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.

Haystack

A single person has a 25% discount off their council tax. The poll tax was unmanageable and the rich living in large houses paid the same tax .

What about the poor living in large houses. The advantage of the community tax was that you paid more according to your consumption. More people in the household would pay for more services (it wasn't a poll tax, it was a tax on the number of working age people).

It is interesting to see that China is achieving its growth due to supply side policies. These policies were first used widely by Maggie Thatcher. The coalition is beginnnning to use these policies once again.

I gather from reading the thread that squelched Fred is still posting. I would have thought that he had by now sold all his investments and redistributed all the wealth to the baby factory chavs and foreigners in our midst and so would have no need to visit a website for the hard working who spend their time trying to make money and pay taxes. I paid my CGT bill last week and that was enough to keep several lazy wasters in the style that they have become accustomed but certainly do not deserve.

TIM.

Be careful with your betting, or you and you family might become one of the "lazy wasters" dependent on the social services.

Every bet you have may have increasing losses.

Sorry, you are obviously too bright for that to happen to you.

Ummm

This-is-me,

Well said. Spot on.

Much more brighter then you with your silly childish remark's

Why don't you for once just answer the question .

" I would have thought that he had by now sold all his investments and redistributed all the wealth "

Aid,

when body's were piling up waiting to be buried

Names and their meanings......Fred, "elf or magical counsel; peaceful ruler".

Nothing personal, but I do wish he would just magically elf away (was going to put a different word than away, but don't want to upset MoneyAm).

But seriously. Why is anyone even bothering to reply to him.
I have always enjoyed well thought out, well worded discussions/augments but all Fred's posts are designed to wind people up.

PS. If you have a car smash, be careful on which side of the Post code you have it, or you might end up in the wrong hospital.

ie, the one without a bed for you.

What a crazy governing elite.

What is Fred talking about , his reply to my post is nothing remotely connected to what i wrote . His a complete waste of space .

Can't believe you are still trying to debate with him. Complete waste of time. Best just ignored.

Was the Greek a short while ago espousing or condoning the use of torture to extradite information.

Don't think I can take him seriously.

Aid,

I would have expected with a little work you may be able to comprehend the implications of the Cameron proposals.

I think this is a government programmed for disaster.

But fortunately, "I am all right Jack".

What is Fred talking about , his reply to my post is nothing remotely connected to what i wrote . His a complete waste of space .

THIS IS A AUTOMATIC REPLY

AIds.

You rarely seem to engage your brain and your responses are generally predictable.

An automaton with a mantra seems applicable.

Good luck, you may need it.

Fred
The hospital postcode lottery has been inexistence for years. It has nothing to do with the present government. I found an article in the Guardian from 2000 complaining about it when Labour were in power. It is suggested that it has been the same since 1948. The Labour government, said in 1997, that they would stop the postcode lottery. Was the reason that they failed because they needed more time?

The current Labour bunch like complaining about various things they they say the Conservatives should have done already. These are mainly things that Labour did not manage to do in 13 years.

Hays,

I agree there has always been a variation in "quality" of "care" throughout the life of the NHS, but the management reorganisation is going to exaggerate the differences even more, just when the quality overall has been improving for 10 to 15 years.

Of course there always has to be examination of cost and reduction in true wastage.However it could be done by evolutionary changes of the present management system.

GPs in general do not have the overall training, knowledge or skills to overview the strategies necessary for a care system which takes into consideration of the country as a whole.

The problem I see with this inept government is going for change for change sake, in order to be seem doing something. It does not matter how potentially damaging the changes are. as they are devolving responsibility from themselves and then think that they will be able to blame others.

Over the years I have known many teachers, lecturers, medical practitioners, nurses and other forms of "social" workers (and police force). The problem which irritated them the most, was the constant "reorganisation" of areas of work.Due to the irritations and demoralisation the qualities of what they were doing lessened and they gradually became self interested.

I think the attempts. by this coalition government to shift responsibility to the GPs and local bodies (having already filled the Gps. and Consultants' mouths with gold over the last 5 years) will lead to a more expensive, or poorer system run by little business men with their eyes on their own pockets.

I will watch.

Hi Fred

So Maggie was flying outdated flags. Would you now prefer to see the EU flag on our battleships or are you just thoroughly pi$$ed off that Wales was never represented in the Union Jack. If we include it would you no longer consider it outdated?

Quality in the NHS has been improving over the last 10-15 years because of improvements in medicine, equiptment, knowledge and buildings all paid for with borrowed money i.e. unsustainable. Maybe this was the last great golden parachute this last generation of government gave themselves - a state of the art NHS which will look after them in old age - all paid for by the younger generation. If you did a poll about the NHS management and staff you would probably find the quality is not so good compared to what it used to be.

Evolutionary management change does not work with anything that is publicly funded, especially when it is not elected. From my frequent dealings with local bodies the management is hired from a pool of best mates and yes people - 'god forbid they rock the cosy boat'. Best mates being taken on on a salary grade which does not befit their longstanding friendship - no matter lets make up a new job title, the public are too stupid to notice - voila another 25k in your pocket, oh and we farm out your work to other consultants anyway so put your feet up. In the truly private sector this is not a problem because we are not forced to hand over vast amounts of cash for them to play with. I expect you'll say farming out work to private companies is good for the country but why not leave the money with the companies in the first instance. Easily done - lower tax.

I think GP's would be more than adequate to run the NHS, after all, they will only end up employing the redundant PCT staff it but at much more commercial terms.

This government is making changes for because of the need to make changes. Simple concept to understand. You are retired aren't you? that explains a lot, you get to benefit while not necessarily contributing much to it (unless you are a trading guru and even then you would do it in a tax efficient manner. I expect you manage to make full use of ISA's annual limits etc.

I note your list of professionals who hate change but maybe when labour learn to stop bankrupting the country by forcing everything on theese professionals, needed or not, they may find that utopian plateau and begin to enjoy work again.

I must be missing something with your last point. Are you really saying the coalition have been running a money laundering racket for 5 years (5 years?) whereby they were forcing GP's and consultants to accept dodgy gold. Where was this gold coming from, can't have been the taxpayer because labour had already spent that.

Its a conspiracy, you are maestro's dad! There is only one big political party after all but they all take it in turns to be out in the wilderness (poppy fields) - liberals more so than others which explains a few things)) harvesting the 'money to launder'.

OK. Hate to do this as I really have enjoyed this thread, but if people keep replying to Fred, I won't be posting as I can't see any point in visiting the thread. Recently all I keep seeing are replies to Fred who must be jumping up and down in childish glee.
Fred as we know will argue that 'black is white' so why bother to answer him.

To those who I have agreed or disagreed with in grown up terms, regards all.

"You are maestro's dad!"

Could anything be worse? (apart from actually being maestro)

LOL

Could be maesto's children?