Archives for August 2009
Booze ASBOs - A good idea or not?
Should heavy drinkers who persistently cause trouble be banned from pubs and off licences? That's what can happen in England and Wales from today. The government is calling these new powers "booze ASBOs", they say it will curb rowdy behaviour. This week Scotland will ban two for one drink promotions and others they deem "irresponsible" - Perhaps you think this is a better way to tackle problem drinking?
You can listen to the debate online and download the podcast.
Is cheating a central part of sport?
On Breakfast today the Rugby Football Union have been telling us about their plans for cleaning up their game. The recent Bloodgate scandal exposed the darker side of rugby, and showed us the extent to which a team could go to gain an unfair advantage.
Diving in football; match fixing in cricket; performance-enhancing drugs in all sports - are sports fans used to all this now? Do they accept that it will probably always go on? Should people be more realistic and adjust their expectations? Or should we continue to get indignant every time it happens? Should we expect some sportsmanship from these sportsmen and women?
Let us know what you think - is there any such thing as a clean sport anymore? Or does seeking the competitive edge mean there'll always be the temptation for gamesmanship?
It's the phone in at 9 with Shelagh. You can call on 0500 909693 or text the programme on 85058.
Is treatment of the elderly "cruel"?
Do elderly people get the treatment they deserve from the NHS?
The former TV agony aunt Claire Rayner is now the president of the Patients' Association, and she says some nursing is 'cruel and demeaning'. This morning, she told Shelagh that nurses don't always get the time and resources to do their jobs properly.
The Patients' Association has published 16 cases where elderly people were treated particularly badly in NHS wards. They also want an urgent review of the dignity of basic care, and changes to the complaints system.
Is Claire Rayner right? Are elderly people treated as lower priorities? Are some nurses to blame, or are they overworked and left without the time they need to provide the care they want to give? Tell us about your experiences in hospitals - it's the phone in at 9. You can text the programme on 85058 or email breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
Shelagh v Britney.
Should live always mean live?
When Britney Spears appeared to lip-sync during her tour this summer - critics said it wasn't fair on the paying customer.
It can't be that hard to dance and mime, can it? Shelagh had a crack at being Britney for an afternoon...
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Football violence - did it ever really go away?
Pitch invasions, a man stabbed outside the ground, bottles and bricks thrown - the FA are investigating last night's trouble at West Ham v Millwall. It looked like a return to English football's dark days in the seventies and eighties.
25 years ago, crowds were falling, there was no TV money, and English clubs were eventually banned from Europe after Liverpool fans ran riot before the 1985 European Cup final at Heysel. But now we have all-seater stadiums, expensive tickets, better security, and prawn sandwiches.
Is football violence back? Did it ever really go away? Is it still an intimidating environment for some fans? Or was last night an exception, a local derby with a predictable threat of violence? With better stadiums, better security and clubs working hard to make the experience more inclusive, is modern football actually far safer than it was?
Call Shelagh on the Breakfast phone-in this morning.
Is it time for the PM to speak out?
Gordon Brown may face questions about the release of the Lockerbie bomber later today. The PM hasn't commented on the issue at all so far and, although it was a legal decision at the discretion of Scotland's Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, many people are criticising Mr Brown for not having spoken out in public. What would you want him to say?
And is this the Scottish Government's finest hour? Under great pressure from the public, the victims' families, the media and the United States, Kenny MacAskill says he took a decision on purely compassionate grounds. Is that something to be proud of or was it an error of judgement?
That's the phone-in on 5 live with Shelagh this morning.
The future of music
We'll be lost in music on 5 live Breakfast this week. Our entertainment reporter Colin Paterson will be looking at some of the issues facing the music industry. He'll be asking: if there is enough music on prime time television and whatever happened to all the record shops?
We'll also look at whether age matters when it comes to music and is miming ever acceptable? Or should "live" really mean live? Look out for Shelagh impersonating Britney Spears later in the week.
Across the week, we'll hear from Roger Daltrey, Calvin Harris, Glen Tilbrook, TV executives and music industry experts.
First though, we've had punk, hip hop, garage, Britpop, but what could be the next music scene and where will it come from? We're in a recession - pop is bigger and more bloated than ever - so can we expect another punk-style musical revolution?
We'll be hearing from Hugh Cornwell from the Stranglers, Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand and the drum & bass maestro Goldie.
John Robb, the man who coined the phrase "britpop" and wrote Punk Rock: An Oral History will put it all in context. Plus, we'll be playing plenty of music with attitude.
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UPDATE 25th August
The Who's Roger Daltrey revealed what he thinks The X Factor would have made of The Who and punk legends The Sex Pistols.
He spoke to Colin Paterson on 5 live Breakfast:
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When have you shown compassion?
The Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, has been released by the Scottish Justice Secretary on compassionate grounds, and returned to Libya - despite Megrahi himself showing no compassion for his victims.
We want to know when you've shown compassion. Have you felt sorry for someone who's wronged you? A loved one, a criminal? Was it easy? Are we right to show compassion to those who display none themselves?
You can download the podcast or submit a comment below.
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During the phone in, Chris in Bristol urged everyone to listen again to the interview given by Gordon Wilson to the BBC shortly after his daughter, Marie, died in the Enniskillen bombing of November 1987, which killed 11 people.
Mr Wilson spoke movingly of the death of his daughter, and his feelings towards those who perpetrated it. Here is that interview:
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Celebrating exam success?
A levels: are you celebrating? Hundreds of thousands of exam results will be revealed this morning. It's the culmination of many long hours of work - and pass rates are expected to go up for the 27th year.
We spoke to Adam and Helen who are students in Durham (pictured) as they opened their results. Both will spend the day working out where they are going to university because they didn't quite get the grades for the place of their choice. Update 09.10 both have now spoken to their first choice Uni's and have been told they have been accepted. Helen is going to Northumbria and Adam is off to Teeside.
Have a listen back to their interview below:
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Are you a student with news of your grades? Are you a proud (or perhaps worried) parent? Are you a teacher assessing how your pupils have done? And what's going to happen to those who won't get the grades to get a place at university?
Give us your A level result by posting here - or by joining Shelagh on the phone-in at 9.
The cost of a gold medal...
Phil Williams writes:
Interviewing sports people is something I really enjoy. The chance to question someone, who the previous day you watched complete an incredible sporting feat, is a privilege. There's always the fear that they disappoint by telling you that they're: over the moon; just pleased to get the three points; only looking as far as the next game.* (*Delete as applicable)
A day off sick?
According to statistics today, staff in the NHS take more sick leave than those in private industry. Forty-five thousand people are said to be absent each day - but that figure would be a lot lower if the NHS in England had reduced sick leave at the same rate as other sectors.
This morning, Shelagh spoke to Matthew, who's on the front line of NHS Care, an experienced doctor who works in the South West of England; and Elayne Meggit, a former registered nurse who last worked for the NHS three years ago.
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What's your experience of sickness at work? This is the subject of the phone-in from 9am. We want to hear from you if you're a boss or a worker. Perhaps you suffer from a long-term condition or maybe you've never had a day off sick in your life...
It's the discussion on the 5 live phone-in at 9 with Shelagh.
Is a university education worth the cost?
Students starting university this September will graduate with debts of up to £23,000 according to research out today. Is the cost worth it? The government wants fifty percent of school leavers to go to uni - but with a shortage of graduate jobs and a workforce where many now have degrees is the outlay worth the reward?
Listen again to the debate on this morning's Phone-in with Shelagh, and download the podcast.
"It is with great sadness..."
The deaths of three more British soldiers in Afghanistan were announced by the Ministry of Defence last night.
This brings the number of UK service personnel killed so far in the conflict to 204. With some predictions that there could be a British military presence in the country for 30 or 40 years, how are you feeling about the war as more troops lose their lives?
Earlier this morning, Phil Williams spoke to our defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt who is with troops in Helmand province and asks how they were feeling about the rising death toll. Plus, Shelagh Fogarty spoke to Major Roddy Sutherland, officer commanding of a new Army recovery centre in Edinburgh. Have a listen below.
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We'll be talking about this on the Breakfast phone-in this morning with Shelagh.
Pushbike paramedics
Our reporter Andrew Fletcher writes:
"A paramedic rides a push bike through one the world busiest airports to reach a sick passenger.
"Dial 999 at Heathrow airport and expect to be treated by a paramedic on a push bike loaded with life-saving equipment. Bikes are the quickest way to get to a casualty through a crowded passenger terminal according to the London Ambulance Service. The team now operates across all 5 terminals and deals with an average of four hundred calls a month. Patrols could be used for London's Olympic sites in 2012. Paramedic Guy Dunk explains in the video below how the service works and rushes to the aid of a young passenger who's fallen sick just before boarding a plane.
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"If you're going to have a heart attack Heathrow airport is probably the safest place to do it - paramedics on bicycles can often reach patients who've stopped breathing within three minutes (it's thought that for every minute of delay in getting to a patient who's suffering a heart attack the chances of successful resuscitation decrease by ten per cent.)
"There's a national ambulance target of reaching 75 per cent of category A calls - the most serious - within 8 minutes. In the past year the cycle team at Heathrow have reached 100 per cent of those calls within the target time. Using bicycles to reach patients was first tried out at Heathrow in 2004, just at terminal 4. The cycle response team now operates in all 5 terminals.
"They use mountain bikes fitted with sirens and blue lights, and carrying equipment including defibrillators and pain-relieving gas. They can use them to get around quickly inside the terminal buildings and on the tarmac. While some calls turn out to be patients suffering palpitations through fear of flying, or injuries from falling, the use of bicycles does free up ambulances for other potentially life-threatening incidents. And in some cases the cycle paramedics have saved lives."
Do we love the NHS?
The NHS was set up more than 60 years ago, and it's no exaggeration to say it revolutionised the way healthcare is delivered. It was said to be the envy of the world, and become Europe's biggest employer.
But now it's come under attack from the US. Campaigners opposed to President Obama's healthcare plans have called it 'evil' and 'orwellian', and a Tory MEP even went on US TV to add his criticisms, before getting told off by his own party.
People are posting on Twitter to say #welovethenhs to lend their support - it also attracted messages from Gordon and Sarah Brown.
So, do you love the NHS? It's our phone-in at 9. You can text us on 85058 or email breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
"We are treated like s***"
MPs "have to live on rations and are treated like s***". That's according to the Tory MP Alan Duncan, who was secretly filmed complaining about how much politicians have been criticised over their expenses. He's apologised, but was he right? Has the public gone too far in its recent condemnation of MPs? Just like bankers and their bonuses, if we take away a few perks, could we lose the brightest and best?
It's the phone-in from 9 this morning - text us on 85058 or email breakfast@bbc.co.uk. You can also post a comment here and on our Facebook page.
Carry On Doctor, your patient's not here
With a recession settling in, we know we're probably facing cuts in public spending. It's likely to have a big effect on parts of the NHS, since our healthcare is where the largest amount of money is spent.
So why is it that so many people - more than 6 and a half million of us - miss medical appointments every year? The NHS Confederation, which represents most NHS organisations in England, says missed appointments waste hundreds of millions of pounds.
Why do people do it? Is the system tricky to deal with at your local GP surgery or hospital? Should patients be penalised if they repeatedly miss appointments?
It's the subject of our phone-in this morning - as well as posting your views here, you can text us on 85058 or email breakfast@bbc.co.uk.
Ferguson puts the boot into the Scottish FA
Barry Ferguson has made some pretty bad decisions over the last year. Decisions that have seen him kicked out of the Scotland national side, the team that he captained.
Ferguson and team-mate Allan McGregor were punished following a late-night drinking session and V-sign gestures whilst subsequently on the bench in April's win over Iceland. This also led his club, Rangers, stripping Ferguson of his captain's role and suspended him for two weeks without pay.
Things had been looking up for Ferguson though as he has since left Rangers and signed for Birmingham City this summer, joining former Scotland boss Alex McLeish.
Whilst Ferguson admits he did do wrong, he also claims in an interview with Glasgow's Evening Times, that he was told he was banned from playing for Scotland via fax.
"I had played for Scotland 45 times, I had captained my country for years - and they sent a fax to Murray Park saying that I would never play for my country again......I was in such a whirl that I wasn't taking anything in - then a fax arrives and that was it over... no phone call, no anything. That, for me, sums the SFA up. They don't know how to handle anything properly."
This morning on Breakfast we spoke to Craig Burley - the former Scotland international and nephew to current Scotland boss George Burley and asked him what he thought.
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Tomorrow morning you can hear what his new boss Alex McLeish makes of it all.
Protecting the offenders
People involved with some of Britain's most notorious child murders have been given new identities over the years, to prevent people finding them and taking revenge. Robert Thompson and John Venables - who killed James Bulger - Mary Bell who killed two boys in the 60s.... And now, perhaps, the people responsible for Baby Peter's horrific death.
Tracey Connelly and Steven Barker have been kept anonymous until today, for legal reasons, and they could be helped to 'disappear' once they've served their sentences.
So should we protect the identities of some criminals, for the good of society? Shouldn't the criminal justice system be allowed to do the job without an angry mob getting involved? Or are some crimes so terrible that those responsible should have to take their chances in a free and open society?
You can listen to the programme in BBC iPlayer or download the podcast (for up to seven days after broadcast).
You can also submit a comment below.
Three - that's the magic number
At school the one thing that always turned my stomach was having to dissect stuff in Biology. By stuff I mean frogs.
My stomach also turned over the weekend when I switched on the radio to hear that England were evidently going to lose the fourth Ashes Test by an innings.
England's selectors will now begin to dissect what went wrong and, unlike the poor frog, what can be done to make it better again.
Normally after a disappointing Test you have one or two players who don't seem themselves, playing much worse than they should. Unfortunately for England and the selectors this performance was so woeful that it has thrown up more questions than answers.
First of all who should play the all-important number three batsman if Ravi Bopara is dropped? He has averaged 15 during this series and I doubt the selectors will risk playing him again.
Should Mark Ramprakash, at the age of 39, be recalled seven years after last playing a Test for England as his county forms continues to impress, or should Jonathan Trott be handed a Test debut for what will be such a tense match?
Geoff Miller - the ECB's National Selector spoke to us on Breakfast this morning and told us that they wouldn't overreact to the poor result:
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The fifth and final Test start 20th August - full commentary on 5 live sports extra.
Fit for nothing?
It's Monday morning. For many people, it's the time of the week they dread most. Can you really be bothered to do anything today? Just how lazy are you? There's a survey out today that suggests some people would rather watch a TV show they can't stand, rather than get off their backsides to sort out new batteries for the remote control.
So are you a lazy Brit? Or are you a get-up-and-go Brit? Is anything too much effort - or you the sort who loves to keep-fit? What message have you got for the rest of the nation?
You can submit a comment below, listen to the programme in BBC iPlayer or download the podcast.
Are criminals' families the silent victims of crime?
This morning we spoke to reformed armed robber Bobby Cummines about the release of Ronnie Biggs. Bobby's now the Chief Executive of Unlock, the National Association for Reformed Offenders, and he told us he believed that the families of criminals were the real silent victims of crime. On the phone in, Nicky'll be asking if he's right.
In a flap over seagulls
The RSPCA says attacks on seagulls by humans are growing by 10% a year, as people vent their frustration at Britain's booming population of urban gulls.
But the animal charity warns anyone caught harming the birds risks prosecution.
Seagulls have flourished in many coastal towns, including Cardiff which has one of the largest populations of seagulls in the UK.
Listen to Mark Hutchings report:
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Here seagulls in Cardiff feed from bins and collect scraps from restaurant tables:
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Should the NHS pay for IVF?
A report from the Conservatives says your chances of getting IVF paid for by the NHS still depends on where you live in England.
But is IVF something that should be paid for by the NHS at all? Should public money be used for fertility treatment? Or is there a better way of spending our taxes than making peoples' dreams of being a parent come true?
That's the phone-in from 9am -10am. Listen live, text 85058 (network rates apply), phone 0500 909 693 (free from most landlines) or post a comment below.
Can men be trusted with power?
Harriet Harman's in charge of the country this week while Gordon Brown's away on his holidays -- and she's having quite a week so far. She's said men can't be left to run things - something that's annoyed her colleagues past and present - and said political parties should never have all-male leadership teams. Today's papers also report claim she's pushing policies that help women, like tougher rape laws. So - is she right? Should there always be a woman at the top?
That's the phone-in with Nicky from 9. Join in by listening live, calling 0500 909 693 (free from most landlines) or text 85058 (network rates apply).
Nicky tests a high-tech swimsuit
They played a part in 43 new world records being set at the World Swimming Championships last week, and Rebecca Adlington told an Italian newspaper she reckons they are 'technological doping'.
They've been banned as of next year - but what can a swimming 'super suit' do for the 'Edinburgh Eel'?
We sent Nicky to his local pools to find out the truth behind the new high-tech swimsuits. Have a look at the film below...
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Is the crowd killing cricket?
Cricket....it's a peaceful game of leather on willow...of quiet, sunny afternoons...isn't it?
Maybe not, if people like the Barmy Army are involved. Writing in one of today's newspapers, cricket fan Dominic Lawson says the game's being ruined - by supporters who sing all day, boo the opposition,
He doesn't blame the Barmy Army entirely, but says he knows several people who just won't go to games any more because of "the incessant din" from fans.
So is he right? Is cricket being ruined by the crowd? Or do they create a great atmosphere at the ground? Would rowdy supporters put you off going to a test match? Or is it all part of a big sporting occasion? And is cricket really any worse than any other sport?
That's the phone in with Nicky from 9 - text 85058 (standard geographical charges apply)or email breakfast@bbc.co.uk
5 live Breakfast's Olympic Diaries
5 live Breakfast is following two of Britain's top athletes on their journey to the London Olympics in 2012. They are Andy Turner and Mo Farah - two very different athletes with two different stories, both driven by the aim of stepping on the podium in London.
Turner - 110m Hurdles
Andy Turner is Britain's number one sprint hurdler and has been for four years. He has two Olympic games under him already. In 2004 in Athens he failed to get past the heats, and in Beijing 2008 he was knocked out in the quarter finals. This led to UK Athletics scrapping his funding as they felt he was no longer a threat on the world stage.
Turner has since won the 110m hurdles at the 2009 European Team Championships and said he intends to prove to UK Athletics that he can compete at the highest level.
Hear his first audio diary:
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Farah - 5,000m/Cross Country
Mo Farah is regarded as one of the best British middle distance runners in recent years. He was born in Mogadishu but moved to Britain from Somalia as a refugee in 1993 where his talent for running was soon spotted by his PE teacher. He'd soon won five schools titles.
In 2006 Mo Farah was named as "Male Athlete of the Year" by the British Athletics Writers' Association. He followed that accolade with his greatest triumph, winning the European Cross-country title in December. Earlier this year he won Gold in the 3000m in European Indoor Championships.
He's now a genuine medal hope for the World Championships and beyond. He is funded to the maximum amount by UK Athletics.
Hear Mo's first audio diary:
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What would you put on a citizenship test?
It's points for passports...The government sets out its plans today for tougher citizenship tests for immigrants who want to settle permanently in the UK. The Home Secretary Alan Johnson says they'll get points for things like language skills and qualifications - and behaviour. So that means they could lose points for anti-social behaviour, or for "un-British" activities.
So how would you hand out the points? Or is there a better way of deciding who gets a British passport?
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5LNPI: Why did Tony Blair take Britain into Iraq? 24 Nov 09
08:48 Tue, 24 Nov 09
The former PM is among those who will have to give evidence to the independent inquiry into the build up to war. That begins today, and Mr Blair will be called in sometime in the New Year. Why did Tony Blair take Britain to war in Iraq?
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