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I attended at my long-awaited audiology appointment a couple of weeks ago only to find that I had inadvertently come on the Thursday and not on the previous Tuesday as directed! The staff were very understanding and squeezed me in between two other patients. Job done. Thank you NHS.

Lest it be thought that the presence of the British Army was applauded by all, I beg to differ. I grew up in a Nationalist part of Belfast. As a general rule the Army were brutal, they dominated our daily existence and we lived in fear of them. The violence they employed against the local community was indiscriminate and unremitting. This was especially so if you were a young male. To suggest that everyone was grateful to the Army is entirely false. There are many who bitterly resented their role and presence, and this included significant numbers who did not support the Republican Movement.

"Let's have some blood running through the streets and then perhaps people will realise that it is serious. Or we just moan about it" No one, who has ever experienced civil conflict, would wish this upon their country. Well, perhaps a fool would. The judgement was arrived at by the LCJ for England and Wales, the Master of the Rolls and a very senior judge. It is a relatively short judgement and a model of clarity. Hard to see the Supreme Court overturning it. In essence the court reaffirmed that Parliament was sovereign. Is this not what those wishing to leave the EU wanted? The PM has a small parliamentary majority and is vulnerable. She is understandably wary of introducing legislation allowing the triggering of Art. 50. Surely the solution is to accept the judgement of the Court and have a general election to get the necessary majority to pass the required legislation.

I despair. There is not an ounce of charity amongst the whole lot of you. I fervently hope that the day never comes when any of you, or your families, have occasion to flee your homes and rely on the help and support of others. Happily, I am fully aware that the hate-filled bile spewed by the contributors on this site is NOT representative of the British population as a whole.

Would anyone want the situation in USA to pertain here? Be careful what you wish for!

Periodically there is a post on this site referring to Bill Oddie. This unleashes an immediate outpouring of hate and vitriol directed against him for no obvious reason that I can identify. It is invariably the same posters who indulge in this puerile nonsense. Grow up and get a life!

It is clear that the consensus on this site is that the No vote in the referendum was "a good thing". Just out of curiosity, how would members view a referendum on whether Northern Ireland should leave the United Kingdom?

Grow up! The Empire is dead and the Commonwealth can no longer function as it once did. Australia and New Zealand look to fellow Pacific ring countries as primary trading partners. Canada is part of a North American conglomerate. The USA (remember them of the special relationship) abhors the thought of an EC without the UK and will make it clear to those who matter that USA foreign policy demands that their special partner remain a player within the EC. The UK outside of the EU will be like a eunach in a harem.

I've not much to say about the Guardian article, rather a comment on the tone adopted in many of the above responses. Surely it's possible to commemorate the sacrifices made by the troops in WWI without being utterly jingoistic. To criticise the war itself, the stated reasons why it was fought, the leadership provided to enlisted men and the utter slaughter that ensued is not to denigrate the idealism and patriotism of many of the men, nor to undermine or diminish their sacrifice. Rather it is a reappraisal of the politics and mores of the time. To adhere to the principle of "my country right or wrong" is to suspend ones critical faculties

Fortress Europe will simply not work any longer. Refugees coming from dysfunctional states have demonstrated time after time that they will not be dissuaded by the risk of death. They travel not for themselves but for their children, a fact demonstrated by the number of kids on these boats. Which of us would not do the same? Trite condemnation is not worth a fig. First world countries can no longer pretend that the rest of the world does not exist. The morality of allowing people to drown because to do otherwise is to inadvertently create a "pull" factor is utterly appalling. This is not a UK problem but an EU problem. The First World either deal with it or be overwhelmed.

Apparently a generous and courteous man in his private life. A vicious and sectarian demagogue for much of his public life. My sympathies to his family

Gerry Adams arrested! Could have nothing to do with the fact that Sinn Fein are on the cusp of making sweeping electoral gains in the European and Local elections in the South.

Utterly inane. I despise it.

Anyone but UKIP.

Excellent idea on the part of the Church. It is an example of practical Christianity. Those who do not approve of Church "meddling" can borrow money, if required, elsewhere; it's not mandatory to use a credit union.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Please learn the basics of English grammar and punctuation. Is it so hard?

The footage of the bathroom was shot after the SOCO had completed their examination and investigation. I presume the residue on the bathroom walls and floor is what is left after the place has been dusted for finger prints or other trace evidence.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has now ruled that the lifetime ban on Dwain Chambers representing his country in any Olympic Games cannot stand. The ban was imposed by the British Olympic Association in conformity with their own rules which have been in place for many years. The rule states that an athlete who has served a suspension having been found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs cannot participate in the Olympic Games. Chambers tested positive in 2003 and was given a two year ban. The Court of Arbitration have determined that the ban is contrary to the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)and The British Olympic Association (BOA) must amend their rules. The BOA is one of the few national associations which had the balls to impose this ban and now they are being forced to discontinue it. It is an appalling decision by the Court and, in my view, is a clear indication that the associations which control sport at an international level are simply not serious about combating performance enhancing drugs. All of the anti-drug paraphrenalia, the out of season testing and the fortune that is being spent on "catching" cheats is strictly for the optics. Chambers and other drug cheats are now back in the Olympics. Drugs in sport are here to stay.

He would be an excellent professional witness for the prosecution. Providing, of course, he was not required to submit anything in writing; his image would suffer.

It must get very lonely up on that moral high ground. Which of us parents have not done something regarding our kids which, in retrospect, was bloody stupid. Which of us has not been eternally grateful that a stupid decision or action on our part did not lead to a tragedy. I certainly have. As far as I am aware there is no evidence that the parents "doped" their kids. Merely press speculation. I feel for the family; God love the child.

Is there a link to the recording?

I remember reading the front page headline about the sinking of the Belgrano and feeling sick and ashamed.

I'm not familiar with that phrase that you just coined? 1. The European Community is one of the biggest unified markets in the world. 2. What "protectionism" would that be? The EU is a single market; that is why the UK is, and wants to remain, part of it. There is no State protectionism. 3. What big economies would you like to export to. 4. Who hates British products? Usual whinging nonsense.

Some years ago the powers that be saw fit to bestow city status on the town of Lisburn, which is just outside Belfast. At the time it did not even have a hotel. I'm not sure whether it has one yet.