kevinjohnsonmbe

Fair play buddy.

It’s ‘most’ of what matters mate, but not ‘all.’ There are many more elements to a funeral service - not least of which the reminder, to us all, that we are mere mortals and that the life we have is precious. Treasure every moment, don’t hesitate, live life like there’s no tomorrow - yeah, you guessed it, one day there won’t be. Have you wrapped for the night?

Guns & booze!

BREAKING NEWS.... John Bercow has been found dead after trying to rewire a plug. Initial police reports state: "He had no concept of what neutral was..."

Just watched on catch up. Never mind the legal system, that'll never serve up the justice these maggots deserve. HMRC is the way to take them down hard. All the back taxes on assumed cash jobs plus the criminal offences associated with fraudulent evasion of income tax, fraudulent evasion of VAT, cheating the public revenue and providing false documents or information to HMRC. Then asset strip through proceeds of crime asset recovery. It's what did for Al Capone and it's what these scummers deserve.

Great thread! Trees reduce Summer heat and insulate against Winter cold. The absence of ‘em exasperates the problem. PS I’ll take a near on 200 year old house over a 2 year house any day of the week (and twice on Sunday) because it ifs been there all but 200 years, it’s a stayer, not sure the same could be said for a new build.

Dhooooh! Should have read that bit first! I agree and absolutely support Gary's sentiment. I just explained it a bit different is all....

This is the oldest trick in the (customer) book - give me a good price and there's plenty more work for you... When put through the (customer) translator it comes out as - If I screw this mug down £20 harder than the last one he'll be tied into cheap rates if I ever throw him another bone later on. When put through the (business) translator it comes out as - here's another 'king tight ass chancer looking to set and establish a mugs rate on the vague promise of an eternity of working my tits off for peanuts. I think I'll give him a slash and run then block his number from the phone. When he's exhausted all the other mugs I might go back if he's well and truly in a spot but it'll be premium rate + TT.

This one is much more to my taste.... ?

Here’s one you might like....

I’m actually in shock Gary! Cornwall council being held out as paradigm.... I think I’m actually having a panic attack!

An interesting parallel: AA draft ‘working with cranes’ technical guide: https://www.trees.org.uk/Trees.org.uk/media/Trees-org.uk/Documents/4-Use-of-Cranes-in-Arboriculture-SR-180817.pdf just after para 2.1 the ‘important note’ specifically recognises the paramount importance of gaining industry endorsement from the crane operators if the TG is to have any credibility / use. Seems pretty obvious really. Granted, the 2 rope 2 TIP issue appears to be HSE rather than AA driven, but if the AA can’t (or won’t) acknowledge and champion the legitimate concerns being expressed from within the industry - well, that can only create even greater degrees of separation between the AA and the industry.

Me too Guv!

They’ll have their mates at HMRC pay you a visit instead Mr B! FCK the system!

Obv’s ?

Special order Chaise Longue for the Father of the House:

Yeah but, what about the £4billion renovation costs?? Be better (and probably more productive) if Smelly Tony the Big Issue vendor could pop in for his £3.50 fry up whilst nursing a pint of cheap, stale ale for hours on end whilst talking gibberish to anyone daft enough to make eye contact. Actually, maybe Smelly Tony could be the next Speaker ?

Visit to veterinarians practice this morning - saw this poster in the examining room and thought..... If you switch “Sharon” for “Sajid”, that’d be quite funny. Myself & vet thought so - the dog wasn’t quite as obliging though ?

Eaton? That’s the neighbouring hamlet from my childhood village - Appleton. Eaton, Oxfordshire - Wikipedia EN.M.WIKIPEDIA.ORG Plenty of farmers, not so many fags as memory has it! Yome mean Eton College, Windsor methinks?

Yes absolutely agree Tom, that’s what the guidance presently requires. I think we’re on the same page, regulations implemented without full and proper consideration of the potential implications can lead to greater hazard rather than reduced hazard. The MEWP scenario is an example where this could be considered to have already happened (and found its way through validation to regulation) and I think we share the concern that the 2 rope 2 TIP could, if similarly implemented carte blanche, result in an unjustifiable over complication of a situation with more notable disadvantages than there are tangible safety improvements. If someone can produce any data which indicates accidents / fatalities directly linked to single rope single TIP operation (in Arb - not recreational or commercial climbing!) then maybe there is a problem to be addressed. If not, then it must be self evident that making an already difficult task MORE difficult is entirely counter productive and unnecessary. I wouldn’t be averse to implementing a 2nd rope 2nd TIP if it were best on the day / for that specific job but I cannot bring to mind a single personal example of where that would have been of benefit. Another example of theory not necessarily standing up to operational practicality (like the MEWP scenario) is the rescue climber requirement. I’m much less vexed by that since there are obvious (albeit probably so exceptionally rare as to bring the requirement into doubt) examples of need. This has been borne out by the collective contributions from decades (probably 100s of years of experience from posters) that the first choice of an injured climber will always be rapid self rescue - get to the ground as quickly as possible. So I’m not saying do away with second climber, but I am saying I rather doubt the ‘need’ really exists. What this current proposal actually represents is making self rescue, and rescued recovery, more challenging.

"AA sponsored" ? ...tis above climbing in the risk hierarchy principally because 'prevention' (of a fall) is better than 'minimising' the consequences (of a fall), ie tree climbin, plus it has collective protective measures, i.e. anyone who stands in the bucket is automatically prevented from falling because of engineered controls, i.e. the guard rails. Hence in terms of risk management (AND in relation to the specific hazard of a fall from height) HSE (AA sponsored, ie its in the ICoP) place MEWP before climbing. All good Paul - right up to the point the MEWP goes over. Number of recent fatalities directly associated with TIP failure as compared to MEWP accidents? Maybe the point where theories part company with practical realities?

Herein lies a part of the problem though Tom. As you rightly say, MEWP has become the (AA sponsored) default preferred option over climbing. I don't agree that this should be the case and I suspect this is a classic example of rules for the blind obedience of fools. I suspect, as we start to see the MEWP as the preferred method slowly building a more frequent usage, we will also start to see an increase in the accident rate associated with poor choice or operation of the MEWP - there was that case recently where they used a MEWP because it had been written into the policy as the 'preferred' option, but then failed to set it up properly resulting in a death which would not have happened had they climbed. I'm not in any way anti-MEWP quite the contrary (I'm in the market) in the right circumstance. I am however, anti-make a policy which could result in unforeseen adverse consequences. Just 1 minor point about 'reasonably practicable' though - it would be very difficult / indefensible to justify 'cost' as a reason not to go with the safer option.

The ‘king Remoaners - that’s who’s to blame for this entire horlix of a situation. That’s the safest bet you’ll have this side of the Mekon Delta!