If renegade units were involved, Assad could have killed several birds with one stone, stuck those responsible on trial and had them executed. At the very least, in doing nothing in that respect, he is covering for them.
Maybe he has done, for all we know. To do so publicly, he'd have to admit that he couldn't control "his" forces, as well as admitting that "his" forces used chemical weapons.
To an extent, yes, but it would also clearly distance himself from that action, provide a scape goat, re-establish his authority and put himself back in the diplomatic game.
FWIW, I very much doubt Assad was unaware of the CW attack before it took place. I also doubt there'll be any minutes of a meeting where he authorised it.
I'm not sure Assad saying "I can't control my army, and they gassed people" would assert his authority or distance himself from it.
We know that all "sides" have used chemical weapons, including some "rebels". So the question remains - what's the best way to get peace? Supporting Assad, who has delivered a stable, secular, peaceful (for the Middle East) state? Or supporting the rag-bag bunch of Islamist terrorists and the rest of it, by bombing the Syrian Government?
Ed Milliband does have the whiff of a dead man walking. It really is difficult to see him uniting the Labour movement behind him for the campaign, indeed some seem to be keener on jockying for position for the contest after he loses.
I quite like Ed, and think that he would be a reasonable PM, but am one of very few on here of any political shade willing to defend him.
There are signs that Mr Miliband is wobbling. The big beasts — Alistair Darling and David Blunkett — are lining up to demand more conviction and credibility from their leader. Behind the scenes, there is a growing sense of despair on the Labour benches in the House of Commons. “He’s lost control of the party,” says one senior MP. “It’s awful. People just don’t respect him or think he’s a winner. He showed absolute steel and determination in taking on his brother but he’s lost that. We’re going back to where we were in the gloom of the Eighties.” Another warns: “There’s no strategy. The union reforms should have been done in the first six months of his leadership, when he had authority, not 18 months before an election.”
Ordinary Chinese people are putting up with a pretty poor standard of living at the moment on the condition that things will get much better for them over the next 10-15 years. But if they don't I wouldn't like to be in the Chinese government's shoes.
A Swedish minister once described Norway as the last Soviet state.
I'm heading to Oslo tomorrow morning. My other half has insisted (at about 95 decibels for about 6 hours) that I am not to take any electronic devices with me, not to answer any phone calls and to rest properly for the rest of the week, so I shall be back on Monday.
You therefore have advance warning that UKIP will take the lead in a YouGov poll, Nick Clegg will resign from Government on a point of principle and Alex Salmond, David Davis and Ed Balls will found a new political party in the next six days.
Enjoy your time in Oslo. You will notice a distinct lack of beggars on the streets, (I didn't see any when I was there in May). I remember you posting how surprised you were when you came here to Stockholm at how many beggars there were. Just to clear it up for you, Sweden isn't third world, there are just no laws banning begging here and you neglected to mention in your post that they were all Roma from Eastern Europe. In Norway the Labour government booted most of them out of the country. Just so you know.
On topic: Renegotiating our position in the EU seen as about as important as reducing crime, increasing opportunities for young people, or investing more in care for the elderly.
Ordinary Chinese people are putting up with a pretty poor standard of living at the moment on the condition that things will get much better for them over the next 10-15 years. But if they don't I wouldn't like to be in the Chinese government's shoes.
More Chinese have been lifted out of poverty in the last 30 years, by Chinese capitalism, than in the entire history of homo sapiens hitherto.
They've gone from the living standards of 1700 England to the living standards of 1900 England.
Do they expect to get to the living standards of modern England? Because if they do they're going to be disappointed.
Ordinary Chinese people are putting up with a pretty poor standard of living at the moment on the condition that things will get much better for them over the next 10-15 years. But if they don't I wouldn't like to be in the Chinese government's shoes.
More Chinese have been lifted out of poverty in the last 30 years, by Chinese capitalism, than in the entire history of homo sapiens hitherto.
That's right, but they also see the sort of lifestyle Westerners enjoy and fully expect to have access to it within a couple of decades.
The happiest people I have met in all my travels this last decade have been rural southern Chinese. They are poor, but they confidently expect to get rich soon. That = human happiness.
That depends upon what they regard rich as being.
If its rich as in what their counterparts in the West are then they're going to be severely disappointed and then probably very angry after all the hard work and long hours they've put in during recent years.
If its rich in comparison to the pigshit lives they were living recently - Chinese living standards in 1980 are believed to have been lower than English living standards in 1700 - then they will be be 'rich'.
Whether they'll still be happy then is doubtful though.
The problem with rising achievements is that it also tends to increase your expectations as well so most people in China will end up effectively walking up a down escalator.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Thank you for your offer, but I do have a few quid on with William Hill already on the next PM, and my money is not on Ed M, not least because the odds were too short.
Until last week I thought that he would be PM, but so many in his own party seem to have their knives out for him that I cannot seeing it happening. I think he will last to the election though probably not long afterwards, unless he has a commanding majority, and I do not see as likely that he will.
Ed Milliband does have the whiff of a dead man walking. It really is difficult to see him uniting the Labour movement behind him for the campaign, indeed some seem to be keener on jockying for position for the contest after he loses.
I quite like Ed, and think that he would be a reasonable PM, but am one of very few on here of any political shade willing to defend him.
There are signs that Mr Miliband is wobbling. The big beasts — Alistair Darling and David Blunkett — are lining up to demand more conviction and credibility from their leader. Behind the scenes, there is a growing sense of despair on the Labour benches in the House of Commons. “He’s lost control of the party,” says one senior MP. “It’s awful. People just don’t respect him or think he’s a winner. He showed absolute steel and determination in taking on his brother but he’s lost that. We’re going back to where we were in the gloom of the Eighties.” Another warns: “There’s no strategy. The union reforms should have been done in the first six months of his leadership, when he had authority, not 18 months before an election.”
I wonder. If 99% wanted to renegotiate our position in the EU, would the thread have read "Fewer than 100%...." etc? 19% is quite a significant share for a change in terms of any constitutional relationship, compared with other changes all of which are in terms of direct outcomes on how people live.
Border controls would not be a major issue without the huge scale of EU immigration and the prospect of more. 38% of people are simply prioritising in this poll the outcome that they want to see, rather than the change in process that most realise is necessary to deliver that outcome.
Thanks for all the Oslo tips. The cost is something I am braced for. What's mainly worrying me is that I'm going for what is essentially an Irish wedding in Norway. Of all the ways to go bankrupt, this one hadn't previously occurred to me.
@Fenster I haven't read A Civil Action - I'll add that to the wishlist.
@Charles I'll pass the restaurant recommendation on to my other half, who is firmly in charge of such matters. It certainly looks enticing on the webpage.
The happiest people I have met in all my travels this last decade have been rural southern Chinese. They are poor, but they confidently expect to get rich soon. That = human happiness.
That depends upon what they regard rich as being.
If its rich as in what their counterparts in the West are then they're going to be severely disappointed and then probably very angry after all the hard work and long hours they've put in during recent years.
If its rich in comparison to the pigshit lives they were living recently - Chinese living standards in 1980 are believed to have been lower than English living standards in 1700 - then they will be be 'rich'.
Whether they'll still be happy then is doubtful though.
The problem with rising achievements is that it also tends to increase your expectations as well so most people in China will end up effectively walking up a down escalator.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Is that China's equivalent of Cleethorpes ?
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
The latest survey is forecasting that by the end of the year we will be seeing the highest level of job creation since 2007.
The surveys have been a bit inconsistent about this and the rate of change is not huge at the moment but this government is on track for creating what might well be a record number of private sector jobs in a single Parliament. The peak of all time employment in the UK should be exceeded next year.
Ordinary Chinese people are putting up with a pretty poor standard of living at the moment on the condition that things will get much better for them over the next 10-15 years. But if they don't I wouldn't like to be in the Chinese government's shoes.
More Chinese have been lifted out of poverty in the last 30 years, by Chinese capitalism, than in the entire history of homo sapiens hitherto.
They've gone from the living standards of 1700 England to the living standards of 1900 England.
Do they expect to get to the living standards of modern England? Because if they do they're going to be disappointed.
Stupid, silly, redundant question. All analyses of human nature show that people are happy if they feel they are getting richer, and if they feel richer than their neighbours/friends/people in nearby countries, and richer than their parents/grandparents. It doesn't matter if they are poorer than faraway millionaires.
As the saying goes: the happiest person in the world is an Indian peasant with two cows in a village where everyone else has one cow.
Perhaps in 200 years the Chinese will start noticing they haven't got the income of the Kardashians or the Beckhams, but until then they will be happy with an average rising income.
The moot point is not whether the Chinese government can give them all Porsches, but whether China can maintain a rising national income given the demographic trends. My guess is that they are fine for the next 10-20 years, but they REALLY need to change that one child policy.
So basically you're now agreeing with what AndyJS said ie that the Chinese government has to ensure that the living standards of the Chinese people get much better over the next generation.
Otherwise trouble.
Whether that trouble (if it arises) is internalised or whether the Chinese government is able to shift the blame onto nasty Westerners who will by then have defaulted will be one of the big issues of the 2030s.
The happiest people I have met in all my travels this last decade have been rural southern Chinese. They are poor, but they confidently expect to get rich soon. That = human happiness.
That depends upon what they regard rich as being.
If its rich as in what their counterparts in the West are then they're going to be severely disappointed and then probably very angry after all the hard work and long hours they've put in during recent years.
If its rich in comparison to the pigshit lives they were living recently - Chinese living standards in 1980 are believed to have been lower than English living standards in 1700 - then they will be be 'rich'.
Whether they'll still be happy then is doubtful though.
The problem with rising achievements is that it also tends to increase your expectations as well so most people in China will end up effectively walking up a down escalator.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Is that China's equivalent of Cleethorpes ?
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
It is the polar opposite of Cleethorpes, ar. The two are at the extreme ends of the global happiness index.
Zhe Torps has a thriving SME manufacturing sector, financed on cheap, easily available credit. It has full employment: 14 hour workdays, seven days a week, three shifts a day (children between 14-16 only work one shift). It is the centre of denture manufacturing in China and its factories export to 80 countries in five continents.
I understand Cleethorpes is mainly service industry based, 50% public and 50% private sector with a 20% employment rate. Cousin Seth himself runs a family service business in Cleethorpes, although there is a link to China. Seth's new wife came from Zhe Torps. I believe Seth purchased her on Alibaba.
An unhelpful editorial for Ed Miliband that concludes:
"Much of that task is about economic policy direction and spending priorities. On Monday, George Osborne made a confident speech claiming that coalition economic strategy has been vindicated by genuinely improving economic news. That will stick in Labour throats. Yet if Mr Miliband is to have a fighting chance of denting that bold claim and forming a government, he and Ed Balls must answer those claims in clear, convincing ways. That has not happened yet. He must start that task on Tuesday."
The happiest people I have met in all my travels this last decade have been rural southern Chinese. They are poor, but they confidently expect to get rich soon. That = human happiness.
That depends upon what they regard rich as being.
If its rich as in what their counterparts in the West are then they're going to be severely disappointed and then probably very angry after all the hard work and long hours they've put in during recent years.
If its rich in comparison to the pigshit lives they were living recently - Chinese living standards in 1980 are believed to have been lower than English living standards in 1700 - then they will be be 'rich'.
Whether they'll still be happy then is doubtful though.
The problem with rising achievements is that it also tends to increase your expectations as well so most people in China will end up effectively walking up a down escalator.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Is that China's equivalent of Cleethorpes ?
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
It is the polar opposite of Cleethorpes, ar. The two are at the extreme ends of the global happiness index.
Zhe Torps has a thriving SME manufacturing sector, financed on cheap, easily available credit. It has full employment: 14 hour workdays, seven days a week, three shifts a day (children between 14-16 only work one shift). It is the centre of denture manufacturing in China and its factories export to 80 countries in five continents.
I understand Cleethorpes is mainly service industry based, 50% public and 50% private sector with a 20% employment rate. Cousin Seth himself runs a family service business in Cleethorpes, although there is a link to China. Seth's new wife came from Zhe Torps. She was purchased on Alibaba.
Scottish defeat at Battle of Flodden on Newsnight Scotland while Newnsight doing special report and interview with the Arctic Monkey's.... Arctic Monkey's it is. Fitaloon is off to see them with our lads and our nephew in Glasgow in November.
The happiest people I have met in all my travels this last decade have been rural southern Chinese. They are poor, but they confidently expect to get rich soon. That = human happiness.
...
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Is that China's equivalent of Cleethorpes ?
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
It is the polar opposite of Cleethorpes, ar. The two are at the extreme ends of the global happiness index.
Zhe Torps has a thriving SME manufacturing sector, financed on cheap, easily available credit. It has full employment: 14 hour workdays, seven days a week, three shifts a day (children between 14-16 only work one shift). It is the centre of denture manufacturing in China and its factories export to 80 countries in five continents.
I understand Cleethorpes is mainly service industry based, 50% public and 50% private sector with a 20% employment rate. Cousin Seth himself runs a family service business in Cleethorpes, although there is a link to China. Seth's new wife came from Zhe Torps. She was purchased on Alibaba.
Dr. Sox
I understand there was a minimum order of 1,000 from the Alibaba supplier.
This enabled Cousin Seth to short-list three for checking by the local NHS orthodontist before making a final choice. The original teeth I am assured are in good order.
If you travel to Cleethorpes on the A46 you may notice a large number of immigrant Chinese working the paddyfields between Market Rasen and Laceby.
"UK on mend with 'game changing’ year for jobs Britain will end the year with its strongest rate of jobs growth since 2007, as private sector hiring provides Chancellor George Osborne with more evidence that the economy is healing."
Telegraph - UK on mend with 'game changing’ year for jobs 'Britain will end the year with its strongest rate of jobs growth since 2007, as private sector hiring provides Chancellor George Osborne with more evidence that the economy is healing.'
If its rich as in what their counterparts in the West are then they're going to be severely disappointed and then probably very angry after all the hard work and long hours they've put in during recent years.
If its rich in comparison to the pigshit lives they were living recently - Chinese living standards in 1980 are believed to have been lower than English living standards in 1700 - then they will be be 'rich'.
Whether they'll still be happy then is doubtful though.
The problem with rising achievements is that it also tends to increase your expectations as well so most people in China will end up effectively walking up a down escalator.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Is that China's equivalent of Cleethorpes ?
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
It is the polar opposite of Cleethorpes, ar. The two are at the extreme ends of the global happiness index.
Zhe Torps has a thriving SME manufacturing sector, financed on cheap, easily available credit. It has full employment: 14 hour workdays, seven days a week, three shifts a day (children between 14-16 only work one shift). It is the centre of denture manufacturing in China and its factories export to 80 countries in five continents.
I understand Cleethorpes is mainly service industry based, 50% public and 50% private sector with a 20% employment rate. Cousin Seth himself runs a family service business in Cleethorpes, although there is a link to China. Seth's new wife came from Zhe Torps. I believe Seth purchased her on Alibaba.
Every constituency in the UK is mainly service industry based but Cleethorpes I suspect has much higher manufacturing numbers than average as it contains the oil refineries, power stations, chemical works and food processing factories of Immingham.
The Cleethorpes side of the constituency is somewhat of a shithole though.
What's Cousin Seth's business - chip shop, ice cream van, donkey ride or does he sell programs at Blundell Park?
FWIW, if we ever get round to retiring, my wife and I provisionally plan to do it in Norway. Pace davidthecon, people seem genuinely happy there to me.
A Swedish minister once described Norway as the last Soviet state.
I'm heading to Oslo tomorrow morning. My other half has insisted (at about 95 decibels for about 6 hours) that I am not to take any electronic devices with me, not to answer any phone calls and to rest properly for the rest of the week, so I shall be back on Monday.
You therefore have advance warning that UKIP will take the lead in a YouGov poll, Nick Clegg will resign from Government on a point of principle and Alex Salmond, David Davis and Ed Balls will found a new political party in the next six days.
AF - I went to an absolutely superlative restaurant when I was in Oslo last month. Not cheap but well worth the pain (was about £200 per head, including wine)
Statholdergaarden, Rådhusgaten 11 (entrance from Kirkegaten), Oslo
Only 200 quid a head in Oslo? McDonalds?
Actually £2,500 for 12, but I was downplaying it ;-)
If its rich as in what their counterparts in the West are then they're going to be severely disappointed and then probably very angry after all the hard work and long hours they've put in during recent years.
If its rich in comparison to the pigshit lives they were living recently - Chinese living standards in 1980 are believed to have been lower than English living standards in 1700 - then they will be be 'rich'.
Whether they'll still be happy then is doubtful though.
The problem with rising achievements is that it also tends to increase your expectations as well so most people in China will end up effectively walking up a down escalator.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Is that China's equivalent of Cleethorpes ?
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
It is the polar opposite of Cleethorpes, ar. The two are at the extreme ends of the global happiness index.
Zhe Torps has a thriving SME manufacturing sector, financed on cheap, easily available credit. It has full employment: 14 hour workdays, seven days a week, three shifts a day (children between 14-16 only work one shift). It is the centre of denture manufacturing in China and its factories export to 80 countries in five continents.
I understand Cleethorpes is mainly service industry based, 50% public and 50% private sector with a 20% employment rate. Cousin Seth himself runs a family service business in Cleethorpes, although there is a link to China. Seth's new wife came from Zhe Torps. I believe Seth purchased her on Alibaba.
What's Cousin Seth's business - chip shop, ice cream van, donkey ride or does he sell programs at Blundell Park?
Family pornography, ar.
The crisis which caused him to leave PB was brought on by his first wife getting on and his three children leaving home.
His second marriage enabled him to achieve a turnaround without having to employ consultants.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Is that China's equivalent of Cleethorpes ?
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
It is the polar opposite of Cleethorpes, ar. The two are at the extreme ends of the global happiness index.
Zhe Torps has a thriving SME manufacturing sector, financed on cheap, easily available credit. It has full employment: 14 hour workdays, seven days a week, three shifts a day (children between 14-16 only work one shift). It is the centre of denture manufacturing in China and its factories export to 80 countries in five continents.
I understand Cleethorpes is mainly service industry based, 50% public and 50% private sector with a 20% employment rate. Cousin Seth himself runs a family service business in Cleethorpes, although there is a link to China. Seth's new wife came from Zhe Torps. I believe Seth purchased her on Alibaba.
What's Cousin Seth's business - chip shop, ice cream van, donkey ride or does he sell programs at Blundell Park?
Family pornography, ar.
The crisis which caused him to leave PB was brought on by his first wife getting on and his three children leaving home.
His second marriage enabled him to achieve a turnaround without having to employ consultants.
Cousin Seth's new bride sounds ominous to me.
I fear GloucesterOldSpot might end up in the stir fry unless you keep a close lookout.
Which would be a shame as I still have hopes of him becoming the Conservative party mascot.
Looks like a move to the right in Norway. Davidthecon - In US terms the Democrats are centre-left, and that is how you have to measure it. In fact of the main centre-left western political parties (ie not counting the Greens or Die Linke etc) at present only Hollande's Socialist Party can be said to be old-school Michael Foot-type socialism (with maybe the odd Scandanivan social democratic party). The Republicans are basically UKIP!
Re. Australian election, not a single constituency has been officially declared yet. That's because postal votes are still being counted in all the seats:
Re. Australian election, not a single constituency has been officially declared yet.
Are you sure the world hasn't ended? One of the most crazy arguments for retaining FPTP was that certain folks would miss the drama being compressed (more or less) into 7 hours under FPTP.
I've BEEN to Norway. In fact, f*ck it, I've surely been to more countries than almost anyone else on pb, if not EVERYONE.
Norwegians "happy"? Are you serious? They're really NOT. They are like overpaid Dundonians. Scots with a slightly better bank balance (but still fretting about the mortgage). That's it.
Anyone who thinks Nordics are happier than the average human has not travelled. REALLY. There is more spontaneous good humour in a small Sicilian village, or indeed in the average London pub on a summer night, than in the whole of Oslo.
Actually I'd give you a run for your money on travel, certainly recently - around 20 countries in the last year. You've just got a very specific idea of happiness - spontaneous good humour. That's OK, nothing wrong with it (unless it's inextricably linked to spontaneous bad temper, as some London pubs late at night are). But it's not the only kind of happiness.
A calm, steady peace in one's surroundings in a society that works really well and looks after you if you have a problem - that's my definition. I give spontaneity 2 out of 10 - OK for a change now and then, but a nuisance if it becomes a habit.
Your life sounds terrible to me - and that's the CURRENT life with the hiking around posh hotels peering at scenery and screwing hookers, never mind the previous bit - but that just shows we're different. I don't have a problem with that, and nor should you. You don't really want me jostling you in Bangkok, do you?
There is more spontaneous good humour in a small Sicilian village, or indeed in the average London pub on a summer night, than in the whole of Oslo.
On that basis, Liverpudlians must be the happiest people on Earth...
If you want to know the happiness of each country in the world (2013 figures) and the happiness of each subdivision within the UK (2012 figures), may I recommend the following:
The reason people aren't as happy in England as they are in a country like Norway is that England is too crowded. It's as simple as that IMO.
Less young people drunk at night and less crime in Norway too. Seem to have less yobbo deviants, with family values the way England had a generation (or two) ago.
Ordinary Chinese people are putting up with a pretty poor standard of living at the moment on the condition that things will get much better for them over the next 10-15 years. But if they don't I wouldn't like to be in the Chinese government's shoes.
More Chinese have been lifted out of poverty in the last 30 years, by Chinese capitalism, than in the entire history of homo sapiens hitherto.
That's right, but they also see the sort of lifestyle Westerners enjoy and fully expect to have access to it within a couple of decades.
I wish we could dump this pathetic phrase "lifted out of poverty"
The Chinese who've got richer have done it themselves through graft (and perhaps through having sharper elbows than others left behind). the opportunity no doubt was provided by Chinese capitalism/corporatism/corruption (delete as applicable).
In Norway, the second-largest party will lead the coalition. It was only the third-largest at the last election...
Under FPTP, Labour would probably have remained in office in Norway, perhaps with a comfortable majority on 31% of the vote...
Do we have a final result?
It appears Australia are still counting their last fifteen seats. The totals haven't moved in two days.
The Oz upper house system is a mess where people without many votes can get elected and even the wrong party can win by default as their name is similar to a major party. Although undemocratic as I see it, compared to the House of Lords it at least allows the people to vote on a second chamber instead of providing establishment figures in charge ad nauseum. Optional preferential voting would mean not numbering 100 boxes and people could avoid letting the loonies in after dodgy preference deals between the nobodies. When there is not a single person from the SNP in the upper chamber of 700 ermine robed lackeys and they run Scotland one can see it is not exactly representative.
McEwen: Labor ahead by 66 votes Barton: Labor by 68 Capricornia: Labor by 141 Eden-Monaro: Liberals by 569 Reid: Liberals by 634
Prepolls are extensive and postals coming too, which from memory run 3 to 2 for Liberals in oz. (More people travel and on holiday?) The same thing happened last time in 2010; "we" thought Labor had more seats on night and in the end they lost a couple and nearly lost more as postals were counted.
If Rudd holds Capricornia after promising the navy would move to Townsville after 130 years in Sydney, and without discussing with NSW Government or the navy, and costing billions, then he has done well. We anoraks all know his promises were BS, but Joe public just hears a snippet and thinks good for area WHEN it happened, not IF. saved a seat in Northern territory too by promising lower corporate tax rate there, again drivel as companies could move head office there to avoid tax being greater, but fooled enough to save Lingiara and almost win Solomon against the tide.
I can't understand how Aussies can fill in a Senate ballot paper with 110 candidates where each has to be assigned a unique number between 1 and 110 without a single mistake.
In this country I'm sure most people would muck it up by putting in, say, two 57s and no 58, etc.
"Inmates at Skien, which is a conventional walled prison, live in individual cells equipped with computers, televisions, private showers and lavatories. They are also provided with generous education and training facilities":
I can't understand how Aussies can fill in a Senate ballot paper with 110 candidates where each has to be assigned a unique number between 1 and 110 without a single mistake.
In this country I'm sure most people would muck it up by putting in, say, two 57s and no 58, etc.
They can't. That's why everybody has to resort to the "above-the-line" thing.
A pretty big fall in the number of people who believe benefits are generous and a smaller rise in the number who think cuts will cause harm, according to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey. And support in Scotland for independence measured at 23%:
Ed Balls has article in Times - and its gone down very badly. Out of 73 comments so far, I counted two supporting him and the rest either incredulous or referring to his brassneck.
Closing paragraph sums up the tone of it - and is very funny given who's penned it. No More Boom And Bust.
"The next general election will be won by the party with the policies to secure a strong and fair recovery that works for the many and not just a few. Not complacent boasts from a Chancellor whose plan has failed and left working people paying the price."
A pretty big fall in the number of people who believe benefits are generous and a smaller rise in the number who think cuts will cause harm, according to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey. And support in Scotland for independence measured at 23%:
Perhaps the fact that the Govt is constantly caught peddling distorted figures on benefit has sunk in, alternatively I guess people could think they've cut the benefit bill (that they've put up) due to their rhetoric
Following Boris' cartoon union bashing yesterday, proof that a strong union presence along with good management works. The dying party's tactic of attacking all trade unionists is not one of their smarter moves
That's excellent news. A company that invests in its people, works constructively with its unions, builds and sells great products, achieves high productivity, makes a profit and creates well-paid jobs. Long may it prosper.
A pretty big fall in the number of people who believe benefits are generous and a smaller rise in the number who think cuts will cause harm, according to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey. And support in Scotland for independence measured at 23%:
The total benefit burden on the Exchequer is something few know - and even fewer understand or recognise its implications for tax, spend and borrowing over the rest of their lifetimes.
Benefits are going to be cut - and cut savagely - as a national requirement for fiscal sanity.
It is a desperate shame, according to those with who I was speaking at the weekend, that ALL benefits (and min wage too) were not frozen for the duration of this Parliament in the June 2010 Budget, when 'We're in a bigger financial hole that we ever dreamed possible' would have meant that such (necessary) cuts would have been widely accepted.
Now, however, the simple reality is that such cuts are more urgent than ever, but the political reality is that it is harder than ever to actually make them.
I suspect Osborne is hoping for a Labour Govt in 2015 which is forced to make those cuts, rather than a Conservative Govt (with him as CotE) doing so. Yet another example of prevarication on 'difficult (read 'widely unpopular') decisions' which have so characterised the governance of the UK since 1990 (at least).
It's what happens when the politicians of the day place a greater priority on winning power (and money!) for themselves personally, rather than 'doing what is required for the good of the country'.
And people wonder why today's politicians are held in such contempt?
I'd say it's certainly the case that few appreciate that pensions take up the vast majority of spending on benefits.
The attitude of the industrial trade unions has changed since the seventies, they are much happier with working with management to increase productivity and to preserve jobs in a down turn.
The public sector unions are a different story. I write as a trade unionist, I am a member of a TUC affiliated union, the HCSA. A much more effective union than the spineless BMA (who are not TUC affiliated)
Following Boris' cartoon union bashing yesterday, proof that a strong union presence along with good management works. The dying party's tactic of attacking all trade unionists is not one of their smarter moves
The attitude of the industrial trade unions has changed since the seventies, they are much happier with working with management to increase productivity and to preserve jobs in a down turn.
The public sector unions are a different story. I write as a trade unionist, I am a member of a TUC affiliated union, the HCSA. A much more effective union than the spineless BMA (who are not TUC affiliated)
Following Boris' cartoon union bashing yesterday, proof that a strong union presence along with good management works. The dying party's tactic of attacking all trade unionists is not one of their smarter moves
The principal trade union at Jaguar is Unite. It has 17,000 members working at the company in the UK. Boris made his feelings about Unite clear in his article. The Tories, generally, clearly hold the union in total contempt.
Really good news and should help with the balance of payments as well.
It really is looking as if we will have a large increase in employment next year. No doubt claimant based unemployment will fall much more slowly due to immigration, underemployment and those that do not qualify for benefits but it should clearly be heading in the right direction. Aggregate spending can increase even if real wages are fairly static.
As election timed booms go this looks like quite a good one.
I have no problems with trade unionists. I am one.
The attitude on the shopfloor is very different to the attitudes at the top of the unions. In the seventies the militancy was on the shopfloor and the leadership more moderate. That situation has reversed.
The attitude of the industrial trade unions has changed since the seventies, they are much happier with working with management to increase productivity and to preserve jobs in a down turn.
The public sector unions are a different story. I write as a trade unionist, I am a member of a TUC affiliated union, the HCSA. A much more effective union than the spineless BMA (who are not TUC affiliated)
Following Boris' cartoon union bashing yesterday, proof that a strong union presence along with good management works. The dying party's tactic of attacking all trade unionists is not one of their smarter moves
The principal trade union at Jaguar is Unite. It has 17,000 members working at the company in the UK.
Less young people drunk at night and less crime in Norway too. Seem to have less yobbo deviants, with family values the way England had a generation (or two) ago.
Maybe they're still atoning for the early middle ages. The Swedes do it by pretending that their Vikings were friendly, trading types.
I have no problems with trade unionists. I am one.
The attitude on the shopfloor is very different to the attitudes at the top of the unions. In the seventies the militancy was on the shopfloor and the leadership more moderate. That situation has reversed.
The attitude of the industrial trade unions has changed since the seventies, they are much happier with working with management to increase productivity and to preserve jobs in a down turn.
The public sector unions are a different story. I write as a trade unionist, I am a member of a TUC affiliated union, the HCSA. A much more effective union than the spineless BMA (who are not TUC affiliated)
Following Boris' cartoon union bashing yesterday, proof that a strong union presence along with good management works. The dying party's tactic of attacking all trade unionists is not one of their smarter moves
The principal trade union at Jaguar is Unite. It has 17,000 members working at the company in the UK.
But you're not a member of the Tory government! Those Unite members in Solihull and elsewhere should be potential Tory voters. But what they hear from them is how much they hate their union and its members. That's not good politics, even if it does keep the grassroots happy.
Cheers rang out in the BBC newsroom yesterday as the corporation’s personnel chief was branded a liar by MPs.
Lucy Adams protested the verdict on her was unfair, but committee chairman Margaret Hodge declared: ‘You’re developing a habit of changing your evidence.’
Miss Adams, with her glasses perched on her head in what critics dubbed an ‘Ab Fab’ look - was accused of completely contradicting herself.
At one point, Mrs Hodge told her: ‘I’m not having any more lies this afternoon.’ This outburst apparently sparked a wave of disloyal jubilation within the Corporation as staff watched the exchange on live television.
The BBC’s own media correspondent, the respected Nick Higham, tweeted: ‘There was an audible cheer in the BBC newsroom when Margaret Hodge accused BBC HR director Lucy Adams of lying to the PAC.’
Interesting discussion last night on happiness. Comparison of Nick P's thoughts compared to the "I have loads of money " view from Sean and Charles was most enlightening. The difference between the posts of Nick and Charles especially, show clearly why the Tories are hated. One posting about a caring society and the other boasting about £200 a head meals, have to say it is a pity more Labour MP's are not like Nick P.
@Plato Indeed. If she hadn't known about Mark Byford's payoff, it would be reasonable to ask why the hell not. The only reasonable defence would have been to claim that the board went over her head and got an outside lawyer or consultant in to draft it - but it appears this wasn't the case.
@Plato Indeed. If she hadn't known about Mark Byford's payoff, it would be reasonable to ask why the hell not. The only reasonable defence would have been to claim that the board went over her head and got an outside lawyer or consultant in to draft it - but it appears this wasn't the case.
By the time we were 90mins in - I was totally lost as to who was claiming what about who. It was gripping viewing - Kroll was the funniest, he had no idea how absurd he seemed. He knew nothing of substance yet paid £238k to sit on the BBC Trust board.
MG ..I imagine perfect happiness for you is the end of the midge season
Richard , no midges near the coast where I am. Sun is shining this morning and all is well , have to work mind you but could be much worse. Assume you are relaxing on your terrace with Jeeves bringing you coffee and the morning papers
A pretty big fall in the number of people who believe benefits are generous and a smaller rise in the number who think cuts will cause harm, according to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey. And support in Scotland for independence measured at 23%:
Perhaps the fact that the Govt is constantly caught peddling distorted figures on benefit has sunk in, alternatively I guess people could think they've cut the benefit bill (that they've put up) due to their rhetoric
Labour will abolish the bedroom tax
Including the one Labour introduced in the private rented sector?
A pretty big fall in the number of people who believe benefits are generous and a smaller rise in the number who think cuts will cause harm, according to the latest British Social Attitudes Survey. And support in Scotland for independence measured at 23%:
Perhaps the fact that the Govt is constantly caught peddling distorted figures on benefit has sunk in, alternatively I guess people could think they've cut the benefit bill (that they've put up) due to their rhetoric
Labour will abolish the bedroom tax
Including the one Labour introduced in the private rented sector?
So people on relatively good incomes who need a bigger house, will have their taxes cut by removing the subsidy? Have I understood this correctly?
ALl those attacking the BBC management, rightly, should remember that they, along with most of the other people appearing before select committees from banks, G4S etc were the exact people who George Osborne gave a huge gift to
Bonus Payments A large proportion of this increase was due to a substantial rise in the level of bonus payments made during April, as can be seen in Figure 2. It indicates that total monthly pay had been broadly flat from April 2012 until March 2013 and then increased by 4.1% during April, before moderating in May and June. The increase in April 2013 can mainly be attributed to higher bonus payments.
In opposition prioritising the inheritance of a few families, in govt prioritising the wealthiest top rate tax payers bonuses
I think you'll find the people giving them the gift was the last Labour Govt. The rewards of extortionate salaries and contracts was pretty much "the right thing to do" in most of the higher echelons of government pay. Since we also know several of these contracts were awarded in ways to minimise tax by using off-shore companies the impact of a tax cut is an irrelevance for many of them. Labour just has no concept of a duty to get value for money for the tax payer.
No Financier summary today? Labour's YouGov lead marginally up at 5: 38/33/8/14, approval -30 (down 2). Secondaries generally poor for main parties, good for others - looks like a sample with an above-average UKIP element. As DavidL claimed a 1-point shift showed something important, I guess this could do as well - basically the barrage against Miliband seems not to be affecting the Labour vote much.
Which is odd - I'd think the intensity of the hostile coverage would be filtering through a bit and I wouldn't be surprised to see a really low lead outlier one of these days. But at this point it probably makes sense to await the conferences to see what conclusions people draw.
That'd be hugely significant for a few reasons. For a start, Ferrari has operated a number one driver system for as long as I can remember. It also means an opening at Lotus, and Massa either finds a drive or leaves the sport.
Did you see Libby Purves in Times yesterday? She's not exactly a Tory and does Mid Week on R4 - but boy is she irked.
"...It’s a sorry tale. Step back to 2002: the new Channel 4 Chief Executive, Mark Thompson, is arguing with his former boss, D-G Greg Dyke, over the launch of BBC3. During this altercation Thompson accuses Dyke at the BBC of “basking contentedly in a lake of spare public cash”, complaining that C4 was confined to a mere financial Jacuzzi. This evidence that Mr Thompson believed licence-fee revenues to be lake-wide and “spare” is interesting, since two years later he was Mr Dyke’s successor. And basked on a fatter fiscal Lilo by accepting a salary nearly double that of his predecessor.
During Mr Thompson’s reign as D-G, other senior management salaries rocketed in proportion. Soon the top 50 were paid more than the Prime Minister, and at least nine got more than previous D-Gs. To earn less than £120k with “Head” or “Director” in your title seemed impossible, and several earned four times that. Then came startling expenses claims: private planes, first-class travel, entertainment, compensation for carelessly losing a handbag, and shameful little claims, such as Mark Byford claiming £14.99 when he bought a book for a departing colleague and Thompson charging for a 57p parking meter. Meanwhile countless people actually making programmes had their pay frozen or kept well below inflation, while paying for their own parking meters and leaving-present kitties..." http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/libbypurves/article3863850.ece
No Financier summary today? Labour's YouGov lead marginally up at 5: 38/33/8/14, approval -30 (down 2). Secondaries generally poor for main parties, good for others - looks like a sample with an above-average UKIP element. As DavidL claimed a 1-point shift showed something important, I guess this could do as well - basically the barrage against Miliband seems not to be affecting the Labour vote much.
Which is odd - I'd think the intensity of the hostile coverage would be filtering through a bit and I wouldn't be surprised to see a really low lead outlier one of these days. But at this point it probably makes sense to await the conferences to see what conclusions people draw.
In fairness Nick I did accept that a 1% change was well within the MOE but I commented that a slighlty reducing lead seemed again to be a trend across a series of polls, not just one. This seemed a change to me after a month where tory progress had rather ground to a halt. A lead of 5 in Yougov is by no means inconsistent with that.
I did not recognise Malcolmg's description of your exchanges with SeanT and Charles last night but they were enjoyable. The way I read it they were both rather more focussed on individual and family happiness whilst you were indicating that a well ordered and fairer society such as Norway could give you considerable happiness. It was a difference of prespective and interesting.
I am a supporter of the oalition. I am a pro EU Orange booker. I see free trade unions as an important protection of working people. It is that reason that the Soviets opposed them.
Good to see British manufacturing recovering after years of being run down, a decline that was continued under all governments.
I have no problems with trade unionists. I am one.
The attitude on the shopfloor is very different to the attitudes at the top of the unions. In the seventies the militancy was on the shopfloor and the leadership more moderate. That situation has reversed.
The attitude of the industrial trade unions has changed since the seventies, they are much happier with working with management to increase productivity and to preserve jobs in a down turn.
The public sector unions are a different story. I write as a trade unionist, I am a member of a TUC affiliated union, the HCSA. A much more effective union than the spineless BMA (who are not TUC affiliated)
Following Boris' cartoon union bashing yesterday, proof that a strong union presence along with good management works. The dying party's tactic of attacking all trade unionists is not one of their smarter moves
The principal trade union at Jaguar is Unite. It has 17,000 members working at the company in the UK.
But you're not a member of the Tory government! Those Unite members in Solihull and elsewhere should be potential Tory voters. But what they hear from them is how much they hate their union and its members. That's not good politics, even if it does keep the grassroots happy.
Comments
We know that all "sides" have used chemical weapons, including some "rebels". So the question remains - what's the best way to get peace? Supporting Assad, who has delivered a stable, secular, peaceful (for the Middle East) state? Or supporting the rag-bag bunch of Islamist terrorists and the rest of it, by bombing the Syrian Government?
Toast, eh? You mean, replaced before the election? Or not becoming PM?
Either way, what price do you fancy?
Make sure you don't take a taxi into town from the airport - or insist on the fixed rate if you do
She was on manoeuvures yday...
i.e. very salient.
Do they expect to get to the living standards of modern England? Because if they do they're going to be disappointed.
The happiest place in China is Zhe Torps, a small seaside resort town, 10 km north of the Yangtze delta.
Until last week I thought that he would be PM, but so many in his own party seem to have their knives out for him that I cannot seeing it happening. I think he will last to the election though probably not long afterwards, unless he has a commanding majority, and I do not see as likely that he will.
Toast, eh? You mean, replaced before the election? Or not becoming PM?
Either way, what price do you fancy?
I wonder. If 99% wanted to renegotiate our position in the EU, would the thread have read "Fewer than 100%...." etc? 19% is quite a significant share for a change in terms of any constitutional relationship, compared with other changes all of which are in terms of direct outcomes on how people live.
Border controls would not be a major issue without the huge scale of EU immigration and the prospect of more. 38% of people are simply prioritising in this poll the outcome that they want to see, rather than the change in process that most realise is necessary to deliver that outcome.
@Fenster I haven't read A Civil Action - I'll add that to the wishlist.
@Charles I'll pass the restaurant recommendation on to my other half, who is firmly in charge of such matters. It certainly looks enticing on the webpage.
Did you enjoy your trip there to see Cousin Seth ?
The latest survey is forecasting that by the end of the year we will be seeing the highest level of job creation since 2007.
The surveys have been a bit inconsistent about this and the rate of change is not huge at the moment but this government is on track for creating what might well be a record number of private sector jobs in a single Parliament. The peak of all time employment in the UK should be exceeded next year.
Otherwise trouble.
Whether that trouble (if it arises) is internalised or whether the Chinese government is able to shift the blame onto nasty Westerners who will by then have defaulted will be one of the big issues of the 2030s.
Zhe Torps has a thriving SME manufacturing sector, financed on cheap, easily available credit. It has full employment: 14 hour workdays, seven days a week, three shifts a day (children between 14-16 only work one shift). It is the centre of denture manufacturing in China and its factories export to 80 countries in five continents.
I understand Cleethorpes is mainly service industry based, 50% public and 50% private sector with a 20% employment rate. Cousin Seth himself runs a family service business in Cleethorpes, although there is a link to China. Seth's new wife came from Zhe Torps. I believe Seth purchased her on Alibaba.
"Much of that task is about economic policy direction and spending priorities. On Monday, George Osborne made a confident speech claiming that coalition economic strategy has been vindicated by genuinely improving economic news. That will stick in Labour throats. Yet if Mr Miliband is to have a fighting chance of denting that bold claim and forming a government, he and Ed Balls must answer those claims in clear, convincing ways. That has not happened yet. He must start that task on Tuesday."
Not the Telegraph or the Times, but the Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/09/labour-party-flags-in-the-ground
I hope Seths wife has her own teeth, and is the source of much happiness!
That's that, then, I guess.
I understand there was a minimum order of 1,000 from the Alibaba supplier.
This enabled Cousin Seth to short-list three for checking by the local NHS orthodontist before making a final choice. The original teeth I am assured are in good order.
If you travel to Cleethorpes on the A46 you may notice a large number of immigrant Chinese working the paddyfields between Market Rasen and Laceby.
What is Ed Miliband going to pretend to intend to renegotiate?
Britain will end the year with its strongest rate of jobs growth since 2007, as private sector hiring provides Chancellor George Osborne with more evidence that the economy is healing."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/10297497/UK-on-mend-with-game-changing-year-for-jobs.html
I expect Ed will be pleased.....
Can Ed not outsource the manufacture of Labour party members to China?
He should be able to get a million for the same price.
I have got contacts. Let me know if you need help/
'Britain will end the year with its strongest rate of jobs growth since 2007, as private sector hiring provides Chancellor George Osborne with more evidence that the economy is healing.'
The Cleethorpes side of the constituency is somewhat of a shithole though.
What's Cousin Seth's business - chip shop, ice cream van, donkey ride or does he sell programs at Blundell Park?
The crisis which caused him to leave PB was brought on by his first wife getting on and his three children leaving home.
His second marriage enabled him to achieve a turnaround without having to employ consultants.
Think of her performance as a Ponziani Opening. It appears weak but is aimed at positioning for a long endgame.
I fear GloucesterOldSpot might end up in the stir fry unless you keep a close lookout.
Which would be a shame as I still have hopes of him becoming the Conservative party mascot.
24 seat Right majority
As Staunton would say, "The Queen's Bishop's Porn Game in the King's Knight's Opening".
It opens up all kinds of possibilities.
It appears Australia are still counting their last fifteen seats. The totals haven't moved in two days.
http://vtr.aec.gov.au/
Barton: Labor by 68
Capricornia: Labor by 141
Eden-Monaro: Liberals by 569
Reid: Liberals by 634
Well, PR (viz Norway) is usually quicker...
A calm, steady peace in one's surroundings in a society that works really well and looks after you if you have a problem - that's my definition. I give spontaneity 2 out of 10 - OK for a change now and then, but a nuisance if it becomes a habit.
Your life sounds terrible to me - and that's the CURRENT life with the hiking around posh hotels peering at scenery and screwing hookers, never mind the previous bit - but that just shows we're different. I don't have a problem with that, and nor should you. You don't really want me jostling you in Bangkok, do you?
* http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/interactive/uk-experimental-subjective-well-being---dvc34/index.html
* http://unsdsn.org/files/2013/09/WorldHappinessReport2013_online.pdf
The Chinese who've got richer have done it themselves through graft (and perhaps through having sharper elbows than others left behind). the opportunity no doubt was provided by Chinese capitalism/corporatism/corruption (delete as applicable).
Although undemocratic as I see it, compared to the House of Lords it at least allows the people to vote on a second chamber instead of providing establishment figures in charge ad nauseum.
Optional preferential voting would mean not numbering 100 boxes and people could avoid letting the loonies in after dodgy preference deals between the nobodies.
When there is not a single person from the SNP in the upper chamber of 700 ermine robed lackeys and they run Scotland one can see it is not exactly representative.
The same thing happened last time in 2010; "we" thought Labor had more seats on night and in the end they lost a couple and nearly lost more as postals were counted.
saved a seat in Northern territory too by promising lower corporate tax rate there, again drivel as companies could move head office there to avoid tax being greater, but fooled enough to save Lingiara and almost win Solomon against the tide.
In this country I'm sure most people would muck it up by putting in, say, two 57s and no 58, etc.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mass-murderer-anders-behring-breivik-will-move-to-new-jail-after-complaining-about-view-from-his-cell-8747307.html
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24021037
Countdown - 2hours.
Closing paragraph sums up the tone of it - and is very funny given who's penned it. No More Boom And Bust.
"The next general election will be won by the party with the policies to secure a strong and fair recovery that works for the many and not just a few. Not complacent boasts from a Chancellor whose plan has failed and left working people paying the price."
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article3864867.ece
Pray tell, has Labour promised to reverse the benefits cap or to reinstate the spare bedroom subsidy?
The 1983 manifesto was the longest suicide nore in history. The 2015 one looks like being the shortest.
The public sector unions are a different story. I write as a trade unionist, I am a member of a TUC affiliated union, the HCSA. A much more effective union than the spineless BMA (who are not TUC affiliated)
Really good news and should help with the balance of payments as well.
It really is looking as if we will have a large increase in employment next year. No doubt claimant based unemployment will fall much more slowly due to immigration, underemployment and those that do not qualify for benefits but it should clearly be heading in the right direction. Aggregate spending can increase even if real wages are fairly static.
As election timed booms go this looks like quite a good one.
The attitude on the shopfloor is very different to the attitudes at the top of the unions. In the seventies the militancy was on the shopfloor and the leadership more moderate. That situation has reversed.
I am not opposed to Unite.
Lucy Adams protested the verdict on her was unfair, but committee chairman Margaret Hodge declared: ‘You’re developing a habit of changing your evidence.’
Miss Adams, with her glasses perched on her head in what critics dubbed an ‘Ab Fab’ look - was accused of completely contradicting herself.
At one point, Mrs Hodge told her: ‘I’m not having any more lies this afternoon.’ This outburst apparently sparked a wave of disloyal jubilation within the Corporation as staff watched the exchange on live television.
The BBC’s own media correspondent, the respected Nick Higham, tweeted: ‘There was an audible cheer in the BBC newsroom when Margaret Hodge accused BBC HR director Lucy Adams of lying to the PAC.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2416497/Cheers-BBC-newsroom-staff-MPs-Corporation-personnel-chief-liar.html#ixzz2eT8Tx2H2
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Which is odd - I'd think the intensity of the hostile coverage would be filtering through a bit and I wouldn't be surprised to see a really low lead outlier one of these days. But at this point it probably makes sense to await the conferences to see what conclusions people draw.
Mood music suggests Raikkonen will replace Massa:
http://www.espn.co.uk/ferrari/motorsport/story/124483.html
That'd be hugely significant for a few reasons. For a start, Ferrari has operated a number one driver system for as long as I can remember. It also means an opening at Lotus, and Massa either finds a drive or leaves the sport.
Did you see Libby Purves in Times yesterday? She's not exactly a Tory and does Mid Week on R4 - but boy is she irked.
"...It’s a sorry tale. Step back to 2002: the new Channel 4 Chief Executive, Mark Thompson, is arguing with his former boss, D-G Greg Dyke, over the launch of BBC3. During this altercation Thompson accuses Dyke at the BBC of “basking contentedly in a lake of spare public cash”, complaining that C4 was confined to a mere financial Jacuzzi. This evidence that Mr Thompson believed licence-fee revenues to be lake-wide and “spare” is interesting, since two years later he was Mr Dyke’s successor. And basked on a fatter fiscal Lilo by accepting a salary nearly double that of his predecessor.
During Mr Thompson’s reign as D-G, other senior management salaries rocketed in proportion. Soon the top 50 were paid more than the Prime Minister, and at least nine got more than previous D-Gs. To earn less than £120k with “Head” or “Director” in your title seemed impossible, and several earned four times that. Then came startling expenses claims: private planes, first-class travel, entertainment, compensation for carelessly losing a handbag, and shameful little claims, such as Mark Byford claiming £14.99 when he bought a book for a departing colleague and Thompson charging for a 57p parking meter. Meanwhile countless people actually making programmes had their pay frozen or kept well below inflation, while paying for their own parking meters and leaving-present kitties..." http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/libbypurves/article3863850.ece
I did not recognise Malcolmg's description of your exchanges with SeanT and Charles last night but they were enjoyable. The way I read it they were both rather more focussed on individual and family happiness whilst you were indicating that a well ordered and fairer society such as Norway could give you considerable happiness. It was a difference of prespective and interesting.
Good to see British manufacturing recovering after years of being run down, a decline that was continued under all governments.
Norman Tebbit was a trade unionist also ;-)