The Last Word

In an effort to enhance the surfing pleasure of BBC News Online readers, we are happy to welcome your comments and observations about the news. Submission guidelines at the bottom of the page.

FIRE WORKS
I applaud the government's latest money-making scam (Why Bonfire Night is going out with a bang, 4 November.) The sale of fireworks will be restricted to a short period over New Year, and anyone letting off fireworks after 11pm could be arrested and fined. Ker-ching!
Tony Parker
London

RUGBY CLASH
With regard to the England Wales rugby match on Remembrance Sunday (Gary Gannon's letter in The Last Word, 4 November). There was a simple solution, had England only have thought of it in advance: they should have come second in the pool to avoid the Sunday game.
Tony Dykes
Woking, UK

JOB FAIR
I wonder if any university sports science rejected applicants with A-level qualifications are interested that Tony Adams is taking up the Wycombe FC manager's job?
Ed Blackburn
St Blazey, Kernow

GEORGIA ON HIS MIND
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it slightly ironic that the US is "expressing concern" over the recent election troubles in Georgia?
Tim Budd
Japan

URBAN MYTH
Lynda Emanuel (The Last Word, 4 November) is wrong. The terms "Afro-Caribbean" and "Black" denote race. "Urban" denotes an inner-city culture and style that, while it draws strong influences from Black culture, transcends race boundaries.
Michael Sourie
London

GUY FORGET
Please take care with stories like Guy Fawkes plot 'was devastating', 5 November. You imply that Guy Fawkes was the brains behind the plot and that he acted alone. In fact, the plot was led by Robert Catesby and comprised 13 men. Fawkes was one of the last to join and is famous only for being caught in the cellars of Parliament House on 5 November 1605. He was tortured in order to reveal the names of the other conspirators, who were then hunted down and either captured or killed.
Brian Hooper
Guildford, UK

DUMMY RUN
David Blaine has assured us he will jump hundreds of feet into a river with no parachute and "no dummy either - it will be me". How will anyone tell?
Steven Luckman
Bergen, Norway

DRIVING TEST
Is Daniel Roberts being deliberately obtuse (The Last Word, 4 November)? It is illegal to drive "without due care and attention", which the traffic police, with much training, do not do. Most members of the public, however, have both little regard for their fellow beings and little ability to execute more than one driving operation at a time.
Dave Parsons
St Albans, UK

STRUGGLING NOVELIST
Critics pan Iain Duncan Smith's novel, 7 November. Would the book even have been published if I had written it, not Iain Duncan Smith?
Alan Jones
London, England

HOWARD'S AWAY

At last the secret is out (picture, right): why the Tory leadership race was characterised by all but one of the competitors running in the general direction of "away".
Guy Chapman
Reading, UK

BOLD CLAIM
Are the English Arrogant? Re: Are the English Arrogant?, 4 November. Yes. And we're the best in the world at it, too.
Kieran Boyle
Oxford, England.

ON A ROLL
Dave William's "Dicky Tummy" comment of 4 November made me chuckle (The Last Word, 4 November). To reassure him I should say I've lived in Spain for more than three years now and the only time I've had food poisoning, which laid me up for three days, was after eating a pre-packaged roll from a supermarket in Gibraltar.
Chris Farrell
La Linea, Spain

CD LAW
So new copyright laws make it illegal to copy CDs etc? (Dot.life: Why that mix CD might be illegal, 10 November). The old copyright laws made it illegal to copy anything, but allowed for "fair dealing" i.e. one copy could be made for research or private study. As far as I can see, copying your own tapes, LPs CDs etc came under this rule. I have some old LPs which I want to preserve, so I believe that if I copy them to CD but do not dispose of the LP or sell copies then I am within the law.
Alan Jones
London

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The Last Word is updated on Tuesday each week.

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