Goodbye Sir Jimmy

Goodbye to Sir Jimmy Saville.

A Yorkshire man I very much admired.

What a life. Down the Pit as a miner, a wrestler, and then an entertainer, but above all a tireless charity Fund Raiser, how many Marathons did he run?

An unpaid porter at St James in Leeds, brightening up everyone's day. He didn't have to do it but he wanted. to

Sad that he's gone and very sad that he should be on his own at the end but I guess he liked his own space.

BST to GMT What a Farce!!

Every one is being Fooled.

Yes the Clocks go back an Hour tonight but it DOES NOT mean you gain an Hour!.

Is GOD stopping the World for an hour and letting us have 25hours tomorrow? No of course not. The Sun will rise, the birds will sing and then the Sun will set.

Actually YOU will get up an hour later (by the clock) and go to Bed an Hour later (by yesterdays clock). We're just shifting our routine to 1 hour later. There's no real need to change the Clocks its just the silly convention that our lives are ruled by the Clock. If news at 10 went on at 11pm, and your Boss let you start work at 10am instead of 9 am the effect would be just the same.

Don't believe me? Well just leave one clock at the OLD time and check it when you go to bed.

Tell it to my Dog - he still will want to get up at 6, no sorry 5am!!!

Enjoy it - Monty.

Chancellor is to do a Gordon Brown on the LGPS

Please exhort the Chancellor not to do a Gordon Brown to the Local Government Pension Scheme, when he decides on
the reforms to the Public Sector Pensions Schemes. My reasons? Well I
shall explain why they are a different case.

Basically we are in this financial mess because of the folly of the
last Labour Government. They inherited a healthy debt-free economy on
the rise. What did they do, squandered it like greedy schoolboys in a
sweet shop.

You’ll remember when Gordon Brown decided to raid the pension funds to
appease the voters with Tax cuts. Sacrilege.

You will be aware that investments like pension funds are long term
investments, you don’t make a fast buck from them they are deliberately
designed for long term growth because they look after their members
over the long term, we hope the very long term. Having crippled the
funds his next “achievement” was to lower taxes at a time the world
recession was looming. In fact he then scrapped the 10p tax-rate to rob
the poor to give to the rich! How people were deluded, but eventually
saw what the Emperor was wearing and now we have a sensible Government
that is not trying to Build an enormous public sector to service the
Bloated State Machine. People don’t want hand outs they need freedom of
choice.

Now we are in a poor state and the Pension Funds are weak because the
economy is down. If the Chancellor is prudent (sorry but GB used these
words but wasn’t literally, he deceived), the economy will recover and
the Pension Funds will recover. The Long Term, providing they aren’t
mortally wounded.

I do agree with reform of Public Sector Pensions but keep the LGPS
separate to the rest because it is a FUNDED scheme. Why should we have to pay even more to bail out the greedy bankers?

Return of Olly

Olly is back. Hurrah! (our Barn Owl of course).WE first saw him Saturday morning then again this evening. Unfortunately some Bully Seagulls were mobbing him Any way he flew off and was back 10minutes later having out witted them. I guess he's back because the Tourists are almost gone for the Winter. GREAT.

Europe impositions

I've been Home Brewing on and off for 30years.

I've done Beer, lager and Wine

I gave up wine because it seemed pointless when there was a plentiful supply of good quality wine at the Supermarket at reasonably comparable prices - this may be changing.

Beer I still do, usually I would say 40pints for about £12, equates to 30p per pint. I enjoy a glass or two at a weekend.

What annoys me is that we are constantly bombarded in the media about how Europe is imposing this or that Law or directive but isn't it funny that beer and wine taxes are actually much cheaper on the Continent but they don't impose those on us do they?

Yet the Human Rights Act is quoted to support Prisoners rights in that they feel they NEED Sky in their cells. I don't understand, this is commercially available. I'm paying for them to be kept at Her Majesty's pleasure. WHy should that include Sky, I don't have Sky!

If they're bored let them read books. You never know they may learn something (always supposing they can read).

Quantitative Easing? Bah

Quantitative Easing, so another £75b into the economy. Bet I don't see any of it?

I just don't know how come interest rates are HALF a percent yet Banks charge 7+ percent to lend you money. Can't be bad profit eh, they're just greedy. Don't say they're taking a risk, it goes up if your credit rating goes down. Then there's credit cards a whopping 30% interest on those. No wonder David says pay them off - I'd love to.

So next why can't the Government (us) who own the main banks get them to lend out some of the Billions we've poured into them to save them? If they (we) own them then surely to God they can make them do it? What are they afraid of.

I despair. That's why we've no money the Banks have got it and are getting more by the day.

Student Fees

Why are Student fees so high? I guess because we can't afford as a society to send so many students to Uni.

In my day (30+years ago) only the top 20% went to Uni and we got a Grant (means tested ) but no Fees.

Now it seems every one has a right to go to Uni. It seems like an extension of school so why don't we change the School Leaving age to 21?

Silly I know.

Every one can't get a University Degree - they shouldn't be able to otherwise what is a Degree worth?

Why can't groups of schools get together and award a "graduation" like a combination of A Levels?

Get Uni back to being for the Elite and only have the very top 20% getting on to Study. Maybe then we could afford to send them.

The Rich will always buy their way in as always.

We need to fund education in Primary schools. WE don't want one FIFTH of school leavers unable to read and write in the 21st Century.

When I was 11 I could read anything and write competently. If everyone was at that level at 16 we'd have much better society.

Come on Dave - take up the challenge