The A B O

Random Thought:

So, people aren’t spending enough on retail goods - and this may affect growth in the economy. WhoopeeDoo. With a £trillion of personal debt in UK, are we surprised? Thinking folks realised the problem years ago and cut down, or rethought, their so-called ‘lifestyles’.

London journalists, all of them, express horror that the unthinking refuse to drag us (them) out of the fiscal doldrums. They (we) should borrow, borrow, borrow to spend, spend, spend – the only way out.

My pension buys less each year. Our savings income has halved in the past 6 years. Result – winding our necks in: Less aimless touring, less meals out, less waste heat (pullover time), less new clothes (use the current ones much longer), more home cooking with cheaper cuts and soup from the left-overs, the construction of a cheap wood store, in which to collect all fallen branches for our woodburner. We have down-sized our house, down-sized our vehicle and down-sized our life.

Yes, we are a bit less profligate. Yes, despite being comparatively ‘okay’, we aren’t helping the economy by spend, spend, spend.

Sorry, but years spent in really rough places – war zones, flattened towns and villages, and abjectly poor states, gives a very different perspective on our current problems. We’re okay. No-one is dying of bombing or mines. No-one is starving to death, or freezing to death.

For goodness sake stop the doom-laden predictions. Live with it. True, we’re not as wealthy as we thought we were. But all that was a myth based on a fallacy – all debt requires someone to lend to you who believes you will pay it back. That’s true for countries and for individuals.

Magic bullets are in short supply. Live with it, you middle aged and young folks. Us oldies understand a lot more than you.

Just read the "Flu Jabs" postings which resulted in newbie being banned.

Hope I don't get a red card ban from the ref because I have different views on things!

Hi Dick.

I don't think you will get a red card. The forum has never tried to control members views. It has always been open and unbiased.
What admin was objecting to was the fact that someone made themselves a member only to critisize other members views.
As the headline banner says we are a friendly online community. Some people they call them Trolls I think only sign on to forums to create mischief and upset the existing members.

Whisky.

You just listen here Rosy Dick, if you ever get chucked off this Forum it will be because you intentionally insulted someone!!

As that is virtually impossible I wouldn't worry too much!!

I personally have a skin slightly thicker than an elephant and I am regarded as one of the shrinking violets!!

Join in > have a moan > enjoy when people argue with you > agree to differ > and you won't go far wrong!

Best regards,

Ian (gin at €3 a bottle - say no more!)

Well Dutto I think you're totally wrong
Chris

Dutto wrote: (gin at €3 a bottle - say no more!)

Lucky (sure it’s not turps ?) I‘m just jealous

Brod

Hi Ian,

First – how did you know I have rosy dick? I kept it a closely guarded secret – who blew my whistle?

Second, apart from the nasty way he said it (and signed it), I sort of agree that some topics get a bit too heated and extremely politically partisan.

Okay, here’s some stuff to mull over….

Maybe the way the coalition is tackling the financial chaos is a better bet than ever-increasing borrowing to ‘spark’ an economic upturn? Just who is going to buy this stuff we are suddenly to produce? The last lot spent money we didn’t have, with no thought how we were to pay it back.

Much touted Economic Forecasters completely failed to see that it was all a house of cards, for 10 years (or didn’t dare say anything in case they sparked a collapse). How come Rosie and I could see that UK didn’t make enough exportable stuff, and the whole system depended on Financial Service and house price inflation?

So worried were we, that we sold up (at the top of the market), downsized and retrenched before the financial meltdown ….. And we were just bumbling along watching the news and talking together – not trained experts.

Why should I trust Economists? I’ll take advice from a Financial Adviser – if he’s already a millionaire. Only George Soros warned of the collapse!

Tee Hee
Best regards, Dick (or Richard..)

Richard,

Now sober!

Only two things to discuss:

1) Check out the Thread that explains how the last Government didn't leave this one the "pile of debt" that has been published so often (Daily Mail et al) it is regarded as a "fact" when in reality it is a myth!

2) One of my biggest moans for the last thirty years is that we have been losing our manufacturing base and sold off the family silver at unseemly haste!

With regard to the last one the latest demonstration is the alleged "price fixing" for North Sea Gas. Some idiot on TV yesterday stated that "At sixty pence per therm the change up or down of a half-penny will hardly make any difference!"

Apart from the obvious I have two comments:

1) From 1972 to 1977 British Gas paid about 1.5p per therm and both the oil companies AND British Gas made a healthy profit. On that basis alone they must be making obscene amounts of profit nowadays and, unfortunately, the British Gas profit isn't ploughed back into the coffers of the British Exchequer!

2) At the numbers involved a change of a half-penny means millions of pounds going somewhere - but mainly out of OUR pockets! (At just 1.5p a therm the company I worked for sold over £2 million pounds worth of gas every month!)

Best regards and "Keep batting!"

Ian

PS

Try the alternatives at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9265517/Austerity-is-a-myth-to-con-the-financial-markets-City-firm-tells-Cameron.html

and

http://www.redpepper.org.uk/countering-the-cuts-myths/

I don't know which to believe (if any) but I do know what my own senses tell me!

Best regards,

Ian

Rosie.and.Dick wrote:Just read the "Flu Jabs" postings which resulted in newbie being banned.

Hope I don't get a red card ban from the ref because I have different views on things!

Richard,

With regard to the 'flu jabs:

1) Both Boots the Chemists and Morrisons Supermarket in Skegness were selling 'flu jabs.

2) Our NHS Medical Centre (The Hawthorne Practice in Skegness) did not have any vaccines.

3) My wife (coming up 70 and an "at risk" person by NHS standards) had to pay for her jab in order to have one before we left the UK at the end of October.

4) When we left, our Medical Centre was telling patients to "Re-apply in November."

Someone is responsible so the only area for disagreement is "Who?" and at the moment the system seems to be "Quick. Point at someone else!"

Best regards,

Ian

Hi,

I just wonder at odd things:

Flu jabs: So, whatever commercial companies mass-produce winter flu jabs sell to the various parts of the HNS - AND to some other retail organisations who think there is money in selling jabs. Appalling. Rampant commercialism - they should be nationalised...

Money: I never realised that all the funds spent - on building new schools and hospitals, employing more nurses, teacher, policemen, middle managers and organisers, introducing and upping loads of benefits (as opposed to raising wage rates) - was all from cash the country had already earned, or from selling the gold reserves. How silly of me. It was all free; at no cost to the coffers. The comment from the outgoing treasury minister " We've spent all the money" was just a very funny joke.

I really haven't grasped that all was tickety-boo before, and if we could just get back to the past it would all go away - a bad dream..

Got to vote for a Police Commissioner now. Yes, I do vote, but I'm not especially political.

Best regards

Another thought.

Who takes the blame for not having, or having run out of, vaccines?

Perhaps your local NHS Trust for having ordered too little, or too late? Seems most others had sufficient stocks for their dependancy, or customers, or patients, whatever they're (we're) now called. At least there was an alternative available at the local Boots or Morrisons.

Why does the government, whichever it is, always get the blame for some local cock-up?

Who comes up with the figures, collated at Government central level, for warning the Drug Companies of the likely requirement this winter? I assume each Local NHS does the estimation for their area, collected together regionally, and then sent in to London. Perhaps the omni-shambles lies with your Trust?

Of course it might be the government's fault for not having vast central records in London of every person over 65, every pregnant woman, every 'at risk' person, every doctor and nurse, etc, etc, who lives in every village and town in the four countries. They could then add tghem all up, estimate the likely uptake, add 10% safety margin, and submit the figures to the drug companies in time for winter... But I sort of doubt that's the system. I don't know, of course, 'cos I've never done it.

Just a thought

Good(?) Morning,

While we are on the subject of profit and loss, at a slight tangent and hopefully not too far off topic...

A number of times I have heard whisperings re. the re-nationalisation of the railways.

My Daughter who works for one of the rail franchises, and also worked when it was BR says it could be a good idea. (Based on 'inside' information.)

(BTW, she is not personally responible for the late or non running of trains!)

Any thoughts?

Anyone needing further info try Googling 'BBBR', (Interesting reading)

(I have no connection with BBBR)

Mike D

I’m not the best person to express a view.

I’ve lived in rural areas virtually all my life, and only spent 6 months commuting inside Greater London. I hated it and chucked it in for a much lower-paid job overseas. I used a coach to Heathrow when necessary. Also I don’t know the comparative balance between Urban (City) and Rural (Town and Village) dwellers. Probably 50% each?

Nevertheless – We have no near train service. We have a rural bus service – usually almost empty apart from couple of pensioners on bus-passes. Fuel out here is always more expensive than in urban areas and daily journeys are generally longer.

It seems that ‘urban’ satisfaction levels with rail services, apart from ticket prices, are sometimes good (see Virgin’s support for the franchise). The bad franchises are under real pressure to perform better. I can just remember the days of filthy old rolling stock that the country couldn’t afford to replace, the bad time-keeping and the stroppy staff.

I would be very unhappy to pay substantially more taxes, given my available facilities, to subsidise urban rail transport (nothing is free, someone has to pay). At least those who use rail pay for it….

Just waiting for the commuters to screech -

Best regards,
Dick in Cornwall

Rosie.and.Dick wrote:...........

Who takes the blame for not having, or having run out of, vaccines?

............

The answer is "Him over there!" or even "Her over there!" but in todays political and commercial climate it is NEVER "Me!" or "My Department." or even "My people."

With regard to the 'flu vaccine shortage the Secretary of State for Health turned up on "This Morning" a few weeks ago to explain the situation.

Don't think for one moment that he was accepting any blame because the NHS shortages were apparently due to the 'flu germs not breeding fast enough!!

As I am NOT kidding, the answer to your question is "The 'flu germs."

The Secretary of State for Health failed to explain how Boots the Chemist, Morrisons Supermarket etc etc etc had 'flu vaccines to sell so one has to presume that they had a more sexually active breed of 'flu bug!

Best regards,

Ian

Hi Ian,

Maybe your doctor, or his group surgery, is to blame? The "Flu jab shortage - not" thread elsewhere definately indicates that most other areas got it roughly right (nothing's perfect).

On a different, but related matter: About 9 years ago, I was evacuated by (private, mission insurance) air-ambulance from Kosovo back to Exeter. A hard pressed young night doctor shrugged his shoulders - and discharged me in a wheelchair for my wife to collect me after driving 1.5 hours through a storm at night... Not even a night in a bed - which would ruin their statistics? I paid for a private MRI scan to 'jump the queue' as the pain was excrutiating. Seems I have four+ knackered discs, so they can't 'weld' them - one or two maybe... The consultant said, in effect, live with it. So I do.

I was fortunate to be able to pay for an alternative when the NHS was pushed. You might surmise that I'm not the greatest fan of the NHS! Thank goodness I was working for an International Organisation and paying their insurance. The Polish doctor and Danish/Kosovar nursing staff were brilliant but Kosovo had no medical system left, just aid folks. And no, I'm not paying private health insurance, believing that I've paid my dues - and they should deliver.

My point is, it is good to have a fall-back, Plan B, when something goes 'wheels-up'. Boots and Morrisons saw that there will be some who need a jab outside the NHS for whatever reason, and were prepared to pay for it. Lucky.

Best regards - isn't this fun and interesting?
Dick, again

Dick,

That's the point in a nutshell! The bit where you said "it is good to have a fall-back".

My problem is that I think of all the poor beggars who not only don't have a "fall-back" they don't even know what they are entitled to in the first place! Two points I would like to raise:

1) I have no problem with people paying for their own treatment. However, I object strenuously to the FACT that they use NHS trained surgeons, NHS trained doctors, NHS trained Nurses and NHS funded facilities for their "private" care. I fail to see why I or anyone else should fund this flagrant abuse of NHS funding.

2) The phrases "Free at point of delivery." and "Available to all." formed the basis of the NHS. The fact that this has been mis-used and abused by almost all politicians since it's conception doesn't change the ethos on which the NHS was based; and despite all of it's failings it is still the finest health organisation in the world. (I base my belief on the fact that I have visited 24% of the countries on this planet!)

However, there is no doubt in my mind that the only way we will resolve this issue is over a litre of whisky as we watch the dawn arrive!

Best regards,

Ian