well sorry leadfingers but actually we were all trying engage in some sort of a dialogue about something that affects all our communities. Namely how declaring something like the drugs trade criminal doesn't add much to the gaiety of nations.

Its a subject that doesn't get aired all that much because - i dunno - I used to think the major political parties were getting a rake off from organised crime. Nowadays I think its just mental laziness. You know your daily Mail reader is going to brand you a drug crazed hippy or some such shit for even talking about it. that's about as elevated as the debate ever gets in England.

At least three different people from three different residential areas locally have told me substantially the same story in the last few months though, which is:-

A group of drug pushers have moved into our street. They have cars parked down the street that they don't bother to pay tax on. They steal. they fence stolen goods. We see streams of kids come to their to their door quite openly to score. We tell the police. the police say they are aware of the situation and do nothing about it.

As the media don't travel North of watford the fact never really got circulated that the hard drugs trade took a hold in mining villages of North Notts when Thatch closed down all the mines.

However its a business I feel we could do without, and I think decriminalisation is the best way. get rid of the crooks and face the problem head on.

the sooner we start cleaning up the mess, the better.