[Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Hugh

"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime".

I can honestly say that I have never climbed a war memorial (then pretended I didn't know what it was), or thrown a bin at a passing car, or smashed a shop window, etc etc....

Neither have I. I've done other things however, but nothing quite like that. I think his defense was wrong to have tried to have blamed drugs, and trying to blame LSD was a rather pathetic attempt at getting off the hook.
I've seen a video somewhere on youtube of Mr. Gilmour reading poetry to the police, and I can say that he would've seriously annoyed me when I was at uni. He's not my sort of company, and if I had to be within close proximity to him for any length of time I think he'd really get on my nerves.
However, I still don't think he's any sort of threat to the public.
Community service was invented for the Charlie Gilmours of our society.

And our Charlie "went a bit mad" quite a few times, didn't he?

I've read a lot of posts by people focusing on his privileged background, taking glee in the fact that he's been jailed. That is something I disagree with, for he didn't choose his family and upbringing.
Also, for the most part the well-to-do in our society have just sat back and ignored the fees increase because it's not a problem for them.
I think we need more involvement from people from all (including privileged) backgrounds, as all to often the "I'm alright jack" brigade just let everyone else get on with it.

Listening to London's LBC this morning, Steve Allen said he'd have given Charlie Gilmour 10 years for his rampage. However, even the esteemed presenter didn't even seem to realise that the sentence wasn't because of the Cenotaph incident. Its a welcome reminder that just because someone is a gifted speaker and displays a colourful use of the English language, doen'st mean they actually have a clue. If everyone could just understand this, then most of our politicians would soon be in trouble.

---------- Post added at 08:16 ---------- Previous post was at 07:54 ----------

Originally Posted by martyh

yes we where ,and yes we did ,but then we grew up .

Do you think a 16 month stay in prison when you were 21 would've been a good thing? I'd even go so far as to say that if you came from a famous family and after you were caught, then that would've been embarrassment enough for you to have learnt your lesson. Never mind jail time.

The problem with the likes of Gilmore is they think they have the right to cause mayhem and disorder whenever something is proposed that they don't like and haven't got the brains to think it through ...like higher educated people are supposed to do .

They're students, not graduates. There is a big difference there.
I just find it rather bizaare that people focus on the juvenile actions of our younger generation, rather than the masses of violent football yobs, and drunken weekend hooligans.
I think you've got your priorites the wrong way around mate.

I think English people in general have their priorities in a twist.
For instance, just recently it was reported that English students studying in Scotland would have to pay £9,000 per year. English people were then calling for independance from Scotland, to boycott Scotland, and saying things like "Yes we Scots are gonna keep that English taxpayers money for ourselves", etc etc.
I felt quite sick to be quite honest, at just how stupid people are in this country.

Its obvious really, Scotland is a small country of circa 5 million, whereas England has over 50 million. Scotland has had to put money aside to pay for the tuition of it's own students, and this has involved cuts. If English students weren't blocked from free tuition in Scotland, its easily likely that most Scottish students simply wouldn't be able to find a place, as they'd be mostly taken by English students.

Now here is the big question, what's the wager that those in England calling shame on Scotland for not paying the tuition for English students, are the very same people who chastised the students in London when they dared to protest against the planned tuition fees increase?
No wonder this country is in such a mess.