MauriceMynah

If I recall correctly (which of course I do) the nearest signposted 6mph stretch is just a bit below St Bennetts Abbey. The fellow was going through Wroxham bridge, so it makes me wonder just how many speed limit signs he "didn't notice". Na, he got off far too lightly. It's a pity there weren't a few damage claims in his wake.

"I forgot the long leggidy beasties and there are lots of them on the Broads" Mind you don't get done for storking

The Art of conversation is dead. Discuss.

Bags me get to you first when your wearing a boat

Perhaps it would be easier if we all just went to the broads and talked to each other!

Well Geoff/Wendy, I can agree with much of what you say, and certainly the sentiments behind your views, but I have several "buts" to them. In my opinion (and therefore correct) it is not Parliament's place to say how long people should be imprisoned, nor how much of a fine they should pay. That is the job of a judge. The judge can look at the circumstances behind a crime. He can assess any mitigation put forwards and equally he can weigh up the cowardice displayed. He alone can take each crime as an individual action, and act accordingly. Hypothetical point... If the lowlife responsible for the attack on Alan Barnes were to be identified, and subsequently attacked by Alan's sister, should she receive the same sentence as Alan's attacker? The Government cannot look into each case unlike the judge. Many of the problems the judicial system has in this country can be traced back to government intervention in sentences before hand. This is often voiced by the magistrate or judge when they start giving the sentence with the words "I have no choice but to..." PS... Isle of Man has come up with some interesting (and effective) alternatives to the birch.

... and Hoseasons would do well to employ a four year old, yet to be corrupted by modern education.

"and when they fail to materialize, those same consultants will be long gone". Ahh, no they won't Robin, They'll still be there, They'll tell you that things have "moved on since then" and then they'll charge you your remaining arm and leg to re-brand you again. Each re-branding (or was that "re-inventing?) comes with a new box of whizzspeak. No longer will there be "Blue water" ideas, no now we are "Thinking outside the box" but don't worry, I'm sure next year we'll be "mindsetting our thoughts beyond convention" or some other twaddle.

I really despair of companies these days. There was a time when a youngster would come out of university and get a job at the bottom of the ladder. Yes the youngster would be fast tracked to a better position, but only after he/she had learned about the business they'd entered. Nowadays, they go straight into a company and demand they be listened to, with little or no practical knowledge of the subject. Result (given the numbers of students studying Media or Marketing) the first thing they want to do is "Re-Brand". It's the only thing they know about! The problem is that companies listen and are led by the nose. ARGHHHHHhhhhhh

Yeah but Mike, You were 10 of them!

Totally agree Andy but I'd go further and say that a poorly supported poll might very well be used by it's opponents to illustrate the lack of support that movement received.

I can recognize binoculars with the naked eye... Does that count?

A quicker and easier recipe for Grace. Locate a non stick container of Cote du Rhone. Remove cork or screw top. Measure out approximately 17.5 cl and consume Repeat to taste. Please note the ambiguity in instruction two (line three) this was not intentional, but I suppose either might apply.

In fairness Sean, I have never disapproved of the law against using a mobile whilst driving, for exactly the reasons you give. Nor, as far as I can see, has anyone else. I did ask if anyone who used a taxi radio or CB radio found the mobile phone more distracting... or even less distracting. PS. to All. Received a reply from Timbo. He's a bit busy with his dad at the mo and doesn't have much spare time for the computer.

Sorry Peter but no! I can't agree with you. Lets say an e-poll results in 1000 people saying that Southend Pier should be demolished. What does that tell anyone? It could be read that 65 million *(or what ever the rest of the countries population is) is against the demolition of Southend pier. Let's just say that out favourite quango leader started an e-poll to find out what level of support the NP malarkey would really get. His petition reads "The Norfolk Broads should be turned into a National Park" He also mentions this poll to the RSPB, and it gets a mention in their magazine. The result is (we shall say in this hypothetical case) 250,000 signatures. What would that tell anyone? He could use it saying that it should happen because it got 250,000 sigs You could say that it should NOT happen because it got only 250,000 sigs.

There was a program on TV recently by a stand-up comedian Dave Gorman. His show "Modern life is goodish" highlighted these e-Polls and their value (or lack of). To be honest I think they do no harm and are largely ignored by the powers that be. However, where there's a sudden groundswell of opinion, I understand alarm bells somewhere ring and someone sits up and takes notice. It gotta be a big swell though!

I wanted to be blonde. It's just not fair.

Mal, A million rabbits can't be wrong, but then again, you and I haven't got Mexomatosis.

I think it's fair to say that more lives have been saved by wearing a seat belt than have been saved by not doing so.

Hell, I wish I hadn't misread that as "LANDSLIDE"

Sorry Iain, I know how it irritates you when people drop bits of Latin in their posts ad hoc.

Felix Epilepsia Polly, (if the cat fits)

Just sent the old fart an e-mail asking him where he is... or where he thinks he is if that's somewhere else!

So what's the sailing craft's equivalent to the stinkies "Gin Palace"? "Cocoa shed"?

"and I get the feeling I'm being watched by something that doesn't like me" I get that feeling most places I go!