THE BRITISH THREAD II

Havent they learnt anything from the industrial revolution ? We dont want people starving or the crime rate that goes with no safety net. How much money could the UK save by cutting back on unit insignia and pomp and ceremony ? Or by paying politicians less ? But we dont want to panic, do we ? Lets just take money from the poor. They wouldnt have saved it anyway.

I was being slightly mischevous there, not strictly accurate.
The proposal on that seem to be, if a jobless person turns down three job offers, no matter what jobs are offered, then they lose their benefits for up to three years.
Seems reasonable, doesn't it? In theory.

I don't know what will happen if there's no jobs to offer. And I suspect neither do they.

We used to have something like that...dont know if we still do.

I would guess you do Io.

Essentially we don't believe in forcing people to work. And we don't believe in having people dying in the streets.

It's a horrendously difficult problem which has been wrestled with by every government we have had in my time. Most people want to work and finding work for them is a hard thing to manage. One might have thought that those who create jobs would be glad there are some who don't want to work.

What is work anyway?

These are deep waters, Spendy.

There was an opinion expressed at my class tonight (by a mature working woman) that plenty of unmarried mothers of her acquaintance had their babies just so the council would give them accommodation, and have no intention of ever doing anything other than having children and collecting benefits.

Then there was the European politician recently who said the immigrants were out-producing the natives, the wrong people were having too many children, and the nation was becoming less intelligent as a result.
Are we diluting our stock? Are we giving money to the undeserving and the feckless?

I don't know Mac. Do we have an alternative?

I still don't think the matter is discussable without an agreed definition of work. There are plenty of people earning 5 or more times the average who I don't consider to be working. Work is definitely un-green. It's stressful.

I can't figure out what Duncan Smith is actually talking about. His sweeping statements seem divorced from reality to me.

There you are, then.

I'll see that match (highlights) at quarter past seven.

It's not just the Tories working on this. Frank Field is involved, too. Frank recognises the dangers of encouraging the benefits culture....better late than never, eh.

I don't know about that Mac. From what point of view?

Who costs the most? A chap on the dole or a graduate rooting in the dirt in Africa to find another sodding fossil on a fat grant and who comes home to set a whole train of action in motion printing, distributing and reviewing his work.

How high do you want the **** piling?

I'm not sure where you're going with this.

Grants come from taxes, and taxes come from work. How can you compare a research grant with dole?
Whether all research is valuable, or even sensible, is another subject.

Spending comes from having money, and the modern economy comes from spending. Having too many people without money will make the rich very poor.

I think a doley is definitely "greener".

All this high-flown economic theorising is making my head spin.

The rugby...we wus robbed .....the wind was against us, the field was uphill, the ref lost his white cane and his seeing eye dog bit our best player, the sun was in our eyes, we werent used to the rain and no-one saw us lose it so it will have to replayed.

The new grey strip might become their "lucky" strip.
The new boys done good.
We enjoy beating the Aussies. (because they enjoy beating us).

(You notice how easily I can be "us" when Scotland don't win)

we wus robbed you had beginners luck.

L:egitimate win. Poms beat us at our own game. Improved a heap after the All Blacks last weekend.

Scotland, now - that's another story!

My kitchen's been flooded, all under the floor and under the units by the window, and now it's semi stripped out with an electric fan heater going, all the doors off and stuff..

Not a pretty sight.

Why has Smorgs forsaken us again? I miss the old girl.

Tough luck Mac. I sympathise. How did it happen?

It was a leaky stoptap, to the tap outside, which started to leak and to drip quite busily, and has been doing this I surmise since last Friday. Since it is hidden, and not gushing, the fault was not apparent till yesterday morning. God knows how much water has got into the floor- it looks like a lot.

Blast and drat.