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.

sticky - the conclusion you draw from the article presented is pretty tenuous ...... as for "embracing the unions", heaven forfend! .....

though i fully accept that sensible and responsible unions have an important part to play in industry, i still get the feeling that most of them are far more interested in building their own little empires and being generally "awkward" than working for the common good ..... that is certainly not to say that most management is intelligent and thoughtful, as clearly that is often not so

as an example, a good few years ago, my wife was chair of the board of governors at a small local school ...... trying to sack bad teachers was almost impossible thanks to the union and its entrenched position

unions promoting increased productivity and efficiency from their members!!!!!
what planet have you been living on???

My work here is done! :-)

Doreen Lawrence will use peerage to speak out on immigration clampdown



New Labour peer Doreen Lawrence has pledged to speak out over stop-and-check operations being carried out near railway stations in a crackdown on illegal immigration.
What waste of a peerage , I would have thought she would be all for upholding law and order and making our street's safer.

Cameron pulls of political coup

David Cameron has hired Barack Obama's campaign manager Jim Messina to help him win the 2015 general election, it has been reported.

According to the BBC, Messina will act as an adviser to the Conservative Party's campaign manager Lynton Crosby.

Messina masterminded president Obama's 2012 re-election campaign having previously served as White House deputy chief of staff. The hire is something of a coup for Cameron considering the two come from opposing political parties.

Whilst what happened to Stephen Lawrence was appalling if the police are checking for ILLEGAL immigrants then what she has to say should be in support of the police action, if it's not supportive it could be construed that she is anti police and just taking a swipe at them for letting her family down. AIMHO of course.
2517

Haystack---let's hope he stays true to his paymasters and not his political party.
2517

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlZkRF45K6M

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
I though the extract below very interesting following the apparent arrest of 120 illegals .....


An EHRC (Human Rights organisation) spokesman said: "The commission is writing to the Home Office about these reported operations, confirming that it will be examining the powers used and the justification for them, in order to assess whether unlawful discrimination took place. ....."
A Home Office spokesman defended the tactics: "We make no apology for enforcing our immigration laws ....... Where we find people who are in the UK illegally, we will seek to remove them."


Anyone here want to stand on their soapbox to support EHRC in this instant?

Anyone in mind? :-)

fred may have a pop, as he likes to take contrary stances, even if he doesn't necessarily hold to his own arguments - i know the feeling well :-)

cynic - think skinny was referring to a poster using the name of an ocean going vessel :O)

like dogs' poo, i just avoid it

electionista ‏@electionista 3 Aug
UK - average of polls, 15-day change: CON 30.7%(+0.1), LAB 37.8%(-0.5), LDEM 9.9%(-0.1), UKIP 13%(+0.3)

vote ukip is all I hear at the 4 pubs and 3 clubs I go to
and most of them are pensioners .
my family which we are many will be voting ukip ex torys

We know!

http://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2013/08/05/populus-back-to-normal-following-fridays-shock-lab-11pc-lead/

Populous today Labour lead 5

Conservatives 33 + 4
Labour 38 - 2
I be 12 + 1
UKIP 9 - 3

ZERO HOURS CONTRACTS
please can someone tell me the difference between these and being self-employed like (for instance) courier drivers whose "employers" never put them on the books, a practice that would seem to be universal

that's strange - just a few days ago the unmentionable said he was voting labour, having seemingly given up ukip as well

Zero hours contracts - They are very controversial. The contract puts workers on permanent call for an employer but only get payed when the company needs them.
Often weekend work with the worker taking days off in the week. Its for the employed . Pub chains have workers in this scheme and no doubt supermarkets will follow. You could say some work is better than non. So in real terms you are only a part time worker with the benefits that go with part time work. Not a good road to go down in my view.