Brew

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Posts posted by Brew

  1. 45 minutes ago, philmayfield said:

    I’m still around. I thought the politics section was getting unpleasant and not in the true spirt of the forum. 

     

    Having scrolled back through the political and other threads to find anything offensive, and failed, I'm confused that someone who considers a day to be wasted unless he upsets someone has found something to complain about. Reading the thread is not mandatory

     

  2. 12 minutes ago, Oztalgian said:

    No small wonder, with countries and their leaders threatening and taking violent action against other nations. Yes I am talking about China, North Korea, Israel, Iran, Hamas and other Middle Eastern groups, Donald Trump and no doubt many others.

     

    Some think it's political and a rise of the hard right, yet there is no firm evidence to support it. Those on the left can male an equal claim  that the far left is responsible, again with no overwhelming evidence to substantiate it. 

    Edit

    this was turning into a long discourse, a dissertation if you like on the ills and evils in society so most is deleted......

    Arthur C Clake was right, H G Wells was right...I just hope Neville Shute was wrong...

  3. 3 hours ago, DJ360 said:

    'm confused. I was under the impression  that the Police had already decided to investigate Angela Raynor's tax affairs a couple of weeks ago. Yet it's headline news on the BBC today,

     

    Apparently witnesses have come forward to offer fresh evidence, and there is a new complaint from a different quarter.

    Whilst I would like to see her slapped down, I think it's a sad comment on the state of the political scene today that they are using the police as agents to attack teach other.

     

    Starmer of course is back on the fence of plausible deniability. "I've not seen the legal advice letter, but my team has". Yeah right...

  4. It would seem another survey no one has heard of has taken place with regard to a new bridge over the Trent for pedestrians and cyclists at a cost of 12 million. The city is not paying for the bulk of it, but I do think the money could be better spent. The bridge will cross from the old Waterways site to... well nowhere really.

     

    A CGI of the bridge

    • Like 1
  5. 14 minutes ago, Rob.L said:

    If there was an excessive wait for treatment, the NHS were able to use the private sector.

    They still do but it is now no longer an ad hoc option it's to become a regular part of the service and the cost will come from the budget to the detriment of the NHS. It is no more and no less than creeping privatisation and patients will be the ones who suffer in the long run.

    Senior consultants (who stand to gain most), have said as much.

    This article explains it better:

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/08/private-hospitals-cannibalising-nhs-in-england-by-doing-10-of-elective-operations

  6. That's  not at odds with my post, which is quite accurate.

    Though it sounds like a temporary solution it probably isn't, it's the thin end of a very big wedge. 

     

    It would be easy to blame the Tories, but the NHS had a budget cut before it was even inaugurated by Atlee. Years of mismanagement and political interference have brought us to the parlous state of the NHS today. Now under the guise of reducing waiting times Labour proposes to spend money in the private sector, a quick fix solution that has every likelihood of becoming an expensive permanent policy.

     

     

  7. Wes Streeting the Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Social Care and hypocrite has declared he wants more private-sector involvement in the NHS. 

    Can anyone who declared any who oppose his plan to be "middle class lefties. called Corbyn 'senile', admits to binge drinking when he goes out really be a Labour MP?

    Surely he's a closet Tory!

    No wonder then that Starmer is so reluctant to explain his policies in detail.

  8. 2 hours ago, IAN FINN said:

    Brew just go to the barber here they want 18 dollars for a haircut for OAPs and 5 dollars for a shave if its the same in the UK tell the barber to shave your head.

    You must be joking!! I paid £18 for this clipper when Covid started. I've cut my hair four times now so still have a way to go before I get my money back.... smile2 As for shaving my head...................................girlvboy

  9. 2 hours ago, DJ360 said:

    Pretty much all speculation on my part but I'd imagine there's a 'pay off' buried somewhere in a trade agreement with China. 

    Probably, China has just lifted tariffs on Australian wine.

     

  10. My clipper is a no-name Chinese affair and the charge, via a usb outlet, lasts about thirty mins, presumably that is. Weirdly its markings rate it as 100~220v but the lead supplied is for a usb.

    My problem is being a lazy sod letting my hair grow too long to the point where a combine harvester might be more use. A clipper I've forgotten to charge stands no chance.

     

    • Like 2
  11. 1 hour ago, DJ360 said:

    They considered how their oil revenues could help ALL of their population.

    I saw no evidence of such thinking here.

    I still don't.

    With that much money and so few people, how could it be any different. and actually Norway has a surprising number of homeless considering the size of population.

     

    The oil started in 1975 under Labour, Wilson, then Tory, then Labour then Tory again before Labour had another go.

    Whether we squandered the riches is moot but whatever the answer, it was a joint effort

     

  12. 51 minutes ago, DJ360 said:

    Meanwhile, the Norwegians created a fund to 'save' much of their oil revenue, which was similar to ours and that fund is now one of the biggest in the World.

     

    With 45% of the North Sea reserves and a population half the size of London (5m) it would take a really determined effort by specially trained idiots not to have done so.

     

     

  13. 2 minutes ago, DJ360 said:

    haven't followed their share price, so it's possible that you cut your nose off to spite your face.. but it was a noble gesture nonetheless and far from pointless

    But I bought more National Grid    ;)

  14. 20 minutes ago, DJ360 said:

    I'm stuggling to see how you could take that personally, but if you did then please accept that it was not my intention.

    Again, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall you saying you sold your shares in Crapita out of displeasure with their failings.

     

    Col, In all the time we have beenn putting the world to rights I never taken anything personally. Sometimes I make a poor choice of words.

    I did sell a tranch of shares and yes it was a rather pointless protest at  their poor performance.

  15. 1 hour ago, DJ360 said:

    No bit as far as I can see.  I don't understand your point.

    My point is a riposte to you asking me to read it again thus implying I've missed something and Labour does actually have their own idea rather than clinging to the Tory coat tails.

     

    1 hour ago, DJ360 said:

    There's no doubt they've flipped a bit, but I see nothing wrong with a review.

     

    Correct there is nothing wrong with a review, except it's added as an afterthought. Labours headline is they will commit to the full Tory expansion plan.  Bridget Phillipson has said "Labour will not remove any entitlements promised to families in the future".

    I remember you said something you said about removing doubt and uncertainty, fine that's all good then. Until you read further down the page where it seems her promise is dependent on reviewing the situation in October.

    It may not be a lie but it is certainly deliberately misleading...

     

    1 hour ago, DJ360 said:

    Whilst I've already accepted that Labour are not yet pronouncing on policy.. they have watched the Tories pinch a couple, so I can understand their reticence.

     

    In the light of recent (as in the above), discussions that's a surprisingly weak argument Col...