RANT CORNER

[Derek27]

Well on that basis government has the power to start/stop anything but I doubt the Left would let them so that's a nonsense remark!

Not sure what you mean by that. The government don't have the power to stop anything but they do have the power to ban fines for late payment and warrants. If I miss an appointment with the hygienist I accept I'll have to pay for it, but if somebody's struggling to feed their children, pay their bills and pay their gas bill a day late, do you really think any government with the slightest morality would allow them to charge that family two days food, followed by £150 for a warrant?

Please explain how nurses and others on £35k have to use food banks but other workers on £25k-£30k don't?

Simple. The nurse on £35K (for example) has one or more of the following: a disabled husband who can't work, children, huge rent, huge mortgage payments courtesy of Loony Liz and the Kami-Kwasi budget, spends a lot on petrol to get to work, kids to school, etc. The 20-year-old on £25K (for example) is living at home, cheap bedsit and helped out by his well-off parents, no children, no car, etc.

How are train drivers on £65k average and maybe £100k at the high end are destitute?

Post the link to the article about train drivers on £65K or more claiming to be "destitute" and I'll comment?

This is a re-run of the 1970's when the multi-millionaire Scargill tried to bring down the Government and failed. This is not about Conservative and Labour, this is about a minority wanting to impose it's views on the majority. I have lots of friends who understand that the help that was given to the public during covid has to be paid for but the unions with the ability and power to bully the rest of the public say they don't have to pay, the rest of you can pay for us.,

What do you mean by "This"? I was talking about people who can't afford to eat, feed their children and keep the family warm being fined for being poor, being fitted with a pre-pay meter set at minus £150, government ministers deluded into thinking you can eat for 30 pence a day and people spending £1 on a meal are unable to budget.

By the way, I tried looking up the magic 30-pence meals that Lee Anderson cooks. Can't find either the recipe or ingredients, all I can find is that he cooked 180 meals at a foodbank for £50! So there you have it. A struggling family has to find spend £50 on food, cook 180 meals, purchase a large freezer to store it, have the same meal every day (which can lead to eventual death through vitamin deficiency), have their gas and electricity cut off and bin all the food - what a flipping tit the guy is.

[jamesedwards]

I look forward to a future Labour government and the closing of food banks, real term public sector wage increases, plentiful doctor appointments, shorter NHS waiting lists, end of homelessness, and reduced energy bills that will come with it.

[Derek27]

Foodbank increase is due to increase of awareness of them, there is an element of truth about that.

True, but more awareness is down to more foodbanks, which is obviously down to more demand, which is related to necessity. Many people feel embarrassed and humiliated going into foodbanks. Personally, I'd use one if I had to but I wouldn't feel comfortable about it. How would you feel?

The poor can't cook: no, I don't think they can ... I didn't financially need to but yesterday I made a very tasty vegetable stew (and I'm a 100% carnivore) for probably minimal cost but my experience is they don't want to learn. I have offered to help with menu planning locally and all I get is abuse so I tend to drift toward F. you.

I don't think the poor can budget. I find all, not just the poor, don't want to budget because they know if they shout loud enough about how poor they are someone will bail them out. We live in a society that expects to be bailed out and does nothing for themselves but I agree that 30 pence a day is not viable but as every lefty knows wait long enough and someone will say something you can take out of context and throw it back at them.

That is an extremely offensive remark and with views like that, I'm not in the slightest bit surprised you receive abuse!

Cats can't cook, dogs can't dance, but poor people are human beings, not a different species and are capable of doing anything you can. If you or Jamie Oliver went bankrupt, completely broke, does that mean you both lose your cooking skills? Nobody likes being stereotyped. When I was 21 and ate at McDonald's every day after work, guess who invited me round for meals and taught me how to cook? It was my unemployed and hard-up neighbours.

I've spent years of my life on benefits. Not having a job doesn't mean you lose your brains!

And what about Truss and Kwartang, they're not poor, were they able to budget?

I receive a pension part capped at 5% inflationary increases, part at 3% and nearly half with no increases ... who is going to pay my 19%? Instead they are expecting me to pay for their 19%. And they think I should support them ... in their dreams!

Nobody's going to pay it but I don't think anyone will give a fuck.

[Derek27]

Mrs fwded this to me.....surely this can't be real? Screenshot_20230211_124216_WhatsApp.jpg

There is a village, in Italy I think, where one day a year they have a red wine party; it becomes legal to chuck red wine at anyone you meet.

I think we should celebrate the King's coronation with a national egg-throwing party. What fun that would be.

[Derek27]

I look forward to a future Labour government and the closing of food banks, real term public sector wage increases, plentiful doctor appointments, shorter NHS waiting lists, end of homelessness, and reduced energy bills that will come with it.

Unfortunately, it will take about ten years to reverse all the damage of the present government. Theresa Coffee cup didn't promise plentiful doctor appointments - she promised you'd be able to see a doctor in a week (or was it two) if you live long enough. And Sunak promised to reduce ambulance wait times from 12 hours to fuck knows what, possibly 10?

[jamesedwards]

I look forward to a future Labour government and the closing of food banks, real term public sector wage increases, plentiful doctor appointments, shorter NHS waiting lists, end of homelessness, and reduced energy bills that will come with it.

Unfortunately, it will take about ten years to reverse all the damage of the present government. Theresa Coffee cup didn't promise plentiful doctor appointments - she promised you'd be able to see a doctor in a week (or was it two) if you live long enough. And Sunak promised to reduce ambulance wait times from 12 hours to fuck knows what, possibly 10?

Based on what I read on social media there is an expectation for all these things, and more, to be resolved almost immediately. Mind you, that's not quite how it turned out in 1997.

Surely, once the corrupt Tories are stopped from giving all our money away to their mates, and once we force the wicked-evil top 10% of earners to contribute 80% of tax receipts rather than the current 60%, we'll all be skipping along to our doctor's appointments along pavements of gold?

[greenmark]

The rail disputes may appear to be about train drivers' salaries. But it should be noted that they regularly work out of their contracted hours. That gives the operators flexibility, so they pay a premium for those hours. Hence when they work to rule the system creaks.
More of a concern for me is how 30% of the maintenance hours can be removed without risking another catastrophe.

You have to search for this information. Our media are so orientated to the 10 second soundbite that we get rubbish information. It's oe of the thing I love about Channel 4 news. They are willing to dwell on a subject and explore it more than the other media.

[Derek27]

Based on what I read on social media...

Based on what people read on social media a riot broke out on Merseyside over a migrant "talking" to a 15-year-old girl, propagated by far-right leaflets. Becky Johnson from Sky News questioned some of the demented, but peaceful protesters, about the evidence behind their concerns and they admitted the news was from social media and it was just hearsay.

FFS, get your news from a reliable source!

[jamesedwards]

Based on what I read on social media...

Based on what people read on social media a riot broke out on Merseyside over a migrant "talking" to a 15-year-old girl, propagated by far-right leaflets. Becky Johnson from Sky News questioned some of the demented, but peaceful protesters, about the evidence behind their concerns and they admitted the news was from social media and it was just hearsay.

FFS, get your news from a reliable source!

Finally something we agree on.

Social media was always going to become a Frankenstein. People can make up virtually anything and pass it off as fact to support their agenda. It's a real problem and for some younger social groups, Tiktok and Facebook actually IS their main source of news.

It's only going to get worse. Humanity is in deep shit.

[Derek27]

Based on what I read on social media...

Based on what people read on social media a riot broke out on Merseyside over a migrant "talking" to a 15-year-old girl, propagated by far-right leaflets. Becky Johnson from Sky News questioned some of the demented, but peaceful protesters, about the evidence behind their concerns and they admitted the news was from social media and it was just hearsay.

FFS, get your news from a reliable source!

Finally something we agree on.

Social media was always going to become a Frankenstein. People can make up virtually anything and pass it off as fact to support their agenda. It's a real problem and for some younger social groups, Tiktok and Facebook actually IS their main source of news.

It's only going to get worse. Humanity is in deep shit.

Sorry James, after a long night on the forum while waiting for tennis matches to start, I didn't see the sarcasm in your post.

As a self-inflicted punishment, I'll do the washing up and get on with the housework. There are no more worthwhile tennis matches anyway.

[greenmark]

Meanwhile the death count (and I use that phrase deliberately) in Turkey-Syria is 28000.

[ShaunWhite]

Mrs fwded this to me.....surely this can't be real? Screenshot_20230211_124216_WhatsApp.jpg

There is a village, in Italy I think, where one day a year they have a red wine party; it becomes legal to chuck red wine at anyone you meet.

I think we should celebrate the King's coronation with a national egg-throwing party. What fun that would be.

Or CoNoRation as the post says.

[andy28]

Meanwhile the death count (and I use that phrase deliberately) in Turkey-Syria is 28000.

Yeah that number will climb. Living in NZL we get them a lot the impact it will have on kids will stay with them forever. Biggest I have ever felt was 6.6. fortunately it wasn't shallow like in Turkey. But today in what is supposed to be summer I am bracing for Cyclone Gabrielle, 40mm of rain per hour and winds in excess of 130km/hr

[ShaunWhite]

There's a lot of bs about 'the poor' not being able to budget. When your fixed outgoings exceed your income, because one is spiraling up and the other is stagnent then how exactly do you budget your way out of it? This isn't something where people have £50 and spend £60, they've got nothing.

And Unions don't go on strike, the membership goes on strike. And the threshold set by the Tories by which that can happen legally is far higher than the threshold they set over Brexit. Strikes are democarcy in action.

[Derek27]

Mrs fwded this to me.....surely this can't be real? Screenshot_20230211_124216_WhatsApp.jpg

There is a village, in Italy I think, where one day a year they have a red wine party; it becomes legal to chuck red wine at anyone you meet.

I think we should celebrate the King's coronation with a national egg-throwing party. What fun that would be.

Or CoNoRation as the post says.

As well as spending a long night on the forum whilst waiting for tennis matches to start, getting involved in political arguments and exhausting myself hoovering the flat, I've had a fair bit to drink tonight, so you'll have to forgive me for not noticing the misspelling.