Are you sure?

At a recent community leaders breakfast I was asked to 'guide' people to their respective tables. A 'working breakfast' those attending could choose what they wanted to discuss over their eggs and bacon - teenage pregnancy, education, employment and anti-social behaviour - the choice was theirs!

'Morning sir, where are you heading, what would you like to talk about?'

Wide-eyed delegate: 'Me? I don't have anything to say!'

'Well, you can have a chat about teenage pregnancy, anti-social behav...'

Mr Wide-eyes: 'Anti-social behaviour?! Anti-social behaviour?! I've got nothing to say about that!'

'OK...'

'I'm fed up those kids giving us grief all the time. We've had aterrible time of it - they've made our life hell! Wasters and vandals the lot of them. And the Police? The Police? They're not interested. So what happens?! We send them on holidays and bend over backwards to give the lazy B#####DS jobs and training, for what? Standing about on the corner doing nothing! While decent kids can't get jobs for love nor money!!' No, I've got nothing to say about anti-social behaviour.'

Having fixed a unsuspecting Police Constable in his sights he shuffled off still mumbling that he didn't want to talk about it! As I turned to the next guest I couldn't help thinking 'are you sure?!'

A little later, as we tucked into breakfast, and as the fruit juice and conversation flowed, the topic-driven discussions ensued. After which a short time was allocated for feed-back. Now I should say that the points raised, or at least what was fed-back, was generally good stuff. But one suggestion sticks in the memory and I can't say it's becuase of it's insightful and timely wisdom.

The 'problem' being addressed was teenage pregancy and the 'solution' offered... wait for it(!)... was that 'CCTV cameras... should be placed... in toilets...... in schools!'

What d'you reckon - job done? Problem solved?

Thankfully, the spontaneous ripple of laughter that greeted this 'suggestion' reassured me that I wasn't the only one thinking 'are you sure?!'