Making the news today....

[sime42]

9 hours ago, scbk said:

2011?

The A9 dualling started in the early 1970's, long before I was born

 

They could make it safer without dualling it. The current sections of dual carriageway have plenty of accidents.

Will it ever be done, and does it need done?

Maybe they should look at ways of reducing traffic, I think it has already been proved that you can't build your way out of a traffic jam with more roads, you just get more cars.

 

Sod the number of accidents and air quality, building more, bigger roads makes us lots of money! A bit like building new housing estates on green field sites, on flood plains, beside rivers. That's the thoughts of those who make the decisions on these things.

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by sime42

[trigger_andy]

[Stubby]

Prigozin killed in a plane crash/shot down . Then several days later a video appears of him saying Hi , I'm fine ! BS or not ? 

Edited September 1, 2023 by Stubby

[Big J]

On 01/09/2023 at 07:23, trigger_andy said:

The UK certainly needs to get its house in order thats for sure! Until we do we should shut the doors to all but the very exceptional asylum cases.

No one seems to be able to explain how we will build near enough homes to house the 600-700,0000 migrants coming in per year. Its simply not feasible. Its the elephant in the room that we're ignoring and responding with soundbites such as 'well, we have a huge skill' shortage. Its such non sequitur reasoning. 

 

This is primarily because of open borders and joining  the EU. I'm 'only' 44 and when I was a youth there was no foreign fruit and veg pickers it was all done by British workers, myself included. When you flood the market with cheap labour who is happy working their fingers to the bone for what is seen as a pittance to the indigenous people then they'll simply stop working in that sector. I have no doubt that if the Eastern Europeans who have undercut the British people would simply upsticks if the Farmers were allowed to import North Koreans who'd thank their lucky stars at simply being given 3 square meals a day and a warm bed without the threat of their whole family being sent to a reeducation camp. 

 

Joining the EU and the importation of cheap labour has been devastating to the UK and will take generations to fix. Only those who pin their hopes on Brexit failing expect decades of dumbing down the UK to the lowest common denominator would be fixed within a few years. 

 

The UK labour market was knackered long before there was full freedom of movement. Was it not the case in the 70s and 80s that unionised workers spent as much time on strike as actually working? And the productivity rate in the UK has always lagged behind the rest of the EU.

 

It's an idealistic but arguably noble notion to say that without the option of cheap foreign labour that the youth of the UK will step up to fill the void. I just don't see it though. I work harder than most, and I'm fitter than almost everyone, but I don't have the grit to do the kind of work that agriculture demands. I'm not defending the working conditions either - it's hard brutal work, but then the remuneration is such that unless you're incredibly determined and hard working, you won't make enough money. How many people that have grown up in the UK do you know that you could see in that line of work? 

 

They have a more open attitude to immigration here because we live in a depopulated area. So much so that our council did a (really funny, especially if you live here) video to attract people to our area 6 years ago. They poke a lot of fun at themselves, but you get an idea of what it's like here (though we're not in Hultsfred itself).

 

 

 

[Doug Tait]

That could conceivably be next year's Eurovision song winner!

[trigger_andy]

1 hour ago, Big J said:

The UK labour market was knackered long before there was full freedom of movement.

Yet all the fruit and Tattie pickers you’re indigenous back then. We had thriving apprenticeships throughout the U.K. that was then decimated by a flood of cheap pre-qualified European workers.

 

We now see a resurgence in apprenticeships and this is primarily due to greedy companies no longer having easy access to cheap foreign labour and now having to look to long term workforce development. (I see you cover this in your next paragraph but in my opinion the facts don’t tally with your POV)

 

1 hour ago, Big J said:

. I work harder than most,

My dad works harder than your dad.  

No, I know you do. And I know agriculture is hard graft. So when the EU allows those from Eastern Europe to undermine the already meagre wages of course the indigenous population will look elsewhere for employment. 
 

1 hour ago, Big J said:

How many people that have grown up in the UK do you know that you could see in that line of work? 

I live in the heart of Angus, the breadbasket of Scotland. I’m surrounded by Farms and Farmers. My friends and acquaintances are Farmers and they also employ local lads. Now that I think about it I see very few Europeans in their workforce. 
 

There is still the bus loads of seasonal workers doing the unskilled laborious work of course. But they do it because it’s financially viable for them. If I could move to a nice 1st world country for the summer and make multiple times the wage I could at home then I’d do that too. The only way we can have incredibly cheap fresh produce is by paying the workers pennies on the pound but at the same time those pennies on the pound are actual pounds for them where they come from. For an indigenous workforce to re-enter this market the wages would have to reflect the living costs of the country they are working/living in. Until that happens we’ll have those that believe Brexit was a bad idea calling these people lazy when I’m fact they are not willing to subject themselves to slave like conditions for pennies.

 

1 hour ago, Big J said:

have a more open attitude to immigration here because we live in a depopulated area.

And look where that’s got them….

 

Swedish PM says integration of immigrants has failed, fueled gang crime | Reuters

WWW.REUTERS.COM

---

Sweden has failed to integrate the vast numbers of immigrants it has taken in over the past two decades, leading to parallel...

 

[Johnsond]

6 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

Yet all the fruit and Tattie pickers you’re indigenous back then. We had thriving apprenticeships throughout the U.K. that was then decimated by a flood of cheap pre-qualified European workers.

 

We now see a resurgence in apprenticeships and this is primarily due to greedy companies no longer having easy access to cheap foreign labour and now having to look to long term workforce development. (I see you cover this in your next paragraph but in my opinion the facts don’t tally with your POV)

 

My dad works harder than your dad.  

No, I know you do. And I know agriculture is hard graft. So when the EU allows those from Eastern Europe to undermine the already meagre wages of course the indigenous population will look elsewhere for employment. 
 

I live in the heart of Angus, the breadbasket of Scotland. I’m surrounded by Farms and Farmers. My friends and acquaintances are Farmers and they also employ local lads. Now that I think about it I see very few Europeans in their workforce. 
 

There is still the bus loads of seasonal workers doing the unskilled laborious work of course. But they do it because it’s financially viable for them. If I could move to a nice 1st world country for the summer and make multiple times the wage I could at home then I’d do that too. The only way we can have incredibly cheap fresh produce is by paying the workers pennies on the pound but at the same time those pennies on the pound are actual pounds for them where they come from. For an indigenous workforce to re-enter this market the wages would have to reflect the living costs of the country they are working/living in. Until that happens we’ll have those that believe Brexit was a bad idea calling these people lazy when I’m fact they are not willing to subject themselves to slave like conditions for pennies.

 

And look where that’s got them….

 

Swedish PM says integration of immigrants has failed, fueled gang crime | Reuters

WWW.REUTERS.COM

---

Sweden has failed to integrate the vast numbers of immigrants it has taken in over the past two decades, leading to parallel...

 

The first part of the quote is so appropriate nowadays. As for the second, well the reward is you get absolutely humped. 

[trigger_andy]

3 minutes ago, Johnsond said:

The first part of the quote is so appropriate nowadays. As for the second, well the reward is you get absolutely humped. 

Last year the unions got us a 5.2% increase (pish I know) The company was allowed to give poor performers 3.2% and high performers 7.2%. In the end they have everyone 5.2%. 🙄 

I don’t want a pay rise for tax reasons but I asked how on earth do people who work hard feel their work is appreciated. They said those that go the extra mile do so because the want to. 
 

Now the hard workers don’t bother their arse anymore. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[sime42]

On 01/09/2023 at 19:10, Stubby said:

Prigozin killed in a plane crash/shot down . Then several days later a video appears of him saying Hi , I'm fine ! BS or not ? 

 

[daveatdave]

14 hours ago, trigger_andy said:

Yet all the fruit and Tattie pickers you’re indigenous back then. We had thriving apprenticeships throughout the U.K. that was then decimated by a flood of cheap pre-qualified European workers.

 

We now see a resurgence in apprenticeships and this is primarily due to greedy companies no longer having easy access to cheap foreign labour and now having to look to long term workforce development. (I see you cover this in your next paragraph but in my opinion the facts don’t tally with your POV)

 

My dad works harder than your dad.  

No, I know you do. And I know agriculture is hard graft. So when the EU allows those from Eastern Europe to undermine the already meagre wages of course the indigenous population will look elsewhere for employment. 
 

I live in the heart of Angus, the breadbasket of Scotland. I’m surrounded by Farms and Farmers. My friends and acquaintances are Farmers and they also employ local lads. Now that I think about it I see very few Europeans in their workforce. 
 

There is still the bus loads of seasonal workers doing the unskilled laborious work of course. But they do it because it’s financially viable for them. If I could move to a nice 1st world country for the summer and make multiple times the wage I could at home then I’d do that too. The only way we can have incredibly cheap fresh produce is by paying the workers pennies on the pound but at the same time those pennies on the pound are actual pounds for them where they come from. For an indigenous workforce to re-enter this market the wages would have to reflect the living costs of the country they are working/living in. Until that happens we’ll have those that believe Brexit was a bad idea calling these people lazy when I’m fact they are not willing to subject themselves to slave like conditions for pennies.

 

And look where that’s got them….

 

Swedish PM says integration of immigrants has failed, fueled gang crime | Reuters

WWW.REUTERS.COM

---

Sweden has failed to integrate the vast numbers of immigrants it has taken in over the past two decades, leading to parallel...

 

these workers are getting paid at least the minimum wage plus bonuses accommodation on site spend little of their wages in the Nabour hood so they are not on penne's in the pound.

if they are getting bussed in there will be a gang Marster who no doubt be taking a cut of there wages and transport costs