"Please please please can we either have this thread closed orcan we leave ampan to carry on all by himself. "
The latter is a good idea: I won't have to waste time reading posts other than my own."We all have our views about thisand no-one is going to change his or her mind."
Why not? If your view is that the captain was blameless then you should seriously consider changing your mind. There are some good second-hand ones on EBay."If we don't reply to ampan he or she has no on-one to argue with."
Again, check out Ebay, or get someone else to: You've just done the very thing you recommend not to."It's just like any discussion about the pilots' strike. All that happens is that heat and nastiness is generated as old wounds are opened (sorry for the mixed metaphor)."
Don't apologise for something you haven't done: To mix metaphors you need at least two. Again, get onto EBay, or Trade Me if in New Zealand.