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I am happy to confirm that I have a bi-polar disorder. But that is irrelevant to this discussion. There are indeed many people out there with mental disorders, be they personality disorders, substance abuse issues or profound psychological difficulties. These are not biological mental illnesses, as any psychiatrist will tell you, and the people who 'suffer' from them largely have control over their actions and therefore can and must take responsibility for them, like anyone else. I don't believe I have over-generalised on this thread any more than anyone else. However, you are clearly bruised at having your views challenged, which is your problem, not mine, BelgiumBrit. It seems to surprise you that someone who has a mental illness is capable of holding a higher degree and working full time as a professional clinician. Does that make you feel more threatened, than the idea that I am The Great Heywood Nut? I would put it to you that it probably does. I respect your own experience of people who come into contact with the police. But it is, I'd have thought, perfectly obvious that you see only a tiny minority of the people that CMHTs work with every day. Your training is in law enforcement, not in psychiatry, so forgive me if I don't see that as qualifying you to make a judgement based on factual evidence, outside what you have directly had experience of. Psychological disorders affect about 1 in 4 people at some time in their lives. Only about one in every hundred of the population suffers from a severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and other psychotic illnesses. Of these very few are likely ever to behave in a violent or threatening manner. Far more people with mental illnesses hurt themselves than other people. In 15 years of working with a wide variety of people in the mental health system I have come into contact with a very few who broke the law, and of those, just a couple did so as a result of their illnesses. That's a couple out of probably several thousand that I and my immediate colleagues came into contact with. Not many really. People with mental health problems are like you and me. They are not monsters or criminals any more than any other group. As I said before, my patients have included professors, teachers, parents of well adjusted and brought up children, students, doctors and yes, police officers too. That is the only point that I am trying to make here. I just want to redress the balance a little and reduce prejudice. Is that so bad?

The beer (Robinsons) was excellent. Given that Robbies is quite easy to get wrong, that was a point in their favour. I do have a personal rule that if food is sufficiently bad to be sent back, that concludes the dining experience. I will seek a refund, not a replacement dinner. That could be the case. I do know, from having spoken to his Chefs over the years that he habitually employs fairly young chefs, but that they have always been good chefs who are clearly on their way up.

I apologise to Travis His first post was dated November and when the thread was started again yesterday I picked it up from Josher's post without going back and reading the first two pages again so I had forgotten that Travis knew the guy. I feel awkward about forgetting that.

Wow... I nearly missed a fight! The word "assumption" is being mistakenly.used. BB's position is an inference rather than assumption; it is based on evidence, albeit inconclusive, rather than simple assumption with no basis in fact. I have had the unenviable privelege of walking past a Merc that had; a few hours previously, thrown a housemate of mine at Uni over a 15ft hedge. I was under no illusion that the impact.that killed her outright made a hell of a noise. Suffice to say.I would've stopped,.and looked around. Admittedly.I've.not.read all of this, but people I usually.respect.seem to.be erring from their usual reason for the sake of argument that is not, in rational thinking, justified. Take a breath (and Belgium, shut up for a.bit; folk can't see your argument.for your.arguing; it doesn't help...) I typed that before reading the end of.the thread... Belgium I will not be derogatory and stand by my comments above; it's not surprising.you've got some.backs up... Take a breath, or.take more water with it!

I agree with you about all the assumptions being made on this thread but I think you're wasting your time. This forum has plenty of people who seem to enjoy expressing outrage, most of the time about things that don't affect them at all and they wont be persuaded otherwise by (lack of) facts.

Someone who tries to wind others up on a forum by posting offensive remarks,getting a reaction or 'bite', which will in turn fuel the trolls need to keep posting on the same offensive theme to get further reaction ! Does THAT sound familiar ? I won't be repsonding to you again on this thread, as that is exactly what a troll would desire.As i said before, your behaviour is inexcusable, and largely offensive.

Agreed. There was never any mention of the cyclist being at fault in the reports of the Trial. However , this man was found guilty of taking another persons life due to the standard of his driving being well below the expected level of that of a competent driver. He was found guilty 'beyond reasonable doubt' in a Court of Law; Tried by his 'Peers', a Jury of 12 members of the public. As an aside, The Police Accident Investigators are trained to a very high standard. Their evidence will include, cross contamination of paint or fibres from cyclist to vehicle and vice versa , reconstructions of speed at the scene,trajectory of debris ( such as glass from lighting units and windscreens )from the vehicle across the accident scene. This alone can give a very good indication of direction, speed and angle at time of impact ( even without tyre braking marks on the road surface ). It is a science , and very precise.( When a hit and run occurs, glass fragments from lighting units recovered from the scene can be traced to the make and year of vehicle , and then onto a widespread sweep of CCTV around the time of the incident.) I am sure that such evicence would have been included in the Fatal Accident enquiry report to The CPS. And that is how they caught the man who has now been convicted. This is a very sad tale, and to suggest that 'maybe' the cyclist was in 'someway at fault' is very unfair. The driver was convicted of causing his death due to the manner of his own driving. That should be accepted.

To hell with the food!!! What was the beer like? Its a pub for gawds sake SAM Ryde IOW