| General Election Thread 17:46 - May 22 with 212095 views | loftboy |
This will be the first election that I have no idea who to vote for, will never vote Tory again after the lies during covid where my dad lost his life, don’t trust starmer, would never vote for a bunch of racists like reform , anyone give me a clue?
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| General Election Thread on 13:11 - May 31 with 1773 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 12:55 - May 31 by ted_hendrix |
The UK’s largest water company Thames Water is scrambling to find extra cash, as it handed out millions of pounds worth of dividends to shareholders and bonuses to top bosses in recent years.
The stark update highlights the deepening financial woes for the firm which is sitting on a debt pile of £14.7 billion.
The stark update highlights the deepening financial woes for the firm which is sitting on a debt pile of £14.7 billion.
It has come under pressure from water regulator Ofwat to improve its financial performance amid mounting concerns over its future.
Despite the troubles, Thames Water revealed in December that it paid a £37.5 million dividend to a parent company.
When asked to explain the move by Ofwat, Thames said the money had been moved to help pay its debts.
In the year to the end of March 2023, it paid out about £45 million in dividends, and the previous two years it handed out a combined £53.9 million.
But the firm stresses that it has not paid a dividend to “external shareholders” for at least the past five years.
Thursday 28 March 2024. |
If it's really this straightforward, why don't you guys just buy some shares in all of these massive dividend-paying companies?
Why are shares in Thames Water today worth almost 50% less than they were 10 years ago, if it's making so much profit?
I'm not arguing with you, I'm genuinely asking |  |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 13:22 - May 31 with 1748 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 13:08 - May 31 by Stainrod |
Respectfully wrong on every count.
The EU wants to outlaw cherry-picking of tax jurisdictions. Brexit Britain doesn't feel strong enough to do so on its own (doubt a Labour govt would have the strength either).
People like you argue that Brexit still hasn't actually happened because the Brexit you all dreamed of was impossible and never will happen:
We can't have frictionless trade with the EU
We can't do without immigration because we have an ageing, unhealthy and under-educated population
We can't do a trade deal with America because they don't want one
We can't sell more to countries further away than Europe because leaving the EU doesn't bring us any closer to countries on the other side of the world
We can't turn Britain into a "Singapore-on-Thames" with flat tax rates, no safety net for the poor, no NHS free at the point of delivery - for the very simple reason that the British people don't want it. [Post edited 31 May 13:09]
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Errrrrrrm, trying to avoid tit for tat but.....
The EU wants to outlaw cherry-picking of tax jurisdictions. Brexit Britain doesn't feel strong enough to do so on its own (doubt a Labour govt would have the strength either). - Bit late now, should've done it before ROI nicked all the Corporation tax. (Fair play to them) I see it as being outside the tent pissing in, we have an opportunity to do something to our advantage here
We can't have frictionless trade with the EU - So? We're just as able to create friction as they are.
We can't do without immigration because we have an ageing, unhealthy and under-educated population - Stop being selfish and have some kids then? I'm 31 and have 2, I'm doing my bit. Why won't people like you? Unhealthy....Undereducated......We've got universal free at the point of use healthcare and we're still unhealthy......while 37.5% of Brits complete Higher education ffs! That's far more than in the MENAT region that we're sourcing our migrants from.
We can't do a trade deal with America because they don't want one - Only temporarily, when Trump comes back we'll see
We can't sell more to countries further away than Europe because leaving the EU doesn't bring us any closer to countries on the other side of the world - We've already done trade deals with some further away countries so that's another lie. I'm not saying you're deliberately lying here - But I think you are being lied to by the media
We can't turn Britain into a "Singapore-on-Thames" with flat tax rates, no safety net for the poor, no NHS free at the point of delivery - for the very simple reason that the British people don't want it. - Speak for yourself. I do. What actual evidence have you got to back up this claim? Did you hear it on Sky news or something?
Anyway, lets save Clive the aggro of a back n forth [Post edited 31 May 13:44]
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| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 17:08 - May 31 with 1555 views | Lblock |
| General Election Thread on 13:02 - May 31 by QPR_Jim |
Loads of new houses are getting built as well (housing some of those extra people) which put extra stain on the system, but they pay water rates so should expect for some of that money to be re-invested in the infrastructure. Instead billions of pounds flow out of the water companies and into the pockets of private individuals. Did they not know that they would need to increase their capacity, did they not think it was worth having a robust system that can deal with a few extra turds and some rain?
Thames Tideway is a great improvement but lets not pretend that it's not long overdue, it's replacing a 150 year old system. It also probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the EU rules around water pollution when the project started, if it was to be reviewed today I guess that the water companies would just lobby the government to change the standards.
My water company has sent me a marketing e-mail today to explain the difference between pollution and algal bloom, so I don't mistake the two when wondering why the waters brown. They weren't necessarily forthcoming in their communication that algal bloom is caused by excess nutrients in the water (normally feterliser or effluent). |
I worked for Thames Water for about 5 years on a sort of secondment when the COmpany I was with won a Term Contract to oversee maintenance and repairs across their property stock.
If you think TW is in a bad state then you're wrong..... it's far, far, far worse than that.
The Aussies and the Chinese have bled them beyond dry.
It was almost frightening the state of their buildings
One thing I learnt -- Slough STW had (has) three of these great big machines that separate shite from fluid and basically keep a vast area of West London from becoming flooded with our own crap. The bloke running the facility told us that number 3 had been off line for years and had gradually been stripped for parts although it was a back up previously.
So we asked why only one machine was working at the moment - this was because the other one now the back up but he was having to use that for spares as the Head Office wouldn't sign off on keeping him stocked. His words were (with no irony)... "we're one serious breakdown from being right in the shit"
Scandalous and that's from me who is a capitalist to the hilt. |  |
| Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal |
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| General Election Thread on 17:21 - May 31 with 1538 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| General Election Thread on 17:08 - May 31 by Lblock |
I worked for Thames Water for about 5 years on a sort of secondment when the COmpany I was with won a Term Contract to oversee maintenance and repairs across their property stock.
If you think TW is in a bad state then you're wrong..... it's far, far, far worse than that.
The Aussies and the Chinese have bled them beyond dry.
It was almost frightening the state of their buildings
One thing I learnt -- Slough STW had (has) three of these great big machines that separate shite from fluid and basically keep a vast area of West London from becoming flooded with our own crap. The bloke running the facility told us that number 3 had been off line for years and had gradually been stripped for parts although it was a back up previously.
So we asked why only one machine was working at the moment - this was because the other one now the back up but he was having to use that for spares as the Head Office wouldn't sign off on keeping him stocked. His words were (with no irony)... "we're one serious breakdown from being right in the shit"
Scandalous and that's from me who is a capitalist to the hilt. |
Are these the Australian and Chinese states that have invested LBlock or private companies?
Both scenarios terrible IMO, but particularly egregious if it’s the state of those countries that have invested bearing in mind we are told the private sector is the most efficient way of running things and governments aren’t capable.
This is the case with the railway, with Abellio and Deutsch Bah (Dutch and German state owned rail) making profits on UK services. |  | | |
| General Election Thread on 17:41 - May 31 with 1508 views | Northernr |
| General Election Thread on 17:08 - May 31 by Lblock |
I worked for Thames Water for about 5 years on a sort of secondment when the COmpany I was with won a Term Contract to oversee maintenance and repairs across their property stock.
If you think TW is in a bad state then you're wrong..... it's far, far, far worse than that.
The Aussies and the Chinese have bled them beyond dry.
It was almost frightening the state of their buildings
One thing I learnt -- Slough STW had (has) three of these great big machines that separate shite from fluid and basically keep a vast area of West London from becoming flooded with our own crap. The bloke running the facility told us that number 3 had been off line for years and had gradually been stripped for parts although it was a back up previously.
So we asked why only one machine was working at the moment - this was because the other one now the back up but he was having to use that for spares as the Head Office wouldn't sign off on keeping him stocked. His words were (with no irony)... "we're one serious breakdown from being right in the shit"
Scandalous and that's from me who is a capitalist to the hilt. |
Very good piece in the Economist last issue about particularly the Australian private investors into Thames and how, as you say, they just bled every penny they could out of it while the whole thing rotted. |  | | |
| General Election Thread on 18:01 - May 31 with 1461 views | SheffieldHoop |
Doesn't China also interfere with Australia's water on an industrial scale? I can believe they're doing it to ours. I don't think profit is their true motive, though.
What I struggle with is, why can't we just say this stuff? Why does it have to get to the point where we're all pretending we've got brown water running out of our taps and we're living through The Great Stink? Why can't we just say that Chinese ownership of British water companies is a problem?
Why do we let bullshit like Temu, Shien, or Wish trade here? What do they do for us? I'm definitely more of a capitalist than a socialist - I have first-hand experience of the corruption and bloat public services suffer when their funding is guaranteed for decade upon decade - Which I have no doubt was the case with the water companies prior to privatisation - But selling it to Chinese (Govt or "investors") is just dumb.
The chancellor of our exchequer is allegedly a Chinese asset. Just saying. | |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 18:04 - May 31 with 1460 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| General Election Thread on 18:01 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
Doesn't China also interfere with Australia's water on an industrial scale? I can believe they're doing it to ours. I don't think profit is their true motive, though.
What I struggle with is, why can't we just say this stuff? Why does it have to get to the point where we're all pretending we've got brown water running out of our taps and we're living through The Great Stink? Why can't we just say that Chinese ownership of British water companies is a problem?
Why do we let bullshit like Temu, Shien, or Wish trade here? What do they do for us? I'm definitely more of a capitalist than a socialist - I have first-hand experience of the corruption and bloat public services suffer when their funding is guaranteed for decade upon decade - Which I have no doubt was the case with the water companies prior to privatisation - But selling it to Chinese (Govt or "investors") is just dumb.
The chancellor of our exchequer is allegedly a Chinese asset. Just saying. |
Haven't you literally just said it? | | | |
| General Election Thread on 18:14 - May 31 with 1432 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 18:04 - May 31 by BazzaInTheLoft |
Haven't you literally just said it? |
Yeah, about 27 pages after the water thing was first mentioned. | |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 18:27 - May 31 with 1407 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| General Election Thread on 18:14 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
Yeah, about 27 pages after the water thing was first mentioned. |
This is a thread about the general election though. It's not going to be on page one, and I don't think it's reasonable to expect it to be.
Everyone has agreed with you, as does the mainstream media. There is no censorship here.
GUARDIAN
'China’s role in UK infrastructure has been under the spotlight since telecoms groups were forced to strip out Huawei equipment from the UK network and Chinese backers of the Sizewell C nuclear power project were eased out amid security fears'
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/04/thames-water-owner-kemble-debts
FINANCIAL TIMES
'Now, the UK has moved to restrict Chinese investment in critical infrastructure and has recently used national security powers to intervene in deals involving Chinese buyers'
https://www.ft.com/content/84a7eb93-9007-47cc-b06b-165e878e65e1
Those were the first two hits on Google, but there is a long list of articles with critical coverage of the ownership issue. [Post edited 31 May 18:29]
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| General Election Thread on 18:34 - May 31 with 1390 views | Stainrod |
| General Election Thread on 13:22 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
Errrrrrrm, trying to avoid tit for tat but.....
The EU wants to outlaw cherry-picking of tax jurisdictions. Brexit Britain doesn't feel strong enough to do so on its own (doubt a Labour govt would have the strength either). - Bit late now, should've done it before ROI nicked all the Corporation tax. (Fair play to them) I see it as being outside the tent pissing in, we have an opportunity to do something to our advantage here
We can't have frictionless trade with the EU - So? We're just as able to create friction as they are.
We can't do without immigration because we have an ageing, unhealthy and under-educated population - Stop being selfish and have some kids then? I'm 31 and have 2, I'm doing my bit. Why won't people like you? Unhealthy....Undereducated......We've got universal free at the point of use healthcare and we're still unhealthy......while 37.5% of Brits complete Higher education ffs! That's far more than in the MENAT region that we're sourcing our migrants from.
We can't do a trade deal with America because they don't want one - Only temporarily, when Trump comes back we'll see
We can't sell more to countries further away than Europe because leaving the EU doesn't bring us any closer to countries on the other side of the world - We've already done trade deals with some further away countries so that's another lie. I'm not saying you're deliberately lying here - But I think you are being lied to by the media
We can't turn Britain into a "Singapore-on-Thames" with flat tax rates, no safety net for the poor, no NHS free at the point of delivery - for the very simple reason that the British people don't want it. - Speak for yourself. I do. What actual evidence have you got to back up this claim? Did you hear it on Sky news or something?
Anyway, lets save Clive the aggro of a back n forth [Post edited 31 May 13:44]
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Er, so you want to avoid tit for tat but you want the last word. Right...
Friction with the EU: half our exports go to the EU. Only 8% of theirs go to us. The Brexiteers never got their head round the fact it was an unequal fight. The Europeans accept they will sell a few less BMWs and bottles of Proseco to us because its much more important to them to protect their single market and customs union. The friction is already starting, both ways. Both lose but we lose more. The real customs checks etc are only just now starting so watch this space. Our exports to the EU already well down.
You demand to know why I'm not doing my bit by having kids? Bizarre. Assume you are joking. For the record I also have two. But many couples can't afford to with rising property, food and energy prices. Or maybe they don't want kids! A higher birth rate would in any case increase the population which you seem to consider damaging. Or maybe its just "some" types of people you don't like.
Immigration - I have already pointed out that EU immigrants were much better educated (you know, the ones we now don't want) compared to the ones from outside the EU we are now bringing in. Net migration is at a record high despite the Tories pledging to cut it, so what's the excuse, you can't blame those evil Europeans now?
American trade deal - very unusual for one party to have the presidency and both houses of congress. We couldn't get a trade deal when Trump was president. And in the very unlikely event we ever did get one, the Americans have already told us some of the things we would have to accept and it caused a national outcry in the UK.
Trade deals with other countries - the one with Japan was a cut and paste of the one we used to have when we were in the EU so no trade boost there. The one with Australia has just helped Australia export loads of stuff they couldn't before. They are delighted - British farmers etc less so.
Turning Britain into Singapore on Thames - you may want it. But why do you think we are almost certainly heading for a more left wing govt? Why do you think even the Tories didn't dare implement those kind of measures like slashing NHS spending? Because they know the public wouldn't stand for it. What's popular in your right wing echo chamber isn't necessarily as popular with the average voter as you may think.
NOW I'm happy to leave it... |  | | |
| General Election Thread on 18:38 - May 31 with 2940 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 18:27 - May 31 by BazzaInTheLoft |
This is a thread about the general election though. It's not going to be on page one, and I don't think it's reasonable to expect it to be.
Everyone has agreed with you, as does the mainstream media. There is no censorship here.
GUARDIAN
'China’s role in UK infrastructure has been under the spotlight since telecoms groups were forced to strip out Huawei equipment from the UK network and Chinese backers of the Sizewell C nuclear power project were eased out amid security fears'
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/04/thames-water-owner-kemble-debts
FINANCIAL TIMES
'Now, the UK has moved to restrict Chinese investment in critical infrastructure and has recently used national security powers to intervene in deals involving Chinese buyers'
https://www.ft.com/content/84a7eb93-9007-47cc-b06b-165e878e65e1
Those were the first two hits on Google, but there is a long list of articles with critical coverage of the ownership issue. [Post edited 31 May 18:29]
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Still don't understand why we need to act like we're living through the great stink, rather than just saying what the issue is.
Bit like Covid, I guess. [Post edited 31 May 18:45]
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| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 18:45 - May 31 with 2915 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 18:34 - May 31 by Stainrod |
Er, so you want to avoid tit for tat but you want the last word. Right...
Friction with the EU: half our exports go to the EU. Only 8% of theirs go to us. The Brexiteers never got their head round the fact it was an unequal fight. The Europeans accept they will sell a few less BMWs and bottles of Proseco to us because its much more important to them to protect their single market and customs union. The friction is already starting, both ways. Both lose but we lose more. The real customs checks etc are only just now starting so watch this space. Our exports to the EU already well down.
You demand to know why I'm not doing my bit by having kids? Bizarre. Assume you are joking. For the record I also have two. But many couples can't afford to with rising property, food and energy prices. Or maybe they don't want kids! A higher birth rate would in any case increase the population which you seem to consider damaging. Or maybe its just "some" types of people you don't like.
Immigration - I have already pointed out that EU immigrants were much better educated (you know, the ones we now don't want) compared to the ones from outside the EU we are now bringing in. Net migration is at a record high despite the Tories pledging to cut it, so what's the excuse, you can't blame those evil Europeans now?
American trade deal - very unusual for one party to have the presidency and both houses of congress. We couldn't get a trade deal when Trump was president. And in the very unlikely event we ever did get one, the Americans have already told us some of the things we would have to accept and it caused a national outcry in the UK.
Trade deals with other countries - the one with Japan was a cut and paste of the one we used to have when we were in the EU so no trade boost there. The one with Australia has just helped Australia export loads of stuff they couldn't before. They are delighted - British farmers etc less so.
Turning Britain into Singapore on Thames - you may want it. But why do you think we are almost certainly heading for a more left wing govt? Why do you think even the Tories didn't dare implement those kind of measures like slashing NHS spending? Because they know the public wouldn't stand for it. What's popular in your right wing echo chamber isn't necessarily as popular with the average voter as you may think.
NOW I'm happy to leave it... |
Alternatively; we become a proper country that takes responsibility and raises our own children, rather than one that relies on immigration and defers all the important decisions to a responsible adult. It's that simple.
Gus_IOM said something on here once about being infantilized as a society and since the day I read it, the evidence has not stopped unfolding before my eyes. [Post edited 31 May 18:47]
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| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 18:48 - May 31 with 2923 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| General Election Thread on 18:38 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
Still don't understand why we need to act like we're living through the great stink, rather than just saying what the issue is.
Bit like Covid, I guess. [Post edited 31 May 18:45]
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I have to point out, that you yourself said the water infrastructure problem was being overstated AND sufficiently invested in until you realised that there was Chinese involvement.
Just saying 🤷
Although for different reasons, I’d also like to see foreign (Chinese or otherwise) investment removed from our public services but alas I think we’ll both be disappointed on that front on July 4th.
Edit: Spelling. [Post edited 31 May 18:50]
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| General Election Thread on 19:03 - May 31 with 2877 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 18:48 - May 31 by BazzaInTheLoft |
I have to point out, that you yourself said the water infrastructure problem was being overstated AND sufficiently invested in until you realised that there was Chinese involvement.
Just saying 🤷
Although for different reasons, I’d also like to see foreign (Chinese or otherwise) investment removed from our public services but alas I think we’ll both be disappointed on that front on July 4th.
Edit: Spelling. [Post edited 31 May 18:50]
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I came up with a couple of quite obvious examples that immediately jumped to mind when people are claiming there's been no investment in infrastructure. The only reading I've done on this sewage spill is via the BBC, so not exactly far-right capitalist think tanks.
My issue with Chinese involvement is that China is constantly fcking with us. It's blatant, it's undeniable at this point, but we'll keep denying it until we're all dead. | |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 19:15 - May 31 with 2870 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| General Election Thread on 19:03 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
I came up with a couple of quite obvious examples that immediately jumped to mind when people are claiming there's been no investment in infrastructure. The only reading I've done on this sewage spill is via the BBC, so not exactly far-right capitalist think tanks.
My issue with Chinese involvement is that China is constantly fcking with us. It's blatant, it's undeniable at this point, but we'll keep denying it until we're all dead. |
Again, who’s denying it?
A quick Google news search will confirm! | | | |
| General Election Thread on 19:20 - May 31 with 2862 views | Gus_iom |
| General Election Thread on 18:45 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
Alternatively; we become a proper country that takes responsibility and raises our own children, rather than one that relies on immigration and defers all the important decisions to a responsible adult. It's that simple.
Gus_IOM said something on here once about being infantilized as a society and since the day I read it, the evidence has not stopped unfolding before my eyes. [Post edited 31 May 18:47]
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Tbh, I was spitting my dummy out as I said it... | | | |
| General Election Thread on 19:24 - May 31 with 2822 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 19:15 - May 31 by BazzaInTheLoft |
Again, who’s denying it?
A quick Google news search will confirm! |
Er, the, how do you call them, "Adults in the room" are
Anyway, I think this is all just a distraction. The idea the Chinese can't just reproduce any part they want for any machine they want, at raw material cost, is fairly laughable. So the idea it's being done for "profit" is equally laughable.
I also reckon that if the water company is privatized and owned by somebody responsible, let's call him "Sir John of Water" - That's not a bad thing either. Prevents bloat.
What I'd like to understand is what any of us think Labour is going to improve about this situation? They're as infested with Chinese assets as the Tories are. So back to the topic of the General election, and back to my original theme on this thread - The LabCon Uniparty must die before we go anywhere positive. | |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 19:27 - May 31 with 2817 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 19:20 - May 31 by Gus_iom |
Tbh, I was spitting my dummy out as I said it... |
Well you were absolutely bang on. | |
| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 19:29 - May 31 with 2840 views | derbyhoop |
| General Election Thread on 12:06 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
Huh? None of the staff want or can afford to be full time, but they are using overseas agency workers on a full time basis to cover vacancy?
The full time agency workers should be made permanent to fill the vacancy. Simple. They evidently already have the right to work in the UK, so what's the problem? Whoever is managing the service has an incentive to make that happen because it's their service they are managing. If you are suggesting fraud is taking place, who are you suggesting is the beneficiary of that? The service manager or A.N.Other Tory party donor? |
Turning agency workers into full time. Simple.
No, it isn't. You can't compel people to take on jobs. I used to work freelance and, when I did, I would never have joined a company full time. I preferred being my own boss, even though answerable to the client. Agency staff can choose when they work and may have control over acceptable rates.
Employed staff have to toe the line on shift patterns and salaries.
A better balance between perm and agency staff would be ideal, especially in public sector. Buy it ain't going to happen when there are massive vacancies in health care. |  |
| Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one’s lifetime. (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop |
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| General Election Thread on 19:35 - May 31 with 2803 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 19:29 - May 31 by derbyhoop |
Turning agency workers into full time. Simple.
No, it isn't. You can't compel people to take on jobs. I used to work freelance and, when I did, I would never have joined a company full time. I preferred being my own boss, even though answerable to the client. Agency staff can choose when they work and may have control over acceptable rates.
Employed staff have to toe the line on shift patterns and salaries.
A better balance between perm and agency staff would be ideal, especially in public sector. Buy it ain't going to happen when there are massive vacancies in health care. |
Yes it is very simple. The NHS does hundreds, if not thousands of these transfers per month. If an agency worker is there 37.5 or more hours per week, it's inevitable they'll be willing to go full time. Where they are not, I agree there must be some level of corruption happening.
If they are ad-hoc workers, that's something else and can still be managed far more cheaply via the Bank than it would via Agency. NHS also steals hundreds of Agency workers each month and makes them Bank Only (Same 0 hour contract, just with NHS rather than their agency)
Perhaps you meant to answer the original post on this? To be clear my post clearly says "Full time agency Workers" - Not agency workers who do ad-hoc shifts on a work-when-you-like basis (Which the NHS also supports via the Bank so no real need to use Agency if the NHS was up to scratch, which it isn't) [Post edited 31 May 19:40]
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| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 19:40 - May 31 with 2821 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| General Election Thread on 19:24 - May 31 by SheffieldHoop |
Er, the, how do you call them, "Adults in the room" are
Anyway, I think this is all just a distraction. The idea the Chinese can't just reproduce any part they want for any machine they want, at raw material cost, is fairly laughable. So the idea it's being done for "profit" is equally laughable.
I also reckon that if the water company is privatized and owned by somebody responsible, let's call him "Sir John of Water" - That's not a bad thing either. Prevents bloat.
What I'd like to understand is what any of us think Labour is going to improve about this situation? They're as infested with Chinese assets as the Tories are. So back to the topic of the General election, and back to my original theme on this thread - The LabCon Uniparty must die before we go anywhere positive. |
The ‘adults in the room’ like cheap imports, investment & loans, and a growing Chinese middle class to sell Harry Potter and UK universities to, but not the idea of a nominally communist non NATO state as world power.
That’s why they look both ways on China, not because parliament and industry is filled with Chinese assets, recent examples aside.
Edit: Spelling [Post edited 31 May 19:41]
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| General Election Thread on 19:53 - May 31 with 2772 views | SheffieldHoop |
| General Election Thread on 19:40 - May 31 by BazzaInTheLoft |
The ‘adults in the room’ like cheap imports, investment & loans, and a growing Chinese middle class to sell Harry Potter and UK universities to, but not the idea of a nominally communist non NATO state as world power.
That’s why they look both ways on China, not because parliament and industry is filled with Chinese assets, recent examples aside.
Edit: Spelling [Post edited 31 May 19:41]
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Well the Universities thing is just another ticking timebomb waiting to go off. What will the parents say when they realise that 2:1 from the Uni of Westminster is worthless and the entire thing was done by AI. Chinese students walking around with English Lit degrees, barely able to speak a word of English. Completely mad.
Most of the Chinese students I've met see it as their route out of China, which is also pretty sad, really. [Post edited 31 May 20:05]
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| "Someone despises me. That's their problem." Marcus Aurelius |
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| General Election Thread on 21:28 - May 31 with 2687 views | 222gers |
I had a chat to our Lib Dem candidate today. He said if they do poorly in the General Election, they'll contest the Jamaican election next year and call themselves Dem Libs. |  | | |
| General Election Thread on 05:50 - Jun 2 with 2405 views | numptydumpty |
The basic issue here us the UK is set up to be a shitshow nowadays and there is ZERO joined up thinking on all sides.
Have worked in the care sector for many years and a few myths on here that are coming from a place of ignorance and also anger and a belief that there is a massive amount of people on the take.
In recent years have worked in the mental health sector. Benefit fraud in this country us at 0.5 % of people, yet politicians voraciously attack this sector of society by constantly putting people who have clear physical and mental health problems through a constant system of re evaluation which creates constant and complete mental torment and does no one any favours at all.
From my experience there has been very very few people that are playing the system. People with schizophrenia, bipolar, personality disorders, panic disorders and also such as people with dementia also, I can assure sceptics none of them or the people around them are having their best lives at all. Most want to work, many can't but those that can, can work 15 hours minimum wage and slightly more hours under universal credit but there is a massive fear of becoming homeless so the system keeps people down. This system is completely broken.
In fact the benefits on offer there are billions that are unclaimed. It us not the other way around.
As some have said it is at the top end that the massive displacement of wealth is massively skewed and the hypocrisy and shysters in many corpirations that get to these levels this is where they major fraud is done but government after government spin the line of we are going after those at the very bottom end. This creates divisions within your everyday people.
Can understand those who work 60 or 70 hour weeks misunderstanding the struggles of a family blighted by dementia, suicide, drug abuse and the care elements this takes out of othercmembers of that family to provide the care that simply is not there.
Basic human dignity is the key. This industry is minimum wage and yet a decent life for all should be the key element
The fact that at the other end people work 60 to 70 hours a week. That again is a broken system.
Scandinavian countries these days are consistently said to have the best quality of life and are measured as the happiest of societies.
The working week is 30 hours and all the work that needs to get done is done and the rest of the time everyone can relax and enjoy their lives and the wage differentials per professions are much more narrow. In these countries also the prison system is not constantly punitive. Its very much based on reform so revolving door criminals do not clog up the courts as very often they do not come back into court, thus removing many societal issues.
Our systems around this are dreadful and very clever lawyers almost have abilities to get the very worst of society off if they are extremely wealthy and a system in this country that has been easily able to produce this post office debacle is broken in the extreme
But the main issues in this country are at the very top. The mega rich and the tax avoidance which is legal but it is this income that is not being reinvested in society that is the biggest crime. Its an absolute disgrace. Pure greed is an extremely unattractive trait but our system creates these massive inequalities and this is where the major issue in this country. If this was rreaddressed, the benefits system would allow people to move forwards and work again and get their damp infested housing association apartments treated etc.
The universal basic income system is being trialled at the moment. This gives everyone say the basic income to live in accommodation, free from chances of eviction, and able to feed and clothe themselves. There are no other benefits given to anyone and what people earn on top of this is their choice. This system works. The wage differences in professions and according to so called seniority in organisations are less and people do still work and its like in Denmark and the like everyone has the opportunity to relax.
Overworking is a fallacy too. Beyond 40 hour weeks, people lose their productiveness. Whenever four day weeks are trialled, people get more done in that time than they do with the extra hours on top.
What has got markedly worse in this country also is job security. Even at the top levels restructures within companies, many corporates, people are reapplying elsewhere every couple of years.
But one of the most messed up things in this country that I have never understood.
The house prices both to buy or rent
Why if you live in Macclesfield your two bed terrace is 10% of the price of it in Kensington.
It's the same shops, the same cafes, pubs, restaurants, theatres, and the internal soace you are living in is the same interior. It's mad and totally messed up.
I live in a two bed flat in Bracknell now worth around 250k but in Ascot three miles down the road it's £1 million for the same accommodation. It's not made of gold. All that us in Ascot is a racecourse. There are more places to shop, dine out etc in Bracknell its newly done up. I appreciate Lobdon prices are beyond mad,.
But again compare here to up north. A friend working a mininimum wage job in a bedsit £950 @ month. He has given up. Moved up north. For that up there he can get a three bed semi detached with front and back garden but minimum wage here is the same up there. He actually got a job as a 999 responder and really that's a job of massive responsibility but as withdrawn here the wages are pitiful compared to your Paula Vennels of this world who apparently has no real IT skills ... Really ?..
The election is so much about image.
I see Sunak attempting to be a man of the people sitting on a haystack pretending to relate to farmers. Starmer is wearing his hair less slicked back without his tie now and very often in parliament has four women either side of him on the front bench. Am not at all saying this is wrong and equal opportunities is massively important but he often in parliament is set up like this to try to somehow cheat the public into thinking he and his party are progressive.
I cannot believe there are many that fall for these ridiculous shows and are impressed. Its all complete BS.
Social media has been mentioned again. Sublimal Planting of seeds in peoples minds is both extremely effective and incredibly dangerous too. I have a friend, a retired English teacher, he goes on about the world elite behind the trumps and the putins in real control of the world, Even a so called intelligent man can be hoodwinked, my view not his, and some people have no brains at all.
More money is made by being a contestant on love Island who thinks Essex is a country and saw Mark Goldbridge , youtuber who has meltdowns commenting on watchalongs on Man Utds latest tragic performance. I saw somewhere recently he is worth £3 million now. World's gone mad. How is that possible !!
The brexit debate aside, the immigration issues, which others have stated, its not the poor sods risking their lives on the boats and then now to be shipped of to Rwanda.
The real issue is the millions that have been legally allowed to enter our countries, many on student visas and then disappear into the population. That's where the massive issues are and yes large families that then multiply.
All around flats, flats and flats. Accommodation is going up into the sky. Affordable housing to who exactly.
I am always amazed when I watch these programmes about such things as hoarding or the like in America and they all live in big detached homes with large gardens and they are supposedly the poor people but it's a wide expanse of lane.
Australia is massive land mass yet look at their population and immigration policies over many years.
The country is a mess from top to bottom but what we still have is QPR to cheer us all up !!!!!! Oh christ, wait a minute !!!!
There is no real choice in this election but the work needed to solve many inequalities and crises in society is massive.
Yet I have to say the one massive blessing living in the UK, we have never truly experienced warfare within our shores like the people of Ukraine, Palestine, Iraq and many many other countries face, we do not despite what we meant to believe gang warfare is not like the slums of Colombia and the like, where people just constantly disappear.Also fortunately also natural disasters, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, bush fires etc,we are fortunate that these threats simply are not in existence here as yet, although whatever global warming is doing, whether that's a fallacy or not, it is changing.
Whatever we think, most of us are on the same treadmill and feel for others around us and there is still community more so than disunity I would say.
The fact being that those in power are so without joined up thinking in how we resolve issues - its all about how the politicians look, what they very often believe will be popular but the problem has got massively worse than years ago.
Politics used to be about ideology and conviction.
You knew you voted one way, you are voting fir this strategy and vice versa.
Now policies change with what's in the news at that particular time. These kind of strategies are NEVER going to solve problems LONG TERM.
All politics now is based on the issue of the moment. LONG TERM that simply won't work at all.
I seriously have no idea what or who to vote for because no one knows what they stand for and no one has any long term plan.
I say Marti for PM but that would mean him leaving ourselves and I don't care about the long term state of the country as its f@#jed anyway.
Can we have the vote tomorrow and then get on with whichever sh"tshow we get representing us and get back to the main business which is Rangers competing in the play offs next season !!!
The country needs a four year plan. It won't get one but please Marti start your own four year plan in Shepherds Bush. Clearly the most important issue of the day !!!
I think the older you get, the less you worry, as we are all effectively powerless, apart from Senor Cifuentes. That man has the power to create joy.
Let's all hope for better days and get what we can from our own Individual lives.
Vote Marti. Its the only way !!!
[Post edited 2 Jun 6:26]
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| General Election Thread on 16:59 - Jun 3 with 2020 views | Hayesender |
I see Farage is now standing, after saying he wasn't standing. I don't think they'll get any seats, but it could mean even less seats for the torys. They could end up getting completely wiped out |  |
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