DavidP

I've got a 1994 Yamaha XJ 900 Diversion! Lovely bike. I only ride to work and back so the traffic is relatively predictable! I rode when I was about 20 then didn't until I was 50 and its been fantastic! Makes coming to work enjoyable. I recommend you don't over think it, just do it! And my only advice is probably unnecessary given you've ridden before, and its that you treat every other thing as potentially life threatening and trust no-one and nothing! David

Very good! There's a message in that for all of us! Happy New Year ladies and gents! David

All the boys coming out to play!

My mistake. I thought your comment was on my current comment not my historical comments! I do not believe anarchy and chaos are positive environments for humanity (as my previous comments show) but I understand what it means (sort of)! If you believe (as I do) that all people do all things with selfish motives (yes, including Mother Theresa), then it follows that all people are going to work for what is best for them (like voting Labor because they might increase the dole, or Tory because they might decrease taxes!). Which leads to Capitalism (very broadly). People like to get value for their individual competitive advantages. In my opinion a 100% socialist environment will only succeed in the short term, on a small scale and perhaps in a stressful environment where there is a common threat. And I reckon whatever sort of governance is in place there will be people suffering inequality. I don't believe you can have a society where everyone is treated equally on all occasions. Its a result of the 'majority rules' concept. and the way it ought to be in my opinion. On the subject of leaders and how they're elected, I believe Hitler came to power in a democracy? I haven't researched that but I think he was! In my opinion, there are no absolute guarantees in life. In the final analysis we are all probably mostly dependent on our choice of the company we keep!! Our own niche in whatever society we're part of.

I am enjoying this. And you will note I hope that I haven't once needed to make any derogatory comments about anyone?? And you can be sure I pay no attention to those aimed at me! You said a couple of comments back that I had ignored your link to the Kibbutzim article. I did that because you included the comment that the ideal had been corrupted by Capitalism. I didn't see the value on commenting on something that was already known to be a non-starter. Capitalism has always been a factor and always will be. Its the nature of people. Then you made some sort of a denigrating comment (which is a sure sign of lack of cogent argument). Links to someone else's opinion don't in themselves constitute an opinion! And people who disagree with you aren't necessarily thinking 'inside the box'! Maybe they are in a completely different box than the one you're thinking outside of? Maybe these people know things that you don't? Maybe their minds work in ways you can't understand (and I don't mean from the perspective of intelligence)? I heard a discussion about the amount of information a person takes in through all their senses, and how what we hear, see, smell (how many senses are there again??) is mentally filtered to process that raw data into information. And the filters are built up over a lifetime of experiences and are unique to the individual. There is always more than one valid opinion on social issues but maybe for some people their filters don't let them see that. My ideal world would be a benevolent dictatorship! I think Brunei is something like what I mean. Not too much authority vested in the people but Government truly working on their behalf. I don't think this model would scale well though!

Hi Sparks. To go back to your comment on my comment, I pointed out that I had not miscontrued the meaning of 'Anarchy' and in fact made no comment at all about the meaning of the word. Your reiteration that I had miscontrued was a bit redundant. My comment about your attitude to other people is my opinion not a misinterpretation. And you don't simply comment on what other people say. You argue against their opinions but without accepting their opinion has any weight or even an attempt to understand what their opinons are based on, pretty much as you say we do about the activities of the rioters. My interest in what your Utopia might look like is because I am interested in whether you have any thoughts at all on what the ideal world might look like. And how you might create it and manage it. You seem to have plenty of thoughts on what's wrong with the world. Generally your comments demonstrate exactly what I mean. But as I said before, its good to be reminded the world is made up of all sorts.

Thank you for your critique Sparks. I don't believe I said anarchy was a bad thing. Just that you believe its good thing which is an assumption but reasonable. One of the biggest issues I have with your arguments is that you appear to believe no-one who has properly thought through the issues could possible disagree with you. That's a very arrogant thing to do and likely to cause you to misjudge people and the value of their arguments. I absolutely agree there is no point pontificating about 'the world going to hell in a hand basket' without trying to understand why. I just don't agree with the way you interpret things, or your solutions. Actually, I would be interested in what your solution would be. Not in broad ideological terms but specifics. What would society be like in the 'Sparks Utopia'? What rights would people have? How would you ensure everyone was free to exercise their rights?

It does so intrigue me to follow your threads on here Sparks! You're doing a huge community service, for me at least. I have some basic beliefs that I fondly think are held by most other rational human beings but your posts remind me that they're not universal at all! In my opinion there is no excuse for the sort of activities you saw in GB recently. None at all. What could give those kids the right to behave like that to other kids, to innocent and hard working small businessmen, to other people generally. Let alone shooting at unarmed policemen. I understand not all of them did any of these things but some did and I can't imagine how anyone could describe them as political dissenters. Having said that, I don't think 10 weeks for most of them is inadequate. Most of them were kids following the pack, probably decent enough when not riled up like that. There seemed to be a lot of people saying its the Government's fault but how could that be? The Government doesn't run our lives. You could make a case that they unduly influence but we're still free to make decisions within a pretty broad range. Unemployment is a huge problem but in a system like yours it doesn't imply starvation. In Australia plenty of people choose to be unemployed because the benefits are sufficient and i doubt its much different over your way. So there's no 'desperation' argument here either. I believe the problem is lack of the right guidance by parents and lack of consequences. And these two things are linked. If parents thought there were serious consequences for anti-social behaviour they might try to protect their kids from them. Keep up the good work Sparks. It doesn't do any harm for the complacent majority to be reminded that anarchy is still dear to the hearts of many!!

Done. Agreed 100%!

I'm pretty much with Sparks, but I can see what you guys are on about. Definitely not sick!

I love it and agree 100% I don't think anyone in the western world was safe from Islamic terrorism before 9/11 and certainly not since. It could just as easily have been Britain being attacked then, but it wouldn't have made the right statement! If the UK had been as all powerful as the States it could well have been! 100 years ago it could very easily have been given that you occupied the Middle East!! There's a war going on, not of our making in my opinion. Its a clash of cultures, weak (us) vs strong. And we need to toughen up to survive it!

Torrents for everything for me!

I go back to my original statement about end games! I believe my family and I are better off in the society we currently have with my safety (and yours) in part guaranteed by politicions and public servants that I have some influence over, rather than an alternative society where the thugs rule unhindered. That's the alternative endgame. There is no argument that there are people on 'my side' who I'd rather weren't but in the absence of a better system I'll support the one we have. The only other systems that seem to provide any guarantee of safety are totalitarian societies ruled by the fear of violence by the State, where neither you nor i could survive, and probably wouldn't be able to have this conversation. It seems to me that the freer a society is, the more dangerous it becomes, and the more it needs a ruthless 'power' to stand between those who respect others and those who dont. Generally, I suspect I believe this because no-one I know has ever been mistreated by the authorities (that's not one!) and I am from a family of 5 (two brothers, two sisters), 18 nieces and nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins galore, plus the many people who have crossed my path over my 56 years, and they live very different lives from me, and from each other, I don't think there is a problem with the system as it is. And I come from working class Australian stock. I don't say things are perfect, but they're ok from where I stand, way better than any alternative I can see.

I go back to my original statement about end games! I believe my family and I are better off in the society we currently have with my safety (and yours) in part guaranteed by politicions and public servants that I have some influence over, rather than an alternative society where the thugs rule unhindered. That's the alternative endgame. There is no argument that there are people on 'my side' who I'd rather weren't but in the absence of a better system I'll support the one we have. The only other systems that seem to provide any guarantee of safety are totalitarian societies ruled by the fear of violence by the State, where neither you nor i could survive, and probably wouldn't be able to have this conversation. It seems to me that the freer a society is, the more dangerous it becomes, and the more it needs a ruthless 'power' to stand between those who respect others and those who dont. Generally, I suspect I believe this because no-one I know has ever been mistreated by the authorities (that's not one!) and I am from a family of 5 (two brothers, two sisters), 18 nieces and nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins galore, plus the many people who have crossed my path over my 56 years, and they live very different lives from me, and from each other, I don't think there is a problem with the system as it is. And I come from working class Australian stock. I don't say things are perfect, but they're ok from where I stand, way better than any alternative I can see.

I go back to my original statement about end games! I believe my family and I are better off in the society we currently have with my safety (and yours) in part guaranteed by politicions and public servants that I have some influence over, rather than an alternative society where the thugs rule unhindered. That's the alternative endgame. There is no argument that there are people on 'my side' who I'd rather weren't but in the absence of a better system I'll support the one we have. The only other systems that seem to provide any guarantee of safety are totalitarian societies ruled by the fear of violence by the State, where neither you nor i could survive, and probably wouldn't be able to have this conversation. It seems to me that the freer a society is, the more dangerous it becomes, and the more it needs a ruthless 'power' to stand between those who respect others and those who dont. Generally, I suspect I believe this because no-one I know has ever been mistreated by the authorities (that's not one!) and I am from a family of 5 (two brothers, two sisters), 18 nieces and nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins galore, plus the many people who have crossed my path over my 56 years, and they live very different lives from me, and from each other, I don't think there is a problem with the system as it is. And I come from working class Australian stock. I don't say things are perfect, but they're ok from where I stand, way better than any alternative I can see.

I go back to my original statement about end games! I believe my family and I are better off in the society we currently have with my safety (and yours) in part guaranteed by politicions and public servants that I have some influence over, rather than an alternative society where the thugs rule unhindered. That's the alternative endgame. There is no argument that there are people on 'my side' who I'd rather weren't but in the absence of a better system I'll support the one we have. The only other systems that seem to provide any guarantee of safety are totalitarian societies ruled by the fear of violence by the State, where neither you nor i could survive, and probably wouldn't be able to have this conversation. It seems to me that the freer a society is, the more dangerous it becomes, and the more it needs a ruthless 'power' to stand between those who respect others and those who dont. Generally, I suspect I believe this because no-one I know has ever been mistreated by the authorities (that's not one!) and I am from a family of 5 (two brothers, two sisters), 18 nieces and nephews, uncles, aunts and cousins galore, plus the many people who have crossed my path over my 56 years, and they live very different lives from me, and from each other, I don't think there is a problem with the system as it is. And I come from working class Australian stock. I don't say things are perfect, but they're ok from where I stand, way better than any alternative I can see.

In my opinion you look to the endgame to figure out which side you should be on. I wouldn't want to live in or have my kids/grandkids living in a world run by the thugs and low lifes, which is what you would get without the men in blue. So I'm on the Police side. If there are bad ones (and we know there are) get rid of them, punish them, whatever the law requires, and when they make mistakes, as we all do, fix them as best you can, but support them anyway because they're all there is between us and the jungle! And anyone who doesn't understand that doesn't read, watch the news or generally pay any attention to what's occurring in the world or around the corner!

Its all about US politics, nothing serious. Obama is in a little electoral trouble and his own response to the oil spill hasn't be wonderful, so he's trying to divert attention. I reckon they will quietly drop or downgrade this investigation thing over time. And it is certainly breathtaking hypocrisy given the environmental damage US based multi-nationals have done in most corners of the world over the last 100 years!!

He (she??) is probably a shy Aussie!