Baldbloke

Boris Johnson goes to war on foreign spies, hackers and saboteurs in Queen's Speech APPLE.NEWS A landmark overhaul of security laws to crack down on spies, saboteurs and hackers working for states such as Russia and North Korea was heralded in the Queen’s Speech today. Maybe to ensure someone like Corbyn can’t darken the corridors of Westminster again?

Ok, I stand corrected. I’m presuming the 200,000 a year that get prosecuted for not having a licence don’t try that excuse too? This seems the best link to what’s allowed without a licence. It may surprise some... Your no licence declaration expires after 2 years by the way How can I legally avoid paying a TV licence fee? | Technology | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Steve doesn’t watch TV and wants to stop paying the UK licence fee, but now it applies to smartphones, consoles and the BBC iPlayer app on all devices

200,000 might disagree

I agree with the bulk of your last two posts but really worry about the SNP having even more power. I’m concerned about a change of currency, a hard border within Britain, raised taxes, their plans to rejoin the EU, and most of all the secrecy that the SNP is renowned for. But, if they were to provide a workable working plan/manifesto and allow full scrutiny of it prior to any further Indy referendum I could be converted. But they won’t, and suspect any funding will need to be extracted from those far removed from their vote base. They’ll work on the emotions of the feckless and keep very quiet about how they’ll be managing their brave new Scotland until it’s seen as unaffordable. There is a real danger of a brain drain and the very best of people leaving Scotland if taxes are disproportionately higher to the U.K. whole. As Andy suggests, it may be very difficult to get rid of the SNP once Scotland was an independent country. Of course they are a big party in Scotland, but a relatively small party within the U.K. representing around a majority within a twelfth of the population.

U.K. exports to EU = £289 billion (46% of all U.K. exports) U.K. imports from EU = £345 billion (54% of all U.K. imports) So we import more than we export to the EU, and the bulk of our business (in spite of being presently tethered to the EU) is out with of the EU, AND based on WTO terms. Now we’re almost out it should be possible to to improve our export terms through trade deals (for the bulk of our trade) and hopefully strike a deal with the EU for our existing business. It should be remembered that doing trade deals while being a EU member is disallowed. Additionally the EU would be the net losers were we to leave without agreement. A win win in my mind.....

True, but how would you do that as Joe Bloggs against a lawyer whose heard every argument under the sun with hundreds of previous successful convictions? If you contested the charge because you had no licence, you would be taken to court, and it would be down to you to show/prove you didn’t watch what the licence was in place to cover. Otherwise they wouldn’t bother using representatives in court to chase fines of up to £1000.00 You might not be guilty until proven, but the fact is you’d be seen guilty because you had the ability (the telly) to receive live broadcasts. The only way I’d see you’d get away with it is not to have a telly visible from outside, and to refuse entry to anyone who came enquiring. Then remove the telly for when they came back later with the necessary to enter your property.

I didn’t realise other channels get a bite of the pie too. Thought it was purely BBCs. It would be good to know the percentages, and be able to pay a sub for what you want rather than what is decided for you.

You’d need to be able to convince a court you didn’t watch BBC live broadcasts in order to have a telly and not have a licence.

£154.00?

To bring this into perspective, the Licence Fee brings in 3.7 billion, while other channels exist through adverts. We know that the BBC includes other services other than television, but what’s to stop them making their television broadcasts pay as you go? That way the TV licence could be abolished and, if you couldn’t live without it, you could subscribe to the channel. No more having to reluctantly subsidise a channel you rarely watch. Nor resenting having to pay for what you believe is sometimes adversely biased in some of its reporting. Of course, its other services may need to advertise to pay to run, but what is the harm in having to be competitive?

Rather like the last 3.5 years of instability over Brexit, the SNP are doing untold damage by not accepting the last referendum on independence and insisting on another. Investment and emigration are closely tied to stability. After all who in their right mind is going to invest in anything with the spectre of a far left SNP government getting full autonomous tax varying powers, or being subject to rejoining the EU with its insistence of tax and regulatory compliance? This when your English trading partner is free of that regulatory compliance as well as being able to set corporate tax low enough to draw in foreign investment. Then add on a new and necessary Scottish untested currency and a hard border to fully isolate Scotland and make it uncompetitive.

No other party (with a possibility of getting a majority) is advocating independence for Scotland. Only the SNP. A majority previously voted to remain as part of the Union. Why not wait to see if leaving the EU is the disaster Sturgeon reckons it will be? If it is, she’ll get her mandate and we’ll all probably support a call for a referendum. If not, and it goes better than expected, we’d be daft leaving the Union. That’s the truth of the matter. Sturgeon knows that the longer a referendum is left, the more possibility of the U.K. doing well and getting on outside of the EU. Then there will be less reason to depart and less reason for the SNP to exist.

Not that I trust the EU, but: Unless the EU made a massive concession (based on our present U.K. membership) Scotland would and could not qualify for EU membership. Perhaps it’s Sturgeon using the recent Scottish figures of Scots voters wishing to remain in the EU, to bolster her popularity rather than a true wish to be a member? After all, any ammunition is a godsend in further inciting hatred and a bigger vote from the feckless. It’s looking like Socialist Momentum and the base vote of Socialist SNP have something in common in hatred and racism. Yet it was us Brexit supporters that were previously being labelled in this way....

Some is devolved and goes directly to the Scottish Government. Edit Just read the last four posts.

Up until 5 years ago our out of hours managers were ex service people and the service worked. They’ve now retired and been replaced by politically correct incompetent others. Last night we were covering twice the (already vast) area for visits. It also took us 22 minutes to get through to Ambulance Control to collect someone, and we finished an hour and a half late because of the distances. Sickness, and employees taking advantage is one of the biggest issues. Also the fear of litigation if you call someone out on taking time out for a supposed health problem. Piss poor management and too many people who have only ever worked within the NHS without having the necessary management skills. Just two more 12 hour shifts then off for four[emoji3]

The big blobs on the map are immaterial for a referendum vote, as it’s a single issue we’d be deciding upon. With Brexit done and dusted those that want independence don’t presently hold the numbers for a majority. Every present SNP vote from two days ago doesn’t actually add up to 50% of the total electorate. Anyone who wants Independence would have voted for the SNP in such an important election. With that reasoning, the rest that voted for other parties must consider the SNP toxic, and don’t want independence. I can’t see any real numbers of independence supporters voting for other parties....except you of course! Those SNP votes adequately put MPs in place but don’t equate to a majority on a single issue point in a referendum. The Poison Dwarf will be presently be considering her options for new criteria for increasing the numbers of half wits, dossers and anyone else she considers able enough to put a cross in her desired box. BJ will need his five years of tenure to prove Brexit as a positive (or potential positive) and that It shows that Scotland would be foolish not tagging along with England, N. Ireland and Wales. Then the SNP and its efforts will hopefully be put firmly back to the nonentity it was 40 years ago. That is why BJ cannot afford to let Sturgeon have another referendum until the benefits of Brexit are more apparent.

Scotland does have an vast majority to ensure the seats gained, but it’s still only 43/45% of the electorate. It would be fair to say that anyone who would want independence would have voted for the SNP in the GE of 2 days ago. But, some of that total of 45% could have voted tactically for the SNP purely because of Brexit. That implies there’s only a vociferous minority wish in Scotland for independence. The figures just don’t stack up. If and when we leave the EU and that part of the equation is removed from a future referendum, and it’s based purely on breaking up the Union it looks like we may remain within the Union. On voting I’d recommend only Scottish born taxpayers and Council tax payers being allowed. Then only those that put something in got to decide how their taxes were best utilised. Here we go[emoji3]

I’m no political expert, but at 60 I know who is selling a dud and who is more likely to do the least damage to the country. My point on 16 year olds getting the vote is that I believe most are too easily manipulated by teachers, parents and emotion at that age. Don’t get me wrong as I was working full time by 16, but I hadn’t much interest or knowledge of what the political parties stood for, or bothered about their manifestos at 16. Sturgeon however, will be well aware that impressionable young minds are more easily swayed by ‘freedom’ bollocks than someone whose more cynical and wants to hear the detail rather than the rhetoric. And to answer your question. While paying tax and working for a living might not make me a political expert, it must give me more say in how my tax is spent, over someone yet to contribute.

Ok. One could argue that the General Election focused on Brexit. Because Scotland largely voted to Remain in the referendum, and the Tories were seen as the Brexit promoting party, the SNP were seen as the most viable party to vote for in order to back up the Remain sentiment shown by Scotland following the referendum. The question is whether Scotland’s vote on a future referendum (now that Brexit is on the cards) will reflect a willingness to break up the Union, accept a hard border, austerity, and a new and unproven currency. This when the facts of how the SNP are to fund this independence is as yet unknown. My understanding of the 48 Scottish seats won by the SNP equates to 43% of the Scottish electorate. That to me suggests that less than half of our voters want independence in spite of wanting to remain as a member of the EU. Otherwise, the proportion voting for the SNP should have been even higher. Sturgeon has already allowed 16 year olds the vote. This without those youngsters having contributed tax or having any experience of earning a living. I’m just wondering what other tricks she may use to bolster her vote. Whether there is mileage in including Scots born in country, but living as expats elsewhere, or something else.

Ah, sorry about my float comment as that’s the only type I’ve seen in the flesh. Now appreciate there can be optical probes down the depth of the tank too.

Not at the price for a replacement catalyst.

Heard that the senders do stick. Especially if you run them low before refilling. Something to do with the angle of the float at near zero. Maybe a small top up and a hard run down a bumpy track?

50 years ago as a kid prior to getting an air rifle Hazel was all I used for both the bow and the arrows. I still look at Hazel growth with an eye for choosing suitable bits, but nowadays for sticks.

If it’s true I’ll drink to this: Poll reveals sharp fall in support for Scottish independence WWW.THETIMES.CO.UK Support for independence is waning in Scotland and swinging behind the Union despite the SNP’s election push, an exclusive poll for The Times has revealed. Fifty-six per cent of voters say they...

What about lifting one of the gates off the hinges?........