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Post by Rednwhitenblue on May 22, 2021 10:32:37 GMT
In every assessment I see the UK is ranked as one of the top countries in the world, certainly in the top 20 and usually in the top 10. Considering the role we play in other aspects such as supporting NATO with our strong armed forces and foreign aid I think we do very well. One thing we appear to be best at is whinging and complaining. For example the UK is ranked as the best country in the world for education: www.studyinternational.com/news/the-uk-is-the-best-country-in-the-world-for-education-says-study/Our education provision may be the best but our actual standard of the nations education is not as high, which possibly says more about those being educated. www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/pisa-test-results-rankings-education-uk-oecd-maths-reading-science-wellbeing-a9230711.htmlbut British teenagers complain the most. It must be in the genes. On health the UK is consistently one of the top ranked countries in the world. Detailed studies have found in many aspects the UK is best in terms of provision of service, quality of professional service, provision of facilities, whilst in other aspects we are not so good such as the effectiveness of treatment and standard of the nations health, but that is possibly more due to obesity, drinking, and failure to follow doctor's directions. An perfect example of this is the appalling number of missed appointments that causes huge wastage of time and assets in the NHS. The is also a huge wastage of unused prescriptions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40608253#:~:text=The%20NHS%20has%20been%20ranked,early%20death%20and%20cancer%20survival. As for welfare, I think the UK provision of welfare is renowned and a lot of people head to this country. Whilest online, I went to hospital this week for a procedure and have nothing but praise and admiration for our health service. I did have to wait, but was dealt with brilliantly by excellent staff in excellent humour. As usual there was an example of British complaining from a guy who arrived well after me, was only waiting a short while and then complained because a young lady who had arrived after him, was called before him. He was told she was receiving treatment by a different team to him. Undoubtedly so, and the fact that it is probably goes some way to explaining why some people appear to find so much time to whine about stuff that doesn't really affect them, if most of the things that do actually matter are in place already. That said, imagine how good the country would be if we really chose to concentrate on making our public services world class instead of these strange deflections that people like to focus on. Here's an interesting assessment. No surprise to see us being left behind by many of our European neighbours and disturbing to see the downward trend from 2016. Perhaps it's just a blip. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Country_Index I hope it's not a sign of the Americanisation of our country.
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Post by mrcoke on May 22, 2021 11:52:59 GMT
In every assessment I see the UK is ranked as one of the top countries in the world, certainly in the top 20 and usually in the top 10. Considering the role we play in other aspects such as supporting NATO with our strong armed forces and foreign aid I think we do very well. One thing we appear to be best at is whinging and complaining. For example the UK is ranked as the best country in the world for education: www.studyinternational.com/news/the-uk-is-the-best-country-in-the-world-for-education-says-study/Our education provision may be the best but our actual standard of the nations education is not as high, which possibly says more about those being educated. www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/pisa-test-results-rankings-education-uk-oecd-maths-reading-science-wellbeing-a9230711.htmlbut British teenagers complain the most. It must be in the genes. On health the UK is consistently one of the top ranked countries in the world. Detailed studies have found in many aspects the UK is best in terms of provision of service, quality of professional service, provision of facilities, whilst in other aspects we are not so good such as the effectiveness of treatment and standard of the nations health, but that is possibly more due to obesity, drinking, and failure to follow doctor's directions. An perfect example of this is the appalling number of missed appointments that causes huge wastage of time and assets in the NHS. The is also a huge wastage of unused prescriptions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40608253#:~:text=The%20NHS%20has%20been%20ranked,early%20death%20and%20cancer%20survival. As for welfare, I think the UK provision of welfare is renowned and a lot of people head to this country. Whilest online, I went to hospital this week for a procedure and have nothing but praise and admiration for our health service. I did have to wait, but was dealt with brilliantly by excellent staff in excellent humour. As usual there was an example of British complaining from a guy who arrived well after me, was only waiting a short while and then complained because a young lady who had arrived after him, was called before him. He was told she was receiving treatment by a different team to him. Undoubtedly so, and the fact that it is probably goes some way to explaining why some people appear to find so much time to whine about stuff that doesn't really affect them, if most of the things that do actually matter are in place already. That said, imagine how good the country would be if we really chose to concentrate on making our public services world class instead of these strange deflections that people like to focus on. Here's an interesting assessment. No surprise to see us being left behind by many of our European neighbours and disturbing to see the downward trend from 2016. Perhaps it's just a blip. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Country_Index I hope it's not a sign of the Americanisation of our country. As you say it is a choice of what we concentrate on. The UK chooses to spend huge amounts on armed forces, which many in the Good Country Index don't. If we abandon defence, we leave a lot of peoples helpless and exposed to oppression, and allow France to dominate Europe militarily. www.wearethemighty.com/articles/top-10-militaries-world-ranked/The UK gives a huge amount in foreign aid, which generally goes to good use. www.wristband.com/content/which-countries-provide-receive-most-foreign-aid/Unlike the EU which gives huge amounts to Turkey, and Japan and Germany give huge amounts to India allowing India to spend massively on armed forces. The trick is to have a more productive economy and be more self sufficient. I believe we are "being left behind" as you well know, because of our massive and growing trade deficit with the EU, coupled with the financial contributions the UK paid for CAP, regional aid to Southern Europe, foreign aid to Turkey, subsidising low taxes in Ireland, the list is endless. Meanwhile we have neglected our own infrastructure, (which the government is now addressing) while paying for Spain to rebuilds its infrastructure post Franco. I visited the Netherlands a lot and hugely admire their infrastructure. (As I'm writing this, my wife and I are watching Corrie ten Boom's story.) We are now free to run the country in the best interests of the UK (except in NI at the moment) like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. We are still better than most countries at most things today, and can do better and be higher up the Index. Most people strive to do their best for themselves, their families, and employers and I suppose some people contribute by moaning about the shortcomings. I love American culture, but agree we don't have to follow their version of capitalism, but I would much rather "rub shoulders" with the yanks, than do what the EU is doing trying to strike an investment agreement with China and Germany becoming dependant on Russia for energy.
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Post by partickpotter on May 22, 2021 17:06:17 GMT
In every assessment I see the UK is ranked as one of the top countries in the world, certainly in the top 20 and usually in the top 10. Considering the role we play in other aspects such as supporting NATO with our strong armed forces and foreign aid I think we do very well. One thing we appear to be best at is whinging and complaining. For example the UK is ranked as the best country in the world for education: www.studyinternational.com/news/the-uk-is-the-best-country-in-the-world-for-education-says-study/Our education provision may be the best but our actual standard of the nations education is not as high, which possibly says more about those being educated. www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/pisa-test-results-rankings-education-uk-oecd-maths-reading-science-wellbeing-a9230711.htmlbut British teenagers complain the most. It must be in the genes. On health the UK is consistently one of the top ranked countries in the world. Detailed studies have found in many aspects the UK is best in terms of provision of service, quality of professional service, provision of facilities, whilst in other aspects we are not so good such as the effectiveness of treatment and standard of the nations health, but that is possibly more due to obesity, drinking, and failure to follow doctor's directions. An perfect example of this is the appalling number of missed appointments that causes huge wastage of time and assets in the NHS. The is also a huge wastage of unused prescriptions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40608253#:~:text=The%20NHS%20has%20been%20ranked,early%20death%20and%20cancer%20survival. As for welfare, I think the UK provision of welfare is renowned and a lot of people head to this country. Whilest online, I went to hospital this week for a procedure and have nothing but praise and admiration for our health service. I did have to wait, but was dealt with brilliantly by excellent staff in excellent humour. As usual there was an example of British complaining from a guy who arrived well after me, was only waiting a short while and then complained because a young lady who had arrived after him, was called before him. He was told she was receiving treatment by a different team to him. Undoubtedly so, and the fact that it is probably goes some way to explaining why some people appear to find so much time to whine about stuff that doesn't really affect them, if most of the things that do actually matter are in place already. That said, imagine how good the country would be if we really chose to concentrate on making our public services world class instead of these strange deflections that people like to focus on. Here's an interesting assessment. No surprise to see us being left behind by many of our European neighbours and disturbing to see the downward trend from 2016. Perhaps it's just a blip. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Country_Index I hope it's not a sign of the Americanisation of our country. Where does folk whining about other folk whining about stuff that doesn’t really affect them rate in your assessment.
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on May 22, 2021 17:58:55 GMT
Undoubtedly so, and the fact that it is probably goes some way to explaining why some people appear to find so much time to whine about stuff that doesn't really affect them, if most of the things that do actually matter are in place already. That said, imagine how good the country would be if we really chose to concentrate on making our public services world class instead of these strange deflections that people like to focus on. Here's an interesting assessment. No surprise to see us being left behind by many of our European neighbours and disturbing to see the downward trend from 2016. Perhaps it's just a blip. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Country_Index I hope it's not a sign of the Americanisation of our country. Where does folk whining about other folk whining about stuff that doesn’t really affect them rate in your assessment. That would be really sad, partick. Generally laughing at and taking the piss out of people turning into Angry Frank at stuff that isn't going to have any material impact on their lives and is little more than twitter/social media flavour of the month bollocks, seems a fair enough response to the histrionics
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on May 22, 2021 18:04:34 GMT
Undoubtedly so, and the fact that it is probably goes some way to explaining why some people appear to find so much time to whine about stuff that doesn't really affect them, if most of the things that do actually matter are in place already. That said, imagine how good the country would be if we really chose to concentrate on making our public services world class instead of these strange deflections that people like to focus on. Here's an interesting assessment. No surprise to see us being left behind by many of our European neighbours and disturbing to see the downward trend from 2016. Perhaps it's just a blip. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Country_Index I hope it's not a sign of the Americanisation of our country. As you say it is a choice of what we concentrate on. The UK chooses to spend huge amounts on armed forces, which many in the Good Country Index don't. If we abandon defence, we leave a lot of peoples helpless and exposed to oppression, and allow France to dominate Europe militarily. www.wearethemighty.com/articles/top-10-militaries-world-ranked/The UK gives a huge amount in foreign aid, which generally goes to good use. www.wristband.com/content/which-countries-provide-receive-most-foreign-aid/Unlike the EU which gives huge amounts to Turkey, and Japan and Germany give huge amounts to India allowing India to spend massively on armed forces. The trick is to have a more productive economy and be more self sufficient. I believe we are "being left behind" as you well know, because of our massive and growing trade deficit with the EU, coupled with the financial contributions the UK paid for CAP, regional aid to Southern Europe, foreign aid to Turkey, subsidising low taxes in Ireland, the list is endless. Meanwhile we have neglected our own infrastructure, (which the government is now addressing) while paying for Spain to rebuilds its infrastructure post Franco. I visited the Netherlands a lot and hugely admire their infrastructure. (As I'm writing this, my wife and I are watching Corrie ten Boom's story.) We are now free to run the country in the best interests of the UK (except in NI at the moment) like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. We are still better than most countries at most things today, and can do better and be higher up the Index. Most people strive to do their best for themselves, their families, and employers and I suppose some people contribute by moaning about the shortcomings. I love American culture, but agree we don't have to follow their version of capitalism, but I would much rather "rub shoulders" with the yanks, than do what the EU is doing trying to strike an investment agreement with China and Germany becoming dependant on Russia for energy. I agree that we seem determined to turn away from European ideas of social democracy, public service standards and funding through general taxation in favour of embracing a more American way of doing things. You mentioned being impressed with the Dutch way. The same applies in many European states, you should visit Germany and see how they do things. It's not perfect across Europe, let's not pretend otherwise, but embracing the American way will just produce a version of their society over here. We are increasingly following their version of capitalism and society. I don't think that is the right way. You often see people on here incredulous at the stuff that goes on in America, yet that is the direction we are heading. It's not good. Have a look at the country happiness index and see how those European countries that pay most tax to contribute to a society which works for most people most of the time are also the happiest nations in the world. Much happier than us and the States. We should learn from that. Being anti-EU is fine. But that doesn't necessarily preclude looking at the way European countries are run, and trying to understand why their public services are generally better and their people happier. Seems an admirable goal.
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Post by mrcoke on May 22, 2021 18:50:52 GMT
As you say it is a choice of what we concentrate on. The UK chooses to spend huge amounts on armed forces, which many in the Good Country Index don't. If we abandon defence, we leave a lot of peoples helpless and exposed to oppression, and allow France to dominate Europe militarily. www.wearethemighty.com/articles/top-10-militaries-world-ranked/The UK gives a huge amount in foreign aid, which generally goes to good use. www.wristband.com/content/which-countries-provide-receive-most-foreign-aid/Unlike the EU which gives huge amounts to Turkey, and Japan and Germany give huge amounts to India allowing India to spend massively on armed forces. The trick is to have a more productive economy and be more self sufficient. I believe we are "being left behind" as you well know, because of our massive and growing trade deficit with the EU, coupled with the financial contributions the UK paid for CAP, regional aid to Southern Europe, foreign aid to Turkey, subsidising low taxes in Ireland, the list is endless. Meanwhile we have neglected our own infrastructure, (which the government is now addressing) while paying for Spain to rebuilds its infrastructure post Franco. I visited the Netherlands a lot and hugely admire their infrastructure. (As I'm writing this, my wife and I are watching Corrie ten Boom's story.) We are now free to run the country in the best interests of the UK (except in NI at the moment) like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. We are still better than most countries at most things today, and can do better and be higher up the Index. Most people strive to do their best for themselves, their families, and employers and I suppose some people contribute by moaning about the shortcomings. I love American culture, but agree we don't have to follow their version of capitalism, but I would much rather "rub shoulders" with the yanks, than do what the EU is doing trying to strike an investment agreement with China and Germany becoming dependant on Russia for energy. I agree that we seem determined to turn away from European ideas of social democracy, public service standards and funding through general taxation in favour of embracing a more American way of doing things. You mentioned being impressed with the Dutch way. The same applies in many European states, you should visit Germany and see how they do things. It's not perfect across Europe, let's not pretend otherwise, but embracing the American way will just produce a version of their society over here. We are increasingly following their version of capitalism and society. I don't think that is the right way. You often see people on here incredulous at the stuff that goes on in America, yet that is the direction we are heading. It's not good. " you should visit Germany and see how they do things" Remember me, I chaired a European committee for years and it would be easier to say, to which countries I haven't been, and regularly visited Germany during the 70s, 80s 90s, and 00s. Haven't I related time without number my experiences of their duplicity? I don't want to follow America, or Europe, or anyone else. I want a unique British way. I have New Zealand relatives who believe in doing things the New Zealand way and get very upset if you lump them with Australians. NZ is a tiny country with a tiny fraction of the natural resources of the UK, but has some the highest standards and most liberal and democratic society of any country in the world. My step son was a CEO in Singapore and what struck him most was how their government ran the country in the best interests of Singapore, just as the Australians do. You are right about " not perfect across Europe", it is dire in some parts. The Euro is destroying some economies and those countries will have to be bailed out by the richer countries for decades to come. Germany and Poland are polluting the planet burning million tonnes of coal, and making themselves dependant on Russia for energy. Meanwhile southern Europe is creating dependence on gas energy from Israel. The CAP is destroying nature/habitats, unemployment is massive in some countries, such that a generation of young people have to leave their homelands to find work. Greece will be in debt "forever". Ireland is now getting picked on by losing fishing quota to the French, losing pandemic recovery fund share to the French, and will be told to increase their Corporation Tax to be in line with the rest of Europe. Apart from that the EU is great if you are on the "gravy train". I had a French boss in Paris for many years and a Dutch boss in IJmuiden for a couple of years. Life was great for them, because that is how it works in the EU. The organization is set up to favour Germany, France, and the low countries, who toss scraps of aid like RDGs to the rest to keep them quiet. Edit, PS thought you might enjoy this: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2021/may/22/boris-johnson-cooks-up-a-trade-deal-cartoon
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Post by partickpotter on May 22, 2021 19:08:21 GMT
Where does folk whining about other folk whining about stuff that doesn’t really affect them rate in your assessment. That would be really sad, partick. Generally laughing at and taking the piss out of people turning into Angry Frank at stuff that isn't going to have any material impact on their lives and is little more than twitter/social media flavour of the month bollocks, seems a fair enough response to the histrionics Are you referring to Huddy?
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Post by foghornsgleghorn on May 22, 2021 19:34:39 GMT
I agree that we seem determined to turn away from European ideas of social democracy, public service standards and funding through general taxation in favour of embracing a more American way of doing things. You mentioned being impressed with the Dutch way. The same applies in many European states, you should visit Germany and see how they do things. It's not perfect across Europe, let's not pretend otherwise, but embracing the American way will just produce a version of their society over here. We are increasingly following their version of capitalism and society. I don't think that is the right way. You often see people on here incredulous at the stuff that goes on in America, yet that is the direction we are heading. It's not good. " you should visit Germany and see how they do things" Remember me, I chaired a European committee for years and it would be easier to say, to which countries I haven't been, and regularly visited Germany during the 70s, 80s 90s, and 00s. Haven't I related time without number my experiences of their duplicity? I don't want to follow America, or Europe, or anyone else. I want a unique British way. I have New Zealand relatives who believe in doing things the New Zealand way and get very upset if you lump them with Australians. NZ is a tiny country with a tiny fraction of the natural resources of the UK, but has some the highest standards and most liberal and democratic society of any country in the world. My step son was a CEO in Singapore and what struck him most was how their government ran the country in the best interests of Singapore, just as the Australians do. You are right about " not perfect across Europe", it is dire in some parts. The Euro is destroying some economies and those countries will have to be bailed out by the richer countries for decades to come. Germany and Poland are polluting the planet burning million tonnes of coal, and making themselves dependant on Russia for energy. Meanwhile southern Europe is creating dependence on gas energy from Israel. The CAP is destroying nature/habitats, unemployment is massive in some countries, such that a generation of young people have to leave their homelands to find work. Greece will be in debt "forever". Ireland is now getting picked on by losing fishing quota to the French, losing pandemic recovery fund share to the French, and will be told to increase their Corporation Tax to be in line with the rest of Europe. Apart from that the EU is great if you are on the "gravy train". I had a French boss in Paris for many years and a Dutch boss in IJmuiden for a couple of years. Life was great for them, because that is how it works in the EU. The organization is set up to favour Germany, France, and the low countries, who toss scraps of aid like RDGs to the rest to keep them quiet. Edit, PS thought you might enjoy this: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2021/may/22/boris-johnson-cooks-up-a-trade-deal-cartoonWhy do you keep going on about EU countries polluting the planet and never seem to mention that CO2 emissions per capita are double those of Germany in Canada and Australia, two countries you frequently talk of as representing the sort of trading partners we should be seeking? The US is 50% worse than Germany, Japan?- worse. Meanwhile India , another representing the future of trade growth is now the 3rd biggest CO2 emitter on the planet , with 3/4 of its electricity coming from coal burning and is considering building new coal fired plants, despite its own targets for renewables. By all means take Germany to task but to repeatedly mention EU countries in isolation surely somewhat undermines your argument?
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Post by mrcoke on May 22, 2021 20:33:12 GMT
" you should visit Germany and see how they do things" Remember me, I chaired a European committee for years and it would be easier to say, to which countries I haven't been, and regularly visited Germany during the 70s, 80s 90s, and 00s. Haven't I related time without number my experiences of their duplicity? I don't want to follow America, or Europe, or anyone else. I want a unique British way. I have New Zealand relatives who believe in doing things the New Zealand way and get very upset if you lump them with Australians. NZ is a tiny country with a tiny fraction of the natural resources of the UK, but has some the highest standards and most liberal and democratic society of any country in the world. My step son was a CEO in Singapore and what struck him most was how their government ran the country in the best interests of Singapore, just as the Australians do. You are right about " not perfect across Europe", it is dire in some parts. The Euro is destroying some economies and those countries will have to be bailed out by the richer countries for decades to come. Germany and Poland are polluting the planet burning million tonnes of coal, and making themselves dependant on Russia for energy. Meanwhile southern Europe is creating dependence on gas energy from Israel. The CAP is destroying nature/habitats, unemployment is massive in some countries, such that a generation of young people have to leave their homelands to find work. Greece will be in debt "forever". Ireland is now getting picked on by losing fishing quota to the French, losing pandemic recovery fund share to the French, and will be told to increase their Corporation Tax to be in line with the rest of Europe. Apart from that the EU is great if you are on the "gravy train". I had a French boss in Paris for many years and a Dutch boss in IJmuiden for a couple of years. Life was great for them, because that is how it works in the EU. The organization is set up to favour Germany, France, and the low countries, who toss scraps of aid like RDGs to the rest to keep them quiet. Edit, PS thought you might enjoy this: www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2021/may/22/boris-johnson-cooks-up-a-trade-deal-cartoonWhy do you keep going on about EU countries polluting the planet and never seem to mention that CO2 emissions per capita are double those of Germany in Canada and Australia, two countries you frequently talk of as representing the sort of trading partners we should be seeking? The US is 50% worse than Germany, Japan?- worse. Meanwhile India , another representing the future of trade growth is now the 3rd biggest CO2 emitter on the planet , with 3/4 of its electricity coming from coal burning and is considering building new coal fired plants, despite its own targets for renewables. By all means take Germany to task but to repeatedly mention EU countries in isolation surely somewhat undermines your argument? Because the context in which the issues are raised is that I don't agree that the UK is better off as a member of the EU. In this particular post I was replying to the assertion/suggestion that I should visit Germany to see how things are done. In my previous posts (which are virtually all on the Brexit thread) I have consistently asserted that the UK is one of the least polluting of the major world economies and better than the large countries you correctly refer to. Are you suggesting the UK should not trade with countries that are major polluters? That would present a major problem with America and China being two of our biggest trading partners and arguably even worse than the countries mentioned in your post. The fact that all those large countries are major polluters is a good reason to trade with them and sell them our green technology in fact.
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Post by Dave the Rave on May 22, 2021 22:15:39 GMT
Good to see Stoke on Trent residents now being charged for having their brown bin emptied.
If us Tories in Stone have to pay, so should you Tories in Stoke.
Good to see the Tories delivering on their levelling up agenda.
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Post by elystokie on May 22, 2021 22:47:23 GMT
Good to see Stoke on Trent residents now being charged for having their brown bin emptied. If us Tories in Stone have to pay, so should you Tories in Stoke. Good to see the Tories delivering on their levelling up agenda. It's fair enough imo and one of the charges I don't mind, unfair for the people who live in flats and OAP bungalows to have to pay to have their grass cut if we don't pay to have our brown bins emptied, it's effectively the same thing I think.
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Post by Dave the Rave on May 22, 2021 22:53:36 GMT
Good to see Stoke on Trent residents now being charged for having their brown bin emptied. If us Tories in Stone have to pay, so should you Tories in Stoke. Good to see the Tories delivering on their levelling up agenda. It's fair enough imo and one of the charges I don't mind, unfair for the people who live in flats and OAP bungalows to have to pay to have their grass cut if we don't pay to have our brown bins emptied, it's effectively the same thing I think. I pay twice mate. Have to pay a maintenance charge for things other people get as part of their council tax charge and I have to pay the council on top to not deliver those services. Bloody brilliant if you ask me. To be fair, the residents of Meir and Bentilee have been taking the piss for far too long. Expecting the council to dispose of their garden waste within the price they paid previously?! Scandalous. It's about time we all paid the proper going rate for these things. Levelling up = making Stoke on Trent residents pay the same as Stone residents. We're all Tories now.
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Post by elystokie on May 23, 2021 6:18:07 GMT
It's fair enough imo and one of the charges I don't mind, unfair for the people who live in flats and OAP bungalows to have to pay to have their grass cut if we don't pay to have our brown bins emptied, it's effectively the same thing I think. I pay twice mate. Have to pay a maintenance charge for things other people get as part of their council tax charge and I have to pay the council on top to not deliver those services. Bloody brilliant if you ask me. To be fair, the residents of Meir and Bentilee have been taking the piss for far too long. Expecting the council to dispose of their garden waste within the price they paid previously?! Scandalous. It's about time we all paid the proper going rate for these things. Levelling up = making Stoke on Trent residents pay the same as Stone residents. We're all Tories now. I don't know what your personal circumstances are but if it's unfair on you then it should be looked at, but I don't see why the pensioner over the road from me who already pays a standing charge to have his grass cut should also be expected to contribute to the disposal of my garden waste. I just look at it being one big pot to be honest mate and if I lived in a flat with no garden I wouldn't be entirely happy that part of my council tax went on a facility that couldn't possibly be of use to me so it's one extra charge I personally think is fair.
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Post by Rednwhitenblue on May 23, 2021 6:43:08 GMT
It's fair enough imo and one of the charges I don't mind, unfair for the people who live in flats and OAP bungalows to have to pay to have their grass cut if we don't pay to have our brown bins emptied, it's effectively the same thing I think. I pay twice mate. Have to pay a maintenance charge for things other people get as part of their council tax charge and I have to pay the council on top to not deliver those services. Bloody brilliant if you ask me. To be fair, the residents of Meir and Bentilee have been taking the piss for far too long. Expecting the council to dispose of their garden waste within the price they paid previously?! Scandalous. It's about time we all paid the proper going rate for these things. Levelling up = making Stoke on Trent residents pay the same as Stone residents. We're all Tories now. That's the way it goes, central government cuts funding to local authorities, Tory supporters are pleased because it keeps taxes low and councils just waste it anyway, you end up paying for more stuff yourself and probably worse off! And if you can't afford it, you just dump your waste which the council can no longer afford to remove. What's not to love!
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Post by Dave the Rave on May 23, 2021 8:09:33 GMT
I pay twice mate. Have to pay a maintenance charge for things other people get as part of their council tax charge and I have to pay the council on top to not deliver those services. Bloody brilliant if you ask me. To be fair, the residents of Meir and Bentilee have been taking the piss for far too long. Expecting the council to dispose of their garden waste within the price they paid previously?! Scandalous. It's about time we all paid the proper going rate for these things. Levelling up = making Stoke on Trent residents pay the same as Stone residents. We're all Tories now. I don't know what your personal circumstances are but if it's unfair on you then it should be looked at, but I don't see why the pensioner over the road from me who already pays a standing charge to have his grass cut should also be expected to contribute to the disposal of my garden waste. I just look at it being one big pot to be honest mate and if I lived in a flat with no garden I wouldn't be entirely happy that part of my council tax went on a facility that couldn't possibly be of use to me so it's one extra charge I personally think is fair. I agree completely. Everyone should contribute towards public services based on their own personal consumption, irrespective of their ability to pay. It's why we should also scrap the NHS being free. I've barely seen my GP in 36 years and have never had an inpatient or outpatient episode in my life yet I've paid more in NI and taxes than people on lower incomes than me. It's one of the last remnants of socialism we need to rid the country of. If you can't afford something, you go without.
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Post by Huddysleftfoot on May 23, 2021 8:16:04 GMT
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Post by Huddysleftfoot on May 23, 2021 8:54:48 GMT
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Post by scfcbiancorossi on May 23, 2021 9:04:50 GMT
Good to see you're quoting non bias commentators as usual. What kind of dope would have "anti brexit and anti Boris" in their Twitter bio. She looks pretty hot mind 🥰
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Post by elystokie on May 23, 2021 10:24:52 GMT
I don't know what your personal circumstances are but if it's unfair on you then it should be looked at, but I don't see why the pensioner over the road from me who already pays a standing charge to have his grass cut should also be expected to contribute to the disposal of my garden waste. I just look at it being one big pot to be honest mate and if I lived in a flat with no garden I wouldn't be entirely happy that part of my council tax went on a facility that couldn't possibly be of use to me so it's one extra charge I personally think is fair. I agree completely. Everyone should contribute towards public services based on their own personal consumption, irrespective of their ability to pay. It's why we should also scrap the NHS being free. I've barely seen my GP in 36 years and have never had an inpatient or outpatient episode in my life yet I've paid more in NI and taxes than people on lower incomes than me. It's one of the last remnants of socialism we need to rid the country of. If you can't afford something, you go without. I'm not sure the NHS analogy is entirely fair and I'm not sure I've explained myself well enough so I'll have one last go I've just been to see my cousin who lives in a flat in Wolstanton, she pays £4 a month on top of her rent towards the upkeep of the grounds that surround where she lives. She isn't remotely bothered about the £4 but as it stands she's paying that and also contributing to my brown bin being emptied and I don't think that's right in the grand scheme of things.
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Post by foghornsgleghorn on May 23, 2021 10:29:48 GMT
Why do you keep going on about EU countries polluting the planet and never seem to mention that CO2 emissions per capita are double those of Germany in Canada and Australia, two countries you frequently talk of as representing the sort of trading partners we should be seeking? The US is 50% worse than Germany, Japan?- worse. Meanwhile India , another representing the future of trade growth is now the 3rd biggest CO2 emitter on the planet , with 3/4 of its electricity coming from coal burning and is considering building new coal fired plants, despite its own targets for renewables. By all means take Germany to task but to repeatedly mention EU countries in isolation surely somewhat undermines your argument? Because the context in which the issues are raised is that I don't agree that the UK is better off as a member of the EU. In this particular post I was replying to the assertion/suggestion that I should visit Germany to see how things are done. In my previous posts (which are virtually all on the Brexit thread) I have consistently asserted that the UK is one of the least polluting of the major world economies and better than the large countries you correctly refer to. Are you suggesting the UK should not trade with countries that are major polluters? That would present a major problem with America and China being two of our biggest trading partners and arguably even worse than the countries mentioned in your post. The fact that all those large countries are major polluters is a good reason to trade with them and sell them our green technology in fact. We all know the UK's lower GDP per capita is because we don't make things and import them. You mention context - I do not see how Britain, (unlike Germany), not polluting the planet is because we are not members of the EU. We pretty much stopped burning coal for power generation while members of the EU( although we shouldn't forget that around 10% of our electricity generation comes from biomass -biomass has to be the biggest global carbon scam at the moment - in the UK's case felling forests in North America to ship 8 million tons of wood pellets with a low energy density to the UK for burning). Yes we should trade with countries that are major polluters, but when you have repeatedly mentioned the future benefits of free trade with those countries I don't believe you highlight the fact that many of them are little better, or worse, on climate action than the EU) see: climateactiontracker.org/countries/. It is interesting to note the opening comments re-the UK : "The onset of the COVID-19 crisis has had a severe impact on the UK economy, and the government’s commitment to “build back greener” has so far not been matched by strong action. To date only 2% of the economic recovery funds are allocated towards climate related measures, compared to 30% of the EU’s latest 2021-2027 budget and associated recovery package. At the moment the impression I'm getting is that the UK is thinking that the best way to help reach carbon targets from farming is to convert increasing amounts of land used for meat production across to green corridors etc- all very well but if that means importing from countries with poor carbon standards on the other side of the world the we are truly looking at things in a very parochial way and one which does nothing to improve the global climate emissions.
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Post by mrcoke on May 23, 2021 11:58:09 GMT
Because the context in which the issues are raised is that I don't agree that the UK is better off as a member of the EU. In this particular post I was replying to the assertion/suggestion that I should visit Germany to see how things are done. In my previous posts (which are virtually all on the Brexit thread) I have consistently asserted that the UK is one of the least polluting of the major world economies and better than the large countries you correctly refer to. Are you suggesting the UK should not trade with countries that are major polluters? That would present a major problem with America and China being two of our biggest trading partners and arguably even worse than the countries mentioned in your post. The fact that all those large countries are major polluters is a good reason to trade with them and sell them our green technology in fact. We all know the UK's lower GDP per capita is because we don't make things and import them. You mention context - I do not see how Britain, (unlike Germany), not polluting the planet is because we are not members of the EU. We pretty much stopped burning coal for power generation while members of the EU( although we shouldn't forget that around 10% of our electricity generation comes from biomass -biomass has to be the biggest global carbon scam at the moment - in the UK's case felling forests in North America to ship 8 million tons of wood pellets with a low energy density to the UK for burning). Yes we should trade with countries that are major polluters, but when you have repeatedly mentioned the future benefits of free trade with those countries I don't believe you highlight the fact that many of them are little better, or worse, on climate action than the EU) see: climateactiontracker.org/countries/. It is interesting to note the opening comments re-the UK : "The onset of the COVID-19 crisis has had a severe impact on the UK economy, and the government’s commitment to “build back greener” has so far not been matched by strong action. To date only 2% of the economic recovery funds are allocated towards climate related measures, compared to 30% of the EU’s latest 2021-2027 budget and associated recovery package. At the moment the impression I'm getting is that the UK is thinking that the best way to help reach carbon targets from farming is to convert increasing amounts of land used for meat production across to green corridors etc- all very well but if that means importing from countries with poor carbon standards on the other side of the world the we are truly looking at things in a very parochial way and one which does nothing to improve the global climate emissions. I think we are talking at cross purposes. The reason why I make references to UK emissions being lower than many (not all) in the EU is because of the assertion by remainers on this MB that our environmental performance is down to EU membership, which I strongly refute. I can only refer you to all the posts on the Brexit thread rather than repeating everything again on this thread. Regarding importing meat from the other side of the world, that will only happen if people buy it. If we all buy local produce from our local butcher or supermarkets that only sell British beef , it will not happen to a significant level.
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Post by wagsastokie on May 23, 2021 12:07:15 GMT
We all know the UK's lower GDP per capita is because we don't make things and import them. You mention context - I do not see how Britain, (unlike Germany), not polluting the planet is because we are not members of the EU. We pretty much stopped burning coal for power generation while members of the EU( although we shouldn't forget that around 10% of our electricity generation comes from biomass -biomass has to be the biggest global carbon scam at the moment - in the UK's case felling forests in North America to ship 8 million tons of wood pellets with a low energy density to the UK for burning). Yes we should trade with countries that are major polluters, but when you have repeatedly mentioned the future benefits of free trade with those countries I don't believe you highlight the fact that many of them are little better, or worse, on climate action than the EU) see: climateactiontracker.org/countries/. It is interesting to note the opening comments re-the UK : "The onset of the COVID-19 crisis has had a severe impact on the UK economy, and the government’s commitment to “build back greener” has so far not been matched by strong action. To date only 2% of the economic recovery funds are allocated towards climate related measures, compared to 30% of the EU’s latest 2021-2027 budget and associated recovery package. At the moment the impression I'm getting is that the UK is thinking that the best way to help reach carbon targets from farming is to convert increasing amounts of land used for meat production across to green corridors etc- all very well but if that means importing from countries with poor carbon standards on the other side of the world the we are truly looking at things in a very parochial way and one which does nothing to improve the global climate emissions. I think we are talking at cross purposes. The reason why I make references to UK emissions being lower than many (not all) in the EU is because of the assertion by remainers on this MB that our environmental performance is down to EU membership, which I strongly refute. I can only refer you to all the posts on the Brexit thread rather than repeating everything again on this thread. Regarding importing meat from the other side of the world, that will only happen if people buy it. If we all buy local produce from our local butcher or supermarkets that only sell British beef , it will not happen to a significant level. All it will do is give large food processing companies another option as to where to get there cheap meat from Well at least we can look on the bright side we might get a bit of skippy in our frozen lasagna rather than poor old dobbin
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Post by Huddysleftfoot on May 23, 2021 13:49:45 GMT
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Post by bigjohnritchie on May 23, 2021 13:51:47 GMT
I think we are talking at cross purposes. The reason why I make references to UK emissions being lower than many (not all) in the EU is because of the assertion by remainers on this MB that our environmental performance is down to EU membership, which I strongly refute. I can only refer you to all the posts on the Brexit thread rather than repeating everything again on this thread. Regarding importing meat from the other side of the world, that will only happen if people buy it. If we all buy local produce from our local butcher or supermarkets that only sell British beef , it will not happen to a significant level. All it will do is give large food processing companies another option as to where to get there cheap meat from Well at least we can look on the bright side we might get a bit of skippy in our frozen lasagna rather than poor old dobbin I think that you are right Waggy, I think processed food, relying more on on cheapness, flavouring and marketing than quality and " knowledge about what we are eating " is a big problem. It has enabled the faceless multinationals to get away with murder. Our knowledge ( and I include myself in this) of sourcing and production leaves a lot to be desired. Is the way forward better labelling, better monitoring and in some cases " higher" standards.
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Post by mrcoke on May 23, 2021 13:57:45 GMT
I think we are talking at cross purposes. The reason why I make references to UK emissions being lower than many (not all) in the EU is because of the assertion by remainers on this MB that our environmental performance is down to EU membership, which I strongly refute. I can only refer you to all the posts on the Brexit thread rather than repeating everything again on this thread. Regarding importing meat from the other side of the world, that will only happen if people buy it. If we all buy local produce from our local butcher or supermarkets that only sell British beef , it will not happen to a significant level. All it will do is give large food processing companies another option as to where to get there cheap meat from Well at least we can look on the bright side we might get a bit of skippy in our frozen lasagna rather than poor old dobbin That's true. One improvement the government can introduce is better labelling to make it clear what the contents of things actually comprise of and the source, etc. Then there is the question of misleading signs and marketing. A supermarket was exposed recently for running a support British farmers campaign, but when investigators looked at what was on sale it was all imported. www.farminguk.com/news/top-retailers-selling-imported-produce-under-british-farm-banners_51085.html
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Post by wagsastokie on May 23, 2021 14:02:22 GMT
Oh is that the same Cummins that was a lying bastard a few weeks back And has accused the pm of taking bad advice over covid whilst being his chief adviser
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Post by essexstokey on May 25, 2021 9:30:11 GMT
oh dear oh dear the tory boys on here wont be happy Anti-Muslim sentiment ‘remains a problem’ in the Tory party, investigation finds link
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Post by prestwichpotter on May 25, 2021 9:36:57 GMT
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Post by partickpotter on May 25, 2021 9:46:42 GMT
Oh is that the same Cummins that was a lying bastard a few weeks back And has accused the pm of taking bad advice over covid whilst being his chief adviser It’s going to be interesting to see what happens tomorrow as Big Bad Dom takes his best shot at... well, we’ll have to wait and see. I’d be surprised if anything he’s got to say will have any lasting impact. But you never know. I’m curious to see though if any of the committee members give him a hard time.
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Post by Huddysleftfoot on May 25, 2021 10:27:50 GMT
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