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Much as one may abhore the Guantanamo style of detention or incarceration, we should be more worried about our national security than about whether it represents a mixed message. All the evidence is that in UK (i) our jails are already full to overflowing; (ii) some 12% of our prison population is composed of non-British prisoners(iii) we seem incapable of holding dangerous criminals in any form of secure custody; and (iv) we have too many lefty-liberals in UK campaigning for the rights of criminals than for the rights of the British public to security and protection. We have already sent the wrong message by awarding British citizenship to the likes of the 'failed bomber' after his release from prison for serious offences. The Guantanimo prisoners are not even British Citizens and we will probably, at best, put them under some form of house arrest or tagging, whilst we pursue long and expensive research into their backgrounds, probably being compelled to ignore any evidence that U.S. may (or maynot) be willing to passon to us, due to our fear that it may have resulted from rough handling.

Am I the only person who has got bored of the wall to wall coverage of Foot and Mouth?

It's not Ebola, I would have thought 30 seconds on the evening news as item 7 would suffice.

I am a resident who lives in the foot and mouth protection zone, about one mile from the first outbreak. I am not a farmer, but have lived in farming areas for most of my life. I am amazed at the lack of biosecurity measures curently being implemented by DEFRA, and other government bodies. So much so I called DEFRA this morning to ask why footpaths were still open in the protection zone (they have now closed these), and why measures have not been taken to stop the possible spread of the disease from vehicle movement. ie the use of disinfectant mats on roads.
I was told that these measures are NOT the responsibility of DEFRA, but of local bodies responsible for each county. This means that an outbreak in Surrey will be dealt with in a different manner than to that of say Cumbria. I called the body responsible for Surrey and asked the same questions I asked DEFRA, their response was that they didn't want to scare the public by implementing these measures! I'm more concerned that these measures have not been implimented. They said if any further cases of F&M occour biosecurity may be stepped up. In the mean time, vehicles will drive freely through the area, and around the countryside without any measures being taken to eliminate the possible spread of the disease via vehicle movement.

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ News24 report suggests " accidental or deliberate " transmission of FMD from the research site into the outside world. I can't help speculating that many eco-fascists would love to introduce FMD into UK livestock in a deliberate attempt to destroy, in particular the livestock export industry. Perhaps staff and recent visitors at the research sites should be screened for eco-fascist tendencies ( membership of organizations etc. ) and put under close scrutiny for traces of the FMD virus at home or on their person. It is perhaps more than a coincidence that an animal rights activist allegedly worked some time at the North East pig farm where FMD was alleged to have started in 2001.

I'm looking forward to the programme and may comment afterwards.

Re; Leadership qualities Cameron/Brown et al.
The Sgt Major always said; "Leadership is like a teabag.
You don`t know how strong it is until its put into hot water"

I am very disappointed in the coverage of the "whirlwind of speculation" over Madeleine McCann's disappearance in tonight's programme.

In the UK we have been subject to misinformation /speculation/rumour from the press since the tragedy unfolded and consequently a lot of very interested viewers in the UK were eager to see an authoritative programme such as yours debate this issue, and even more eager when it appeared that Jeremy Paxman was leading it.

Do you think that the three minute piece in any way addressed these concerns, or threw any light on the current situation?

Sadly, I don't.

Sir, I am also fed up with the blanket coverage of the F+M debacle. Why can't we vaccinate? Other country's manage quite well with vaccination programmes. We have this obsession with tradition, it is all, 'Well, we tried it years ago and all the prices fell, plus my grandad couldn't be arsed going round fields with a needle' We have great big trucks going down suburban rouds with cargoes of dead cattle from Surrey to some isolated abbatoir in Devon to dispose of carcasses. That is really great forward planning that is. Why put a Lab in a farming area anyway? We are led by fools who are making it up as they go along. Brown wasn't going abroard anyway....he doesn't do abroard, he's a Scot and they never go anywhere. Sincerely, Stevie (L'pool)

I gather people in Scotland got an item which was relevant to current news and relevant to their own lives while this trivial padding was screened in England. Newsnight's science coverage is abysmal, its business coverage is non existent, all it seems to be interested in is arty farty tripe, and Africa Africa Africa

please fix the 'you cannot leave a message' feature or i will send the boys round...

I found hillsideboy's response interesting, but far too simplistic to be left unchallenged. Guatanamo Bay is a disgrace to every civilised norm we (should) hold dear. I don't care whether the inmates are British or not, the principles at stake are universal. And to describe torture (sometimes to death) and covert CIA flights to third-world torture prisons as "rough handling" simply beggars belief.

With that kind of immoral support, I'd say we need every "lefty-liberal" in the world to keep up the pressure for human rights, whether those human beings involved are "criminals" or not.

Isn't it a tad politically convenient to blame the PRIVATE company for the escape of the virus
.Whatever they are both licenced by the government... so does it matter anyway & unless one of the workers ..Says "it's me guv'" I would have thought it very hard to prove!

These places are now so publicised.. not a good idea!!!... & when you hear what they contain why are they located in such areas..why not an Island facility?

Thank you Eugene Ullman and the people of the Book Café. I find everything about you extremely relevant to all our lives. We have much to learn from you. Your actions speak more eloquently than my words on this 'page'.

Thank you Newsnight.

Instead of just waiting for it to happen – why not do something original : do an article that tries to anticipate what media outlets will do as the Madelaine story slips away from the McCann's control.

Why does it seem so predictable and inevitable for some papers to 'turn' on the McCanns? I really want to see this explored.

And then speculate about what angle the press will use when it does turn on them. Will a paper choose to smear them (and avoid any named sources). What issues will papers try to embarrass them with? How will it be done – and who will go first? And then interview the journalist. Interview them.

My guess, as you can tell, is that some papers will tend to raise concerns about the role of the unfortunate victim's family – paint a picture of careless culpability - blame them for their own predicament. They'll bemoan how the McCann's story overshadows other children's cases – somehow blaming the McCanns for desperately wanting their child back. A staggering approach is to speculate that the McCanns are guilty themselves (murder / trafficking etc) but of course only in a way that ignores probability. Any other ideas?

Its going to be darkly funny seeing how the media manage to do it – and they will - given that the family really shouldn't have to answer such nonsense. I mean, really, how can anyone successfully create a critical story that leaves us tut-tutting about the family's carelessness and so on, without actually quashing it, at once, by noting how the parent's role is vastly eclipsed by the enormity of the crime itself? It would be absurd.

But I bet we'll read it somewhere.

Be cool to draw up a league table which ranks papers that do produce the nastiest McCann backlash reports – the first 'anti-McCann' articles, and note things like whether the journalist is named, whether they relied on 'unnamed sources' and perhaps we could award a richtor scale of absurdity for each report.

Has anyone in the industry got the balls to examine why outlets need to run such stories?

I BELEIVE THAT EVERY SPECIE OF ANY TYPE OF ANIMAL,MAMAL,BIRDS,INSECTS;THAT ARE STILL IN EXISTENCE SHOULD BE PRESERVED BY EVERY GOOD MEANS AVAILABLE.THOSE THA HAVE BECOME EXTINCT,ARE EXTINCT BECAUSE PEOPLE DID NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THEM, AND PAYING THIS ATTENTION IS TAKING CARE OF THEM,TRYING TO REDUCE,CONTROL OR EVEN STOP THAT WHICH IS AFFECTING THEIR LIVIG. SO I STRONGLY CALL THAT THESE DOLPINS IN-QUESTION SHOULD BE PRESERVED.