BBC NEWS | Peston's Picks

What are your memories of Sir Henry Cooper?

(BBC News) — Sun, 01 May 2011 22:09:36 +0000

Boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper has passed away at the age of 76 at his son's house in Oxted, Surrey. What is his legacy?

The former English, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion fought 55 times and is revered for his knockdown of Muhammad Ali in 1963.

Alongside Frank Bruno, Tommy Farr and Lennox Lewis, Cooper is considered as one of the great British heavyweights.

What are your memories of Sir Henry Cooper? Did you ever meet him? Send us your comments.

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

Royal wedding: Love it or hate it?

(BBC News) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 10:57:41 +0000

The royal wedding build-up has been steadily gaining momentum over the last few months, and yet some people cannot wait until it is all over. Are you excited about Friday's nuptials, or suffering from wedding fatigue?

Billions of people around the world are expected to watch Prince William and Catherine Middleton tie the knot on 29 April.

Councils have seen a late increase in applications for road closures for street parties and well-wishers are starting to camp out on London's streets - but many others have had their fill.

Where will you watch the wedding? Are you planning a street party? What will you be doing on Friday if you're not planning to celebrate the royal nuptials? Do you feel you are labelled a spoilsport for not engaging in the celebrations?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

Should British Olympic athletes be born in the UK?

(BBC News) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:50:42 +0000

British wrestlers are voicing frustration at seeing foreign training partners become members of the GB Olympic squad. Should only British born wrestlers be part of the squad?

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The training partners are brought in from other countries to share skills, they can also seek citizenship while they live and work in the UK. British wrestlers are saying that they should not be taking the place of native wrestlers.

British Olympic teams have benefitted from the addition of foreign talent in the past. Jurgen Grobler OBE lead the GB rowing team to gold. Double European champion athlete Mo Farah lives in the UK after fleeing Somalia as a child and now competes for Great Britain.

Could foreign wrestlers who take on British citizenship increase the chances of GB collecting more medals? Should we encourage sportsmen and women from other countries to compete for GB?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

Do you go on all-inclusive holidays?

(BBC News) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:52:50 +0000

First Choice holidays will make all its holidays "all inclusive" from 2012, claiming it will save money. Is cost the most important consideration when booking a holiday?

From next summer it will become the UK's first mainstream holiday company specialising in all-inclusive holidays.

Flights, in-resort transfers, hotel accommodation, three meals a day and unlimited local drinks will all be included in the price.

The move bucks the trend of the past decade's popularity of building your own holiday.

Have you been on an all-inclusive holiday? What are the pros and the cons? Have you saved money by going on an all-inclusive break? Do you prefer them to other types of holidays? Do they 'dampen the appetite to explore' or encourage to try new things? What are the implications for local businesses?

This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.

What did the cuts march achieve?

(BBC News) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:07:23 +0000

The government says it's "listening" but won't change its policy on spending cuts following Saturday's demonstration in central London.

More than 250,000 people took part in the anti-cuts protest and rally, which was mainly peaceful.

A few hundred demonstrators did turn to violence, with more than 200 arrests after clashes between police and activists.

Did you take part in the demonstration? What cause were you marching for? Were you caught up in the protest while out in central London? Do you agree with the protests?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

The Budget: Your reaction

(BBC News) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 09:34:35 +0000

Chancellor George Osborne has delivered his Budget. What do you think of this plans?

The chancellor said the measures he was unveiling in his first spring Budget would get the UK economy moving again.

He scrapped Labour's fuel duty escalator and cut duty by a further 1p - all paid for by a £2bn tax on oil companies.

He also pledged £250m to help 10,000 first-time homebuyers purchase newly built flats and houses in England, as well as announcing a further cut to corporation tax.

What are your views on the Budget? How will the changes affect you? Do you have any questions about the plans?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed, but you can leave your comment here.

How can the Libyan conflict be resolved?

(BBC News) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 12:32:51 +0000

US President Barack Obama has insisted the US involvement in Libya will be limited. What impact will this have on the crisis in the region?

Defending the first military intervention of his presidency, he said US participation in the coalition had saved "countless lives", but that overthrowing Muammar Gaddafi by force would be a mistake.

The US is due to hand over full command of the whole military operation in Libya, to NATO on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the rebel advance inside Libya has been slowed down near Sirte. In eastern Libya, rebel radio has been urging more people in the west of the country to join the anti-Gaddafi uprising.

Are you in the region? Or do you have family there? Do you think a no-fly zone is the only way to resolve the crisis in the country? Are there other viable options? What are the implications for the region?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

Moving from Have Your Say to comments on stories

(BBC News) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:03:44 +0000

We have today announced that in due course, we will be moving to a model of comments on stories across the News website.

In doing so, we are as a result planning to close this Have Your Say platform, in early April.

For more details, please see and comment on this editors' blog post from Social Media Editor Alex Gubbay.

Will Libya ceasefire resolve crisis?

(BBC News) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:53:17 +0000

French military jets are preventing forces loyal to Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi from attacking the rebel-held city of Benghazi, French President Nicolas Sarkozy says. Can the crisis in the country be resolved?

It is believed to be the first act of intervention since the UN voted on Thursday for a no-fly zone over Libya.

Hours earlier, pro-Gaddafi forces launched an assault on the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi, a BBC journalist witnessed.

Will a ceasefire bring peace to Libya? Is a no-fly zone the only way to resolve the crisis in the country? Are there other viable options? What are the implications for the region?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

What should the international community do about Libya?

(BBC News) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:22:30 +0000

The UN Security Council has backed a no-fly zone over Libya and "all necessary measures" short of an invasion "to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas". What can be done to resolve the Libya crisis?

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's forces have recently retaken several towns seized by rebels in an uprising.

Rebel forces reacted with joy in their Benghazi stronghold but a government spokesman condemned UN "aggression".

Loyalist forces are bearing down on Benghazi, home to a million people.

What should be the next steps for dealing with Libya? Is military intervention a realistic option? What are the implications for the region?

This debate has now been closed. Thank you for your comments.

Who should be responsible for keeping us healthy?

(BBC News) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:59:44 +0000

More than 170 companies - including the leading supermarket chains - have signed up to the "responsibility deal" to encourage healthier lifestyles. But whose responsibility is it to promote healthy living?

The voluntary agreements for England cover four themes - physical activity, food, alcohol and health at work. Ministers said the approach would achieve more than legislation could.

They will highlight the agreement to ensure 80% of alcoholic drinks carry labels about the number of units they contain by 2013. At the moment just 15% do.

Should it be up to supermarkets to promote healthy living? Or is healthy living something we should all take responsibility for?

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How should pensions be revised?

(BBC News) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:46:05 +0000

Millions of workers in the public sector should work longer for lower pensions, a major report has said. How concerned are you about your pension?

Lord Hutton's independent review said public sector pensions should no longer be related to final salaries. Instead, by 2015 pensions should be related to average salaries over a career.

Unions have already warned of large-scale strike action over the review, carried out by the Labour peer Lord Hutton.

Should final salary pension schemes be withdrawn? Should taxpayers be asked to pay more? How can the country pay for the rise in longevity? Where should the extra money come from?

Q&A: Public sector pensions review

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Should drug addicts be paid to use birth control?

(BBC News) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:49:08 +0000

A US charity has paid 26 female drug addicts in Britain to have contraceptive implants or coils fitted. Is this a good idea?

The charity, Project Prevention, had controversially offered to pay addicts £200 to be sterilised. But it has now said no women took up that offer because the British Medical Association did not back the proposal. Instead, the charity said, it is focusing on paying addicts to use birth control.

Although the move was criticised by several British drug charities, the scheme has found some support. Welsh drugs charity Kaleidoscope said it wanted to launch a similar scheme where addicts rather than being paid in cash to use contraception would be offered £50 supermarket vouchers to attend a family clinic and agree to a "planned approach".

Can this method succeed in the UK? Is the move to focus on contraception rather than sterilisation a good one? Could vulnerable addicts be exploited?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

Which countries have a positive influence in the world?

(BBC News) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:21:25 +0000

The number of people who see Brazil and South Africa as having a positive influence in the world is rising rapidly, according to a BBC World Service poll. Do you agree?

The report, which polls more than 28,000 people in 27 countries, suggests that Brazil is regarded positively by 49% compared to 40% last year. South Africa, host of the 2010 World Cup, posted the second biggest rise. "The growing credibility of middle powers is the story this year" said Doug Miller, chairman of international polling firm GlobalScan.

Meanwhile, the average ratings of the three most negatively viewed countries - Iran, North Korea and Pakistan - went from bad to worse. The US, which in 2007 was among the countries with the lowest ratings, has climbed quickly up through rankings since then.

What makes you view a country positively or negatively? Are the "middle powers" more credible? Has your perception of the US changed in the last few years?

Thank you for your comments. This debate is now closed.

Are the Royals value for money?

(BBC News) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:55:24 +0000

Prince Andrew's official role as roving ambassador for British trade has been called into question after a recent flurry of stories about him. How important are the Royals to the British economy?

Prince Andrew has been the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment since 2001, with the job of promoting Britain's business interests around the world.

The total cost of keeping the monarchy during the 2009-10 financial year was £38.2m - a decrease in the cost from the previous year by £3.3m.

Are you happy for taxpayers to pay for the Royal Family? Do they promote tourism and trade? Does the monarchy represent good value for money?

Thank you for your comments. This debate has now closed.