The Night Mail

[Tony_S]

22 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

My partner was a nurse, in charge of the sterilization or whatever its called that  keeps everything germ  free.

 

When she's around I have to wash  my hands about a million f*(*en times  a day!

 

4 minutes ago, Craigw said:

Mine is a dental nurse. I am sure you can imagine what happens every time I pick up a toothbrush.

My wife is a doctor… But not of the medical variety. But I still get “advice”.

[Tony_S]

Essex is fracking free!

[The White Rabbit]

4 hours ago, polybear said:

... Wealthier people could rightly ask "why should I pay into something when I don't get anything back?"  A Certain Bear could (perhaps unsurprisingly...) gets a tad p1ssed when someone with ten+ kids "who's far too busy caring for them to work" (yet outwardly plays the "I'm actively looking for work so they get to claim the associated benefits") gets oodles in child support etc. etc.

A friend of Bear's who has a decent job has one son and is fully entitled to claim child benefit  (or whatever it's called) yet choses not to as he doesn't need the money.  Full marks.

 

 

I'd say 'People' - not just 'Wealthier people'. For me, I'm fine with the idea of [social insurance] so if you have a problem - whether sudden unemployment, a major health crisis or any other problem which you would struggle to cope with by yourself - the state helps you out. If you pay a bit more in than you get out, well, for me it's worth it to know that if you do have a problem, you'll get some help. When that principle falls down and leads to widespread grumbling and worse, is when you don't get that help despite paying in, whether in tax or in any other socially useful contribution to the wider community. (And yes, I'm thinking of several instances when some of us have been very badly let down). There's all sorts of considerations about 'free-loading' and moral duties, often tied up with religious beliefs and social conditioning, especially re balancing the interests of the individual and society. I don't want to go there (on RMW) but just as a historical aside, apparently in ancient Greek society, rich people in city states such as Athens used to delight in paying their tax - they believed it right to contribute to a society which had helped them become rich and successful.  

 

To put it in simple terms - if a reader answers a query on here and gets ignored, no replies or 'rate it Thanks' or PMs etc., then they would probably not be too happy. And if that happened a few times, especially from the same person(s) then they may well feel like not bothering with future queries - and potentially we all lose out. OK, there's a big difference in scale and nature but the principle is fundamentally similar. Some are more 'forgiving' than others but few of us like being persistently ignored or our efforts taken for granted. 

 

Re Child Benefit - I don't know the facts obviously but there is something called the High Income Child Benefit Charge - all I'll say about that is it has caught a lot of [innocent] people out and caused them all sorts of trouble. If a parent (and not necessarily the ChB claimant) gets more than 50K gross pa then it might apply - I've know quite a few people not claim for that reason. 

 

1 hour ago, polybear said:

A friend of Bear’s actively WON’T work more than 16 hours a week because they’ll simply stop money out of her benefits accordingly; trying to explain to her that the money has to come from somewhere just doesn’t sink in

😡

 

I've come across quite a few like that - it's worrying. 

 

[jjb1970]

1 hour ago, Winslow Boy said:

I think the public have a great deal of difficulty in telling the difference between what is essential and what is in essence 'back room'.

 

I always remember encountering a so called campaigner, many years ago. He was expousing noisily how much waste there was in local government and how if there was an elected mayor he'd put a stop to it. This was when my part of Manutopea was deciding on whether to have one. Now normally I would just do the 'english thing' of smiling and go past. However having just been 'laid off' - on grounds of ill health, i was a bit raw. So I let rip and told him the days of two council workmen standing around watching one dig a hole, or words to that effect, hadn't existed for  quite some time. There is a lot of ignorance out there and not all of it due to a lack of intelligence.

 

Incidentally one of the Mayoral candidates who stood was a 'retired' - other words are available, gangster who was later gunned down.

 

Unfortunately people often do that, politicians and the media should know better but there's a segment of both which likes buttons to press whether or not those buttons mean anything.

 

I think a lot of the debate is focused using political lenses rather than thinking about value. For example whinging about 'welfare scroungers' or 'fat cats' (depending on political leaning) without recognising people fall on hard times and need help or that large organization's need people with the requisite skills to lead and manage them and that such people have a price.

 

The real problems are structural, why is government procurement a mess in so many areas? It isn't because government departments are full of idiots. I actually wish it was because then firing the idiots might solve issues, but it wouldn't because my experience with the MoD, DfT and whatever energy is nowadays is that they're full of smart people. Smart people in a dysfunctional system. And that's before considering how much is spent on vanity stuff, foreign adventures etc. 

[jjb1970]

I remember a few years ago I had to prepare a big heavy lift in the City of London. Because of the size of crane we needed to use matting to spread the load and a major road closure. While we were waiting for the road closure to start (very early on a Sunday morning) I heard comments from people falling out of clubs and cabbies about how so many people hanging around in Eon boiler suits and our crane contractor doing nothing proved what a disgrace we were. I decided there wasn't much point trying to explain we couldn't do anything until the road was closed and everyone was ready to minimise disruption and get the job done quickly.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

In a former life, were politicians (and political journalists) signalmen/women? They are always going on about pulling levers...

[Craigw]

26 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Essex is fracking free!

 I bet its fracking expensive to live there though.

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

In a former life, were politicians (and political journalists) signalmen/women? They are always going on about pulling levers...

There is one former politician who makes TV programmes about trains…

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

A friend of Bear’s actively WON’T work more than 16 hours a week because they’ll simply stop money out of her benefits accordingly; trying to explain to her that the money has to come from somewhere just doesn’t sink in

😡

But if by working a few extra hours she not only loses the benefits but has to pay tax and national insurance and would probably be worse off so what incentive is there?

[Tony_S]

1 minute ago, Craigw said:

 I bet its fracking expensive to live there though.

Depends where you are , it is a very big county! 
When I was in Houston, one of the museums had a fracking simulator.

[DenysW]

43 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Obviously you took this literally,

Too literally minded? Moi? On TNM?

 

#2 daughter apparently thinks of me when her proof-reading objective is to check that a piece of text cannot be mis-interpreted, either deliberately or accidentally.

[polybear]

12 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

But if by working a few extra hours she not only loses the benefits but has to pay tax and national insurance and would probably be worse off so what incentive is there?

In her case it’s “Earn an extra £ and we’ll deduct a £” - so she simply sees it as working for now’t

[PhilJ W]

12 hours ago, Craigw said:

 

"The BMW and Zundapp combinations were the Wehrmacht analogy of the Jeep, something the Germans never developed. The sidecar wheel drive had a locking differential, something still in use today. The bike also had a high/low transfer box through which all ratios drove"

 

No.

 

The Kubelwagen and the Schwimmwagen were the German equivalents. The motorcycles and sidecars were used primarily for communications and some recce activities.

 

9 hours ago, rockershovel said:

No. The VW lightweight staff cars had no 4WD capability and very limited load carrying or cross-country abilities. 

 

The Scwimmwagen had the 4wd capability but wasn't adopted in any numbers 

 

The Wehrmacht were still a horse-drawn army to a great extent.

We British had the best vehicle that could perform most of the duties of a motorcycle and sidecar or the jeep or kubelwagen. I'm talking about the Daimler Dingo scout car. In addition it was armoured, had four wheel steering and a five speed gearbox that operated in both directions. Its one disadvantage was that it could only carry two persons and stowage space was small. It was also made in Canada as the Lynx a few of which were captured by the Italians in North Africa and the Italians liking what they saw reverse engineered it and it went into production for the Italian army. Some of the Italian ones then fell into the hands of the Russians and were used by them.

[jjb1970]

The whole system of in-work benefits has become a mess. People whinge about welfare abuse but in-work benefits are effectively corporate welfare in facilitating low pay. The problem is solving it is a political hand grenade as both employers and employees are in too deep to just end it. Many employees can't survive without the benefits, many employers would relocate overseas, reduce headcount or fold if facing a big increase in staff costs to pay people properly without the taxpayer topping up.

[Phil Parker]

1 minute ago, jjb1970 said:

The whole system of in-work benefits has become a mess. People whinge about welfare abuse but in-work benefits are effectively corporate welfare in facilitating low pay. The problem is solving it is a political hand grenade as both employers and employees are in too deep to just end it. Many employees can't survive without the benefits, many employers would relocate overseas, reduce headcount or fold if facing a big increase in staff costs to pay people properly without the taxpayer topping up.

 

One of my neighbours applied for a supermarket job, and discovered that only part-time work was available. She asked about full-time and was told that she was expected to claim benefits to top up the supermarket money. Essentially, the state is subsidising Tesco etc.

[SM42]

11 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

We British had the best vehicle that could perform most of the duties of a motorcycle and sidecar or the jeep or kubelwagen. I'm talking about the Daimler Dingo scout car. In addition it was armoured, had four wheel steering and a five speed gearbox that operated in both directions. Its one disadvantage was that it could only carry two persons and stowage space was small. It was also made in Canada as the Lynx a few of which were captured by the Italians in North Africa and the Italians liking what they saw reverse engineered it and it went into production for the Italian army. Some of the Italian ones then fell into the hands of the Russians and were used by them.

 

I'm sure a motorcycle could do more than 2 gallons to the mile  though. 

 

I know someone who had one  

 

They didn't take it out much. 

 

A 12 mile round trip to support a charity event cost them quite  a lot in fuel. 

 

Andy

[Tony_S]

3 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

One of my neighbours applied for a supermarket job, and discovered that only part-time work was available. She asked about full-time and was told that she was expected to claim benefits to top up the supermarket money. Essentially, the state is subsidising Tesco etc.

Our neighbour’s daughter was in a similar position but in a school. Her income was supplemented by Universal Credit. One New Year , her monthly salary was paid earlier so she effectively had two pay days in one month. She was summoned to appear in person to explain her “increase” in income. Not allowed to explain over telephone. Had to take a day off work to attend otherwise sanctions (reduced benefit) would be applied. 

[jjb1970]

21 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

We British had the best vehicle that could perform most of the duties of a motorcycle and sidecar or the jeep or kubelwagen. I'm talking about the Daimler Dingo scout car. In addition it was armoured, had four wheel steering and a five speed gearbox that operated in both directions. Its one disadvantage was that it could only carry two persons and stowage space was small. It was also made in Canada as the Lynx a few of which were captured by the Italians in North Africa and the Italians liking what they saw reverse engineered it and it went into production for the Italian army. Some of the Italian ones then fell into the hands of the Russians and were used by them.

 

Or the Universal (AKA Bren) Carrier. Much maligned yet an incredibly useful vehicle which was pretty much a tracked jeep.

[Tony_S]

7 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

I'm sure a motorcycle could do more than 2 gallons to the mile  though. 

 

I know someone who had one  

 

They didn't take it out much. 

 

A 12 mile round trip to support a charity event cost them quite  a lot in fuel. 

 

Andy

My father told me about an incident when he was driving a Dingo scout car. He had been put on light duties after an encounter with an anti tank mine in a Churchill tank. 
After locating the enemy, he attempted to retreat rapidly but the rear steering was jammed so they were going round in circles while being fired at. There was a big bang and the steering unjammed. He asked to be put back on normal duties. 

[jjb1970]

1 minute ago, Tony_S said:

My father told me about an incident when he was driving a Dingo scout car. He had been put on light duties after an encounter with an anti tank mine in a Churchill tank. 
After locating the enemy, he attempted to retreat rapidly but the rear steering was jammed so they were going round in circles while being fired at. There was a big bang and the steering unjammed. He asked to be put back on normal duties. 

 

Sounds a bit like HMS Warspite at Jutland.

[Willie Whizz]

20 minutes ago, polybear said:

In her case it’s “Earn an extra £ and we’ll deduct a £” - so she simply sees it as working for now’t

Exactly - from her point of view this is entirely rational and sensible behaviour. Not least because the very act of “going to work” in itself generates additional costs such as fares to get there, suitable clothing which the employer doesn’t provide, childcare, and so on.
 

It is the system which creates such paradoxes that is wrong and badly in need of reform. It is perfectly right that once you start earning from a job your benefits entitlements should start to taper-off, but all too often the practical effect is a “cliff-edge” scenario that would actually make you poorer and acts as a complete disincentive. People may be poor, but that doesn’t make them stupid. 

[jjb1970]

Just now, Willie Whizz said:

People may be poor, but that doesn’t make them stupid. 

 

One of the problems we have is the propensity of so many to dismiss large swathes of the population as stupid. I meet very few I would describe as stupid. Lacking in judgement, suffering tunnel vision, overly specialised, detached from aspects of life, not educated to a high level and various other things yes, none of which are synonyms for stupidity.

[Hroth]

16 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Our neighbour’s daughter was in a similar position but in a school. Her income was supplemented by Universal Credit. One New Year , her monthly salary was paid earlier so she effectively had two pay days in one month. She was summoned to appear in person to explain her “increase” in income. Not allowed to explain over telephone. Had to take a day off work to attend otherwise sanctions (reduced benefit) would be applied. 

 

I'm convinced that the Gestapoids in the Jobcentre had a target number of "sanctions" that they had to apply each month. I imagine that your neighbours daughter would have seemed like low-hanging fruit to them, too tempting to miss.  And with the rationalisation of "Jobcentres", it'd be odds on that she would have added travel costs to get to the interrogation.

 

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

There is one former politician who makes TV programmes about trains…

 

To be fair, setting aside his dress sense, he did have a hand in keeping the Settle & Carlisle open.

 

[jjb1970]

1 minute ago, Hroth said:

 

To be fair, setting aside his dress sense, he did have a hand in keeping the Settle & Carlisle open.

 

 

I struggled to find anything positive to say about him when he was an MP but really enjoy his TV shows.