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Good. Sky’s sports coverage pisses over anything offered up by the BBC or ITV, with the cricket coverage in particular being very, very good.

I vote for CED's post to be deleted.

I’m aware of one or two co-op style community hydro-electric plants that a few rural villages have set up together in the spirit of providing cheaper and greener energy for the community, where they don’t forecast that it will make a profit for ten years, which is obviously a long term commitment. So it can work, even if its only really been tested and proved on a small scale.

Drat, I don’t buy this “other lot” argument at all. I think it’s best if we try and leave rabid political bias at the front door of this thread, right next to the shoes, so we don’t get the carpet dirty. We’re not newspapers and we’re not politicians so there is nothing to be gained from party zealotry in here. I mean calling me one of Cameron's team, really Drat, is there any need for it on VT?

I have no problem with people holding their views, I just feel it a shame that what was a decent discussion about policy got side tracked by something that isn’t particularly important or interesting in comparison.

Do you not think you’re over analysing a facetious remark?

Ideologically shrinking the state strikes a chord with me, as does a more individualist and community based spirit of responsibility, but I’m not going to praise or decry Cameron’s policy here because I’m not quite sure quite what is intended and if it will have the desired effect.

Anti-politician rhetoric has always just passed me by.

I think certain areas are affected more by varying illnesses. For example, I recall an article stating that the West Midlands is the area most affected by heart disease and obesity in England. Compare it to for example, Cornwall and you’re going to get different patient needs and at different volumes.

If you’re getting more de-centralised management, then you’d hope to cut costs by being able to deliver specific services required, rather than a blanket approach. But I'm no expert either. While you have to think that every penny that goes towards a non-doctor et al in a PCT, is a penny that’s not being spent on doctors, nurses, drugs, equipment and buildings. Obviously clerical staff are necessary, but its worth seeing if there’s not a more effective way of organising the NHS, as its not clear whether we've got the vo9lume right at the moment.

No not at all. A more decentralised management would allow you to address more regionally specific issues. You may have an abundance of hospitals, doctors, drugs in one region or specifically high rates of certain illnesses, so you focus your management on those specific requirements. There is currently something of a post code lottery already in existence, particularly in North Staffs and the availability of cancer drugs. Will these reforms achieve a better form of management remains to be seen. As I said, perhaps they will, perhaps they won’t.

With regards to the planned Health Reforms, I would say its surprising for everybody that these are coming about and I think at this point its unclear whether they’ll achieve what they want them to. I would agree with what Portillo said about the need for a breakup of the overarching superstructure of the NHS and break it down into a more regionalised set up, possibly on a county basis, with a hope of giving a more de-centralised and region specific type of management. Whether these reforms achieve that we don’t know, they may and they may not.

considering your contributions previously - pot / kettle / black or should that be Tory / Blue / LibDem? What contributions? I like a nice mixture of reasoned debate and archetypal British tongue in cheek banter. I think it makes for a good message board. This thread has descended into something of a farce, with nothing worth discussing because we know what everybody is going to say before they’ve posted due to the entrenched tribalism, so why bother reading it you may ask? And that is a very good question. I'm sorry to point you out Mark, but I feel your last two responses about brain-dead legions wanking themselves into a frenzy and about Tory's being very sad etc just typifies what I'm saying.

Ha ha ha! If that was intentional, then I doff my cap for the comedic timing.

God almighty, but would it be possible to have a politics thread without the puerile partisan nonsense like; Liebour Bliar Repeated use of hypocrisy/liars/idiot Tory Mafia ConDems Posh boy/Rich boy And so on? Either that or an ignore button. Edit: I see Risso made a similar plea a few pages back, now doubt mine will end up being just as fruitless.

Its interesting that the crime rate has dropped (with the exception of violent crimes) during a recession, as you’d expect rises during these times, irrespective of the police budget.

Has anything interesting happened in the past 14 days?

I think a lot of fuss is being made about the VAT and I don’t see it effecting consumer sales a great deal, at least not while there are men around still shopping out of eyeshot of their wives and girlfriends. As long as the manufactures keep producing big or shiny things, then like magpies, us men will buy them without heed and keep the economy ticking over.

I am staggered that such an apparent informed decision can be made on the future of Lib Dems in what is a little over a month into the coalition.

Well if you don't like cars, then you won't enjoy the car segemnts. I like the cars, so I enjoy those bits as well.

Nonsense, it's one of the freshest most genuinely entertaining programmes on TV. Even my wife loves it, and she's not bothered about cars at all. Agree with you Risso. Its excellent viewing and like yourself, my missus watches it for the comedy with no interest in cars. Its a double bonus for me as I like the car reviews as well and I must confess that I actually get a bit of a a semi-on when they smash a car up to 200mph.

Yeah I pissed myself at that, not knowing quite what to expect and he went flying! Classic! James May = mentalist as well.

The duelist lion looks absolute shite.

Spending the sponsorship money in a concentrated fashion will make it go further.

Has anybody ever been done over by a pack of bears? I'm not sure if its an Easter Egg, but while hunting beaver (ooer!) up in north east Tall Trees by lake Astoria, I got turned over. I was getting frustrated and shooting pretty much any old animal for a good five or six minutes, when three grizzlies (the three bears!) came hurtling out of the woods straight at me to give me a good hiding!