difflock

Might be safer down the Ukraine than on here at the mo.

Who is going to pay for all this "free" stuff?

Ah, Just ponder your last paragraph perhaps.

It came through a state school a wile lot o years ago. It was shite, with older dispirited disinterested teachers. I then went to the local Tech which was much better. But, having subscribed to some building trades architectural magazine for a number of years and reading of all the brand new "state of the art new schools(which all had to have "pods" and super sophisticated heating systems) replacing relatively new but ill maintained schools at great cost. And knowing in the local community of such horrendously expensive and unneeded building works, never mind first hand knowledge of the deliberate scrapping and skipping of perfectly serviceable desks and such stuff, just so that the budget could be spent on new stuff before the year end. The state system can NEVER compete with the private sector. And my wife taught in the state sector, and despaired at the lack of educational rigour, Union values( the purpose of a school is to employ and pay teachers, not educate pupils as might be imagined!) and uncaring attitudes towards the pupils. Plus promotion of arse lickers who ticked all the correct PC boxes, regardless of their merits as a teacher. Cheers

But that is precisely the base politics of envy and spite and jealously that drives the leftist socialist Labour movements. Drag, or smash everyone down to a baser level, so we can all be equal. How about we all aspire to be better instead? And if parents are prepared to pay private school fees, on top of the taxes they are forcedto pay already for a dysfunctional state system, they are already freeing up a "free" place in a state school. So a win-win. And if the state system refuses to exclude deeply disruptive pupils, it can hardly be the fault of the private system, can it?

But that is precisely the base politics of envy and spite and jealously that drives the leftist socialist Labour movements. Drag, or smash everyone down to a baser level, so we can all be equal. How about we all aspire to be better instead? And if parents are prepared to pay private school fees, on top of the taxes they are forced to pay already for a dysfunctional state system, they are already freeing up a "free" place in a state school. So a win-win surely? And if the state system refuses to exclude deeply disruptive pupils, it can hardly be the fault of the private system, can it?

If anyone would care to properly count up the actual cost per pupil educated, state run against private run, it might well prove illuminating. The wife taught in a state run school, but fully supported the private school sector, which she had had the good fortune to benefit from as an army brat. They are not all Eton's by any means, and many of them provide bursaries and provide an education for the less well off who are intelligent enough to qualify. Paid for in part by doting wealthy parents throwing their own money at attempting to educate their thick as pig shit offspring, which subsidizes the others. Also many bequests by old boys and girls. Not many state schools can inculcate that level of lifetime support. The wife having observed both sectors says it is simly the quality and dedication of the staff, which is not necessarily reflected in their pay grades or bands either. Cheers, Mth

Never mind that Shell has just "blagged" a consignment of Russian crude at a deep discount! Business, eh! Anyway, from 40 year old memories, I recall a bloke seriously arguing that he could run his vehicle on RoI green diesel(their rebated fuel) simply because it was not our UK red! For whatever reason I had had recently come across the then revelant UK legislation, which boiled down to the absolute catch-all statement that, "it was an offence to run a vehicle on the public road using fuel on which the duty had NOT been paid". Simple eh! BUT That meant that for other than vehicles on the public road, anything went.

Funny enough, and despite never attending a Public School, I am in favour of them retaining their charitable status. Since it is entirely clear what their priorities are and where they spend their money. Other so called charities, not so much. Marcus

If I were not so lazy I could be envious.😉

Found the smoking gun. NHS Charities together. With a CE on an apparently undisclosable salary, who has recently appointed a few new "helpers". No doubt also on undisclosable salaries. FFS! Btw. NHS Together "grassed up' Capt Tom's Foundation, which was set up after the money was raised and given to the NHS( well akinda, but not quite!) in the first instance. Did the new Foundation perhaps decide they were going to exert more control over how their charity funds were to be disembursed? Follow the money as somebody else suggested.

Hard to tell the sand from the custard at times.

Boke!

Hey! No such thing as bad publicity. They just needed ato arrange a joint copyright legal action with the producers of "Still Game" For max effect.

Ah! Ha! Gotcha! Plan for tomorrow is digging out an unused bicycle of the sons, with the intention of cycling the 6.6 miles to work 2 days a week and back. P.S. There was a single bloody wobbly female cyclist hogging most of the road this afternoon, plus 2 male halfwits cycling on a narrow country road in the gloaming, in dark clothing, sans ANY high-vis.

Lord God, but it is heart wrenching deeply soul satisfyingly beautiful to be out in nature today. And the first frog spawn. Life is good, for me at least.

I dream of a world where the bigname charities are run by those retired on fat pensions from business, self made tycoons or even, cough cough, retired on fat pensions Government types. And smaller charities by those furthur down the prestige tree. For the honour and prestige alone. End of. Unfortunately with most charities I see touted, my first thought is "whats in it for them". And all TV appeals must include if there were any donations made by the "star" and/or any fees or "expenses" paid to the star (he)artfully playing on our emotions. greed greed greed.

While we remain without grandchildren, I by times muse that a nuclear Armageddon would be just the tonic "our" much abused Earth needs right now. Though I fear if any humans survived, they would simply repeat our mistakes, while telling themselves it would be different this time. Sigh.

Bloody Hell! I feel like Superman after watching that stirring drama. WTF has TV come too.

Bugger those bloody storms depressing firewood prices. Typical!

Bugger, lost a wordy post. Anyway kinda need fair mates rates. Don't wish to poke the bloke. Dont wish to part too soft either. Hmmm

Going to have some next week, an a couple o local blokes pestering me. I don't want to be seen to be "poking" one of them, nor do I wish to bend over and expose my arse for a rogering.

I followed a very long running thread by an absolute nutter on the greenbuildingforum, who was completely unreasonable about a neighbour with a wood burning stove. He may have had some grounds, but was, at least in my opinion, entirely unreasonable in his expections or demands.

Hmmmm? Widnay rule it out like!

I am waiting for Toyota to introduce a hybrid diesel pickup or 4*4 using the same technology as the Prius/RAV4. Based on rumours that Toyota were thinking about re-introducing a diesel Land Cruiser for the US market(based on some particular patent application or such, but perhaps merely hysterical speculation) Anyway THAT would be my dream truck.