Brexit, for once some facts.

jonathan.agnew

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Dec 27, 2018
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That would never happen, except maybe if Trump wins, and then only a very small chance. These global corporations have so much money that they can buy off anything that stands in their way. If they can't get the politicians directly, they go for the media and everybody else to turn against the politicians until they comply.
In march 2019 the eu (European comission) fined google 1.9 billion dollar for advertising practices. Trump, populist puppet for corporations and overseas foreign wealth funds that he is, has and will never do that
Edit - in fact he lambasted the eu for fining google $5.1 billion in 2018
 
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sjpt

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Jun 8, 2018
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Sadly UK has edged ahead US and Brazil in the 'deaths per million' charts again. I don't know how much that is down to the way things are accounted. Clearly our government has made a mess of many aspects of the situation, but I didn't think they were in the same league as Trump and Bolsonaro.

 
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flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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I see Danidl posted a disagree to this post of mine.

Perhaps he'd like to explain why the countries who are among the highest ranking in educational success so often start their children's schooling at 6 or 7 years old,

And why we, who start schooling at the idiotic age of 4 or even earlier, are one of the lowest ranking countries.
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flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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Sadly UK has edged ahead US and Brazil in the 'deaths per million' charts again. I don't know how much that is down to the way things are accounted. Clearly our government has made a mess of many aspects of the situation, but I didn't think they were in the same league as Trump and Bolsonaro.
No, we aren't in that league, with us failure is effortless. Trump and Bolsonaro have attracted widespread censure, but we've largely got away with it without much comment.
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oyster

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Nov 7, 2017
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I wasn't proposing that, as I posted I saw the income from the tax paying all the customs costs.
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No - I realised. And yes, it would make sense, if it could be made to work.

One of the biggest issues is the declared value. If everything were properly and accurately declared, then 20% on top would be just dandy.
 
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flecc

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Oct 25, 2006
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No - I realised. And yes, it would make sense, if it could be made to work.

One of the biggest issues is the declared value. If everything were properly and accurately declared, then 20% on top would be just dandy.
Indeed, and why I proposed a huge expansion of customs to allow sampling and very heavy fines for companies found cheating.
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RossG

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Feb 12, 2019
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But this is outer South London and suburbia, a land of commuters and through commuting traffic, not students and raves. The 99% was accurate, i was tempted to post well over 99%. Drivers don't willingly join the London rush hours if they don't have to.

In your last paragraph we are in agreement, if one is going to restrict to control the spread, make it effective, not these ineffectual tiers which are riddled with flaws as I showed.
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Does depend on where you are in the UK of course, I must admit I have difficulty understanding why people have the need to keep traveling around carrying the pox with them. I'm retired so don't have to work only I do or at least did pre covid. I do occasional work as an adviser to the retail & hospitality trade giving advice on advertising, staff training and a whole range of other services, money for nuts and freebies all the way ... even free holidays sometimes best job in the world and I get paid. However it means traveling around from place to place and mixing with many people so with regret I've had to knock it on the head, pity but I'm not going to lecture others for doing what I could be doing so I'm quid's out. Health before wealth.
 
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Woosh

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May 19, 2012
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That would never happen, except maybe if Trump wins, and then only a very small chance.
it's the opposite. Trump knows that the more there is a public budget deficit, the more voters like his promise to cut taxes.
Biden wants to push up taxes for the rich. His attraction is, you fund my campaign, may be I won't put taxes up as much as I promised.
 
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oyster

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Nov 7, 2017
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I must admit I have difficulty understanding why people have the need to keep traveling around carrying the pox with them.
I keep finding there are seemingly ludicrous reasons to travel.

One that has been a real pain recently is that my phone has a dying battery. The nearest place I can get a replacement done (officially) is Cardiff - two hours drive/ 100 miles each way.

By post, it could take 6 to 10 days. Which is a long time without.

As it happens, there are many reasons for me to consider a replacement phone rather than just battery. That gives me 14 days to switch over and send my old one by post. So I can avoid the journey but, under other circumstances, we'd probably have added a few other reasons and driven there.
 

vfr400

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Jun 12, 2011
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Biden finally got a decent turnout at one of his rallies, though nothing like as many as Trump got. His recent rallies have struggled to get a hundred, and when Obama went out on his behalf, he was standing with a megaphone speaking to three bemused onlookers. It looks like maybe a couple of thousand at this one - just a slight problem though:

 
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Barry Shittpeas

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Jan 1, 2020
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I see Danidl posted a disagree to this post of mine.

Perhaps he'd like to explain why the countries who are among the highest ranking in educational success so often start their children's schooling at 6 or 7 years old,

And why we, who start schooling at the idiotic age of 4 or even earlier, are one of the lowest ranking countries.
.
You’re gonna wish you hadn’t asked.
 
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Wicky

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I fear that this free school meal thing is going to become another Princess Diana / Clap for the NHS / BLM / Mencal Elf type mass hysteria contagion.

It’s easy enough to chuck buckets full of money at it, any twat can do that, but not so easy to make sure the money results in food inside children’s stomachs. Maybe something to fund the meals via restaurants forced to close in would work. That would help two area, restaurant hospitality support and making sure the food get to the children. I think vouchers and or cash would be abused.
Free school meal vouchers* provision over the last Easter holidays was implemented - and Govt did a U- turn on free school meal vouchers for eligible pupils over the summer holidays. Tories voted against a continuation of the scheme over Crimbo and for Easter 2021 - entailing £15 a week for every pupil qualifying for free school meals.

The meal vouchers are less likely to be abused than the millions of pounds spunked out on Test & Trace to private companies , consultants and the epic scale of fraud with the business loan scheme.

Perhaps you are confusing the school vouchers with Luncheon Vouchers involving Cynthia Payne....

*The eGift card is issued to parents in respect of the free school meal benefit and will only be accepted in store for the purchase of food and groceries. Aldi, Asda, Marks & Spencer, McColl’s, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.


Unfortunately the Members' Dining Room at the House of Commons doesn't do home delivery nor accept vouchers....

 
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oyster

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Nov 7, 2017
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Immigration rules quietly changed:

The government has quietly reduced the £35,800 minimum salary for migrants to settle in the UK by almost 30%, it has emerged.

Migrants on salaries of £20,480 but with enough points under Boris Johnson’s new Australian-style immigration system to qualify for jobs where there is a shortage of workers will also be entitled to settle after six years and become citizens.

The rules, which come into force on 1 December, were published on Thursday by the Home Office, with the general threshold lowered to £25,600 as the government tacitly acknowledged the essential contribution that lower paid migrant workers make to the UK.
 
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RossG

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Feb 12, 2019
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Biden finally got a decent turnout at one of his rallies, though nothing like as many as Trump got. His recent rallies have struggled to get a hundred, and when Obama went out on his behalf, he was standing with a megaphone speaking to three bemused onlookers. It looks like maybe a couple of thousand at this one - just a slight problem though:

All those people turning up for Trump rallies very impressive, err...hang on a minute who was it that caught the pox...oh yeah ;)
 

RossG

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 12, 2019
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I keep finding there are seemingly ludicrous reasons to travel.

One that has been a real pain recently is that my phone has a dying battery. The nearest place I can get a replacement done (officially) is Cardiff - two hours drive/ 100 miles each way.

By post, it could take 6 to 10 days. Which is a long time without.

As it happens, there are many reasons for me to consider a replacement phone rather than just battery. That gives me 14 days to switch over and send my old one by post. So I can avoid the journey but, under other circumstances, we'd probably have added a few other reasons and driven there.
There's modern technology for you, it's like those inkjet printers you can get for around £25 a bargain but the only problem is ink replacement cartridges cost £48 ! Wasn't it that David Icke bloke who coined the phrase " make, take & throw away " too true.
 
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Danidl

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Sep 29, 2016
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I see Danidl posted a disagree to this post of mine.

Perhaps he'd like to explain why the countries who are among the highest ranking in educational success so often start their children's schooling at 6 or 7 years old,

And why we, who start schooling at the idiotic age of 4 or even earlier, are one of the lowest ranking countries.
.
I am glad you asked .. my attention was drawn to the supposition that painting and playing are not educational or learning. Now I have a lot of concerns about the schooling system in England in particular, but starting young is not it.
 

Barry Shittpeas

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 1, 2020
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Free school meal vouchers* provision over the last Easter holidays was implemented - and Govt did a U- turn on free school meal vouchers for eligible pupils over the summer holidays. Tories voted against a continuation of the scheme over Crimbo and for Easter 2021 - entailing £15 a week for every pupil qualifying for free school meals.

The meal vouchers are less likely to be abused than the millions of pounds spunked out on Test & Trace to private companies , consultants and the epic scale of fraud with the business loan scheme.

Perhaps you are confusing the school vouchers with Luncheon Vouchers involving Cynthia Payne....

*The eGift card is issued to parents in respect of the free school meal benefit and will only be accepted in store for the purchase of food and groceries. Aldi, Asda, Marks & Spencer, McColl’s, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.


Unfortunately the Members' Dining Room at the House of Commons doesn't do home delivery nor accept vouchers....

I know all of the above but the objective is to get food into children’s stomachs. A voucher doesn’t guarantee that will happen. It could be used towards the normal groceries bill (which is probably not good) and the savings used for non food items. Net result zero in terms of helping the child.

The most effective way to help would be to provide free meals for the children. Something they can actually eat. My point is, pay food outlets forced to close to provide the meals for a fixed fee. They’d jump at the chance. Vouchers is a lazy policy. Stepping away from action and focussing on activity as usual.
 
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