Blah Blah

How do two Police officers on motorbikes stop 60 kids on quad bikes and scooters? Therein lies the answer to Police powerlessness.

C4, ITV, C5 do not charge viewers. That is perhaps why you added advertising to my orignal point when it's not relevant to that point, which was that a licence fee is not the only model for providing a broadcast channel.

I don't watch Ross so hadn't noticed he'd moved :D but he WAS being paid around ?5 million by the BBC, and there was a storm at the time over that. I think it reasonable to expect the BBC to not try and compete with the salaries of the commercial broadcasters. If the BBC loses household names as a result, then so what? They can create new ones. It's not as though there's a shortage of budding Actors, Presenters and the like.

But that is the point. The rate of death of black men at the hands of police is not proportionate to the percentage of black men arrested. That is why the protests are happening - whether the actual figures are true or not.

And I wonder what percentage of crime (especially violent crime) is carried out by men? There's probably a correlation there Loz.

Ah I understand. I guess I drew the comparison because I watch much more on Netflix than I do on the BBC and I think that is the problem. In a market place of subscriptions, people will increasingly resent paying for something they hardly watch because the law says they should. I think it is inevitable that the BBC model of funding will have to change.

Those are good points rendel. Perspective is often lost in the emotions of a single incident. Of course, the aim should be for no deaths in custody or during arrest and there is always room for improvement on that

But other channels exist without charging the public, so to suggest the BBC can only exist because of a license fee is nonsense. The question therefore is one of freedom from corporate clients and mass markets. But it's hard to maintain public support when people like Jonathan Ross are paid millions every year. If a license fee frees the BBC from normal market forces, then how do they justify such huge salaries?

I'm with WM and LMix on this. BLM is focussing on a specific issue that most white people don't even see. If white people were disproportionately killed by Police Officers, there would be a similar protest. Some Police Forces in the US have a serious problem with institutionalised racism, and when that is combined with a macho culture and the level of risk widespread gun availabity and ownership puts Police Officers at, it's no wonder things happen as they do. The UK is not comparable, except in terms of the disproportionate numbers of black people who have died in Police custody. But the UK has I think, a better awareness of institutionalised racism, and it's consequences. And UncleGlen does it again. When he is not confusing the EBU with the EU, he decides to reference the execution of an innocent man as somehow being the same as the Police apprehending a (possibly armed) suspect. Not a troll imo, just not very smart. The death of De Menezes does though highlight how easy it is for human beings with guns, to make the wrong decisions in a climate of fear. For the UK, it was an extremely shocking but also unique exercise of poor Policing. In the US though, it keeps happening - and I think part of the reason is that daily fear of facing seriously armed criminals. 123 Police Officers were killed on the job in 2015. It's also interesting to note that only 12% of US Police Officers are female as well.

People already watch BBC live on the net via proxy sites. Licensing for catch up and the net is just unenforceable. Would also point out that services like Netflix are far cheaper than a TV licence and Netflix now distributes a lot of BBC drama and docs. Youtube also carries a lot of BBC programming as well. Even with a pin, people can just share pins with friends/family who do have licences. This has come about as a direct reuslt of the Government wanting to keep free licences for the over 65's, but now ordering the BBC themselves to pay for it. It costs around ?750m a year to provide those free licences. So the hope is that requiring licences for BBC catch up services will plug that cost.

Lots of good advice above. If you do or say nothing, then nothing will change, so a complaint to the bus company that employs the driver sounds like the best way to go.

It does seem an alarming appointment, but I'm liking Robert Poste's thinking. Give Bojo a cabinet role, he is without question, doomed to fail at - then fire him - and he's out of the way forever.

This is reported on at every local party branch meeting too. Councillors are fully engaged with residents, and councillor Edwards at the Branch meeting last week gave a further update to say that is the case.

Rumour is that Owen Smith will declare today ????. He seems a bit better (although that's not hard right now).

:D Brilliant reposte Rendel :D Cameron, Boris, Farage and co will be looking at how best they can line their pockets from the market turbulance. Farage set up an offshore account two years ago, which he hasn't used as yet but..... I wonder what all the 'common' people who voted UKIP would make of that?

I couldn't help but notice the similarities between May and Thatchers victory speeches. Ok so May didn't quote St. Francis of Assisi, but we all know what a false promise that turned out to be. I expect the same from May.

Everywhere you look it's bad. I'm beginning to think the Lib Dems are now the attractive option, so i know I'm definitely going mad! Leadsom and May will take government further to the right and that doesn't bear thinking about. Corbyn is a stubborn old fool who is prepared to rip the Labour party apart rather than do the right thing. Many long time Labour supporters like myself will never forgive him if Labour completely implodes. Which I think leaves a void for the rise of a new centrist party, or the resurgence of the Lib Dems.

Seconded EDmummy. Three swim and gym sessions a week (for the committed) will go a long way to improving fitness.

Why does she have to answer anything? We don't even know who is going to be negotiating brexit yet? It's all very well for you to take the high ground because Tim Farron has set a position, but it just looks to me as though you are trying to find fault with Helen where there is none to be found.

I think your question is answered James ;D Don't know why you suddenly mention Tom Watson either when you were trying to pour doubt on Helen's sincerity. Always the politician eh?

Charlotte Church voted for Plaid Cymru at the most recent elections, not Labour.

The problem with stimulus packages are that once the money is spent, the stimulus disappears, and then what? I suspect a citizens dividend would be used for consumption on the whole, rather than investment, and would have little effect.

I'm with you Lordship. What we need is someone with the balls in government to say the price will be too high, and send it to parliament for a deciding vote for the good of the economy. I am also pretty sure this is why there is all the talk of agreeing a plan with the EU before triggering article 50 (even though the EU are not so keen on that). But people like Gove have wind in their sails and are determined to take us down this road to who knows what. And note, that yet again, contenders for the Tory leadership are making promises about how Brexit will go, without any evidence to support that. Of all the interviews given the morning after the result, Mark Carney looked the most troubled - and there's very good reason for that.

I don't disgree with that jaywalker. I have posted a lot on the economic outlook of Brexit elsewhere. I am certain we are heading for recession some time next year. Inflation will rise to around 4% and the pound will stay down.

We were there too. Was a good afternoon once the weather cheered up. Toffee, leavers seems to think they also voted against the right for people to campaign and march for things they believe in. The 48%, or some of them, have every right to make sure government doesn't forget about their views too, especially as there is lots to play for through EU negotiations.