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.

It appears that the powers that be are looking at including house prices (increases/decreases) in the Consumer Price Index.
For many years house prices have been rising well above inflation. Only now they are entering into a downward price trend the thoughts are to include them in the index.
No doubt the government will state the suggested inclusion is nothing to do with the house price index being in a downward trend, it is being included because as Gordon Brown stated, "we will start listen to the people".
Yer Right!
Or am I just being a cynical b*****d.

Alan,

I had a Donner once. She was quite hairy as well as fat, but after a few bevy's she as I remember it looked gorgeous. But then don't they all.
(apologies to any Donna's out there).

Greek.

Yet another Government scam.

It was reported this AM, BBC News that in general a diesel powered car is less pollutant than a petrol equivalent.
Yet the most up to date official figures for fuel tax available (1st Oct 2007) are.

Petrol (unleaded) fuel tax = 53.65p per litre.
Conventional diesel fuel tax = 56.94 per litre.

Obviously the other tax levied (VAT) increases with every increase in price.

No doubt if/when an alternative none polluting, environmentally neutral fuel is found, taxes will become just as high on that fuel source. So much for the never ending official statements that one reason for these fuel taxes are to encourage end users to become more environmentally friendly, IE Green Tax.

We all know the motorist is an easy target and that the taxes are so high for the sole reason of filling the massive hole in this mis-governments coffers.
Why do they still spin the same old rubbish.

Because it works?

Hi Kayak,

But does it. Who believes it anymore (if they ever did).
But I suppose there are some people about who with an IQ of 10 or less still believe
or just don't care.
Come the revolution bother!

Doesn't really matter if they believe it, they still drive, just like they still drink and smoke in spite of the punitive taxes there too.

I believe it!!!!
I am famous for my stupidity and believing everything ever said.
I believed the government that I should eat 5 a day, even though the dentist tells me my teeth will only last a fortnight with that much fructose and acid.
I believed the government when they said the 5% addition of biofuel will reduce my carbon footprint even though scientists tell us it is about 20 times as lethal to the atmosphere.
I believed my scIEnce teacher when he said i comes before e, except after c.
I believe that striking teachers only have the best interests of the kids at heart.
I believe anything I'm told. I just can't believe Gordon Brown still has a job.

And when the MP's expenses are published, I bet you will believe that our Honorable Members (oxymoron if ever there was one), tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me voter.

Other oxymorons in the recent press re MP's/Government.
Government assistance
Government efficiency
Government integrity
Government initiative
Government Intelligence
Government organization
Government Worker
Governmental Efficiency

Not doubt you clever lot will add some more.

And the most kick ass annoying government sponsored (paid for by Tax Payers)advert is 'Tax doesn't have to be taxing' Now that does really p**s me off.

A civil service where the employees are neither civil nor servile??????

Greek,
You have stumbled on a governmental truism.
The department for industry always presided over unemployment.
The defence of the realm act was used to attack other countries.
The defence department attacks anyone.
The freedom of information act tells us when we can keep things secret.
The data protection act shows how we can share data.
The education secretary has never had an education.
The home office is responsible for immigration and is staffed by illegal aliens.
And so on and so on.............................

I knew I was opening a can of worms on this one, (or is it maggots).

And another one. When it comes to declaring MP's expenses, The Speaker of the house tells everyone to keep quiet.

Sorry to intrude.
Oldie', no help towards council tax,as no income(true)
Bus pass(Paid for by your council)
Council tax for picking up my rubbish 1647.
mac

David Attenborough, a man for whom I have untold respect, Loves slugs. And beetles and all kinds of creepy crawlies. Even he cannot find it in him to like estate agents, so with trepidation I found myself in conversation with a member of this much unloved species.
They were in a state of woe. Sackcloth, ashes, the full works. At the moment, they explained, they couldn't sell a ticket to a naked All Saints concert, never mind a cheap house in a desirable location.
The reason? They argued it was a combination of the media and peoples unencumbered ability to be stupid.
Apparantly the press have been a little less than honest about the housing market (Pot - Kettle??). They are carrying stories that housing sales are down 35-40%, which is true, but writing it in such a way that people read it that house prices are falling by 35-40%. Punters, for their part, are swallowing it hook line and sinker and vendors are now removing property from the books, as they are not prepared to show people round when the offer may be half the asking price and buyers are convinced that they can get a 200k house for about 110k.
I don't know who is the most stupid here. The agent, the media or the public, but in keeping with the theme of this thread, I will blame the government on 2 counts.
Firstly if they had bothered to educate the masses they would presumably be able to read the articles correctly and know that house prices have not yet fallen and may only fall by about 5%. Secondly they are prepared to spend gazillions of pounds telling both people who do not know, that smoking and drinking may be bad for you yet they could spend about 40 running an ad correcting the story in order to save the economy.
No one would ever believe them though.

Hmmm? 110,000, you say?

Would that include the buying costs?

Oh, and where is that concert again?

The answer to the UK's housing market problem?

I wonder what the couple on the star holiday advert are looking at?

I'm going to address a touchy subject here, so I want to be clear I am not belittling or satirising (wouldn't know how) a very serious subject.

The events of yesterday in Exeter demand more thought.
Firstly I heard a copper on telly saying a man had gone into a loo, there'd been an explosion and he had come out with burnt hands and face. Fair enough. That sounds like a bomb gone wrong or an unreasonably hot curry to me. The copper then goes on to say it is being treated as "suspicious". Well thanks for that, copper. I'd never have worked it out without your incisive detection.
Now apparantly, the police are reporting it as a bloke with a bomb strapped to him that detonated while being primed. They go on to say he was mentally unstable.
Call me Mr Silly, but I would love to meet a mentally stable person who would strap explosives to himself and try to kill as many people as possible. We evidently have differing definitions of mental stability, which is perhaps why I never joined the police.
So we have a (mercifully) averted tragedy followed by a Keystone Kops farce. I hope this does not detract from a very pressing problem. I refer to the coverage of the event.
If one reads the news, the police are making it appear that islamic fundamentalists are specifically targeting those with mental illness for radicalisation. If this is true, then it is a very sorry state, and very worrying. If it is not true, then I am more worried than ever, for that would mean the police differentiating between asian islamic terrorists (as being a bunch of anti-christs) and white islamic terrorists (as being dysfunctional and misguided, preyed upon by those nasty anti-christs I just mentioned).
The law should be blind. It should not be either stupid or racist, but it appears both in Exeter. I hope I am wrong. I hope this man gets exactly the same punishment as any other terrorist, should he be found guilty, but I have a nasty feeling he will receive leniency based on his mental health. That will send out entirely the wrong message and could do more harm to race relations than electing Jim Davison as head of equality.

Serious trousers off now. Back to being silly.

From The Daily Telegraph.

How about this for back to being silly (no not me but The Department for Transport).
A government spending watchdog has disclosed that an efficiency drive by The DFT designed to save 122,000,000 has been found to actually save 57,000,000.
This efficiency (sic) drive cost 81,000,000, due to an unstable IT system that they did not have time to test thoroughly.
So instead of a saving the net loss is 24,000,000.
However the Audit Office has forecast the cost could be as high as 120,000,000, with a total saving of just 40,000,000, so an even greater net loss of 80,000,000.
End of extract.......

I just hope they don't try to save any more money. The country just can't afford it.
No doubt the DFT bosses will be rewarded for this failure by huge bonuses.
Now I know what department Jim Hacker (yes minister) ended up leading.
You just couldn't, it make it up.

Fancying a punt by buying a few shares in this new newspaper that I keep reading about. Can't wait for it to go national instead of Nottingham and places.
I am talking of course of the Daily Llama. I have loads of friends who are very into sheep so I think Llamas may do well as well.
The paper boy looks a bit dodgy though in the long orange nighty. Still, it will make a change to read about Llamas instead of religion and human rights in China and stuff.

Up here in Yorkshire, we often think/dream about sheep. But Llama's, No! their too tall and much to fast to catch, or so I'm told. So they make shearing difficult, (what did you think I was talking about).
On hol's on Tues for 3 weeks. Will miss these sensible, deep, educational discussions.

They've flipped. They really have finally flipped.
There are 2 people left in the UK who do not know that smoking is bad for you. One hasn't moved from his padded cell for 16 years and the other one is Trevor.
Our glorious leaders have decided that rather than spend money in silly ways, like preventing people blowing themselves up, or making the economy worth more than 3.50, or stopping youths turning each other into a chalk outline on a pavement or helping to stop the world dissolving in a methane / co2 stew, or educating kids or any of the other things we would quite like them to do, they will spend a central American countrys national debt telling Trevor and his mate in the asylum that smoking perhaps is not very wise.
I am a smoker. I know it is not very good for me. Neither is a burger. Or 14 pints on a Friday night. Or a kebab afterwards.
So what is the point in the new three point plan to stop Trevor and the other one smoking?
1) No vending machines. The law was changed 17 years ago to prohibit the siting of a machine where purchases were not supervised. No need to remove it altogether to stop kids buying.
2) No displaying of cigarettes in shops. Ridiculous. Even with them on display and me pointing at what I want over the counter the average assistant (IQ somewhere between a cuttlefish and a linedancer) cannot get it right. Hiding them means employing something approaching humanity and that increases costs.
3) No 10 packs. Get real you bunch of dozy d**kheads. A smoker having to choose between no cigs but dinner money for the kids and a 20 pack and hungry kids will decide the kids need a diet.
Next up; All processed food behind locked cabinets and buying beer being seen as akin to wandering into your local blockbuster and asking for videos of children.
Oh and by the way. When we all live to be 106, the pensions have run out and taxes are running at 98%, you'll know the government won its fight against the last 2 smokers.