hairy

But what, I bvelieve, you're not understanding is that this money doesn't exist, or most defintely not all of it...

cool, go on strike...

What, months off work with no pay, yes, I'll be real envious...

I think you'll be surprised...

I met an art gallery owner from Glasgow the other day. She's Scottish and I wanted her quite badly. It was actually a while back and cannot clear her from my mind...

But hey ho, shit happens.

I have seen this coming for ages. I remember the winter of discontent, well, a bigger storm is coming in the public sector and there will be massive strike action. I have some thoughts that it's actually going to cause riots as no one, outside of the public sector, will have any empathy for these people, given the bloat, the amount of waste the government has encouraged. Then, as a large percentage of these workers will not have any skills, unemployment will rise massively.

No, I am not fat. My part of NPfIT is fine, always has been. However, the implementation and design was chpopped and changed so much, some parts, for which they paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for (in some cases millions), has not been signed off i.e. it was designed, built and delivered but is not going to be used. It's ironically been a cash cow for public and private sector. In all my years working with the public sector, I have met one person whom I would employ, possibly 2. The levels of incompetance would shock you if you witnessed it. Is there no reason most IT start ups target central and local government contracts? I know I did and did for a reason; it's easy and constant money. I still sit in the middle for a central gov client and a company in India who do work for them. I, literally, am ftp'd the work and I ftp it to the client and get paid handsomely. Any diligent manager could remove that from the books with a phone call. But they wont, as it would involve making a decision and if there is one thing any public sector manager is useless at, it's decision making. Zero accountability, poor management and a allergy to put your head over the parapet.

I do, I am basing my next titlt at government on it. Going to call it the Clarkson manifesto

Indeed, who was the one discussing the meaning of irony earlier?

Quite correct

Nah, I reckon better to attack the feckless. Would clean up the estates as well.

No, well, not all, ok some... NHS gave me money for old rope. Paid me to sit in my office doing nothing 'Just in case' and then did so for a year, full day rate for a consultant, and asked me just to be aware I could do work. In a year I think I did 4 weeks work. Wonderful NPfIT

It doesn't cover itself unfortunately. Tax on tabs up 200%, tax on booze up 200% and tax on fatty foods up 200%. We'll reduce the load on the NHS in a generation... Then allow people the choice...

Nah, want to stop paying for all the feckless pricks in this country

I do see it being crazy that people who smoke, complain at the taxes going up, when it's a proven thing that there's a direct link between smoking, and second hand smoke, and ill health and an ever increasing burden on the health service, just the same for drinkers and for fat slobs. Why is there uproar when the Health service say they want people to lose weight before they're operated on, or for proof of character change on transplants? I'd go a little further if we have to keep the NHS: smokers pay an additional tax on their income, commensurate with the risk and financial burden it actually puts on the health service. Same for drinkers, same for fat people. Have a monthly weigh in 'sorry fat man, you've gone up a band to 53%, drop 10 kilos and you're back to 30%' etc. A sort of anti means testing...

No, I do want, what I consider as, essential services to be centrally funded. I designed a system for Surrey Fire Service, a HUD mapping system that allowed maps, including 'assets', to be displayed in fire fighters helmets. The reason for this system, was that this fire had happened in Hersham (at a garden centre), where the only maps they had were old and ripped and didn't show the lake right behind the Garden centre. I think it was 2000/2001 if you want to look it up. What i'd like to see is councils fight for business - Live in Reigate and Banstead, council tax reduced by X yet still offering services Y so that people would move into the area, giving the councils more money. I'd like councils to, almost, become like businesses. Yes, make us put our rubbish out every 2 weeks, but reduce the costs to pick it up then. Take 20 police men off the streets, but reduce our bills. Ask us if we need a new park and charge us for it. What I resent, and dislike, is councils massive ewasting of Council tax money and yes, I have seen it at first hand.

Nah, just after he started the fire in the first place. I have a great story about fireman incompetance. Store on fire, but 2 miles out of town. Run lines into town, but pressure low by the time the water gets to fire, so fire burns down store. after fire, firemen look behind big store and see gazillion gallon lake. Yes, very clever...

NO, I am spartacus

I contemplated it last year... Wife didn't want to commit fraud, I offered to go and find a girl friend she didn't know about it. After 3 days in the shed I think she worke dout I was joking... I love this government, put up benefits that stop making work attractive, make minimum wage low enough that it has to be topped up by more benefits. Make single parenthood a workable alternative to further education then chastise and penalise the middle class, married with kids... Wonderful stuff. thinking of off shorign to Vanuatua

The system is daft. I pay more NI than tax and I pay next to f'all for that. Kepe it coming. It'll only get better under the conservatives and I'm all over that. I've done my tax paying bit AFAIC. was a bit much last year eing offered tax credits mind...

Glad you find the idea of someones Grandmother dying in a fire amusing. Good job I don't have one. I have got some fine stories to tell you about Firemen too. I'll always be wary of people who like to run into building s that are on fire. Massively respectful, but genuinely keep clear of in your private life types. As for health care, I'd rather pay my premiums and take my chance. I am fed up with paying for a service which is massively inadequate, in real terms. Don't get me wrong, at the coal face, they're remarkable people. but in the main e.g. having benign conditions, they're woeful.

No, I agree, my threshold is really low now. I only claimed earnings of £4800 last year. My company loaned me a big amount, will do again this year. My expenses now take me a long time to maximise, but it's worth it when you claim £40k for them. No, I owe Brown and his cronies nothing and I am now making sure he gets as little as possible from me.

It does sum it up. I, too, will avoid paying as much tax as I can. I owe nothing, in my eyes, to this government anymore. It's robbed me for too long.

I dont think teachers are parasites, I owe a lot to my teachers, my only issue is that bad teachers are in the system and will just be moved on where they need ot be thrown out. That's the only issue I have with the public sector (I do believe in no NHS). I believe the best should be rewarded, the operational kept in the job and the inept put out to grass and made to find their own level. I deal with people in the public sector daily, I mean hourly and most, and I say this with great respect to those who are not, are inept and unable to perform their roles properly. Its not anecdotal, it's the truth. I have to ask, reask, ask again, put in writing and then do things myself, in nearly everything I ask of them. Half the time, you have people in roles they just cannot do, for example, a central government client has 5 DBA's working on their team and 3 contractors. The only ones who can do the things I ask of them e.g. Database Administration, are the contractors. In meetings, the level of unprofessionalism shown at them is staggering. I have asked one of them how come he's a dba and he tels me he was asked if he wanted to be one. he said yes, so now he is one, has had hours, upon hours, of very expensive training and still cannot do it... It maddens me.