i cannot remember a time when the sun shined for so long, since the wonderful summer of '76!
back then, there was no global warming, we actually lived a free independant life, where sunscreen wasnt applied, food consisted of jam buttys bagged up in an old bread packet, and out for the day from 8am to 8pm adventuring in the fields of this great country. no health and safety, just common sense, aunties (who were neighbourhood friends of the family) kept an eye out, there was always a place where no one would ever dare to go. (ours was the old crumbled farmhouse and its dark, chillingly cold, cellar that remained) white dog muck, and football matches without everyone having to have the latest footy kits.
things were dictated by real seasons back then, conkers, raspberries, blackberries, etc, in late summer/early autumn, tadpoles and frog spawn appeared as if by magic in natural boggy places, random streams appeared from nowhere and went, nowhere, it didnt matter, they were fair game for building a dam.
summer holidays at home were normal for most, home made ice lollies out of the freezer, 2 ounces of anything was to be shared, or when the money fairy visited a friend, you wouldnt be included in the sharing process. tunes every sunday on the radio, recorded on a tape cassette recorder, with the intro or ending talked over by a dj, families ate well, ate fresh and ate produce that was grown on allotments or bought at a greengrocers, not a sign of being sprayed with chemical gases to make them ripen quicker, mother nature ripened our "5 a day"
we played in the heat all day everyday, without suncream or hats, we all had tshirt suntans (unless our six million dollar tshirt was needed for a goalpost!) the earthen paths through the fields, cracked, starved of water for months, thunderstorms amazed us every other week, a magical time it was. no NHS health plans (telling us to paint our homes white - or increase the family's expenditure) everyone was equal, we all had nothing. we played on each other's bikes, built bogeys, made our own fun, we didnt need to buy it! if we played tennis, football, etc, we didnt plug in a computer console and stay indoors most of the day, we got our old bashed up sports equipment or borrowed some, and played outside, developing our skills, not how to wave a piece of plastic around and dream of being skillful. we kicked cans around to the mystical sounds of our heros scoring at wembley, buzzing around our heads, we had jumble sales on the streets, we had standpipes! bricks in our toilet tanks, shared baths, no showers or hygenic handwashes, we had carbolic soap and were gratefull for our full creamed milk (delivered to our doorstep by our milkman - who was normally a regular visitor to our family)
we had double yolkers, no EU regulations, everyone spoke english or welsh, every garden had a plot of spuds growing in it, that would be consumed by the family and any extra given - yes thats GIVEN - away to neighbourhood friends of the family. there was no full day shopping expeditions or a must have macdonalds burger, we all ate at the same time, around the table, eating the same meal or you went hungry. sweets, toys, cakes, were a treat, a prize, etc. we didnt have greedy people stuffing their faces on convenience food, because there werent any!
if you wanted to go anywhere, you either walked there or took a bus ride, which didnt cost you a third of your weeks wage to use.
so when you are roasting this week, sweltering in the heat, dont moan about it, enjoy it, cos its a shame we cannot go back to the summer of 76 and the simple way of life we all used to have!
the day after we are officially told that a heatwave is on the way and to drink water and NOT tea and coffee, out comes a contradictory report by some foundation or charity, that tells us the exact opposite. amongst those who "officially" comment, are the british nutritional foundation (bnf).
the BNF speak out about the benefits of drinking tea (alarm bell ringing yet?) - so i nipped over to their website and checked to see which companies are funding them. a quick check of last year's annual accounts, reveals they have recruited associations with 14 companies (non of which are mentioned at all - not even named - in their report!) - alarm bell number 2 ringing? all it states is that they do not have association with "industry bodies"
further reading of the report reveals that they are associated with Nestle on one project.
they plan to recruit more private companies, one of their aims for 2009, they tell us that they are advisors giving independant comment for government, business, industry, etc. on the basis of studying existing scientific evidence, in the field of nutritional studies. so on a vested interest level, or links with tea making companies suspiscions are raised - as no company associations are openly given to anyone wishing to see on their ability to investigate scientifically - again there is no clear view given - as they simply form opinion on already published study results!
they do however reveal that one of the benefits of a company joining them, because of their advice to government, they can "influence government policy!" they also state in their annual report, that they are promoting their website for teachers and schools to use. they no doubt receive funding for this? where from? just donations?
to summarise: - they report as fact, their opinions, on viewing already published studies (on nutritional matters) - they are associated with 14 private companies - but dont declare who these are - vested interest? - they publish a website for schools and teachers, but dont say how much funding they receive for this - they are in the market to recruit more companies - and state they have influence on government policy - which would benefit a company who need to drum up more business? are they just a talking shop?
now the main issue: the british public are subjected to contradictory information every single day. who are we to believe? todays world, food and drink is not what we are told it is.
for example, a teabag today will have different things in it, than say 10 or 20 years ago buying fresh fruit and veg from a supermarket, will result in different chemicals going into our bodies, than the the same fruits an veg we had years ago, that were grown here in the uk. this is the problem for the nations health
the uk has strict regulations on food and drink production, but companies are getting around this by buying it in from abroad, (lax regulation = more additives, chemicals and preservatives, etc) and then packaging them in the uk, and no one is studying what chemicals are getting in the food chain, which could easily be causing a problem for our health.
the british nutritional foundation - along with hundreds of other bodies of this kind - are muddying the waters and making it even harder to sort out the problem! which begs the question, why are they (and others) allowed to do this?
new plans are afoot, to alter the way in which home school contracts" are policed.
at present, these "contracts" are in place for homework, uniforms, getting to school on time, conduct, etc. as it stands, at the moment, if this contract is broken in anyway, then there is little that a school can do to enforce it (which begs the question, why have it in the first place? - but thats another can of worms)
however, as funding is being cut (as is proven in every other area of public service - despite what we are told officially) the education system no longer has the funding (witnessed first hand by myself) so inline with every other public service area - NHS, education, policing, social services, etc - plans are afoot to raise funding in some way.
home school contracts, should they be broken, will see parents forced to go to classes to teach them how to "control" their children. further sanctions include "fines of £1000" and failure to pay will result in a prison sentence! read the full article here (BBC news website)
can you honestly see the parents of a disruptive or non uniformed child being able to afford a fine of £1000? the problem i have with this is simple: homework!
i have one child whos now out of education due to his age, but whilst in it was subjected to obscene amounts of homework everyday of the week whilst at senior school, and plenty of homework whilst at junior school. kids are not now, nor ever, robots. its as if children today are being groomed (for want of a better word) for an educational life of graft out of school hours, so that when they leave school and join the UK workforce, the long hours ethic kicks in and they'll be running around like headless chickens just to hold down a job!
if the curriculum cannot be done within school hours - then it should be changed to allow it to be done this is seriously leading me to take a good look at home school teaching our next child, if and when she arrives, and is of school age.
i do not see a till person from the supermarket working at home? the milkman doesnt work at home - the road builder, the ordinary employed person is entitled to days of rest. a child is precious, they are a blank canvas as regards education, the more you put into your child the more they get out in the future when us old farts have long gone. i do not send any child of mine for an education, and expect hours to be spent at home doing extra work.
our next child (as happened with our first child) will be allowed to climb trees, play with tadpoles and conkers, play ball games in the street, experience different climates and seasons (and the wonderful changes that brings with it) they will play out in the rain, they will read varied books and learn foreign languages (the basics anyway) they will be encouraged to get on with others and share anything they may have, encouraged to dress up and have a vivid imagination, they will learn to cook and bake, as well as plant and grow things and make things, they will not be victims of designer labels. but all this will be done over time, with their parents!
they will not have extra reading, writing and maths forced upon them by a curriculum enforced by the state, at home. hometime is exactly that... like you and me have hometime from work, it is vital part of life, time and space to develop other skills away from the classroom. if hometime involves re-enforcing things learned in the course of time at school then all well and good, but i wont be going out of my way to endorse extra hours of (what is to a child) work, when it is hometime.
so they want to issue a £1000 fine do they? it costs around £3000 per term to educate a child... what a nice way to get back a third of the cash they have to pay out to fund the school!! (makes a mockery when parents are out at work on long shifts just to survive and keep their family home - to then fine them a £1000 pounds - what ever happened to "we are doing all we can to help hard working families?")
if home/school contracts include the homework part and i am not happy with the schools explanation of this then i will teach my child at home, myself. perhaps then my child will be able to have swimming lessons every week, instead of just one term in its entire junior school life? my child would then be able to have a varied and seasonal sports experience, cricket, football, tennis, badminton, swimming, running, cycling, etc. my child would have the pleasure of being driven for weekends to european countries (away from uk tourist traps) and experience how other cultures live speak, eat, shop, etc. at traditional times of the year my child would be able to goto church and sing carols, prepare harvest festival parcels for my elderly neighbours, speak to the elderly about the world war and visit art galleries and museums whenever we covered them in the course of our learning.
and all this without risk assessments, health and safety, just good old parental common sense! its starting to look like a great option for education....
what do you think?
Denz on 06.29.09 @ 12:29 AM CST [link]
Saturday, June 27th
Taxes - NO MORE!
WARNING: in the context of anger, there is bad language contained within this post - please click back on your browser button, it is not my wish to offend.
Enough is enough!
no longer can taxation increases (of any kind) be tolerated in the UK!
by tax increases, i mean those that are called taxes, including national insurance, VAT, income tax, etc, ones that are commonly known as taxes. i also mean those that are known as charges which also include taxes added to them.
then we have another type of tax thats CRIPPLING the nation - the indirect taxes that is killing the british people's ability to do basic shopping to live and destroying household's basic way of life! indirect taxes are being applied to companies that sell insurance, in their main market places, which leads to increased premiums for each of their customers. home insurance (for example) - over £480 per year for basic cover (thats required by law to get a mortgage) a basic telephone line in the home - customers are not only paying for the profits of shareholders (which are taxed) they are also paying indirectly for increases in costs in their market place for maintaining a basic service (again which is taxed) the examples are endless!
to be frank - im sick to the feckin back teeth with it all! the UK household is held to ransom at every turn - and its going to get worse! what is the current inflation rate from the government? around 2.7% (this is the percentages that prices rise by every year) - ive just had to pay 50% more for a basic bottle of shampoo, that has had a new bottle design (vosene) after shopping around, i would have had to pay 72% more had i shopped at a supermarket! - my van insurance for a no frills van has increased every year, including the next one - despite having 14 years no claims and not one single accident, up 14%. the price of insurance used to be judged on the van's engine size, previous claims, crime in the area i live and where the vehicle is kept, ie, on the street - on a drive - in a garage. in labour's britain is a different story: the excuses for increasing profits for the company (and paying the government more in tax) are complete and utter tosh "the parts for your van are more expensive" "as your van is so old you are more likely to have it written off" "the price of insurance is going up everywhere" it used to be based on the individual circumstances, now because others are reckless and fecking gormless, i have to pay extra because of it. the same increases applied when we aquired a newer car, so it was reliable and trustworthy for our lass to drive at god ugly hours for her shift work... "its a newer car so its more expensive to fix should anything happen" "insurance is going up everywhere" "if we write your car off it will cost us more" all complete bollocks! what are the official bodies doing about it? SOD ALL! their response is "they can charge what they want you are free to shop around!" thats after a 3 week investigation! whats the government's advice? "write to the ombudsman and complain" and thats it! useless feckwits they are.... why do we pay the state so much? why is the protection in place costing us millions every year, yet they do nothing about anything?
shop around there are great deals to be found to those people i say "dont waste your breathe!" the problem is not the discrimination we all face - as "new" customers get better deals than existing ones, the problem is that there are MONOPOLIES in every area of our daily lives!
take direct line's current advertising campaign - "12 months insurance for the price of 10" - what they dont tell us, is that the cost of insurance has gone up by more than 10% prior to the advertising campaign! but thats what business has always done? no it is not!
the monopolies commission is failing us all - so why do we pay vast amounts of money for it and why does it even exist?
supermarkets - prices at asda and tesco in my area go up the same day and remain the same as each other - unless its a £350 flat screen tv, the price of tinned goods, the price of bread etc the stuff we all need, is operating on a monopoly! energy suppliers - the cost of our energy for the home, has already been found to be discriminating against payment types (ie, direct debit, pre payment meters) as well as actual prices are relative to each of the 6 energy companies - once again this is a monopoly! insurance - all kinds of insurance are found to be over charging us for profit (and increasing taxes) and relatively similar to the prices that each company charges - again its a monopoly
there are laws in place to stop this, but yet again we pay out millions to fund "official bodies" to protect us, and once again they fail to do a single thing to help.
next up we have "charges" charges for taking OUR money out of a bank account at certain machines, limits also put on how much we can withdraw per day of OUR own money! late fees, direct debit charges, standing order charges, unauthorised sale charges (even when they have been authorised) and so on. a basic telephone line charges you for paying your bill, the law states that you have 28 days to pay a bill, from the date its issued, yet 14 days after receiving a bill, if its not paid, a "late payment charge" is added. disgraceful
when is a government or official body going to start doing what we pay it for, ie, LOOK AFTER THE PEOPLE??? why are we always last to get help? why do we have to pay another tax or higher price, because of charges put on which are beyond our control? and in the current climate.... its going to get a lot worse!
it cannot go on, it cannot be allowed anymore, we the public are giving up vital things in our lives, like insurances, dental treatments, transport, etc, basic freedoms that we are (from those on the lowest income upwards) being frozen out of.
the people need to revolt, taxation and indirect taxes applied to services and business which hide the fact that government policy is pushing up costs for everyone, NEED TO BE STOPPED! it cannot continue, as more people are becoming stretched, and are at breaking point.
the country's debt is tying the hands of future generations, and destroying the ability to live our lives. laws are there to protect us all, but they are not being used or taking so long to be used that people are suffering irreversable damage, before they are "protected"
the house of lords, will today start hearing the high street bank's appeals against the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) being awarded the right to take action against them, for the level of their bank charges.
the OFT won the right to decide if bank charges were fair or not, the bank's are appealing against this.
make no mistake, the banks have employed a top barrister to fight their corner, but i cannot see how they can win! legal precident has long been in place regarding a "penalty charge" if a charge issued by one party against another party does not reflect actual loss only then that charge is classed as a "penalty charge" - this is unenforceable under common law in england and wales. - the banks have never produced any evidence on how their charges reflect actual loss - this is of course, because they are not actual loss charges, they are profit making.
evidence against the banks is clear: in hansard (parliament records) it shows that a former leader of the banker's association, has stated that the amount of the cost of bank charges comes from how much money a bank will have to write off over a financial year, this is averaged out over the numbers of customers it estimates will be issued a charge.
the banks are drawing out the argument the longer they appeal and avoid paying back the charges, the more time they have to raise the funds they will lose, in other areas. this appeal against the OFT deciding on what is and isnt a fair charge is yet more stalling.
i loathe banks with a passion - they are expensive, they are not held to account by the law of the land (which is in place to protect both the individual and business) they assume they have the power to dictate and interfere in people's lives, for pure profit!
for years we were all told: * "cash is on the way out" - well they would say that, as then more people would have to use bank accounts = more business for the banks * "the price of security for banks and business to handle cash is getting more expensive" - today, bank charges raise over £2.5 Billion pounds a year for the banks - that is not counting the money the banks make from selling our information on to other companies! * "using a debit card (where money comes off your balance immediately) is safer for the customer" - how many people have been mugged against how many people have a bank account? - we dont know because they dont want us to know, the numbers of people mugged is miniscule in comparison to the number of people that have been hit with a charge by their bank. * "using a debit card is more convenient for our customers" - total and utter tosh! ive lost count of the hours spent writing letters or on the phone getting bank charges reversed!
bank's are ILLEGALLY re using funds in customer's accounts, to increase their profits! bold claim it maybe, here, have some evidence: - you have a debit card - you use a debit card to buy something fopr say £20 at a shop - the sale is authorised by the bank, with an authorisation number, that the funds are in a person's account to cover the purchase. - the money is removed from the customer's balance, so they cannot draw that money out or buy more things with the same money, as the sale to the shop has been authourised, ie, guaranteed by the bank.
- the next day a direct debit is called for on the customer's account, but there are not enough funds in the account to cover it (as funds have been removed from their balance due to the authorised purchase they made)
- the bank should, refuse the direct debit and issue a charge (that only covers their actual loss) and return it unpaid - but the bank dont do this simple action - the bank instead reuse the money they authorised for the purchase the day before, to pay the direct debit why do the banks do this? - for more profit! - three days later the shop call on the account for the money the bank authorised, for their payment for the sale they made - now the bank issues a charge of £35 for going into the red without authorisation AND __an additional charge of £25 for an "unauthorised card payment" a non paid direct debit would result in a £35 charge - instead the customer has funds reused without permission and the customer is billed for £60 of costs - making the bank £25 more profit!
the banks can argue until they are blue in the face about "its the system" "its the way things work" - all completely irrelevant! i dont give a monkey's arse how their systems work, ITS NOT THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILTY! wether a computer system does it or a bloke sits at a desk all day with a pencil individually checking millions of accounts - it matters not one bit - its the bank's responsibility to act within the law!
as for the banks telling us "we'll have to charge for bank accounts" well tough! perhaps people will then start to see banks for what they are.... a money making business who are not interested in helping the people at all.... they are only interested in MAKING PROFITS!
the house of lords, will today start hearing the high street bank's appeals against the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) being awarded the right to take action against them, for the level of their bank charges.
the OFT won the right to decide if bank charges were fair or not, the bank's are appealing against this.
make no mistake, the banks have employed a top barrister to fight their corner, but i cannot see how they can win! legal precident has long been in place regarding a "penalty charge" if a charge issued by one party against another party does not reflect actual loss only then that charge is classed as a "penalty charge" - this is unenforceable under common law in england and wales. - the banks have never produced any evidence on how their charges reflect actual loss - this is of course, because they are not actual loss charges, they are profit making.
evidence against the banks is clear: in hansard (parliament records) it shows that a former leader of the banker's association, has stated that the amount of the cost of bank charges comes from how much money a bank will have to write off over a financial year, this is averaged out over the numbers of customers it estimates will be issued a charge.
the banks are drawing out the argument the longer they appeal and avoid paying back the charges, the more time they have to raise the funds they will lose, in other areas. this appeal against the OFT deciding on what is and isnt a fair charge is yet more stalling.
i loathe banks with a passion - they are expensive, they are not held to account by the law of the land (which is in place to protect both the individual and business) they assume they have the power to dictate and interfere in people's lives, for pure profit!
for years we were all told: * "cash is on the way out" - well they would say that, as then more people would have to use bank accounts = more business for the banks * "the price of security for banks and business to handle cash is getting more expensive" - today, bank charges raise over £2.5 Billion pounds a year for the banks - that is not counting the money the banks make from selling our information on to other companies! * "using a debit card (where money comes off your balance immediately) is safer for the customer" - how many people have been mugged against how many people have a bank account? - we dont know because they dont want us to know, the numbers of people mugged is miniscule in comparison to the number of people that have been hit with a charge by their bank. * "using a debit card is more convenient for our customers" - total and utter tosh! ive lost count of the hours spent writing letters or on the phone getting bank charges reversed!
bank's are ILLEGALLY re using funds in customer's accounts, to increase their profits! bold claim it maybe, here, have some evidence: - you have a debit card - you use a debit card to buy something fopr say £20 at a shop - the sale is authorised by the bank, with an authorisation number, that the funds are in a person's account to cover the purchase. - the money is removed from the customer's balance, so they cannot draw that money out or buy more things with the same money, as the sale to the shop has been authourised, ie, guaranteed by the bank.
- the next day a direct debit is called for on the customer's account, but there are not enough funds in the account to cover it (as funds have been removed from their balance due to the authorised purchase they made)
- the bank should, refuse the direct debit and issue a charge (that only covers their actual loss) and return it unpaid - but the bank dont do this simple action - the bank instead reuse the money they authorised for the purchase the day before, to pay the direct debit why do the banks do this? - for more profit! - three days later the shop call on the account for the money the bank authorised, for their payment for the sale they made - now the bank issues a charge of £35 for going into the red without authorisation AND __an additional charge of £25 for an "unauthorised card payment" a non paid direct debit would result in a £35 charge - instead the customer has funds reused without permission and the customer is billed for £60 of costs - making the bank £25 more profit!
the banks can argue until they are blue in the face about "its the system" "its the way things work" - all completely irrelevant! i dont give a monkey's arse how their systems work, ITS NOT THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILTY! wether a computer system does it or a bloke sits at a desk all day with a pencil individually checking millions of accounts - it matters not one bit - its the bank's responsibility to act within the law!
as for the banks telling us "we'll have to charge for bank accounts" well tough! perhaps people will then start to see banks for what they are.... a money making business who are not interested in helping the people at all.... they are only interested in MAKING PROFITS!
The labour review is out, for every home with a fixed landline installed, there will be a new 50p per month tax (or "levy" as they prefer to call it) even if the household does not use the internet and has no plans to do so.
what a complete and utter joke!
£6 per year doesn't sound much does it, but for the millions of people being stung by internet service providers, (in that we pay for "an upto 8 meg download speed" internet connection but never get above 3 meg download speed) it is an insult.
For every home that pays inflated prices already for a service that is nowhere near the service they were sold, its an kick in the teeth!
For every official body/institution that fights against discrimination in the UK, you have a lot to answer for, as this "review"'s findings with discriminate against millions of customers. - make no mistake, this will lead to more revenue and taxation income for the government, a few unemployed people will now get the internet for free, at the expense of others, and people who have no interest in getting online, will remain not online, but have to pay this new tax!
in not one single way, will british telecom be sounded out or forced to put right their appalling customer service and isp supply, neither will their now "seperate" wholesale department be held accountable.
you can read the main findings of this "review" here (BBC news)
to give one simple example of the complete lack of service provision that many thousands are paying british telecom for, this has been happening in my home for more than 3 years: - my service is supposed to have download speeds of between 4.5 meg and 5.5 meg (due to distance from my exchange) - this is not my opinion, this is from the engineers, senior fault investigators, BT wholesale, and BT broadband sales office. - i have not now, nor ever in 3 years, had a download speed of more than 2.7 meg - BT acknowledge there is a fault with my service, but move me around departments (landline, broadband and wholesale) and charge me £100 a time if an engineer comes out and cannot find the fault! - that is of course, if he actually turns up at all, in 16 appointments, 4 times the engineer didnt turn up and then told BT wholesale/landlines/broadband that they had turned up and had done some work on the line! - download speeds vary at different times of the day, teatime is commonly a time when i am unable to use social networking websites, sometimes my download speed is as low as 0.9 meg (which is only just above dial up speeds)
to give you an idea of "download speeds" yesterday my download speed was tested by 3 independant speed testers. download speed results were measured at 2.5 meg, 2.5 meg and 2.7 meg. this speed would allow me to download certain files at the following speeds: * a 5000kb song file - around 15/20 seconds from a t3 high speed server i downloaded a song - it took over 4 minutes! * an 800mb film file - around 35/45 minutes to download from a t1 high speed server connection - i ended the download after 3 hours as less than a tenth of the file size had been downloaded, this was at 2am in the morning!
to have yet another "review" paid for by taxpayers, and then not to address the serious problems with existing services, or make no reference to them, is an insult. to bring in a new tax on landlines for people who dont even use the internet is a disgrace!
from the bunch of cowboys running the UK, i should have expected nothing less...
in April 2008 we were told: Policing internet 'not ISP's job' where an internet provider (carphone warehouse) stated they would not police their customers.
in July 2008, this same company (carphone warehouse) and 5 other internet providers, signed up to a deal brokered by the UK labour government: Net firms in music pirates deal didnt take long to change their tune, did they...
NEVER FEAR! In January 2009 - the labour party have "saved" all internet users in the UK by stating: UK will not legislate on piracy fantastic news.... we are safe.... a government minister says so!
but wait... whats this? In May 2009Call to 'disconnect file-sharers' as the film industry tells the government... but we are reassured by the government minister.. relief all round then
Early this month (June 2009) the government announces some news: Web pirates placed in 'slow lane' do you think they have seen the "review" already???
and finally today... the wolf reveals its clothing! Anti-piracy music deal for Virgin the day before the report is made public, a tax revenue way out for the government appears.. as if by magic....
make no mistake, i do not support the BNP, i dont support their policies or their proposed way of implementing them.
but that said, i fully respect the more than 900,000 people who chose to vote for them at the recent local and euro elections. if any person uses their vote, i respect them. i dont care one jot who they voted for, they have used it, and thats all anyone can ask.
but the treatment of the BNP has been disgraceful!
- how many other euro parties had their elected candidates subjected to repeatedly the same questions whilst giving interviews? - nick robinson of the BBC proclaimed that labour voters simply stayed at home, and that the BNP voting numbers had fallen - yet no mention that every party polled less votes because the turnout was down! - nick robinson openly mocked the 900,000 bnp voters, stating it wouldnt be the same at a general election - how many more times must we hear direct attacks on the bnp by the media, that they have somehow "duped" almost a million voters into voting for their policies that arent true? i dont recall the same ferocity in reporting that the labour party's manifesto saying they wouldnt introduce student loans! why not?
but today's events outside parliament, displayed just how wrong those in power in the UK can be...
nick griffin was giving a press conference outside the houses of parliament today. the unite against fascism group turned up with plackards and banners, without any police interception whatsoever. they proceeded to deny free speech and the possibility to answer unscripted questions, and threw eggs at him. plenty of police stood by and did precisely nothing at all! why not?
if i get a megaphone and visit my MP with just one person, barracking him about the 3 extra years of work ill have to do because he voted for policies that force me to work longer before i can retire, i would be arrested immeadiately using the anti terrorism act. (its an unlawful unregistered protest) yet these "protesters" are allowed to damage nick griffin's car, pelt him with eggs, and force him to abandon answering questions, whilst the police stand by and let it happen!
dont we have free speech in this country? why do we spend vast amounts of money to fight prejudice, if its still allowed when it suits?
it highlights perfectly, that the people of the UK want nothing more than to be treated equally
yet another "mortgage lending improvment" article and report comes out today, this time from RICS (royal institute for chartered surveyors) telling us all that interest in the property market is again "on the rise"
personally, id take all these reports with a huge pinch of salt, as i would with any report from any industry, where there is a vested interest
in the UK us "normal people" are bombarded with a steady stream of favourable reports, its easy to forget that these are coming from a body who would profit and prosper from increasing sales figures and confidence. the housing market is in freefall, and will be for some time i think, as these reports come from the same industry that missed the crash.
fixed rate mortgage deals are still very expensive example: a 3 year fixed rate deal we got (with the national interest rates at 2.5%) put the fixed interest at 5.2% the same 3 year fixed rate deal now (for a mortgage that is 3 years of payments lower) is 5.4% over 3 years with a £1000 set up fee
uk interest rates are currently 0.5%
it is in their interests to talk up the housing market, but remember: most banks have to find huge amounts of funds they lost in the banking crash, some owe the taxpayer billions of pounds, how can they recoup all that money? by talking up the market - generating interest in a weak market - by passing on higher interest rates to their customers.
i would place so called "experts" second only to car dealers and estate agents.... be careful out there people!
our money has affected local and euro elections like never before, and what an astounding set of results they have been. the british public have spoken like never before.
"voter apathy" and "expenses anger" is blamed by the media and politicians, its a smoke screen. petrol prices: creeping up on election day - 98p a litre in my area, by midnight had gone up to 99p a litre (off the same delivery) and then increased to £1.02 a litre by dinnertime the next day. * Partly to recoup some of the billions spent on bank bailout (as the government have less money coming into the UK pot) * Partly in response to the UK having to buy its gas and electric from european countries as our storage facilities continue to cost every household in the pocket * look out for increases in gas and electric costs later in the year, under the guise of "the price is linked to the oil price" - when in fact it has more to do with government getting more tax revenue from the VAT they charge on both the cost of energy and the magical standing charges that cost each household regardless of wether or not we actually use any energy at home!
post office: prices rising and branches closing - the service is disappearing as the prices for postage rise. again VAT revenue the government get plays a part in this, but more worryingly, its the competition rules within the EU that are stopping the government from governing, which the labour party have signed upto!
mortgage interest rates: crippling people - "housing is in short supply" and "inter bank lending is now expensive" are the regular excuses trotted out, but dig a bit deeper, and there are more damaging reasons for this happening. in 2005, a mortgage with my bank had an interest rate of 5.14% - with the bank of england's interest rate at between 2.5% and 3.5% since 2008, the same mortgage interest rate offered is 5.7% - despite the BofE's interest rate being down at 0.5% for 3 months in a row! dont forget, the mortgage is also smaller than it was 3 years ago
the interest rates are set high, to recoup money lost that the banks borrowed from the UK taxpayer, so they can pay it back, now who do you suppose makes money in tax from this? thats right - the government!
its happening in every area of the economy - from things we buy on the high street and food to buying a new car - artificially high prices!
when asked last week about how many cuts in services or tax rises the government currently have in place or are due to come in, in the next 4 years, gordon brown simply refused to answer! he was interupted by the questioner again, with the same question, not only did he refuse to answer again, but he also denied that they had any plans to cut services and/or increase taxation!
amazing, as in the budget speech not two months ago, the chancellor told the UK that they would pay off a staggering £98 BILLION POUNDS off the national debt (which represents almost half its current level) within the next 5 years - to you and me that means after a general election!
now how do we suppose they will do that without admitting there will be a single tax rise or cut in services?
Once again UK petrol prices are today set to rise, with prices for unleaded petrol hitting the £1 barrier (per litre) - diesel has for a while now been higher than £1.
Each rise in the cost of petrol, increases costs on all of us, prices for our weekly shopping increases at the supermarkets (or so they tell us) - increases the burdens on services we receive in our local area, everything goes up, not immeadiately but in stages, so we supposedly do not feel the pinch as much.
what can be done to save money? the news tells us via industry interviews (ie, those with a vested interest) that we can walk some places, share trips with others, dont fill our cars up with stuff as much and stick to the speed limits on motorways. so not a lot can be done then!
when asked about free flowing traffic in town centres and by schools so we dont sit in traffic jams and waste fuel, they didnt have an answer!
i'll be using my vote today, as i always do (even if its for the joke party) - registering a vote against those in power who brought in this tax rise on petrol - alone it wont make a blind bit of difference, but at least i have tried when the opportunity came.
the financial lies are coming thick and fast this week gang!
inflation today the news are telling us that inflation is likely to fall because certain sectors are slowing, and then go on to quote "... pushed down by the continuous fall in oil prices!" the truth is very different! ive been all over england in the last 7 days, from sunderland to burnley, and the petrol prices are rising, in some areas to over a £1 a litre. earlier this week, the same financial news people were reporting "... the price of oil has risen to a new six month high!"
do any of them know what they are talking about? they report exactly the opposite to their previous reports.
network rail announces "profits" this is bizarre.
network rail (born out of the government destroyed railtrack company) announces £2 billion pounds profit for the year!
yet their debts have increased from £19 billion to £22 billion, at the same time as bonuses totalling millions are to be paid out to senior staff later in the year! their chief executive says they have had a very good year... how so? £2 billion profit against a £3 billion increase in company debts, with higher prices for the customers - this doesnt sound to me as "a good year"
constant spin and lies coming from all kinds of companies, especially those holding big debts to payback
bank charges are unenforceable in common law, if they are penalty charges ie, if they dont recover the actual loss to the bank. its the same with any agreement between two parties in any business.
There is legal precedent in law that proves this case - which in the case of the banking industry, was revealed to be in breach of common law when the chief of the banking federation (who represents banks) stated in the house of commons, before a select committee looking in to bank charges when he said:
".... each year we look at how much money the banks lost through bad debts and written off accounts, etc, then we add together all the customers, then divide the two, which leaves us with an amount for each individual bank charge" - this was in response to the question - how do you arrive at £35 charge for a non payment of a direct debit?
the banks cannot enforce any charges, as the charge costs do not reflect the actual cost to the bank but instead are just an average of all their losses for the previous year being covered. the individual is not responsible for a person who loses their house, they are only responsible for what they themselves actually cost the bank, in managing their own account. (apologies for that explanation, not always the best at explaining myself)
so imagine my surprise when i heard today's news reports regarding "set up crashes," for false insurance payouts!!!
the report stated: "... deliberate crashes to claim money under false pretences, is a becoming a major problem, which is adding £40 extra cost to every persons car insurance policy!"
you would be surprised to note, that there are no laws to stop insurance companies from increasing all our premiums to cover their own costs, they can basically charge what they like! the insurance watchdogs have no teeth or powers to stop it!
yet in any other walk of business life, we cannot be held accountable for other practices which are nothing to do with us and out of our hands! insurance policies USED to be based solely on the individual's circumstances: - car insurance - how many previous claims had been made - no claims discount - size of car engine - where the car is kept - security measures, etc. now we are paying for others ripping off the insurance companies.... when was this allowed??
