"If the set time is ..... then people should be held to it. And the person who takes that long chatting to his neighbour, borrowing a tuner and tuning his guitar should be given hearty applause at the end of the five minutes and be informed that his turn is over."

Actually, Bert, I couldn't agree more.

He should be told he is being applauded for his 'performance', which was very funny, but next time, could he please actually play some music!

The amount of time wasted at some singarounds/sessions is such that several more artists could have a slot, or each artist who sticks to the 'X items' rule (those doing more items than the 'limit' annoys me!) could each have an extra item.

A little discipline in having each artist ready to go on when announced is appreciated by many in the audience. Of course, this 'mucking about' is also appreciated by some - it gives them a chance to duck out for a smoke/coffee.