If you were Prime Minister what would you do!

The more I read of this thread, the more I realise that being PM would be the most impossible job. Which leads me to wonder whether the people who attempt it are very brave or utterly foolish.

Although, dammit, I do agree that pet ownership should be regulated - to jessm

petallus - i know, a lot of people would be pet-free if i had my way! for example, the people who randomly breed staffordshire bull terriers hoping to make money on them, yet there are more staffies in rescue waiting for a home or euthanasia than there are of any other kind of dog.
i came to my point of view after keeping the house rabbits. there are four, they are five years old, nearly six. they could live another ten years. at around £30 a week. and the constant worry! if i'd had a proper training course including details of ailments and vets fees, i would have resisted their charming, furry little faces. and if i'd known about the damage they cause...

when i thought of 'trendy lefties', gordon brown was in my mind, and his comment about the 'ignorant and bigoted' woman in rochdale. ignorant and bigoted or not, ordinary, uneducated people are the majority in the country and we can't have a genuinely tolerant society unless we take their views into account.

Granbunny wow four house rabbits. I take my hat off to you.

I have one outside rabbit which I took on from the grandchildren eighteen months ago. Although he has a hutch in the garage he is out in the garden most of the time and loves coming into the house. Unfortunately he stinks rather!

The rabbit is at least as expensive to keep as my cat and probably more trouble. He is 7. Please don't tell me rabbits live to be 17. I was told 10 at the most.

I do agree about unscrupulous pet breeders, people who overbreed etc. but reiterate my point about average people who love their dogs and would be bereft without them but can't manage a six weeks course and all the other jumping through hoops which you advocate. Where I live I often see little old men walking along with a scruffy, nondescript looking terrier, probably their only companion in life.

Well JessM if we are going to get rid of creatures who pollute the planet with their shit and kill birds, where does that leave us humans?

Sorry everyone, I should have said sh*t.

Nothing wrong with that word, petallus. Comes from a perfectly respectable Old English word meaning to defecate, which all animals do.

I didn't want to offend anybody. By and large we don't swear on Gransnet.

petallus It is a perfectly proper word. Due to a certain 'finger down throat' omiticon posted on yesterday's thread, I have been letting off steam by muttering s**t under my breath.

Why under your breath?

jeni Okay jeni I put my hands up...I YELLED the word and boy, did I feel better for it

petallus, have you thought of rehoming your rabbit? they are social creatures and most of them need friends around them. no-one at your house speaks his language!

i assume he's not neutered, as he's a smelly old guy. its not too late at 7.

what kind of rabbit is he? if he's a big fellow, a french lop or other large kind, he has already exceeded estimates of lifespan (average 4 years). if he's a medium size, like dutch or minilop (all mine are minis) and is in good health, fifteen + is what you should plan for.

try the rabbits united forum. they know everything about rabbits over there.

Can I just point out again that not all cats slaughter birds. The only one of my six who successfully hunted anything preferred to catch rats and squirrels, although he did get the odd bird, some of them magpies (egg thieves). The other five have no hunting instincts at all. Also many peol who live in flats have pet cats who never go outside.

I hate this ergonomic keyboard. It's like typing in boxing gloves.

Or maybe they don't all bring 'em home *absent".
Currently in Australia where the domestic cat and feral cat has had a terrible effect on many species. They eat millions of small creatures every year.
Pet cats who never go outside are fine by me.

Thanks for that granbunny. I'm really quite fond of Basil (mini lop) so will hang on to him, even though he certainly is a smelly old guy

Will have a look at the website you recommend.

Going back to ninnynanny, why can't she have an opinion without being 'ganged' up on. I am a little bored with the continual dig at Daily Mail and Sun readers too. As far as I can see things it is those of you who proport to never buying the D.M. and yet know everything it scribes that are coming over as shallow. Lighten up a little!. I don't think you realise how stereotyped you have become.

That feels better. If I was P.M. I would make prison sentances run their course. What is the point of saying 10 years if you are out in 5, just say 5 years to start with. I would make squatting illegal. I would leave the E.U. if it carries on with it's stupid rules, it should revert back to it's mandate when it was first thought of. I would tell all of the emergency services to do their job and stop the 'health and safety' rules that are making a mockery of their job (they surely are unhappy standing by and watching the public do it for them). I would allow parents to take their children out of school upto the age of 10 for holidays as I believe they can make up for lost time but not if exams are being studied for, obviously. I would make the B.B.C. an unbias organisation and make it give better news coverage, stop them paying ridiculous wages and having two dammed newsreaders when one will do. I would posess all run-down empty housing stock and make good for social housing stock and finally make all M.P's stop behaving like children in Parliament.

I wold instantly resign... let some power-mad crackpot do the job as usual.

Pogs - perhaps you could tell us how many of us are allowed to disagree with a post before we are 'ganging up'?
I can't buy the DM where I live - I have said repeatedly that I read the on-line version. Are you going to comment on my new post about women wanting careers because they are too ugly to get a meal ticket?

Dear Greatnan,

Why do you read something you obviously find odious and disagree with, why would you waste your time.

As for how many people does it take to 'gang up' on someone, well I guess that is a bit tricky,I do know though just one school ground bully is enough in general. The emphasis I was trying to make is surely the reason we are on gransnet is to put in our twopenneth in what should be a relatively easy manner in the spirit I hope it is intended. I am sure nobody has the intention of upsetting a fellow member and I am sure that includes both you and I.

Love to comment on your new post, where is it?.I know I am being a bit thick (no need to respond again, I think I know what you will say).

Someone ...I'm sorry but I can't remember who now ...made the comment about hoping a PM would leave their personal desires/preferences out of decision making ...WELL!!!

Don't most of us believe that MPs often go into politics because they have a 'hobby horse' issue they wish to see changed??

My MP spoke in a debate on ways to diminish the problem of rogue/packs of dogs. Why? Because there is a dog problem in his constituency? NO.

Why did he talk in the debate ...because his wife got chased while skiing in Scotland ...the other end of the country.

I don't suppose any other GNetter's MP is any different ...they all have 'pet' issues

If I was PM ...one of the first things I'd do is reduce all MP holiday sessions; then do something about getting rid of all their allowances ...they get paid enough for the work they do ...all MPs would have to "attend" parliamentary sessions; if they want to buy a drink in the bar ...it should be at market prices ...not subsidised by the tax payer

pogs, I have never found greatnan to be a bully. She expresses strong views and often controversial ones but, as you point out, it is only expressing her twopenn'orth. I'm certain she has never intentionally upset a fellow member of GN. Disagreeing with someone and sleighting a newspaper that one reads to find out what one considers the worst journalism, is not being offensive. greatnan has stated more than once that she loves an argument. Nothing wrong with that.

I read newspapers that tend to one or other side of the political spectrum in order to find out what the range of opinions is on various issues. That way I feel better able to judge the issue myself. If one only reads one side, one can become blinkered or, at least, unaware of what is being said by people who disagree with the stance one favours.

Of the many contributors to GN forums, very, very few have rattled my cage. And greatnan hasn't as much as run a stick along it. Aggro for the sake of scoring points, seems so bloody-minded and utterly pointless.

I totally agree with soop

I was sad that this thread at times became so trivial .
For me there is no doubt about what I would do if I were Prime Minister.
I would introduce legislation immediately to give shared parenting rights to all those currently denied access and give the 1 million plus grandchildren at present cut off the right to have contact with grandparents.(ensuring of course that safety is assured).
Reading the 2 long threads ‘Denied Contact’ and ‘Cut out of Their Lives’ again is heart-breaking and so depressing .Despite the national publicity in the last year nothing much has changed or improved.
If it hasn’t happened yet in your family just try to imagine for one day that you are denied all contact with your darling grandchildren. You might understand a little of why we keep banging on about it.
Yes I agree that is my pet issue. No apologies!

maniac why on earth should you appologise?