The East Midlands Skybar

[d4mo85]

Originally Posted by Lears City

So you do agree that "do-gooders and childrens' rights campaigners" should be sent to Iran?

Obviously joking there. Africa would be better suited.

Originally Posted by Lears City

You also agree that prison should be a "horrible place"? Horrible surroundings breed horrible people. Also are all prisoners low-life scum? You can end up in prison at the moment, just for protecting your family.

Shouldn't prison be an uninviting place that deters people from doing crime? Having worked for a short time in the prison sector I can tell you for a fact that the inmates aren't that bothered by their surroundings. The average crim is more afraid of the guy in the cell next door than the prison guards, who are abused in various ways on a daily basis. It's my opinion that prisons should consist of cells, toilets, outside areas and that's pretty much it. What's the point of prison if it's just like being under house arrest? There's no deterrent.

Originally Posted by Lears City

Do you agree that marijuana is a "relatively unharmful drug"? Children that smoke it regularly are very likely to develop a psychosis in adult life, or other mental health issues. It is also a de-motivational substance as well as all the other physical health problems it can lead to.

There's a big question mark over cannabis. There's some evidence that it can trigger psychosis in people with underlying mental conditions - but to be honest I've known a lot of regular smokers in my time and have never experienced ill effect - apart from the munchies. One thing is for certain, we know for a fact that Alcohol and Tobacco are just as, if not more damaging to the body - and the cost of the NHS. They all carry health warnings, and it's up to the individual, through experience or education to avoid such things. I say legalise the drug, licence it with tax to certain shops or café's, free up police time and money, and stop criminalising good hard-working people who enjoy a recreational smoke in their own home.

Originally Posted by Lears City

Do you agree that physical abuse of children is a good thing? Does physical harm stop children from mis-behaving? How many child offenders do you reckon have had physical or other abuse smearing their childhoods?

I don't agree with physical abuse against children, but can the smacking of a child for misbehaviour really be classed as abuse? I had a few smacks in my time, and it never did me any harm - I knew then what I had done was wrong - but in the other case there were times I didn't get smacked and I bloody well did it again. So going from my experience, and what I think a parents rights are, I think we should allow the smacking of children, with flats of hands, by parents.

Originally Posted by Lears City

Do you agree that withdrawing benefits from people who have committed crimes will help the sitaution? How will they live? Where will they get their money from?

At the same time, do you think it's acceptable that your tax money is going to some arsehole who has no intention of working, only to commit crime and make other's lives miserable? What about instead of just handing them money every two weeks, they go to work in the local community for the same money?

Originally Posted by Lears City

I do agree that there should be no cuts in the police force. They should be policing the streets and spend less time on worrying about money-making minor car offences. I do agree that teachers should not be left in fear of dealing with problem children.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by Lears City

Not sure about military National Service, but I do agree with a national scheme to get young people with no job prospects, into a form of work for the good of the country. Proper work, with a drive to improve their standard of education. It would cost a lot of money, but is better than social services, benefits and prison.

I mentioned National Service because I joined the Army Cadets at a young age and am so glad that I did. It gave me a good perspective on life, and that ultimately some authority is there for the benefit of everyone we share this island with. I had some of the best times away, camping in fields, community projects, learning tons of stuff, and made some bloody good friends along the way. Yes I learned how to disassemble, clean, reassemble and fire a gun, and even with my huge interest of all things military, I've not turned into a gun-wielding lunatic. A lot of people in this country are dragged into crime through peer-pressure and dodgy 'friends', it'd be refreshing if that peer pressure was there to do some good. Like I said though, not entirely sure on the National Service thing, as I wouldn't know how well it'd be received / carried out. But something similar for young adults would be great imo.

Originally Posted by Lears City

What (not just young people) all people need is a sense of purpose, belonging, community, self-respect and hope for the future. Without these then the path of normal life has no meaning and your journey will be full of hazards...

We've tried going from the stick to the carrot method and look what's happened. There's nothing wrong with giving people a sense of purpose, belonging, community, self-respect and hope for the future - but that simply isn't good enough to cover everybody in the system.

[Bingethink]

What proportion of the prison population do you reckon weren't smacked as kids? It didn't seem to have deterred them.

[dinp]

I was smacked as a kid. Don't hate or fear my parents and am not a violent guy.

[Bingethink]

I would think the vast majority of people were smacked as kids, including the vast majority of criminals.

[Captain Redeye]

It's one less deterrent - and look what's happened over the last 30 years or so. I dread to think what will happen when we have several generations of people who have had no "corrective guidance" (not just smacking but any form of consequence for their actions).


BG

[Bingethink]

You don't need to beat your children in order to discipline them. Anyone who thinks that smacking someone smaller than themselves is a way to garner 'respect' or encourage self-discipline is badly mistaken, in my opinion. I would no more smack my children than I would smack my wife.

Nevertheless, most British parents do smack their kids: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...icle644804.ece so I just don't buy that most of the rioters or looters haven't been smacked as kids. All the dysfunctional families I see bringing chaos to the supermarkets of Britain are full of young mums whacking their kids in the aisles.

It's also a complete myth that the government or Europe or wherever have banned parents smacking their children, as someone said earlier in the thread, as the Times article makes clear.

[pharmj]

When you look carefully at the footage of a lot of the looting- especially some I saw in Birmingham- a lot of them look as though they are enjoying it and having a laugh. I dont think this is down to social deprivation, unemployment, the benefit system or having been smacked or not as a child. This is down to a breakdown in moral fibre within society.

For the last 10-15 years or maybe more, lots of neighbourhoods have totally lost their sense of community. Lots of people have little/no pride in where they live (therefore no respect either). I am not writing this as a judgement as I think everyone is involved. I dont even know the people living accross the street from me. We have become a very insular society where people are absorbed in technology or media and dont have interactions with the community around them.

This had led to a 'me first' society where people are out for everything they can get, be that money, benefits, privilages or simply stolen/looted items from stores. We live in a society today that worships the rich and beautiful. Most magazines, papers, adverts, TV and the internet are covered in them. As a result, our young generation have unrealistic expectations of what 'living' is and what being happy means. Lots associate happiness with wealth and fame. They dont associate it with skill or pride. Education is doing it's best to battle with this problem (I am a teacher incidentally)- but when you put UK Education against a mutli-billion pound multi- platform interactive media/commercial market...we are not going to win on our own.

IMO- parental responsibilty has been shown to be just pathetic in this situation. People blaming the police, government, education, the stores etc...no rioting would have happened if the children had been brought up with basic values and decency. School is too late to start building those blocks. Has to happen from day 1. We have a deep rooted problem as shown by this, but until we have parents in this country who take pride and responsibilty as parents, we will be going in circles.

[WOTZDA POINT]

Excellent summary of todays society.

I just want to add that a lot of parents act like grown up kids and are not interested in right from wrong and civilised behaviour and that of course transfers to their children.

[Mark76]

Hmm

Why does regeneration create so many ugly buildings?

[WOTZDA POINT]

Originally Posted by Mark76

Hmm

Why does regeneration create so many ugly buildings?

Good article. It seems that todays buildings are built purely for profit, metal sheds and tiny cramped houses. Who cares what they look like as long as you can put your material goods into the car and back to your little rabbit hutch !

[duane]

Leicester Mercury

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.u...ail/story.html

East Midlands university towns and cities are top for nightlife according to a panel of more than 2,000 students surveyed by Endsleigh Insurance and the National Union of Students (NUS).

Endsleigh asked students to rate a range of services both on campus and in their university towns and cities. These included nightlife, sports facilities, transport links and careers advice centres.

Results showed that 84 per cent of students rated nightlife around their universities as good or excellent in the East Midlands, making the region top in Great Britain.

It was also voted joint best for bars and pubs with Scotland.

[Captain Redeye]

That's not surprising - I certainly had a good time until the early hours this morning!

Have had some good sessions in Loughborough as well.


BG

[Lears City]

Good luck to everyone in the East Midlands, between 5pm tonight and 5am tomorrow morning.

The satellite (the biggest bit could be 300lbs), will be hitting earth sometime during that 12 hour spell.

Watch Out!!!

[WOTZDA POINT]

Originally Posted by Lears City

Good luck to everyone in the East Midlands, between 5pm tonight and 5am tomorrow morning.

The satellite (the biggest bit could be 300lbs), will be hitting earth sometime during that 12 hour spell.

Watch Out!!!

Would there be a building that you would like to see it flatten !

[Lears City]

The Holiday Inn sprang immediately to my mind.

Then I thought NO not my city - and I thought of another location

[WOTZDA POINT]

Originally Posted by Lears City

The Holiday Inn sprang immediately to my mind.

Then I thought NO not my city - and I thought of another location

The City ground by any chance ?

[Lears City]

Where is that? Do you mean the Not in the City Ground?

[d4mo85]

Can't we just evacuate the Holiday Inn and blow a big bloody hole in the top and say the satellite did it?

[WOTZDA POINT]

Originally Posted by d4mo85

Can't we just evacuate the Holiday Inn and blow a big bloody hole in the top and say the satellite did it?

I was hoping for a multi-coloured reclad in plastic

[Lears City]

Originally Posted by d4mo85

Can't we just evacuate the Holiday Inn and blow a big bloody hole in the top and say the satellite did it?

Bit 911 that, but I don't disagree...