NickS

Reading through the various and varied threads on here, it amazes me how many conspiracy theorists operate here. Has anyone thought to make a list?

Given that many of the assumptions on both sides of the debate have been proved false, I would like parliament to treat the exit vote as a mandate to leave but, once the negotiations on payments to the EU, regulatory requirements, migration and trade have been sorted out, those who voted to leave should be given the chance to decide again what they feel is best for Britain. Rather than another referendum, make it a general election with parties stating explicitly whether they will leave or remain. Only then will people be able to make an informed choice based on facts rather than speculation.

If couples change their mind and decide that married life isn't for them, I wish they would do so before having kids. I know that some splits are amicable and the children are happy. I also know that they can be better off than if they are living in a household at war with itself. What gets me are the parents who think that their right to jump ship for what they think is greener grass is greater than their responsibility to their kids. Digger, I am lucky not to have shared your experience but I can see why it has hurt you and continues to do so.

French fishermen will do a roaring trade dropping them off all round our coast, now that the Royal Navy has been cut to the bone. Actually, trying to separate this one issue from the myriad of others to be sorted out to allow trade to carry on is a nightmare and probably not going to be very high up the agenda of the new administration as keeping our economy afloat has to be the most pressing item. If not, before it does get sorted, we could be completely bankrupt and the French will be trying to stop us getting out!

Hold on to your hats because what is coming will be a wild ride.

It depends on where you go but if they readily accept credit cards, consider a foreign currency card from Travellex or Caxton fx. Both offer good rates and you can re-load it easily when you are away. Whatever you do, don't buy at the airport unless you have pre-ordered online. The difference will make your eyes water! At a push, I have used cash machines abroad and the rate I get from my bank (Natwest) always seems pretty good.

It is a good tour - almost as good as HMS Victory The USS Cassin Young is an interesting example of a WW2 era destroyer. After chatting with one of the volunteer guides about restoration work on HMS Belfast, we got a behind the scenes tour of the machinery spaces, not usually open to the public.

USS Constitution is the oldest warship AFLOAT - HMS Victory is in a dry dock. That distinction has always been made clear when we have visited.

Got lobstah! You can take a whale-watching trip from Boston. The Cheers Bar is a bit of a non-event but Legal Seafoods is pretty good. Wander the Freedom Trail which covers a lot of the historical sights. The USS Constitution is the oldest warship in commission that is still afloat and the WW2 era Fletcher class destroyer are worth visiting if you are interested in naval history. I would recommend a trip to Lexington and Concord too - you can cycle the route taken by the Regulars when they marched out of Boston against the Colonials. The road has been restored back to pretty much how it would have been when Gen. Gage's men encountered the Minutemen and it is very atmospheric. Stand on the Old Town Bridge and realise that this is where it all kicked off and visit the visitors' centre along the road for an interesting (and free) presentation. The Colonial Inn, Concord is a good base or just somewhere to eat. To shop, head north into New Hampshire with its zero sales tax. Portsmouth and Strawberry Banke is an easy drive, on the border with Maine. On the Cape, you can take a ferry to Provincetown from Boston or drive. PTown is family friendly but not a place for homophobes!! Plymouth is worth a stop if you do and want to break your journey. There are some very picturesque towns that are nothing like their English namesakes. Chatham, with its famous lighthouse, is very attractive and Barnstable has a nice restaurant built out over the harbour. We have spent a few summers in the area and just thinking about it makes me want to go back. Have a great trip!

We have a wood and metal lathes, hand-o-matic milling machine, chip forge, brazing hearth and facilities for aluminium casting, as well as CNC routers and laser cutters. It has nothing to do with health and safety but costs and teaching skills. How much would a set-up like ours cost to put in? The other big issue is that there are few of us left who went through an apprenticeship before deciding to go into teaching as a second career so there are not those with the skills to pass on. Design Technology is becoming a subject of MDF boxes. I have fond memories of school woodwork and metalwork classes. In my first year, we had to make a pencil case out of a length of 3x2 - it had a swivelling lid but only held 3 or 4 pencils and was more like a dug-out canoe. Another wood project was a pipe rack. "Sir, my Dad doesn't smoke a pipe." "Never mind, boy, he can use it for his cigars." The award for Least Successful Metalwork Project goes to the paper knife that one boy used to stab his mate "to see if it was sharp". Times have changed....

A farrier uses the skills of a smith (or at least some) but a smith does not necessarily have the skills of a farrier: "To work as a farrier you must be registered by law with the Farriers' Registration Council. To register, you will need to complete a four-year Apprenticeship with an Approved Training Farrier (ATF). The Apprenticeship is a work-based Diploma which will involve college study and training on the job." http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/farriery-training/becoming-a-farrier/

I really feel for you and others in similar situations. It is too easy for those in secure employment to forget how it is for many others. What is the cost of getting a a class 1 HGV and how long does it take? Is it something worth considering?

Be careful what you wish for. In the debate at the Oxford Union a few months ago, Nick Clegg (of all people) absolutely wiped the floor with him. Farrage seemed unprepared and was incapable of speaking off-script so if he performs like that again it would be a real boost to the stay in campaign.

If you paid by card, it is time to write and demand a refund if the goods are not delivered within 7 days. If you don't get a satisfactory response, contact your card issuer and go for a charge back to recover your money. If you paid cash, it is going to be a lot harder to apply any leverage.

Are you saying that someone charged with an offence should not be entitled to a defence solicitor? In this country, a person isn't a criminal until they have been tried and are found guilty. Oh, I forgot - the police never make mistakes and anyone arrested is therefore guilty. There may be many reasons not to vote for her but standing up for the rule of law is hardly one of them. More to the point, I believe that this rôle is too important to be politicised. One of our local candidates has posted on Facebook that his candidacy is supported by our MP, Jeremy Hunt. That is all wrong - we need people who will fight to improve policing and not just roll over meekly and accept the cuts and interference beloved by Her Majesty's Government. Sadly, most people will continue to vote along party lines without really looking at the person. As usual, we shall get what we deserve....

We have had kids turn up (by accident) on INSET days. They actually seem to enjoy hanging about the department with the technicians, helping to get everything ready for the new term and being given juice and biscuits. It is nowhere near as bad as being the only kid to turn up in school uniform on a mufti day!! Seriously though, for odd days, I have no idea why a school should get so bent out of shape. There is more of an issue when a year 11 kid is out of school for 2 weeks just before their exams - it is no coincidence that they are the same ones whose parents then complain when their child doesn't get the grades needed to get onto the course they have had a conditional offer for. You certainly don't fall into this category so go off with your son and enjoy yourselves.

I am also a teacher and would endorse what MarkM says. We get a bit uptight if a kid is taken out of school on a regular basis but for something that is a family event once in a while, it isn't any big deal. Given that there is a festival school for him, you may wish to point out that it would be in the best interests of the school to have him marked as being "educated off site" rather than "unauthorised absence" as the latter shows up in the school's performance indicators. The basic problem is that every profession has its share of ******** who cannot apply common sense and discretion where it is needed, added to which, every head teacher I have ever met are somewhere on the scale of barking mad - it seems to be a qualification for the job. Good luck with yours and have a great time together!

I agree that it would be impossible to disarm people, given the number of firearms already in circulation, but responsible ownership could be encouraged more. The situation is like when someone tells you that if they wanted to get to the destination you are heading for, they wouldn't start the journey from here.

I think the biggest scandal is that people are prepared to vote for or against something that will fundamentally change things, based not on evidence or reasoned argument but just to hack someone off. This is true whatever decision you make - it is far too serious an issue not to give it more thought or to base it on a single issue.

Not with every attempt to introduce legislation to introduce background checks, disclosure of mental health issues etc being blocked by the Senate or the House and a continued refusal to accept that there is even a problem in the first place he won't.

Crimes of all kinds are compared by scaling them per 100 000 of the population to provide a valid comparison. When you look at the following, it is clear that the US stands out for both the levels of gun crime and for accidental shootings. Even if you want to try to argue with the statistics, a body with a hole in it is pretty compelling evidence. http://26t4l93f9dhe439yxm286lpv.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Graph-1.png

£20 from me to write me a short (paragraph or two) review of the printer to help me choose something suitable for school. Think of it as a commission, not a gift Total £440

What has he made a balls-up of? Trade up, borrowing down, unemployment down, introduction of a health care system not reliant on the ability to pay.... Trump appeals to the ignorant who do not bother checking their facts - in fact, Trump doesn't bother to check them either.

It does seem to be a very strange choice. What does Axl Rose know about cricket?

I went a couple of years ago in August and it was fine as far as smells but very busy. A walking tour soon after you arrive helps you to orientate yourself and some attractions can be booked ahead so you skip the lines and save money. The Doge's Palace and the prison, palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/home/, and The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, www.guggenheim-venice.it/inglese/default.html, are both worth seeing. Murano is great with "free" tours of some of the glass works (except the sales pitch afterwards can rival that of a timeshare! We stayed on Guidecca Island at the Cipriani but that is not a budget hotel - however there are quite a few places to stay that looked good and cheap places to eat. One place, on the waterfront looking across to the Piazza San Marco, was very cheap and where the locals ate. The marina also had a good fish restaurant that was reasonable. Have a good trip!