If we accept total scepticism, then you are right. So, what do we do?

Pagen – yes, merging the threads might be a good idea.

We are in a democracy and so it should be no surprise that people are accountavble for their actions. I agree that on occasion responsibility is not accepted and then if evidence is produced they have no choice.

I am not clear where you can find that I am defending what has gone on, if your remark was directed at me. Quite the opposite, in fact. I could not have made clearer my desire to see the guilty punished. I just do not share in the general desire for conjecture and speculation.

Are you sure? Must have missed it,……missed it,…….missed it….:confused:

Good luck – – hope all goes well!:)

Pagen – a couple of points. Firstly this thread is about police curruption – there is another dealing with the whole hacking matter. Secondly, you suggest I am being defensive. Well perhaps that is your interpretation, but I would see it as my attempt to be as rational and objective as possible.

These sorts of events always generate huge amounts of probably understandably subjective, irrational reaction, and I suppose I am trying to counter that to some extent.

I do reiterate that those who are guitly of breaking the law, committing crimes must pay the maximum price. I cannot express it more strongly than that. As yet we have a few facts and copious amounts of hearsay and uncorroborated evidence, all of which needs to be disseminated into hard evidence on which to charge people.

Interflug – aren’t we in danger of exaggeration, if we even consider comparison with a banana republic? Yes, what has happened is quite appalling and all those responsible have to pay the price, where the law has been broken, but in reality we are surely not implying that the majority of policemen are corrupt, are we?

The “bent” copper has been a feature of the landscape for decades – are they worse now that than they were? I have no idea but somehow I doubt it.

The worying aspect of the two resignations was the emphasis placed on the policing of the Olympic Games next year!! Yet another reason to add to the reasons for not holding the games here – sorry that’s another thread!!

Forget it. Just accept that you are going to age and there’s nothing you can do about it – delaying just makes the final onset even worse!!:diablo:

We are making the assumption that “ageing” refers to becoming old, not older. We are all ageing from the moment we are born and at every stage there are signs that we are getting older. The transformation from infancy to childhood to adolescence and so on. And the tell-tale signs are always there.

Perhaps many of you know it but this speech from As You Like It has always summed it up for me:

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Some of us are approaching the last scene of all!!!:D