Blah Blah

Yes it's something that mystifies me too. That all kinds of excuses are given to justify what is essentially just another blood 'sport'....as though class and tradition make it somehow more civilised than dog or cockeral fighting etc. People don't oppose fox hunting because it's the upper classes wot do it! They oppose it because it's inhumane and pointless.

Quite Loz, and many of the most ingenius inventers were also complete eccentrics. There's lot's of evidence that genius, and esp academic or scientific genius, and disconnect from the masses, go hand in hand.

Hmmm but fox hunting on horses with hounds is not 'natural law' tho is it Robert. It's a man made construct for a thrill and/or sport. It is true that animals are guided by natural instinct, but human beings are not on that level. We do have a moral compass and the ability to be fair and compassionate if we want to be. The hounds are trained to hunt foxes. The horses trained to be ridden. Neither would do that without human intervention.

Maybe the Police had a word with him John? Glen stop being a knob :D

Fox hunting may well be predominently the perserve of the upper classes historically but that's doesn't take anything away from the issue of cruelty. Many country people do see foxes as pests, but there are humane ways to deals with pests and fox hunting isn't one of them. Robert, even if the first dog does kill the fox instantly, you take no account of the stress and panic endured by that fox leading up to that kill. Running at full pelt from a pack of hounds doesn't seem to be a painless act to me.

Yep, couldn't be more condascending if you tried AM. Missteak, it IS the same people spewing the same 'we know better than everyone else' crap. Banter? Nah, just the ramblings of a very small number of people who actually think someone gives a hoot what they think.

Oh here we go again. Aquarius Moon accusing people of being trolls and fake. This was also MY first experience of the Aquarius Loon Davis. And then there's this ???? person who thinks everyone that disagrees with him is a left wing loony. The only people who think fox hunting is a class war issue are it's supporters, who like to label opposers as townies and plebs, if they are upper class, and townies as having no understanding of the countryside, if they are the countryside aliance, and loony lefties if they are ????. Any idea that dogs ripping a living thing apart, after chasing it to exhaustion, is cruel, is an alien concept to those who support fox hunting. So it just has to be an 'us and them' class thing right? And I don't even know who appointed AM as an authority on who genuinely cares about animals and who is only 'ptretendin'. Contemptuous indeed. Fox hunting and dog fighting. What is the difference? Both are banned for the same reasons and rightly so.

Glen, you know nothing about the persoal circumstances of that guy apart from his ASBO for nuisance begging. Newspapers always get the facts right obviously? He may well have/ had drug or alcohol problems. He may also have mental health issues. ASBO's are served as a last resort, when other efforts to mediate haven't worked. The article implies greed - earning 50k a year, living in a 300k smart pad etc. Well he doesn't own the flat, so what does it matter what it's worth? I doubt the 50k a year is accurate either, I'm sure he doesn't keep written accounts of his proceeds from begging. I've seen a few people begging in Rye Lane that clearly have mental health problems. Finding a solution to the behaviour of those people is not going to be easy. Arrest and fines are least likely to have an effect. A fine just means you have to beg more to pay it right?

Yeah really misleading headline there, conveniently overlooking that the flat is owned by a housing association!

How very noble of you. Let's arrest and fine the poor guy who probably already has nothing anyway.

BT are a major ISP, so it needs to be sorted.

Apart from those in essential services. No time off for them.

Yep BT here too. And my connection is fine now.

Yep same here fox. Have had to use a proxy IP to get connected. Same other issues last week for me too. Could it be cloudfare? seems to have been a problem since that was added.

I had the problem a few days ago and I go through a BT router.

I was blocked last night too, same as above, but seems fine now.

Like I said, I found it no inconveniece at all to get off my cycle and walk along the pavement for all of 40 seconds. I don't see why other cyclists could not do the same.

The best moment is watching the kids go to bed excited on Xmas Eve, and then munching all the stuff we leave for Santa (which of course includes Jack Daniels for medicinal purposes). That guarantees a hazy hungover fog by the time the in-laws arrive for dinner!

Yeah cyclists should get off and walk along the pavement. I do that and it takes me all of 40 seconds to do so. Just selfish people at the end of the day.

Every year they write a song that suits who they want to win, better. Fleur will go on to sell loads of records, just like all those others that outsold their years winning acts. It's better not to win sometimes. I do like Ben's voice but that song is shite.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Cliquey thread of the year award..... .....this one :D

It's also a way of saying only politicians should have opinion, and we all know what kind of government that leads too. I thought that guy in the audience was a bully to be honest and yes I think Brand should have pointed out that most of the people that campaign for and drive change are ordinary people, not those in power.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/12/bbcqt-ukip-carver_n_6315826.html?utm_hp_ref=tw I did wonder.............

ffs did you even bother to read the OP Monkey? The guy changed direction to follow her. She wasn't describing a man walking behind her, but one that was walking towards her, and as he passed tried to engage with her, and then having past her, changed direction to follow her. I think that would creep most people out on a dark road with no-one around, let alone an isolated female.

I read it as worse than that sedm, that the guy was coming towards her, walked past, and then turned round to follow her. I think Sarah was extremely sensible in seeking out the nearest safest option, by knocking on a door.