Steven P

This is starting to be a tricky week for Trump, 24 hours to make 90 trade deals with the world to cut his self imposed import taxes The press has got a renewed interest in Epstein... and this time round half the photos published have Trump in them The 'First Bestie' has decided to start his own political party A massive delay in response to 100+ deaths in Texas (where most politicians would be straight in there with words, he wasn't)... but he will be visiting 'probably' on Friday.. suspecting so on Saturday he can bag a new golf course to play on... and the response from his team is prayer... nothing tangible So be prepared for some Trump strop twatterings this week

Proper tanked it down here last night, overflowing gutters after 5 minutes rain, blue skies now but the ground is still soaked

Pretty much yes, take the NHS as an example, with its 190 Billion budget, sure you are going to find savings in there but not to the scale that the politicians think they are going to find. 1 Billion is a huge number for example but 0.5% of the entire NHS budget. Given that the politicians have been studying the NHS (and other services) for the last 20+ years to find waste as I say, I would be amazed if they find 1 billion wasted cash. So yes, in relative terms, there is no waste in the NHS budget.

I won't hold my breath though that in the next year the NHS will 'save' or allocate to other things 6 billions, or even 1 billion. See my point is that if this waste is so obvious to all why hasn't it been fixed in the last 20 years or so? They have put some of the best managers in charge - far better than any of us at a keyboard, a whole government department, prime ministers with an interest in the politics of "We've saved billions", and the apparent waste is still there.. billions of it. My opinion though, if you look at the NHS, what care we might receive today is heads and shoulders above what we had when we we children. I'll assume associated costs increase with it to provide that increased care. Politicians apparently see rising costs as a bloat in the system and put that down waste, something to be cut, to make political gains from. If the waste was so obvious to all then it would have been cut out years ago.

.. with a family like that I am not surprised one of them would be OK at first aid!

I might transplant them somewhere sunnier - they only get morning sun just now (the sun what we are getting anyway)

I first learnt to drive on site with my dad supervising us - he was on site... somewhere - aged about 12. Nothing wrong with that.

Nice, mine hasn't ever done that well, usualy when I pull it it is a small bulb, enough for 1 - which is fine for me (my base garlic was from the supermarket, probably have enough growing from that single bulb for a full year now)

Just to correct the 'man' frim Blyth who doesn't know where coal comes from, and to stop him banging on on about private healthcare in every thread for the next millenium... in my case, heakthcare is provided by the employer, for all their employees. No option, no hypocrisy, if there was an option I'd be sticking to what has worked for me so far, which is NHS treatment, I tried to correct you but I very much doubt that will be the end of that, probably you'll mention it till everyone is sick of that as well as your coal.

As far as I can tell - have it but never needed to use it, UK Private health care covers things that the GP looks at and leaves the NHS to the tricky things like A&E, but some things the NHS will do better anyway (I think once diagnosed the headliners - like cancers and heart disease the NHS is up there with the best), so private will not do that so much either. In the US private healthcare covers everything. Pretty much agree with this one. A percent of GDP makes sense, but perhaps with an absolute minimum that they need to provide for should be guaranteed (in the extreme odd chance that GDP tanks). Yes changing government adds inefficiencies due to change.. 4 years later they are on track and then it is all changed about again - that is where the money is wasted, not in the basic system though.

Anyway, as you were... NHS and Farage. He is going to hunt high and low for efficiencies, waste, and savings. The same that the Tories have done for 15 years, the same that Labour are doing now and did before the Tories. Do you think that if there is massive inefficiencies and waste they'd had found it in the last 20 years? If not it is well hidden... but no worries, Farage will find it. (to cross thread a bit, same a Musk in the US was going to find trillions of waste... he didn't). Pretty much in all public services there is no waste, there is no budget for it. 'Waste' is another term for "Cutting stuff we don't like politically... but cannot say that outright".

What's that, the NHS, a rare proper Arbtalk discussion going on too much for you so back to where you feel comfortable, back to your intolerance and hatred, "Arn't all Muslims bad people" ? Forget all the good things that the NHS does, lets bring some hate to the room.

However when it comes to blocking forum threads with keyboard warrior hatred, JohnsonD'Senior Dater is right in there.

This thread hypocrite.

You're right, worldwide migration is a big issue, but the stance of UK politicians of standing at the border and trying to turn back a tide as they come doesn't work. Farage and his videos of anger "Look they still come" will be repeated for the next 100 years unless you look to the source and why people leave. Harris in the US was tasked with this, working with and investing in Guatamala (I think it was) and the number of immigrants from there dropped. But to stand and demonise them when they arrive here - too late to do anything - isn't working. That was for the small boat arrivals. For the 'regular' immigration again too many, and that needs some tricky political decisions.. which given a 4 year life of a politician before they are potentially sacked, tricky decisions arn't made very often.

And I suspect there are those who use this forum have completely forgotten why the NHS was set up and it's guiding principles of free at the point of use. Those who have a claim for asylum - who are here legally now that that claim is being processed get acess to UK healthcare. Those who are here illegally - ie those who do not have an asylum claim, or other rights to remain, do not get a right to access UK healthcare (apart from emergency care). Even asylum seekers and refugees only get 'tier 1' treatment - which is the life saving stuff. For being so vocal on the subject, I am amazed they don't know this. Spouting rubbish from a position of ignorance.. or if they do know it is spouting rubbish for the purpose of spreading hatred and intolerance. As for paying, those that can pay do and those that need the help get it without paying, there is no 'banked' money. Pay in £10,000 a year and expect £10k worth of treatment, be poor and pay in £1k a year to only get £1k of treatment type of thing... We are all equal in NHS care, richest or poorest. Though I often find that those whose salaries dwarf the average worker, those with the most disposable income are the ones who whinge the loudest having forgotten their roots - we all come out naked and crying, we all end up in a hole the same way - which is the principle here, we are all humans and all the same. Same with pensions, my tax (NI... is tax), pays for the current pensioners, my childrens will pay for mine. As a society we look after each other - and as such a society we are vastly improved for it.

However for at least the 2nd half of the last Tory government, 60,000 or whatever the number is (that was at its peak) is dwarfed by the government approved immigrants - that half million a year net migration are the ones who are putting pressure on housing, on farmland, on all our resources. They are the ones who come to steal our jobs and houses. I suspect that all on this forum know that well but some choose to blame all of the UKs problems on a tiny number of people.

As far as I can tell his policies for this is to turn into Gandolf, stand on the White Cliffs of Dover shouting "You Shall Not Pass" and then "Oh, you did, OK, you over there You Shall Not Pass... oh they did too"

Looks like it is garden access - either a badly fitted fence at the back of the garage or a gate, wonder why they did it that way instead of the gate being to the side of the porch

I never noticed the garage door thing when I looked at the photos - not sure if it is a design thought to reduce on street parking (if it was me it would fill up with stuff that would go in the shed), just wondering if it counts as a porch / car porch for the planning

Your contract with the suppliers should specify a point of connection. Typically for domestic it will be the meter for gas and electric. If your water is metered to the property it will be the same else will typically be the stop valve - might be in the pavement outside. BT or telecoms will be the wall box. If it goes wrong their side they fix it, else you fix it. If you fiddle with the BT box on their side of the connection and it all goes wrong... and if they notice... you'll get billed for repairs. Likewise for electric, the big pull out fuse is theirs, you are not allowed to pull it unless in emergency (nominal charge for them to do that)... some electricians are also authorised to do that and put a new seal on after... not sure about gas but assume it will be similar. If you push the "that meter is mine" idea too hard, they will just disconnect their supplies to it or provide you with a new meter that they own.

It is wildly reported that Trump had watched "Escape From Alcatraz" the night before announcing he wanted to reopen Alcatraz (hmm, another of his 'Lets do this' and failed to stick to his word), now he wants an 'Alligator Alcatraz' - wonder if he's been watching Papillion in the last few weeks? However very much smoke and mirrors from his government, I missed the fanfare that his Big Beautiful Bill was only passed this week because his Vice President had a casting vote, else it was tied. Big Beautiful Bill... screws over the working man to fund his mates tax cuts, doesn't cut their debt (adds to it), doesn't protect things like their state healthcare... all of which Trump promised during his campaigning - tax cuts for all, lower debt levels, and looking out for the workers? Smoke and mirrors, the more you look at Trump the more you see 'emperor wearing new clothes' being manipulated behind the scenes by those who appear to be yes men telling him just what he wants to hear. Still, one day there will positive news that he has improved the lot of the workers.

UK has a stable birth rate, 1:1 kind of thing, so assuming we all have homes now none... however family sizes are getting smaller generally so need some houses for these smaller family units. Scotland I believe the birth rate means a shrinking population. However at the risk of exciting the easily excited, political policies of the last government to allow mass immigration since Brexit (the authorised ones, coming to steal our jobs) are the biggest pressure on housing we have just now (so authorised immigrants, coming to steal our jobs and our houses!)

I'll very rarely reply to his posts that I read. Never worth it, maybe those occasional replies are tedious, I'll take note.

Usual ugly as sin houses. Had this when the Irish bubble burst 20 years ago, blocks of flats (sorry, apartments - flats) bought off plan, deposits paid, house prices dipped, Irish money dipped and the owners walked loosing their deposits was cheaper than the loss of fulfilling their contracts and paying more than the flats were valued at. Might be similar, bought off plan by investors, house prices haven't risen as much as they want so they have walked or are not selling them on till the prices pick up 2nd thought, if they are valued at so many millions the developer can use them as deposits to borrow more money from the bank to fund the next development, without having to pay any sales tax they can borrow their full value