this week they are slimming down as a band for the rest of tour and will be playing more older material - but basically.. Tindersticks / Union Chapel.. 'nuff said

Yep, Moos you got me right. I'm dead against ID cards and the constant CCTV monitoring. Another thing about this list - it wouldn't take much for someone malicious to add some names of people who aren't members - next thing you know, teh neighbours pay a visit tothe wrong person It's all wrong basically

Notwithstanding the phrase "club" which suggests something cosy and benign, these addresses just shouldn't be in the public domain If you take something like this forum, would we be happy if our addresses were in the public domain - and in theory and by comparison we have nothing to hide I would argue wether the BNP should be legal or not, but they are - and their addresses should not be out there

oooh words out of my mouth Piers!

Indeed Ant Although should the BNP actually get any power I'm not sure a right to privacy will be at the top of their priorities. But for now I don't think this list going public does any good at all

I don't know about overcrowding, but this week has seen 2 of the longest journeys from Blackfriars to Dulwich I have experienced. I'm not blaming the buses - cars were as affected as the bus I was on but it was painful What's worse is I tried a second route after the horrific Monday night - that was a 45 to Camberwell which took over an hour just for that leg. So yesterday I went the Old Kent Road route which was even worse - almost 2 hours to get to Peckham Rye No idea what's going on traffic wise at the moment but if it happens again I'm working from home tomorrow. Grrrr

yeah but I imagine this time you get to see the sneer in full effect ;-)

Must get around to CoD 4 at somepoint. But when???? When?????? I picked up a 120gb drive in Argos a while back for ?70 - which is shocking for that much space but for a 360 version wasn't bad - I had started to download films etc and knew the update was coming to install games so I bit the bullet. It has been worth it

oooh - so it is Onion. Odd, they don't usually take demos down upon a game's release But I suspect there is more to the game experience than Pier's is suggesting This review for example is making me want to go out and buy it today But of course I won't - for tonight it's all about creating my Avatar on Live, and copying my games to hard disk

So who do you want dealing with the low level crime and stuff? I would like to live somewhere that people didn't treat as a rubbish bin (re: litter) for example. Do countries with low levels of litter have every serious criminal behind bars? Or shall we just let things go to pot until the (unattainable) day when every criminal is behind bars?

Not hear of Amazing Grace Keef, cheers for the heads up Re: Donkey Punch - I saw the reviews but having watched Winstone jr in Dead Set I thought about giving it ago - will wait for TV Popped along to Dulwich Paradiso last night to see The Orphanage - my expectations were high but weren't quite met. Felt it lost it's way half way through and the resolution annoyed me On the plus side, Dulwich Paradiso seem to have found a nice home upstairs at the Magnolia - I just wish their seasons were longer as by the time I go, I think I'll pop along next month only to find they have stopped

Where's the Plough?

I was out so missed it but will watch later - Brandgate was the main topic yeah?

Steve - how do you know they aren't dealing with more important stuff as well? If they have prevented a more serious crime, say a burglary, the perp is unlikely to come on a place like this and say: "Hi I'm new here but I wondered what you guys think. I was minding my own business just doing a job like, when these plastic police came over and gave it the large one.... have any other innocent burglars in the area been hassled by these do-gooders? It's PC gone mad it is... "

Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth - has to be!

* gulp * each???

Mac???? Mac??? I have taken every kind of abbreviation but... Mac? Brendan.. you may be part of the 5000 but I have to question that ;-) Applespider: you make some good points there. I don't especially love changing at Camberwell at any time to be honest. Not Camberwell per se (before Alan Dale reads this and has a pop) - but just that main junction where too many people/cars/buses/nutters/Michael Hodges all collide And yeah it would be nice if stuff worked as it should do - but in truth the buses in London, for a city this size, work better than buses in any comparable city I know. As you point out you couldn't get on a 176 and then a 185 is along a few minutes later. And most of the time that's ok IMO. It's hard to imagine a situation where buses become so frequent and so empty that the accommodate everyone all the time But I still do think that the wait between buses (that's the 40, 45, 63 and 176 for me regularly) has become quite noticeably longer of late... shhhhhh

in 2008 do people still think bus companies conspire to send all buses out at the same time? (sorry - that sounds overly harsh..) Bus bunching is a well studied issue and occupies many many people trying to solve it - but it's work that's never apprceiated - witness the griping when 2 of the known solutions (shorten routes and making some buses pause for a while mid-route) cause so much uproar amongst passengers Buses are on a fixed route whereas the traffic around them diverts off at each junction so it's not that surprising that eventually 4 buses on a similar route will end up together. Couple that with the fact that more often the buses don't arrive together but we only remember the times they do I have often been at Waterloo at rush hour where 176s sail by but whereas it used to bug me now I do just get on the first available bus and change at the other end - usually Camberwell. In 8 years of doing this I have NEVER not been able to get on a bus at Camberwell at any time of day or night. Not once - not even close Ditto 185s at Victoria - to not get on at the terminus is barely believable. I have been 4 people deep in that scrum but by the times 185s arrive things have thinned out to the point that there has never been a time I couldn't get on. That sounds like I'm calling you a fantasist Applespider but I'm not - it's entirely possible that you have a particularly nasty schedule. I just wanted to show another side My observation in the last 6 months is that timetables have stayed the same but the number of buses has decreased slightly and waits are longer. I have no idea if my perception is wrong, if Boris is at fault, or if all of the roadworks in South London are taking their toll Avoiding the peak peak peak manic times for buses is usually possible tho - I get an earlier morning bus with no problems - so what if it's 20 mins less in bed - better that than an over full bus with more traffic. Of an evening if I get back from Bournemouth and can't face the Waterloo scrum I'll just stop somewhere and read a book for half an hour. I know not everyone can do that but if you can shift a mindset a little bit you'd be surprised how in control you can feel Increasing the number of buses isn't always the solution - As they all congregate in the middle of town they themselves can be the cause of much of the congestions

Apparantly he had rehearsed it in the style of teh Velvet Underground but when he found out the NME was behind the whole things as a jape he dropped the idea He did drop a couple of verses into some gigs in 97 tho...

I know Ken used to/does But if you were a politician who read some of the bile from people in places like this forum - would you want to travel cheek by jowell (sorry!) with these people?