Brew
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Posts posted by Brew
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52 minutes ago, DJ360 said:
The Police were not originally bothered by whatever allegations were made, but it's pretty clear that someone has been busy persuading the Police to pursue it.
And the Johnson partygate investigation was the result of pressure by whom?
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36 minutes ago, DJ360 said:
How much are Rees Mogg et.al being paid to to break the law by acting as 'presenters' on GB News whilst being active Politicians?
Except he's not breaking any laws Col and your prejudice has led to a wild exaggeration.
Ofcom has, with provisos, given a green light to serving politicians presenting TV programs..
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8 hours ago, Oztalgian said:
Is it time to abolish the House of Lords and operate a unicameral Parliament. Queensland has had one since 1922 and it seems to work OK there providing that the electorate do not give an outright majority to any particular party as it did in the days of Joh Bjelke-Petersen. It is the only state in Australia to have this system.
Seem to answer your own question Oz
There are unicameral systems operating in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd, The Northern Ireland Assembly and the London Assembly are all unicameral. Having said that the main protection against extremism for them is the overarching powers residing in Westminster. I don't know how that works un the federal system in Australia.
The main criticism of the unicameral system is its perceived lack of checks and balances, the risk of a concentration of power and limited scrutiny.
One considered advantage is the speed legislation and therein lies the danger. I have no doubt Johnson, Truss and Blair with their massive majority would have run amok.
The Lords defeated more of Johnsons legislations than any other PM with the exception of Harold Wilson in the mid '70s
Personally I feel more comfortable with a second chamber.
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5 hours ago, Oztalgian said:
Here in OZ if your age pension is your only source of income you pay no tax on it.
Same here Oz. The personal allowance before tax is due is £12,750, the basic state pension is £10,600.
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Yesterday Starmer launched Labours campaign...... and oh dear...
I've said many times he has no ideas - at lease none of his own!
Starmer and his slightly dodgy looking deputy acknowledged Johnson for his 'levelling up' program and that his "analysis was good"
He now proposes the Starmer version with legislation called the 'Take Back Control Act' which will mandate councils to make a local growth plan, quite what he thinks they do now is anybody's guess.
Taking, or giving, back control sounds an awful lot like Thatcher who said similar, that and giving people choice.
He claimed in a speech Johnsons plan was sabotaged by Sunak who, as chancellor, denied the funds to carry through levelling up. Will he therefore be allocating more money to fund his TBC act? - in a word no.
Labour’s rehash of Johnson's scheme he said will not have any more money than Sunak allowed, i.e. zilch.
Instead the finance will come from “empowerment,” “benefits of scale” and “strong partnership with the private sector".
In my own simple way I take that seemingly gibberish statement to mean:
Private sector partnerships.
The much discredited Private Finance Initiatives that are crippling the NHS as we speak.
Empowerment
We will have a Mayor in May with hugely increased powers to raise taxes and other schemes to raise money - usually through the pockets of those least able to pay.
Benefits of scale:
Can mean benefiting through greater utility of assets. but can also mean the opposite, saving money through reduction i.e. reducing council services.
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So far I've had three communiques by the Tory candidate for the new Mayors job. He seems to have a bee in his bonnet about pot holes. But apparently has nothing to say, not a single word, about Nottingham's debt crisis.
No word at all from Labour, Greens, Independent or Reform
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3 hours ago, DJ360 said:
Yesterday I received a letter from a company called Outside Clinic, who claim to be delivering NHS Services,
I've had lots of those and and never bothered to read further than the mobility qualifier. Next one that arrives I'll look a little closer...
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Me too
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36 minutes ago, DJ360 said:
Why does there need to be any profit at all in what amounts to an essential service for the bulk of parents and a necessary socialising and educative precursor to Mainstream Education?
Without a profit incentive there is no business and in my mind 'essential' is a bit of a stretch.
I would hazard a guess the vast majority of nurseries are for pre-schoolers.
Your description of childminding is of what amounts to an ad hoc school run arrangement with a friendly neighbour.
For many it starts way before school age and he kids were looked after in someone's home for most of the working day.
When political correctness burst on the scene and every officious know-all had something to say it became an industry and regulated to the point it was virtually impossible to continue in a domestic environment.
An entirely different setup to the one you describe and one many thousands relied on.
Without it commerce stepped in to the fill the gap.
Do I see a pattern in your links? Yes of course it's called business and the prime objective is business and making profits. Quite why some can't see that beyond legal requirement corporate responsibility doe not extend to social responsibility, is difficult to understand.
It is an entirely empathy free zone.
I'm under the impression some think a government or council run scheme is required.
Do we really want a state run system of regimented pre-school education?
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18 minutes ago, DJ360 said:
But would they not then claim ownership of whatever 'Assets' Water companies have?
No, shareholders cannot take over the assets they must be sold to clear debts.
When a company fails, whatever cash is in the business following the sale of assets goes to pay any liabilities.
What's left (often nothing), will be divided amongst the shareholders on a pro-rata basis (number of shares held).
In most instances investors lose all their money.
I very much doubt they will be declared bankrupt as they would have to cease trading and obviously that can't happen.
If they nationalise water there will be a similar scheme to previous nationalisations in the past - probably.
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15 minutes ago, DJ360 said:
If it was me, I would simply inform all shareholders that their dividends stop now,
I would treat shareholders for exactly what they are - shareholders in a bankrupt company and the value of their shares is zero.
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2 hours ago, Oztalgian said:
I will declare the fact that I am a confirmed athiest.
How can anyone say they are a confirmed atheist? Atheists can no more prove god doesn't exist than believers prove he does.
The fact some believes in something doesn't mean it's real, just as not believing doesn't mean it's not... Happy Easter...
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4 hours ago, plantfit said:
recommended fifty meters
By whom?
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3 hours ago, DJ360 said:
Privatisation of UK water by Thatcher has created a system of legalised theft, which customers are paying for in rotten service, ruined rivers and increasing bills.
Apart from the oxymoron I quite agree...
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30 minutes ago, MRS B said:
A triangle with an exclamation mark
Is a warning of a problem that has no specific warning light of it's own like seat belts, brakes etc. It's not critical but does need attention...
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1 hour ago, DJ360 said:
More Privatisation scandal:
But is it?
To my mind 20% seems a fairly normal profit margin. I can't really see why they're trying to make out it's some sort of outrageous profiteering. They are after all a business like any other.
The GMB and that mysterious invisible group 'campaigners' wants more regulation, I say it's too much regulations that's caused the problem.
Since child minding became regulated and forced into a politically correct regime of quasi schools for babies, many have simply given up. The visits from the education department, the demand for record keeping, a curriculum plus 'appropriate' toys etc is simply too onerous. Without local childminders parents have no choice but to turn to corporate nurseries.
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2 hours ago, Cliff Ton said:
As a random example, take a Range Rover. How many separate parts are there to these headlights.......and how many can be replaced individually ?
The headlight for that car is one piece and over £1300 which is outrageous considering it's injection moulded plastic
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55 minutes ago, denshaw said:
Changing a light bulb should be an easy task but does it have to re programmed by the dealer?
On an Audi S8 the lights, like Mercedes, do need to be 'told' it has a new light. My new headlight unit refused to point where it was supposed to until it the car recognised it. Having said that it wasn't a main dealer who did it, many independents have the necessary diagnostic facility nowadays. My brother has a Service/Bodyshop garage and has just such a machine.
Lizzie needs a new taillight, not sure they are the same as a headlight in this respect.
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9 hours ago, DJ360 said:
So... a couple of weeks ago I received a letter from the Heart Failure Clinic, with an appointment for the 27th March and a 'bloods' form.
Sounds like a bit of a run around Col, I hope after all that the results are good when you finally get them...
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Maybe it's misophonia and she absolutely can't stand dogs yapping. It's much like fingernails on a blackboard, a sound that can drive some people crackers.
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10 hours ago, MRS B said:
Trogg, an air rifle or a catapult might solve the problem. Pigeons unfortunately will feast on anything young and sweet. So annoying.
Shooting or harming wild birds is illegal, even pigeons and seagulls, unless you can meet certain conditions...
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True CT but once the warning light is triggered it's more than likely it will a diagnostic machine to reset the error codes.
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I have to say Oz with those figures I'd find it difficult to call them a rip-off. They make a lot of money, but to the individual customer a net profit of £4/5 per 100 is actually more than reasonable and considerably lower than most industries.
It would be easy to blame the cost of living on the rise in shoplifting but as Ben will attest stealing from shops has always been with us. It has also steadily increased and the rise in population, the apparent lack pf respect for the law plus no fear of punishment must have some bearing on why that is. I don't some steal in an act of desperation but again Ben is more qualified to say how true that is.
It's a bit strange don't you think you can access figures like this from a commercial enterprise but not from a council?
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On 10/17/2022 at 2:50 PM, David sheridan said:
Looking through this topic , reminds me of the bread you'd have to bake yourself, it was called "Take,n,bake
Asda do a version and it's delicious, we have it regularly. Though it loses its crustiness after a day it still tastes good.
Anything Political
in + Av Yer Say +
Posted
Yeahbutnobut?
What you say is true but it's not, so far. illegal. GB News is as we know little more than a right wing mouth piece but unless they break the rules then the right to freedom of speech must prevail and they be allowed their say whether we like it or not.