“MattG below is guilty of misrepresenting Councillor Hall's position. It's not that religious institutions 'have no place' in Leicester, and in its society. Of course they do, and a glance at the Mayor's speaking schedule will confirm that.

The point is that religious institutions have no place in the public business of the council. This is the best way of dealing with the reality of Leicester today, where no one 'faith' or denomination claims more than 20% of the population.”

“The secularist society press release seems really balanced and fair about inclusivity and the need for diversity. We live in a pluralist society that should tolerate and represent people of no faith. However when Coun Hall speaks of 'religion having no place': that is intolerance and suppressing of diversity. Faith and no faith are both legitimate positions that should not be squashed. In the interests of diversity, respect and tolerance both should have a voice. Once you squeeze out faith in the interests of atheism: the intolerant dogmatism that Secularism once purported to challenge is replaced by oppressive atheism. We are certainly seeing a creeping suppression of faith in public life. Be careful Coun Hall, the society you wish for may turn out to be more hate filled and intolerant when beliefs that are different to one's own 'have no place'.”

“Wandered some distance from the original subject, haven't we?

Of course religion is out of date - the idea that truth is revealed in the myths of Bronze Age tribesmen is ludicrous. The sooner the world as a whole "grows up" the better.

Mr Hall, however, only gets 70% from me. There are civic traditions which are entitled to a degree of respect, rather than treated as subject to the whim of one individual. The office of Lord Mayor, and the civic robes I see he still uses are hardly up to the minute either!”

“Well this debate could go on forever, I don't see the far left having any great power but we'll have to disagree on that one. The only power that truly exists in our modern society is money.

I do realise that Scargill had his own agenda, I don't think that anyone who rises to the top of any government, union or whatever gets there without ruthless ambition and when they get there it's always going to be about them first and foremost.

The thing is there was always going to be a militant reaction to way the conservatives went about dismantling industry. It's similar to way american and british foreign policy acts as a perfect recruiting tool for Terrorist organisations.

Which is why I hope that the lib dem influence in this coalition might just produce a better government bringing balance to the conservatives. Here's hoping.”

“We now know that many trade union leaders were in the pay of the Soviet Union. Read Frank Chapple's book ( a REAL union man, who cared about his members ) to see where their interests lay.

As for Scargill, he gave a tallk a couple of years ago to the Josef Stalin Society, surely Britain's sickest organisation. He had no interest in the miners, only himself and his political agenda ( which he thought would put him at the top of the tree.) He is, of course, now suing the NUM for more perks in his retirement !

The problem I find is that the Far-Right are nasty but, fortunately, have no power, while the Far-Left have moled themselves into the unions and the Labour party and HAVE achieved influence - and done damage.”

“Mugabe, Pol Pot, Stalin. Three of the most evil and bloodthirsty dictators of recent times. They may have called themselves communists but they were to a man only interested in their own power so clearly not following any genunine Communist or Marxist or Socialist docterine.

For those three I'll give you Hitler, Pinochet and Saddam Hussein and I'm unsure on Idi Amin (is that how you spell it) and his political beliefs. They weren't communists or capitalists, they were simply dictators.

Making out that Scargill and the other trade union leaders were somehow of the same ilk as Stalin et al is just ludicrous. Your view that they were out to destroy democracy is also extremely biased, they were trying to secure the jobs and rights of the working classes in this country but of course failed to do so as they went too far. Thatcher in response also went too far and their conflicting ideologies left our country decimated and those areas worse affected are no better 30 odd years on.

Of course they had links to the Sovet Union but remember that the cons cosied up to Saddam and Pinochet.

I understand you are trying to balance some of the equally partisan views of some on here, but instead of trying to compensate from their leftism, maybe you could rise above it and admit that Thatcher like Brown is responsible for a lot of the problems we face today.”

“Pol Pot hasn't had any bad press?! What are you talking about Peter? Please show me the pro-Pol Pot propaganda you seem to have seen. In fact it has been the Left who have been the most vigorous critics of that particular regime when Thatcher and Reagan were dithering (or worse). It was John Pilger in the Daily Mirror who first illustrated the terrible things that were happening there.

Blaming socialism for Pol Pot is about as useful as blaming them for Hitler. Both used the term for propagandal rather than ideological purposes.

I find it slightly bizarre that anyone thinks Stalin has had it easy as well!”

“Learn to read "Leicester Tom."

I make no complaint about the bad press the BNP or Nazis get. I am complaining about the lack of any bad press about the far left.

My post makes that clear.

Your post is an example of that. No mention of the issue I raised. Just try to tar someone as "BNP" because they complain of a lack of balance.

There is one extremist here. You, Leicester Tom.”

“Peter - if you're honestly questioning the bad press the BNP get, might I suggest you confront reality?

That so many people voted BNP in the election is truly shameful.”

“Leicester is home to the oldest secular society in the entire world.

This is without doubt the single most wonderful thing about the place.

Mr Hall is a champion of the people!

Don't pray in my council offices and I won't designate parking bays in your church/mosque/mandir/gudwara/synagogue/etc.

Religiong is a private matter, nothing is more public than public office.”