Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Len McCluskey: unions should consider disrupting London Olympics

Unite general secretary says 2012 could see dramatic escalation in battle between unions and coalition government

Why shouldn't the unions support the Labour party.

It is open.

While that of the tory party is secretive and appears to many to be secretive and corrupting.

I know that when I was young there was a subscription to the Labour on my wage slip which I could have opted out of.

I didn't at the time.

Consider the levy of that amount of cash to that of £500,000 to $£4,000,000 at one drop.

I do hope all the tax was paid.

What appears to me is that the unions represent a large group of individuals who could withdraw from the unions and not give the levy. The union memberships in general support the funding the labour party and the weekly payments are seen as small.

It is the sum which is to the labour party from of small "donations".
I would agree that the donations or "party fees" could be made more obvious and the, or an “opt out” equally obvious to contract to.

The large donations to the tory party and to a certain degree to the liberal party are of a different nature, coming out of the pockets of just a few, or minority.

One would suppose the latter “gifters”, being good "capitalists", or adherents of tory ideologies would expect to influence party policies as an expected return. Even, if it only leads to the implementation of the next U-Turn, or the appointed to the government as an adviser or CZar of some form.

Looking at the last budget and some political appointments, I and many more suspect that return has been partly repaid.

Is it any wonder this site is struggling when "Gobshite of the year"(recurring) above, manages to infiltrate and pollute every thread with his incessant verbal shite. Mind!

The voluntary donation is quite difficult to stop. There have been endless complaints of the method ncessary to stop it. The default should be no donation and an opt in. In some unions you have to fill in a form and take it along to a union meeting and present your choice to stop paying it and brave the comments from the activists who call you a class traitor. It sounds so easy to stop the political levey as it is called.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17543356

is bradford going to be the break up of the UK .
birmingham next then it will spread the uk will become no go areas
like we have never known .
the politians have failed the brittish way of life and the freedom of speech
the race card has killed the country. very sad days for the young .
these are my views

now the gov want to read all our E MAILS well hear is one they can read
why are all our MPs liars and dishonest and only interested in there own ENDS .
why are all these so called top directors being paid obscene money that they are not worth .

Tanker,

The New Tory party policy of open your, or everybody else's mail, is in defence of the UK.

8-)

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I thought this government was bad, now I think it is mad.

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A large number of people thought ID cards and Video surveillance was an infringement of "rights" and an abuse.

Nothing, compared with the present proposal.

Is this another diversion or preparation for another U-turn.
------------

Hays.

You had better be careful who you e-mail and the content of your E-mails.

=======

PS.

Bill, Ted. Jock and Sam.

No more e-mails. We will meet down the pub instead.

=========

Firstly, it was the Labour government that wanted to access all email and phone calls and it was the Conservatives who opposed it. I have no idea why there has been a shift in policy.

Secondly, the proposed legislation just regularises what has been happening for a long time. They can read my emails if they want to and listen to my phone calls as well, why should I care?

Mobile phone records have been kept for years. The information retained is of location (cell and sector, distance from cell), numbers called and so on. It's how they do the billing. It also provided substantial evidence in the conviction of the Soham murderer. Calls aren't recorded - there's too much traffic. Traffic analysis is the key issue - that could lead to eavesdropping - which would require a warrant.

Falklands War: UK and Argentina mark invasion 30 years on

A single candle is to be lit at Britain's National Arboretum to mark the 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War.

Argentina invaded the islands, which it calls the Malvinas, on 2 April 1982.

.

My wife told me to go to the doctors and get some of those tablets that 'help' get an erection.

You should have seen her face when I came back and tossed her some diet pills!

I'm still looking for a place to live.

.

Skinny, Skinny.

Your dinner and your bed is in the garden shed.

----------------------

Hays,

I see another cunning plan!

If "they" haven't got anything on you yet, "they" will find something, after the E-mail I am sending you.

8-)

PS>

When the next labour government, I wonder how they will use all the juicy information.in the data bank.

It may be a slippery slope.

bradford birmingham leicester to vote to rid them of brittish gov ,
the start of the break up of the uk and all down to liars at the top
you can not believe anything they say .

Just realised, the "juicy information" will be leaked daily like the Budget!

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Tanker,

Bradford was perhaps a vote of despair.

The present government is just poorer at lying than previous governments.

(A remark I heard last week with the last U-turn and the statements over the fuel supplies, was that "the present government aren't even competent liars.)

That is causing the loss of faith with the tories, even within the party members.

======

I can see Scotland going for greater independence than they have now and there are some elements in Wales who would like a greater degree of self government, but the latter are unprepared for it.

When parts of England had a chance for regional government they rejected it.

Interesting in Maggie time the tories centralised responsibility as the local forms of "governing" couldn't be trusted. It was the "We, in central government, know what is good for the periphery".

Now, because the government is incompetent, the attitude we will divest "responsibility" to the periphery but try and hold on to "power" and appear, hopefully, to be in "control".
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There seems to be a denial of the reasons for political and governing evolution in this country.

Why the sudden fall in share prices?
Any news, etc!

Can anybody tell me the cost to the UK of "running" the Fortress Falklands Islands?

Interesting to see the repeat of "defence mistakes" of the Maggie government, which led up to the Falkland war, being repeated by Cameron.