kevinjohnsonmbe

Or this is a better one:

Found an example here: skip to 13:45 ish, what about like Eggs says, drive backwards??

http://bagnallandkirkwood.co.uk/product/12g-shotgun-blank-firing-alarm-mine-tripwire Brilliant, useful as an alarm but also lots of fun around the yard!

£450 each, excl grind, looks like a sensible ball park. £450 the lot, rather go fishing!

If the folks that have been to have a look think it's too big, they probably won't have advised about this either: https://www.gov.uk/permission-work-on-river-flood-sea-defence Might be overkill, difficult to see from your pic, but you might expect a responsible professional to at least have considered and mentioned it to you....

It's an inherently, systemically, irreversibly flawed concept Wes. Using the "we can't change it because it's 'contracted'" cop out is just that, a cop out (by the people responsible for local government) and a denial to accept that we make mistakes. When mistakes are made, they should be taken at face value, analysed and learnt from. Not buried, excused and blindly continued with. This is a colossal balls up by the person(s) responsible for establishing the concept and then issuing the ITT. Yes, contractors will bid for contracts and expect to fulfil the terms of the contract and be paid what's due. But (on this scale) they also have corporate moral, environmental and shareholder responsibilities to consider. The adverse PR that this is attracting will be doing the company image no good at all. The council should recognise it's error, the senior management at Amey should have foreseen the complications and between them, it should have been changed well before it got to this stage. Somebody needs to have the moral courage to say STOP. Let's rethink this. I'm by no means a 'career protester' and there may be some itinerant, anarchists in the mix that are just using this as the protest of choice for this week, but that's not the main stay of the group from what I can see. This is regular, ordinary people kicking off about scandalously inept and arrogant council destruction of an invaluable public asset. The boys and girls on the tools are getting a tough time and that's not entirely fair but where are the big kahoona's in all this? Where are the Tree Council, the NT, the FC, the AA? Way too quiet. Where is Corbyn? Where is Sue Hayman? Gove has put Corbyn to shame on this one. Stop protesting and the big kahoona's quietly get paid and move on to the next project... It's wrong, everyone can see it's wrong. (typing at the same time Gary... Must get to work!!)

My engineering knowledge is limited to checking the oil & water! Mate said the other day of the later Ford engines “they will throw a leg out of bed for a pass time” I had absolutely no idea what he was on about, but realised it didn’t sound good. I struggle to to understand why it’s necess to meddle in something that has come out of a factory after quadzillions of hours (and £s) of R&D, design and manufacture. Still pondering it as an option...

Bloody hell, obvious when you know what you're talking about. A revelation to a dullard!

Thanks Richard, options there....

What do you mean by wheelings Paul? I'm not well informed on pitch maintenance. Anyone have a view on Institute of Groundsmanship? Any good / use for the subs fee??

Anyone looked at pitch aeration equipment for MO? Was asking at a demo today but everything seems to be small tractor tow behind style or PTO. http://www.sisis.com/multitiner-1-8m/ Anyone think of a reason why this shouldn't be towed behind or pushed in front of a MO? Or does anyone have any knowledge of a hydraulic powered rather than PTO variant that would suit MO?

Where did you source that Maria... I'll have one if they are readily available. In fact, I'd buy a bundle and start giving them out in Cornwall

I don't think I grew out of baby rage, which was compounded by the terrible 2's and the fiesty 4's, overlaid with puberty, turbo charged with adolescent alcohol exposure and is all now wrapped up in early onset Alzheimer's..... Looking forward to dribbling in a rocking chair on the veranda..... Gnome world was (not entirely unexpectedly) underwhelming - but there was some awesome kit on offer and an Arbtak 150 in satin black was ordered (specifically WITHOUT the EU flag decal!) 20minutes travel each way, free entry, plenty of demo's, cheesey burger & tea from the catering outlet - not a tenner, but COMPLIMENTARY.... Back home in time for Daily Politics. Trade Shows, that's the way to do it!

It’s a mistake I’ve never really learnt from, well, I have learnt it, but the realisation only tends to hit me some time after the impulsive reaction has blurted out first... ? (hoping pubity will pass before dementia sets in and provides the next excuse for being an outspoken hothead!) The people that make me want to react impulsively are the ones that generally have the most credible counter point to make. Loike, there’s no point having a debate / discussion / argument with someone that agrees with you ?it’s got nowhere to go, just as well sit quietly in contentment. (I must be in an uncharacteristicly cheery mood....? Could it be the planned visit to “Gnome world” today? Don’t panic, it’s not a gnome fetish, it’s just that that is the venue for a demo day??)

You’ve called that one wrong fella... TVI IS a barrel of laughs, clever, funny, sometimes silly and sometimes serious but never offensive nor overly sensitive, although sometimes exasperated and frustrated by others opinions. All that and still up for a banter. An all round good and a big part of the rich tapestry of AT - IMHO

If I had the answers I'd be heading up the CQC (I did make a rather lazy submission to join when it stood up a few years back.) I'd agree, privatisation is perhaps not the solution - all that would do is switch the scam from 1 recipient to another - but you could bet the scams would be clamped down on (or exploited with ruthless efficiency) Eggs has the solution - same as applies across so many arenas - shut the loopholes. Achieving it is where the problem lies - everything has got so bloody complex. Trouble is wherever there is a 'system' some smart barstewart will find a way to maximise the benefit from it. MPs' expenses, DLA, Corporation tax, ISA... I make no bones about doing it myself because I hate the waste in the tax system. Get towards the end of March, go buy something rather than paying tax on too much income.

Spot on. Choose the job / customer. Only just did a website last Nov whilst down with man flu. Had an email from a chap 4 weeks ago for a local property. I didn't recognise the name or the address but emailed back with some questions same day he had emailed me. Next day, he replies apologising that the time difference (he was -8 hrs) was the delay in his response (which was next day anyway! I've waited months for others not to bother with a reply) Turns out he's in Malaysia, saw the website, wanted some work doing to a house he rents out. Went had a look, sent him some prices, did the work, advised on some more, sent the bill, BACS transfer next day. No quibble, no nonsense. He's now in the book of customers to look after. It's just a shame the book of *king idiots is so much bigger than the book of good 'uns!

Was a pharmacist on LBC few weeks back. He was talking about the drugs scam. Drug rep's, Doctors' surgeries, pharmacists, all in on it... A new drug is patented for a period of time so that the manufacturer can recoup R&D costs, then it goes to open licence. Take paracetamol for example. There are now a load of generic types, even widely available from the supermarket for pence. Dr's surgery writes the branded name on the prescription, pharmacist issues a generic low cost alternative, bill goes from surgery to NHS for the branded variant at many times the purchase cost of the generic variant. Dr's surgery - as a stand alone business entity - creams the massive mark up and the NHS, and by extension the tax payer, takes it up the ass. There is much that is in need of fixing from within before we start milking the taxpayer for more juice!

That’s what the tune-up wizard said - it’s the same engine but ‘governed’ into different model spec’s to fit into tax brackets. He just unleashes that which has been previously suppressed. He Changes the engine performance (wether for economy or acceleration/ top end) but the vehicle retains original tax bracket. £300 for a re-map.

Yes, I think similar could be said for most, if not all. But there’s only the 1 that is so distorted by irrational thinking. A 6 figure salary manager - that isn’t managing - in the private sector = fired. All parts of a system working in unison (?) towards an efficient output is good for all - a successful business. Majority of the parts of a system working (hard) but within deeply entrenched silos is no good for efficiency - the NHS. Some NHS trusts demonstrating good working practices because they have effective and innovative managers.

Agreed Wes, most, if not all, public sector employees benefit from annual incremental increases - I can’t believe it hasn’t been exposed when the unions are banging on about the pay cap. And how how many of those agency staff are the very same full time NHS employees?

Easter just round the corner.... Wouldn't buy a sofa any other time of year.... (or would I??)

That’s the one Gary. Just read “taxpayer” for shareholder and we’re in the xact same place!

Saw a news feature t'other day where micro beads were found in an alarming number of branded bottled waters... (leaving the debate about bottled waters aside for a minute) Bit of a worry if the fish are eating micro beads, then we're eating the fish, if there are micro beads in the water that we're drinking too.... Where next and to what effect?? It's quite 'adjacent' really, it hasn't taken too long for the plastics that are a relatively recent arrival on the scene to make their way into the food chain. Doesn't leave much time for adaption (tin hat, retires to wibble in the corner....)

Are you blinded by the (in part understandable) emotional attachment? Money in - product out. Management responsibility is to ensure the product out achieves VfM (NHS) or profit (private sector.) Those 2 functions are not vastly dissimilar once the hysteria is stripped away. Failure to strip away the hysteria / political bias and approach the matter sensibly will result in the collapse of the very institution that most energetic protagonists of it warn against. Baffled.....