I think you missed my point. Gaddafi needs to be starved of the only resource he possesses to sustain his dictatorship. If the other OPEC members do not cooperate the economic backlash will affect them as much as many other non-oil countries. To extend your rationale OPEC could simply manipulate the market to produce sky high prices, but they don’t because it is not in their interests to.

We are all star stuff.

Some of us may be stars, and others just stuff.;)

And we fought the French in North America and the Dutch in South Africa. Not sure if I would include South Africa in the current list and if you then add all our ex-African colonies it does rather colour the theme. I suppose we either got to the best places first or won out against the opposition for them!

Still on the road, or off it as the case may be!! When did they stop making them – or didn’t they?

Nice to read about the old bikes, although I have never ridden one. I went from Lambretta to Vespa and then an old banger as soon as I was 17. My father rode all through the 30s so imparted his enthusiasm to me. Those were the days when they made real bikes, he used to say……….:)

Kev

Yes, I understand now and take your point.

The difference is between making a remark, indirectly, to which offence is taken, and disrespectfully directing a remark to a specific individual which you know will cause offence. I would maintain that the first example is legitimate and that the taking of offence aggravates the situation.

In the context of this forum it is safe to assume that the majority of members will know what is likely to offend other members. And it is these posts which should be deleted under the CoC, in any case.

SH

Kev – my remarks were based on the comment you made to Bumble Bee and had nothing to do with your exchanges with PeeDee.

I respect your sensibilities to those with disabilities, and share them myself. I seem to recall that Bernard Manning, loathed and loved as he was in equal measure would never make jokes about the disabled, although everyone else was fair game.

As for PeeDee he seems to be able to provoke antagonism and verbally violent reaction, no doubt because that is something he enjoys. It is probably better in the long run not to rise to it.

I would like to believe that Key believes in free speech but it does seem that at least one of the CoCs is contravened from time to time without action being taken.

SH