"The trade offs required to allow consumerism to survive, may well lead to our complete destruction."

Too right - the problem with unlimited growth is . . . nothing's unlimited. Resources etc are finite.

"And to regard anyone stating that they do reflect real life as being someone who really has got to be joking. I mean come on Braveheart FFS!!!!"

They don't necessarily reflect real life, but hold a mirror up to the attitudes of society. Really T, you're an intelligent bloke, try to look past the obvious. Sometimes I think you are taking the piss.

As for Braveheart, interesting choice and one which goes to illustrate my point. On the surface, BH is nothing more than pure entertainment and so far from historical fact it's risible. But . . . the whole film is a (admittedly hamfisted) big dig at the English by Mel Gibson, who has made no bones about his hatred of the past actions of 'the English'. Another colonial having a dig.

"Hezbollah & Hamas backed by Iran, trained by Iran, armed by Iran. Remove their attacks from the equation and peace would have come to the region decades ago. What was the butchers bill for the Iran/Iraq War again? 1,5 to 2 million. No the US, UK and Israel have not caused a tenth of the damage that Iran and Iraq have in the region."

Shine on - who was one of the countries that supplied Iran and Iraq with the weapons that they could blow the shit out of each other with?