I dont blame Derek Conway at all for taking advantage of a system that seems to take care of its own,a system that seems to be class based and seems to pay scant regard for employment law,integrity or even ability.
This was in no way an individual error but an example of the Conservative system which obviously considers this the norm.
Someone should dig a liitle deeper ....................

Steve cartmell, Preston/London in that order, England

Yes. We often get worked up about yob culture but arrogant culture is the real problem - too many people are never able to admit they are wrong.

tony, rochester, UK

An English acquaintance recently learned about a UK government campaign to choose a national slogan that could appear in government offices, etc, as the official theme or brand of the country: like "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite." Three of his five suggestions were "We can't be arsed" and "More than me job's worth, gov", and "The Can't-Do Society."

Andy, Anytown, USA,

The point is that one has to make an excuse to avoid adding disrespect to one's catalogue of failures. You'll be looked on badly if you can't even make the effort to fabricate a preposterous lie. "The dog ate my homework" won't rile a teacher anything like as much as "I couldn't be arsed to do it".

Tim, Lancaster,

When a whole industry exists to generate excuses for over-indulged and badly raised children (and the adults they turn into), it's hardly surprising that some of it leaks out into society at large. The excuse industry helps boost profits for the consultancy and pharmaceutical industries, and so it's unlikely to go away any time soon.

But the Oscar for most inventive excuses must go to an American girl who stood me up on several successive dates. The first time she was run over in a car park and sprained her wrist. The second, she went to a theme park in Sussex, fainted in the record heat wave, decided to stay overnight instead of coming back, and thunderstorms took out the mobile phone network so she couldn't tell me of the change of plan. The third time, her boss sent her to New York for a week at two hours notice. At this stage I was tempted to play along just to see what the next excuse would have been, but in the end I decided life was too short....

Ian Kemmish, Biggleswade, UK

That schoolchildren in other countries wouldn't have such as marvellous excuses as the British do is nothing but self-flattering. "The dog ate my homework" is a well-known phrase, at least here in Finland, and I'm sure we're not the only one. Otherwise the article was brilliant.

May Be, Hämeenlinna, Finland

I think we are all sick of the passive 'lessons have been learned/ mistakes have been made' rather than the active: 'I fouled up; I won't do it again' mode of speech. Surely it is reasonable for the paying and voting public to expect there to be an existing level of competence and expertise rather than have to teach these idiots how to do it!
I am a HGV driver, and I am fairly sure that if I caused a motorway pile up, I couldn't offhandedly say: 'sorry...an error of judgement; a mistake was made, but lessons have been learned' and simply get away with it.
It is high time we stopped making pathetic excuses and made ourselves and other people responsible for what happened.

Brian Douglas, Heysham, Lancs, UK

"The British have come to expect, and accept, excuses as part of the culture.." OH NO WE HAVEN'T! 'They' take no blinking notice of expressions of outrage so often, that many give up objecting in despair! THEN 'they' have the cheek to question the reason for public disdain, and apathy at the polls. UGH!
I feel a vomit coming on.....oh no, it was another politico appearing on BBC 24!

S. Barraclough, Huddersfield, W. Yorkshire

A matter you could have mentioned, is the casting in stone of all the excuses buried in the small print of insurance documentation, that invariably gives cause for the insurer to refuse payment by the use of said, usually, very flimsy 'excuse'.

Effectively I am saying that the excuse culture is not one way. It works downwards as well as upwards.

Morgan, Pontypool, Wales

Hmmm. I once was asked to go into work on a Sunday to finish a piece of work for my boss. When I called my boss and apologised, saying that unfortunately I had been to a party on the Saturday, and was hungover, he was not appreciative of my honesty in the slightest. I was fired.

sandra, tonbridge,

English is a language of evasion and this country is one living in a state of self-delusion. From trying to recreate the British Empire within the United Kingdom, to imagining the world takes any sort of lead from Europe's offshore island.

The delusion of masking economic failure and decline by abundant credit and consumerism; and of exhortations worthy of a Communist State to tell us how successful this school, this "community" or this government has been when all is a tissue of lies and those lying know they are

TomTom, Leeds, England

In modern society, the media holds a unique role and responsibility as the public watchdog. Government and major companies are now far too vast for members of the public or small organizations to monitor, it is up to the media to perform this function vital to the commonweal.

Just last week, the National Audit Office reported that "community punishment" orders were being willfully ignored not only by offenders, but by the Probation Service as well! A "spokesman" for the service lamely promised to do better."

"We have noted the contents of the report, have accepted all the recommendations, and actions are already under way to address all of these.”

But did anyone in the media ask *what* these actions were? No, it was silently accepted. Will the media follow up on the "actions"? Doubtful.

Perhaps the media must reassert its responsibility!




the media must then be the public watchdog and hold bureaucratic feet to the fire by monitoring these actions. If in fact there are any.

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

absolutely agree - so much more power is gained by an individual who says " I screwed up".

But isn't there also an old saying "honesty is the best policy" - but maybe that isn't part of the kurikulum...........

mark, houston, Tx