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.

Have not learnt much from this thread, but what I have learnt is priceless. If you think I will be going on about the Con party on a money am thread when I retire and on a Sunday of all days. Very sad all I can say.

Your request is my command Fredrick.. The splutterer in all his glory.



A rare but increasingly common picture of the right "horrible" our very own Alfred Manuel Andrew Jeremy Cynic... Assuredly -):

what a silly pair you are indeed

Cynic and Hays,

At least the Mayor of Toronto admits to smoking Crack Cocaine.

Stop deluding yourselves.

What has the con party achieved over the last wasted 3 years?

If you can still read this late in the day, try this.

The words are quite simple.

The success story of the con party and their administrative skills.

Read about the mismanagement due to the Lansley and hunt 's thought-out reorganisation.

CRAZY.


http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/10/nhs-changes-toxic-david-nicholson

Fred
You need to be more selective with you you quote . It is not surprising that Nicholson is not in agreement with the present government.

Nicholson was educated at Forest Fields Grammar School in Nottingham, and graduated from Bristol Polytechnic (now known as the University of the West of England) with a 2:1 in History and Politics.

He joined the Communist Party of Great Britain after graduation,[2][3] and remained a member of the party until 1983

"dreamcatcher - 10 Nov 2013 16:17 - 32531 of 32535

Have not learnt much from this thread, but what I have learnt is priceless. If you think I will be going on about the Con party on a money am thread when I retire and on a Sunday of all days. Very sad all I can say."

Agreed dreamcatcher.

apprenticeships
among a number of interesting articles in ST, like surging uk growth etc, that with luck would make fred choke and stan just splutter a bit, was one on apprenticeships - a little fave of mine

it seems that these have jumped from 175,000 in 2005/6 to 500,000 in 2011/12, and there's much more to it than that - find and read for yourselves!

however, what caught my eye, was that "apprentices in england fall broadly into 3 levels" , the lowest of those mentioned being "intermediate which is the equivalent of 5 GCSEs"

what i would find interesting - this long article concentrated on higher grade apprenticeships - is how young and academically failing or even failed, or just plain unsuited 16-year-olds can be brought into these sort of schemes .....

as i have mentioned before, i don't hear our local schools - we have several very good and "standard" ones in the immediate area - asking local businesses for help in this area, or for senior management of companies of all types and sizes to come in on a regular basis to talk to the students

perhaps the schools just avoid me (who could blame them), but i fear that is not the case

A "proper" Apprenticeship should be provided/funded by the employer at the Trade or Profession Standard of the particular Industry... and no one else. The Apprentice should at the same time be looked after by the Qualified Journeyman/women in that Company along with the respective Trade Union in all terms of welfare i.e. Training, Wages, Holidays and Sickness Scheme etc., also to insure that the Employer does not use the Apprentice as just cheaper Labour.

electionista‏@electionista8h
UK - YouGov poll: 63% of voters supports a Niqab ban in Britain, 24% opposes a ban.

Hays Hays Hays........


electionista‏@electionista8 Nov
UK - Populus poll: CON 32%, LAB 39%, LDEM 12%, UKIP 9%

Hays and Manuel.

a friend of yours?


I thought him a leading light of the Tea party.
=============



Stratford on Avon MP Nadhim Zahawi repays expenses

Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi

Nadhim Zahawi said he was "mortified" (I bet he is.)

A Conservative MP has apologised for claiming parliamentary expenses for electricity to supply his stables and a mobile home in the stable yard.

The expenses relate to Nadhim Zahawi's second home in the village of Tysoe, near Banbury, in his constituency of Stratford on Avon in Warwickshire.

The MP said he had contacted the expenses watchdog.

The Sunday Mirror reported last week that Mr Zahawi had claimed some £6,000 in the year up to March.

Mr Zahawi said the watchdog, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, had included claims for the previous year and the figure was nearer £4,000.

In a statement issued on Saturday, he said: "I have been looking into this matter further and can confirm that all claims for heating fuel relate purely to my second home.

"However, I have made a mistake with my electricity claims.




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

Lucky that he is not a unemployed labourer or single mother.

======

Sorry guv, it was all a mistake comes to mind.

======

PS


Mr Zahawi was educated at Ibstock Place School and at King's College School, at the time a boys-only independent school in Wimbledon in West London, followed by University College London, where he studied Chemical Engineering, receiving a BSc. and at sometime joined the Con Party of Great Britain of which he is still a member.

------

None of the above is my own fault.

gf
Yougov today 5%

Its the TREND the TREND Hays that counts.

The trend shows that short of a miracle, Broon in some form or other will lead the next gov of Britain.

Heaven help us!

Why should heaven help you.

What about my needs.

It will need an eight day week to help me!

8-0-0-0-0-0-00)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/investors-threaten-to-abandon-big-six-over-political-interference-in-pricing-8931492.html

Fund managers controlling billions of pounds invested in UK energy companies have warned that they are considering pulling out of the sector because of political interference in the market.

The Big Six suppliers have been heavily criticised in recent weeks over the prices they are charging customers, with Centrica, npower, Scottish Power, SSE, E.ON and EDF – many of which have recently introduced above-inflation price rises – being accused of exploiting vulnerable consumers while at the same time making huge profits.

The controversy prompted the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, to promise a price freeze for 20 months if his party wins the 2015 election. In response energy companies claimed any such action would curtail their ability to invest and could even lead to blackouts. The threat of political intervention has hit the share prices of the Big Six, and raised questions about future profitability. The speculation has angered some of the country’s leading institutional investors, who have said privately that they will act if the meddling continues.

Another fund manager, James Smith of Premier Asset Management, said: “We run a couple of funds that have exposure to utilities across the world, including the UK where shares have fallen in recent weeks. We are considering whether things are going to get worse because if they do we might need to reassess our strategy relating to our UK investments.

nvestors say they are particularly angry at the comments from Mr Miliband given his role as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change under the last Labour government. Mr Smith added: “He is ignoring the role he played in increasing the environmental costs faced by utilities. Nor does his sticking-plaster approach do anything to address why prices are rising. Perhaps he will legislate to stop supermarkets increasing the price of bread when wheat prices increase?”

Happy days are here again.......




Help to Buy scheme take-up praised by David Cameron

PM says mortgage lending scheme helping first-timer buyers with 75% outside south-east on average price of £163,000


Andrew Sparrow, political correspondent

The Guardian, Monday 11 November 2013


Early figures on the take-up of the government's new Help to Buy scheme should allay fears that it will fuel a housing bubble in London and the south-east, David Cameron .suggested on Monday.

In a statement welcoming the news that 2,000 people have already put in offers on homes using the mortgage guarantee scheme, on properties worth £163,000 on average, Cameron said the money was helping young first-time buyers on average incomes.

More than three quarters of the applications have come from outside London and the south-east.The government has been operating its Help to Buy equity loan scheme for newly-built homes since April, but the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee launched only four weeks ago. It enables people to buy homes worth up to £600,000 with a 5% deposit because the government will guarantee 15% of the mortgage.

Downing Street said that 2,000 people had used the scheme to put in offers involving mortgage lending worth £365m. On average people are asking to borrow £155,000, for properties worth on average £163,000, well below the UK average price of £247,000.

More than three-quarters of applicants are first-time buyers and many are in their early 30s, Downing Street said.


More bollox here:
http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/nov/11/help-to-buy-david-cameron

Stan - read the article on apprenticeships, and then you'll understand what it was about and be able to comment on it accordingly.

nevertheless, at least some of the points you mentioned are valid even if debatable - but not remotely applicable to the article in question

by the way, are you also saying that the apprentice should be obliged to join a trades union? ..... surely not

So more people encouraged to live beyond their means on our Low wage, Ageist and Sexist little Island eh?

What article is that Cynic, I must have missed it?