rocor Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 1 hour ago, Nearholmer said: Do the Russians bother stirring up trouble down your way? I ask, because we are lucky enough to be targeted by both Trumpites, and Muscovites, although where one ends and the other begins is itself a moot point. Suffice to say, a lot of ‘fomenting of discontent’. In the UK, we can easily identify one trouble stirring Russian at a glance by their fur cap and the snow on their boots. Sorry! My mistake, that was Liz Truss. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 1 hour ago, rocor said: the snow on their boots. Sorry! My mistake, that was Liz Truss. Liz Trussed has dandruff??? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 I had a reminder today in my local petroil station when I popped a pension-tenners worth or two in my daily. A woman came over and told me I didn't have to wear a mask anymore [I was wearing a mask, I always do....]....But I told her I didn't really think it fair of me to try spreading my Galloping Nipple-rot around, so I wear a mask out of consideration towards [some] others. ''How Wude'' was her response, [in true Star Wars fashion] To which I responded, ''would she prefer it if I breathed all over her?'' Folk avoid me, I'm happy to say.. 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted February 15, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, alastairq said: I had a reminder today in my local petroil station when I popped a pension-tenners worth or two in my daily. A woman came over and told me I didn't have to wear a mask anymore [I was wearing a mask, I always do....]....But I told her I didn't really think it fair of me to try spreading my Galloping Nipple-rot around, so I wear a mask out of consideration towards [some] others. ''How Wude'' was her response, [in true Star Wars fashion] To which I responded, ''would she prefer it if I breathed all over her?'' Folk avoid me, I'm happy to say.. Strange how folk who are anti mask/vax on the grounds of individual choice, can't cope with the idea of others choosing to wear a mask or have a vaccination of their own free will... Edited February 15, 2022 by Ramblin Rich emphasis 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted February 15, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 15, 2022 4 hours ago, Annie said: I have read on Twitter the proposition that the woman's husband might have done it deliberately to escape from her. If that’s what she’s like, I wonder why he hadn’t left a long time ago. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 Just now, Ramblin Rich said: Strange how folk who are anti mask/vax on the grounds of individual choice, can't cope with the idea of others choosing to wear a mask or have a vaccination of their own free will... Funny how the very libertarian MPs who complain that mandatory mask wearing in certain circumstances is an unforgivable violation of our cherished freedoms had no issue whatsoever with the (a) Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Act, aka the Licence to Kill Act, which makes it legal for the Food Standard Agency to torture kebab shop owners or allow the Environment Agency to send James Bond to kill me, or (b) the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which criminalises and suppresses peaceful protest where it causes annoyance or inconvenience. It's a mad, mad, mad world. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 20 minutes ago, Regularity said: If that’s what she’s like, I wonder why he hadn’t left a long time ago. This way, the fault is hers? Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 3 hours ago, rocor said: The Lord of the Ring's trilogy was also filmed in New Zealand. What may be referenced here is when the National party led government of the day, alarmed at the prospect that the production company, would film elsewhere rather than indulge in collective bargaining with unions, brought in the so-called “Hobbit law”. This effectively bars film workers from unionizing by categorizing them as independent contractors rather than employees. For the 1990 US film "Arachnophobia" the producers required multitudes of spiders that would appear terrorising yet for the sake of actors and crew were actually harmless. They settled on the Huntsman from Australia which is common and can grow to 6 inches yet it rarely bites and can be safely handled. However our actors union here (Actors Equity) were concerned that the spiders were being exploited and might not be treated with due care and consideration and managed to get our transport unions to slap a ban on the handling of the shipment of spiders until undertakings to ensure the spiders welfare were committed to be the film makers. The producers however turned to NZ and used their Huntsman spiders instead since NZ Huntsman spiders hadn't managed to achieve the same level of union support for their welfare. I assume the law you mentioned was used to disallow spiders membership of the union and instead deemed them to be independant contractors. 1 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) Re: Edwardians previous. IMO, all professed libertarians secure their personal liberty by stealing a bit of somebody else’s. It’s all about the liberty to do what I want, and bngger everybody else. Thetes no freedom in world where people are free to bully one another. Edited February 15, 2022 by Nearholmer 3 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 29 minutes ago, Ramblin Rich said: Strange how folk who are anti mask/vax on the grounds of individual choice, can't cope with the idea of others choosing to wear a mask or have a vaccination of their own free will... I am equally astounded by healthcare workers who object to compulsory Covid vaccination. They are already obliged to have Hepatitis B vaccination! It is a condition of registration with the various regulatory bodies (GMC, GDC, Nursing & Midwifery Council, etc.), so what's their problem? They have an ethical, moral and legal obligation to provide a safe environment, in all regards, to their patients. Jim 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Annie Posted February 15, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 15, 2022 1 hour ago, alastairq said: ''How Wude'' was her response, 'How Wude' of her to come over and bother you about your mask. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) Quote 15 hours ago, Nearholmer said: Re: Edwardians previous. IMO, all professed libertarians secure their personal liberty by stealing a bit of somebody else’s. It’s all about the liberty to do what I want, and bngger everybody else. Thetes no freedom in world where people are free to bully one another. Oddly... When I used to '#'work'' as a ''civil servant' [no desk tho'].....there were the usual campaigns about dis, dat, and t'uther... When the topic of bullying raised its ugly head, I emailed the folk that produce the Highway Code,suggesting that in fact, the Highway Code, as worded, was in fact, a ''bully's charter!'' A minor cat-amongst-pigeons issue ensued, internally. Currently, the changes & additions I suggested still all haven't appeared. [Although some have, a while back] It still remains a bully's charter tho'... Edited February 16, 2022 by alastairq Somehow, half of Nearholmer's quote was missed offff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 1 hour ago, alastairq said: When I used to '#'work'' as a ''civil servant' [no desk tho']..... I always thought that the only 'work' civil servants ever did was to make more work for those they were supposed to be serving! Perhaps a career in healthcare has clouded my judgement! Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 1 hour ago, alastairq said: Currently, the changes & additions I suggested still all haven't appeared. [Although some have, a while back] Have you looked at the not-yet-available-in-printed-form-but-already-in-force latest version? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) 13 hours ago, Nearholmer said: Have you looked at the not-yet-available-in-printed-form-but-already-in-force latest version? Indeed..been through it with a fine tooth comb. From a retired professional's viewpoint, of course. Also participated in the consultation... But, I refer to the Highway Code stemming from a decade or more ago....when I was in the business of driver education, training, etc....[hence, a civil servant, but no desk].... I've altered my post-before-last to put my previous post in context a bit more...dunno what happened with that post and the quotes??? Edited February 16, 2022 by alastairq Added an explainer 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonman Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 14 hours ago, Caley Jim said: I always thought that the only 'work' civil servants ever did was to make more work for those they were supposed to be serving! Perhaps a career in healthcare has clouded my judgement! Jim My time as a High School governor leads me to agree with your analysis. We were constantly bombarded with 'advice' and instructions from the DfE... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 Ah, yes, even I, who more by accident than design worked in the public sector for forty years (I've only worked in the private sector since nominally retiring, which is a bit odd), can see where you are all coming from. For the last couple of years of my main working life, I got involved with "policy and strategy", which was much more local-government-like than anything I'd experienced before. I was used to the idea that "delivery" meant delivering a daily train service, or safely maintained bits of kit, or a big engineering upgrade, and really struggled with the idea that reviewing, revising, and getting board approval of a strategy, and then doing that all again the next year, was an act of "delivery". These things are essential, of course, but I strongly believe that nobody should remain in that part of the world for more than about two or three years at a time, because those who do start to become institutionalised, and believe that crafting a good strategy/policy/set of objectives is the end of the job, whereas it is only the very beginning of getting anything done in the real world, and rarely survives first contact with the enemy (the enemy being the sudden imposition of budgetary constraints, unforseeable circumstances etc). 1 2 1 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 I was employed by the MoD...a mysterious can of worms in itself. Essentially a lot of MoD civilian employees [Civil Servants] actually did the jobs that were at one time the realm of the actual Armed Forces. But, of course a Civil Servant was a lot cheaper to run [medical, educational, or even, housing etc, for starters, not required]... But, as Civil Servants our conditions of employment were similar to those employed within the Armed Forces.....[Although our military management struggled with the concept that we wouldn't always 'do as we were told'...] The problems with 'change', as far as I was concerned was, the concept of 'change for change's sake!' Something both military & civil service senior [and middle] management seemed enamoured of....a real pain due to the roughly 2 yearly cycles. Having Defence reviews every couple of years or so [government[treasury?] whims] did nothing for engendering a sense of 'job security'.....But, when it came down to it....even if jobs were cut, jobs were made elsewhere.....so to speak. All really paper exercises, to keep the politicos happy that 'something was being done'...when in reality, what was happening was, the whole caboodle would simply be marking time... One self-important Under Secretary described my colleagues as, simply, '' a bunch of grumpy lorry-drivers''....when it was pointed out, how , and why, he couldn't get 'his way'... A job where we could be stroppy, and get paid for it......since we were an ''irreplaceable military asset'' [to quote one Commandant, on leaving}.... For me, every working day [almost] was a play day....I loved it... 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocor Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 2 hours ago, Nearholmer said: Those who do start to become institutionalised, and believe that crafting a good strategy/policy/set of objectives is the end of the job. Of course, if that alone defines the scope of their skill set, then their beliefs are totally rational. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 4 hours ago, Nearholmer said: These things are essential, of course, but I strongly believe that nobody should remain in that part of the world for more than about two or three years at a time, because those who do start to become institutionalised, and believe that crafting a good strategy/policy/set of objectives is the end of the job, whereas it is only the very beginning of getting anything done in the real world, and rarely survives first contact with the enemy (the enemy being the sudden imposition of budgetary constraints, unforseeable circumstances etc). Problem with that idea is that the new lot throw out and replace everything the last lot put in place, so those at the coal face (or in my case the enamel face), who are just getting to grips with the regulations, find they are back to square one, or find the end point has been moved a goodly number of squares on! At one of our practice inspections I asked the girl from the Health Board if I could get a grant to get all my door lintels raised. When she looked puzzled I explained that it was so I could get through them with all the hats on that I was required to wear ( Health and safety Officer, Radiation Protection Officer, Cross Infection Control Officer, etc.) Her answer was 'delegate!'. Oh yea? To whom? I had two dental nurses, neither of whom had the qualifications for any of these duties! Jim 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 40 minutes ago, Caley Jim said: Problem with that idea is that the new lot throw out and replace everything the last lot put in place, I wasn’t proposing changing all the people involved simultaneously - a policy/strategy team can be ‘churned’ one person at a time. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKPR Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 (edited) Idle thoughts of an idle fellow #457 - I was reading the obituary of PJ O'Rourke in the Grauniard and was rather taken with his supporting Hilary Clinton rather than Trump in 2016 on the grounds that whilst he thought she was wrong about almost everything, she was at least wrong within normal parameters. I'm mentally filing this alongside Wolfgang Paul's wrong, very wrong and so wrong it's not even wrong. Edited February 18, 2022 by CKPR 4 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted February 17, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2022 A couple more quotes: ' I have a 10 year old at home, and she is always saying, 'That's not fair.' When she says that, I say, "Honey, you're cute; that's not fair. Your family is pretty well off; that's not fair. You were born in America; that's not fair. Honey, you had better pray to God that things don't start getting fair for you.' and... 'Wherever there's injustice, oppression, and suffering, America will show up six months late and bomb the country next to where it's happening.' 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 He was incredibly funny, but on reading through a heap of quotations, it became pretty clear to me that he was genuinely a libertarian too, in that the selfishness and victim-blaming peps round the edges of the humour. 1 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted February 17, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 17, 2022 3 hours ago, Nearholmer said: He was incredibly funny, but on reading through a heap of quotations, it became pretty clear to me that he was genuinely a libertarian too, in that the selfishness and victim-blaming peps round the edges of the humour. True, but he also was pretty damning about the impact of baby boomers (he being born in 1947) on the world, so it wasn’t all selfish but sometimes about his own generation’s selfishnesses. (See above quote to ten year old daughter.) 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now