peter.l

Out of interest, It is probably not so well known the Councillor for South Mainland has another job which appears to conflict with being a councillor. When not councilling (or whatever) he is a private investigator. it seems to me he cannot in all honesty claim to be looking after the interests of the people of South Mainland while at the same time gathering evidence against them.

It seems we have a situation bordering the semi-pacifist nonsense mentioned earlier Jeremy Corbyn MP leader of the Labour Party and Opposition has made it clear he's against the UN resolution to take the war with I.S. to into their own camp in Syria or elsewhere. His answer to the problem is talks, discussions and blocking/freezing terrorists assets and funding, preventing the selling and buying of terrorist oil etc. (Money grabbing rears its ugly head again) Question time..... How long would it take to implement his master plan? How does he intend to stop foreign countries buying much needed oil? Why wasn't this done before now? What will the terrorists be doing while all this is going on? Financial leverage seldom works as planned. Even if it did, it could be several years before it produced anything like the desired effect. Meanwhile on the streets of Europe...??? This is about 16-17 year olds getting the vote. In theory they should have a say in their own personal future. Nothing wrong with that, but these are troubled times and whatever the situation may be, giving them the vote at such an early age is not a wise move. There's currently a terrorist war going on. The issues are far too complicated and far reaching to involve inexperienced 16 year olds who would not fully understand what's going on or problem solving on a national scale. Giving them the vote is asking them to take a hand in deciding a course of action. The war to end all wars ended in 1918, Chamberlain waved a worthless piece of paper declaring "Peace in our time" Issues that ignore history and promote pacifist sympathies are foolhardy. And we are suggesting 16 year olds about to leave school should have a say in such things???? I could bang on all day, but I think I've made my point.

Going to jump on my soap box again. The problem with the human race is the people. I still maintain the view 16-17 year olds are at an impressionable age and likely to have little or no knowledge or experience of politics. They need time to adjust to adulthood, work and girls before they venture into politics. No prizes for guessing which way a vote would swing if a politician promised school leavers a big weekly dole hand out for 5 years or until they found work. Couldn't happen? How about the financial crash? Job cuts, cuts in services etc. With the same breath they announce a £30Bn railway project north from London which nobody seems to want except London and everyone knows will cost at least four times that amount. When last heard the cost had escalated to 80Bn. Another Millennium Dome fiasco? The problem with politics is the politicians. Put it another way. Suppose inexperienced youngsters clinched the outcome of an election swayed by a political party preaching disarmament and appeasement. Very commendable to opt for no more wars, no more sending armed forces to fight the baddies or die in foreign lands. With no more multi-billion £££ defence budgets and the promise of all that saved money being used for improvements to pensions, education, NHS and whatever else, the world will be a better place. It all sounds very nice, but it's all pie in the sky. Nobody convinces the baddies to do the same. Britain has already been caught twice big time with its pants down. Would a 16 year old know all this? Events in Paris and Mali are not for 16 year olds.

rgibson I'm not knocking 16 year olds, and yes, they deserve every opportunity to get ahead. Being straight out of school a 16 year old will generally lack the political savvy required to make informed decisions on the nations future. They need time to adjust to a world other than the confines of home and school. As far marriage and a family are concerned, nothing wrong with that. They are shaping their own personal future not the future of others. Let's face it, the older generation are guilty of many blunders and misdemeanours by those who sit behind big shiny desks not knowing what it's like to go without bread on the table. It can be said those old ideals you speak of are selfishly driven by money and touting for votes to stay in the job. I suppose that's a valid reason to allow 16 year olds the vote - inject some innocent sense into politics and oust the incompetent. Incidentally Colin. 16 and 17 year olds will not fight or die for their country as you suggest. They are never used in a combat role of any description. They must be 18 years old to enter adult service.

I see the government are pushing to allow 16 and 17 to vote in a national referendum. I dispair! No disrespect to the youth of today, but I see this as a half cocked attempt at something to crow about and gain election votes when the time comes. 16/17 year olds are either still at school or have just left with very little or no experience of everyday politics. Many will have little more than a head full of iPads and pop music. How I wish politicians would use their brains for once.

Scaler is fixed up for the next 3 days but still looking for somewhere a little more permanent.

I should have added, I very nearly offered to pay Islesburgh a couple of weeks rent for you, pay back when you can but I would first.need to know something about your circumstances.

The problem is you're not saying much and it makes people wary. Nobody knows who you are, where you come from, where you live, where you work and why you have nowhere to sleep. Those are questions that should be answered, I looked at your Shetlink profile and there's nothing except you joined Shetlink less than 48 hours ago. It's hardly surprising there are no takers. If you fill in all the gaps you may get a better response.

The council have a legal obligation to house the homeless have they not? .

Should Alistair Carmichael resign? The answer is NO. I'll not blow a fanfare for him or any other politician except to say with Alistair ther's no complaints. His only 'crime' is being a politian in a world where none can answer a straight question or more offten than not, circumnavigates the truth. An extreme example is Hillary Clinton. OK, so she's not UK. Politics. Neverteless. in front of the whole world she claimed being "Very frightened" when visiting Bosnia. "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base." That claim was utter twaddle and every word a lie. She now appears to be running for president. Since saints are in short supply, and if Alistiar Carmichael steps down, what do you expect to get in his place?

I orginally intended to wear my grandfathers medals on the right side of my blazer at Remembrance Day Parades but now find the practice is frowned upon. No matter. I would still like to get replacements to complete a display of three generations of medals. The medal record card I got from National Archives was not my grandfather as first though. Some new info has tunrned up so there's hope yet

Researching and replacing my grandfathers lost army medals. The medals are engraved with name, rank, number and unit around the rim and need to make sure I have the right details before ordering replacements. I have his medal record card. All I need now is his military/enlistment record which should be on "Ancestry" website. This is a one off search and not happy about handing over debit card numbers not knowing if they have what I want, or paying for something that's not there. They have a 14-day free search offer but still require a card number. Has anyone had any experience with Ancestry? How 'Free' is their free offer? There's always too many one sided terms and condition for my liking. Peter

My two roubles worth. School children are tomorrows people. Set them off on the wrong foot and it could have detremental effects on being the fine upstanding adults we would wish. Stage one: play hooky from school because it's too much of a chore travelling many miles every day and the same wearing journey home at night. Youngsters being farmed out to boarding schools or hostels deprives them of family life and could have psychological consequences. Not funny if one feels lonely or abandoned by parents. SIC have a legal obligation to provide schools and educate children. They also have a moral obligation to provide schools in catchment areas where schools are needed. Penny pinching is not always the answer. If savings are to be made, I would suggest a close look at some of the unessential staff and departments at SIC, Health and Safety is one example, However unpleasant it may be, it sticks in my craw that I should have to pay council tax for someone to run around chasing unscooped doggy droppings. Abandoning disabled and elderly pensioners to their fate or pay up is another issue which doesn't impress.

It was more than my police job was worth to fiddle car tax. Blatent offences are one thing. Two fines for one oversight, one of which was impossible to comply with is grossly unfair in my book. Now they are likely to steal your car, sell it for scrap and keep the proceeds. That's likely to cause a lot of unrest if a motorist is fined then loses his £5,000 car, and the next guy loses his £500 banger for the same offence. Where's the justice?

Here's a link to one of my efforts on YouTube. I found it quite difficult to think of everything and do it all myself. Oh well! I tried!

How about if on buying the car (delivered by the seller) the buyer fills in that nonsense SCORN form. In theory the buyer should get his tax back and the new owner starts with a clean slate? Incidentally, this happend to me in Edinburgh, I forgot to tax the car despite the reminder. In addition to a parking ticket I was penalised for "Failing to display a valid tax disc" OK but since a tax disc didn't exist I couldn't very well display one. A week later they confirm it was impossible to display a valid tax disc and promptly slammed me again because it didn't exist. -----One or the other Mr Prime Minister, not both. It's dishonest------ It's all a moneygrabbing exercise anyway.

Don't get me started!!! Radio, TV and computers are wonderful inventions, but they've turned them into monsters. Advertising is one thing; being bombarded with the same nonsense day in and day out forever and ever is brainwashing. I refuse to have a TV in the house because of it. I'm sure as heck not going to pay for it with a TV licence.

I've been thinking about this kind of thing for several years. I tried cartooning and still dabble on the laptop. Never actually written a script before but I'm sure it's not as difficult as it sounds. One thought was to start an amateur movie making group and see how many were interested in filling the various job slots required for a production. I forsee most wanting to be actors, camera men or director with nobody taking care of a dozen other essential tasks (like script writing) I'd still like to see an amateur group although I'm getting a little too old to run around any more.

With the SIC turning off selected street lighting in a cost cutting exercise, the cul-de-sac where I live with elderly and invalid neighbours is left in pitch darkness at night. Many other areas will be the same. It occurred to me there could be a cheaper, energy saving alternative providing SIC and residents, or even selected residents are agreeable. Here's the big question - would you agree to have SIC install one of those movement detecting halogen lamps above your front door free of charge? If so, providing other neighbours also agreed, you could all walk along the unlit street and have a light automatically come on as you pass by. There is of course pro's and con's. Each street will be different. The lamps are not expensive. They will not be high enough to flood the required area with light. SIC responsible for maintaining them (Maybe?) The resident picks up the electricity bill (Hey! Didnt't we already hand over Council Tax to fund street lighting? And finally, it's not just people turn these lamps on, My sisters lamp is triggered by a hedgehog in her garden. Might be worth a pilot scheme to see if it works. It's just a thought, probably not a new idea, and even more probable, it's full of loopholes and potholes.

M'lud, From the evidence presented to this forum topic gathered over the past six years, it is the conclusion of the Jury that, with one or two exceptions, those who took part in the discussion are guilty by their own admission of knowingly watching irritatiing TV Spam without due care and attention or consideration to their mental state, in that they, the viewers, disliked the TV advertising and found it annoying, irksome, pointless, childish, underhanded or other such unacceptable irritation. It is the sentence of this court that the accused be given an indefinite suspended sentence on condition they engage brains before thinking about watching irritating TV adverts in future.

I HATE ADVERTISING. Ok let's clarify that. Given the chance 'They', the advertisers, are in your house and in your face every minute of the day or night on Radio, TV, the internet and anywhere else they can force themselves on you. I've even had it on Edinburgh busses. It's an invasion of privacy nobody particularly likes but nevertheless accepts because almost everyone is brainwashed into thinking it's normal. Well it isn't normal. They are uninvited salesmen. Ponder to think what would happen if these same advertisers were queueing up at your front door all day every day waiting their turn to hard sell? So why people accept it in their living rooms is beyond me. 'They' (the advertisers) spend millions dreaming up childish or misleading ways of convincing everyone to buy goods they don't want, don't need, cannot afford or are just not interested. Who ever heard of a 'Gorgeous' toilet roll? I bought a pack of four this week. Utter twaddle. Meanwhile, as they spend their millions trying to make billions, in Asia and elsewhere kids are dying for the want of a crust of bread. That to me is criminal. So to answer the question, the most annoying advert on TV is without exception, ALL OF THEM. For that reason I will not have a TV in the house. That opens up another pet hate of mine - TV licensing. Because I don't have a TV these so-called 'TV Licence Inspectors' have been at my door with every conceivable underhanded hard sell tactic they can dream up. Intimidation, harrassment, sweet talk, threats, 'Mr Nice and Mr Nasty' more threats. They are little more than a debt collecting agency with no legal remit and paid by results. They would, in my humble opinion, be better employed chasing real villians instead of persecuting innocent people.

While on the subject, could somebody explain in words of one sylable what a 'Standing Charge' is for? What exactly is it they do to justify billing customers? Lift a pen maybe? It seems to me it's just another feeble excuse to screw money out of customers simply because they can get away with it. And if that's the case two can play that game. It might not be a bad idea for customers to get their heads together and introduce a 'Standing Charge' for being customers.

How about Cyprus? It's a nice place with a lot of sunshine, Greek & Roman history. I was there this time last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. In 1974 the Turks invaded and now occupy the northern sector. There's also a British Sovereign Base there. Both the Greek and Turkish sectors are still twitchy and not on speaking terms. If you hire a self drive car, beware Avis the big UK company that operates there. Book in advance and they'll quote you about £185 for a weeks hire and take the money. When you get there they'll hit you with scams. Buy a tank of fuel you cannot possibly use with no refunds so you'll be giving them 3/4 of a tank free to sell on to the next customer. Insurance excess is 1,000 Euros even if it's not your fault unless you hand over another 50 Euros to bring it down to 300 Euros which is still an excessive scam. And add another 50 Euros insurance if you are are over 72. They stung me for another £120. You can hire a car locally for about £100 for the week. I have a contact phone number should you need it. Apart from that it was a first class holiday. Intended going again but it didn't happen for some reason. Peter

Money! Money! Money! Grab! Grab! Grab! Child benifit for those earning up to £300,000 a year to 'Maintain their lifestyle' is a nasty joke. Then Ofcom (Govt) authorised an excessive price hike in postal rates which just about doubled the price of a letter. You can bet your life postage rates are going to double again to pay the tax man and shareholders. It's hardly any wonder the voters have absolutely no confidence in british (small 'B') politics any more. They should all be sacked for failing to look after the people of Britain as per their remit. Instead - overspending, fraudulent claims, mismanagement and incompetence.

Why would you want to buy/sell knuckle dusters? Their purpose is to injure people and any 'Self defense' arguments will not wash.