The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Yippee, car has passed it's CT so has another two years of life unless something expensive goes bang.  Grass mowed then the postie delivered no less than four comics, ©Chrisf,, so I will have something to read whilst waiting with Beth for appointments this afternoon.  I can't win. Either I get told off for talking about boring stuff or for reading a magazine and not talking. 

 

Jamie

Just talk about the boring stuff to yourself, and when in company, read the magazine out loud.

 

You'll soon get told to shut up!

[DenysW]

16 hours ago, AndyID said:

(There is no such thing as "free" healthcare.)

Faith healing? It either works or it doesn't, but it is free at the point of delivery.

 

Ooops. I may have drifted into the cynicism stakes, without a realistic chance of bettering @iL Dottore.

[iL Dottore]

1 minute ago, DenysW said:

Faith healing? It either works or it doesn't, but it is free at the point of delivery.

 

Ooops. I may have drifted into the cynicism stakes, without a realistic chance of bettering @iL Dottore.

Nice one, Den.

 

Deffo “up to standard”

[Flying Fox 34F]

6 hours ago, DenysW said:

 

 

There are a lot of things wrong with the US system, but at least Primaries provide a safety valve when The Party decides to parachute in a loyalist/lunatic/both-at-once into what is regarded as a 'safe' seat.

Are you sure about this, as far as one party in the Good Old U S of A is concerned?

 

Paul
 

 

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

Just talk about the boring stuff to yourself, and when in company, read the magazine out loud.

 

You'll soon get told to shut up!

 

Bugrit! Millenium hand and shrimp?? 🤔

 

[Winslow Boy]

4 hours ago, zarniwhoop said:

I think we're already in the big computer - designed by Deep Thought.

Was it the fjords that gave it away.

[BR60103]

On "none of the above", the Hugo science fiction awards have a "no award" option.  Check the 2015 results. One group managed to swamp the nominations with a particular viewpoint (no, not green 4-6-0s). Many of the categories went to "No Award".  You can also see the progress of the preferential ballots.   For more on the controversy, look up "Sad Puppies".

 

We will be out of the house earlier tomorrow. SWMO has reached the age where she has to take a test for the driver's license -- no driving skill but cognitive.   I will not say what age that is.

 

[polybear]

2 hours ago, BR60103 said:

On "none of the above", the Hugo science fiction awards have a "no award" option. 

 

 

In a certain live TV debate yesterday a member of the audience asked:

 

 "Are you two REALLY the best we've got??"

[rockershovel]

21 hours ago, DenysW said:

Whilst attractive as a concept, I've never understood what happens when this choice wins every seat. In the UK this time round a clear majority for this option seems certain if it was on offer - the question would be more which candidates didn't loose their deposits, not the other way round.

 

There are a lot of things wrong with the US system, but at least Primaries provide a safety valve when The Party decides to parachute in a loyalist/lunatic/both-at-once into what is regarded as a 'safe' seat.

IMHO we might benefit from a break from government. 

 

Blair introduced the policy of passing enormous amounts of legislation of, in many cases, highly questionable benefit and in a number of cases, actively damaging. 

 

It has been clear since at least 1995 that successive Parliaments have been preoccupied with passing legislation which would not pass public scrutiny. 

 

The Maastricht Treaty was prevented from going to a Referendum because it would unquestionably have failed. The Lisbon Treaty falls under the same heading. 

 

In 2004 there was a fairly direct attempt to undermine democracy by introducing radically different postal voting procedures and moving directly to using public money to establish it as a major voting medium. One of its early uses was the Regional Devolution votes in England which were so heavily defeated as to lead to the abandonment of the subsequent intended rounds. 

 

We now have a Supreme Court which acts as an activist body operating in conflict with Parliament. Much of the operation of our legal system now works in this way - the police and social Work systems in the Rotherham case stated openly that they regarded it as preferable that they be in dereliction of their statutory duties, than accused of ideologically unsound attitudes.

 

More recently Parliament paralysed itself for almost three years and then lapsed into a procedure not seen since Tudor times to break the jam. The sky did not fall in; the taps did not cease to run. 

 

Our rail system is in chaos. India is being bribed to trash what remains of our steel industry. God alone knows what our energy structure will look like, in the foreseeable future. Our immigration system is beyond all semblance of order. Publicly funded lawyers conduct arcane battles over issues which most of the public find incomprehensible. 

 

I'd rather feel that a vote which provided for a general clear-out of the Commons and the prevention of a similar group returning might be actively beneficial. 

[Happy Hippo]

19 minutes ago, rockershovel said:

 

 

I'd rather feel that a vote which provided for a general clear-out of the Commons and the prevention of a similar group returning might be actively beneficial. 

I was most disappointed to find out that a hung parliament was not each and every Right Honourable member dangling from a lamp post between Westminster and Whitehall.

[iL Dottore]

4 hours ago, BR60103 said:

SWMO has reached the age where she has to take a test for the driver's license -- no driving skill but cognitive.   I will not say what age that is.

 

Aah! I see you have a finely honed sense of self-preservation….

[jamie92208]

Momentous news from the rural Charente. Fortunately not connected with the General election round one on Sunday.  No the massed ranks of Combines are out in the fields and the barley crop is being harvested. 

There will be no tractor blockades for the next few months as the far more important task of transporting the crops to the silo for payment is ongoing. 

 

Jamie

Edited Thursday at 06:25 by jamie92208

[iL Dottore]

It does seem that the UK is now finally reaping the benefits of winning WWII.

 

Let me explain, in 1945 both Germany and Japan had been pretty much bombed flat, the infrastructure destroyed and their militaristic governments discredited, dismantled and - as far as was possible - the perpetrators punished. In Japan and Germany they - quite literally - had to rebuild from the ground up. Infrastructure, industry, political and social systems (in the latter case often resurrecting the good things destroyed or dismantled by the previous defeated and discredited regime). This meant new technology, new working practices, new perspectives on how to run a country (aided in great part by the US who realised that it was in its own self-interest - if nothing else - to avoid another post-Versailles world).

 

And Britain? Bankrupt, infrastructure and industry almost ground down to nothing by 6 years of war, it turned its back on modernity - squandering Marshall Plan money propping up the pound and trying to hang on to an Empire that had already started to fray at the seams even before 1939. Antediluvian practices - on the shop floor, in the office and in the board room - became not only ossified but entrenched, no small part due to poorly thought out nationalisation (no German style deals of “if the workers guarantee to do X, the government guarantees to do Y”) The political class (mostly made up of the middle class, the upper middle class, the aristocracy [even in Labour]) just tinkered with society. And like a political Arthur Daley, instead of cutting out the rotten metal and welding in new and sound metal, they simply slapped some body putty on, gave it a nice coat of paint and hoped that no-one would notice….

 

Which brings us to today: much of the UK’s infrastructure remains Victorian (thank god, the Victorians knew how to build well) and - in places - crumbling, with money (some would argue) being poured into all the wrong places. Although there isn’t much industry left to modernise, the old “us vs them”, workers vs everybody else, mentality remains both ossified and entrenched; the Labour party - which at one time spoke for the working man [more or less] has been hijacked by - to put it kindly - the sort of Champagne Socialist Orwell detested and despised; and whilst the land-owning aristocracy may no longer be politically powerful, they have been replaced by a new upper middle class aristocracy (in law, the media, the arts and - especially - politics) whose byword seems to be “do as I say, don’t do as I do”; too many young people get into heavy debt for “Micky Mouse” degrees or degrees that are worthless unless you can be supported by your parents, parents who also “know people, who know people” and in many places within the machinery of government, going to the right schools and knowing the right people is more important than knowing the right things…

 

And whilst Britain burns, the assorted political Neros in Parliament just continue to play the same tired old tunes on an increasingly out-of-tune fiddle. Justifying their huge salaries by passing huge swathes of legislation - often poorly thought out - creating layer upon layer of law of which most is not needed and much is counterproductive if not destructive.

 

Perhaps Britain needs another Cromwell?

Edited Thursday at 07:03 by iL Dottore

[DenysW]

39 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Perhaps Britain needs another Cromwell?

Small village on the Trent, just north of Newark? Not especially picturesque, but well served by the A1.

 

Just checking.

[Winslow Boy]

I always recall someone, can't remember who, observing that the world had moved from making the fundamental breakthroughs/Discovery's into a period where we were now putting those Discovery's to use. It is now much the same with politics.

 

When I was growing up it was much easier to identify things/reasons that politicians wanted to change.

 

For example the standard of housing or the large percentage of the population who were desperately poor. Nowadays whilst both those examples still exist they are no where near the same levels as when i was young. Therefore politicians have to work harder in order to justify there political stance.

 

One way to do that of course is to pass legislation. Whether that legislation is needed or achieves it's objective is more mute. Much legislation nowadays seems to be poorly crafted. Is that the fault of the politician? Could be but I would also say that bureaucracy that helps draft it must take some of the blame.

 

There have been numerous examples cited of the way businesses have taken advantage of this bureaucracy to its benefit. Yet it is also possible to cite examples of legislation that has reigned in businesses and stopped it abusing workers. 

 

In the end it all boils down to the quality of the people involved wherever they are and unfortunately at this time we seem to be working through a extremely poor selection.

[Willie Whizz]

“There’s a crisis, and we’re in charge - we must DO something!”

 

“Er … well, this is SOMETHING, I suppose”

 

”Great, let’s do it NOW, and worry about any consequences later”. 

All too often, for decades. 

[Happy Hippo]

Whoops!

 

 

Looks like someone tripped one of DH's cake defence systems

 

Was it you PB?

 

PB?

 

 

 

Nah!  I used one our disposable stooges

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

Saw this at Bovington…

 

[Dave Hunt]

I didn’t even know that tortoises could stamp. I’ve only ever seen them sort of shuffle along.

 

Dave

[skipepsi]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

It does seem that the UK is now finally reaping the benefits of winning WWII.

 

Let me explain, in 1945 both Germany and Japan had been pretty much bombed flat, the infrastructure destroyed and their militaristic governments discredited, dismantled and - as far as was possible - the perpetrators punished. In Japan and Germany they - quite literally - had to rebuild from the ground up. Infrastructure, industry, political and social systems (in the latter case often resurrecting the good things destroyed or dismantled by the previous defeated and discredited regime). This meant new technology, new working practices, new perspectives on how to run a country (aided in great part by the US who realised that it was in its own self-interest - if nothing else - to avoid another post-Versailles world).

 

And Britain? Bankrupt, infrastructure and industry almost ground down to nothing by 6 years of war, it turned its back on modernity - squandering Marshall Plan money propping up the pound and trying to hang on to an Empire that had already started to fray at the seams even before 1939. Antediluvian practices - on the shop floor, in the office and in the board room - became not only ossified but entrenched, no small part due to poorly thought out nationalisation (no German style deals of “if the workers guarantee to do X, the government guarantees to do Y”) The political class (mostly made up of the middle class, the upper middle class, the aristocracy [even in Labour]) just tinkered with society. And like a political Arthur Daley, instead of cutting out the rotten metal and welding in new and sound metal, they simply slapped some body putty on, gave it a nice coat of paint and hoped that no-one would notice….

 

Which brings us to today: much of the UK’s infrastructure remains Victorian (thank god, the Victorians knew how to build well) and - in places - crumbling, with money (some would argue) being poured into all the wrong places. Although there isn’t much industry left to modernise, the old “us vs them”, workers vs everybody else, mentality remains both ossified and entrenched; the Labour party - which at one time spoke for the working man [more or less] has been hijacked by - to put it kindly - the sort of Champagne Socialist Orwell detested and despised; and whilst the land-owning aristocracy may no longer be politically powerful, they have been replaced by a new upper middle class aristocracy (in law, the media, the arts and - especially - politics) whose byword seems to be “do as I say, don’t do as I do”; too many young people get into heavy debt for “Micky Mouse” degrees or degrees that are worthless unless you can be supported by your parents, parents who also “know people, who know people” and in many places within the machinery of government, going to the right schools and knowing the right people is more important than knowing the right things…

 

And whilst Britain burns, the assorted political Neros in Parliament just continue to play the same tired old tunes on an increasingly out-of-tune fiddle. Justifying their huge salaries by passing huge swathes of legislation - often poorly thought out - creating layer upon layer of law of which most is not needed and much is counterproductive if not destructive.

 

Perhaps Britain needs another Cromwell?

I shocked my neighbour by telling him if I was younger and in good health I would be trying to start a revolution. Cromwell maybe not...

[skipepsi]

11 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

I didn’t even know that tortoises could stamp. I’ve only ever seen them sort of shuffle along.

 

Dave

Put food down for our tortoise and he is quicker than me...

[Dave Hunt]

We once stayed at an hotel in Madeira where they had a 90 something year old Galapagos tortoise in the grounds. He was called Columbo and was about three feet in diameter, or maybe even a bit more. He could spot a carrot from fifty paces and his rate of progress towards it was remarkable.

 

Dave

[Dave Hunt]

13 minutes ago, skipepsi said:

I shocked my neighbour by telling him if I was younger and in good health I would be trying to start a revolution. Cromwell maybe not...

And the list of those to be put against the wall would be how long?

 

Dave

[iL Dottore]

12 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

And the list of those to be put against the wall would be how long?

 

Dave

Not a list, Dave, not a list….

…. volumes….

[rockershovel]

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

It does seem that the UK is now finally reaping the benefits of winning WWII.

 

Let me explain, in 1945 both Germany and Japan had been pretty much bombed flat, the infrastructure destroyed and their militaristic governments discredited, dismantled and - as far as was possible - the perpetrators punished. In Japan and Germany they - quite literally - had to rebuild from the ground up. Infrastructure, industry, political and social systems (in the latter case often resurrecting the good things destroyed or dismantled by the previous defeated and discredited regime). This meant new technology, new working practices, new perspectives on how to run a country (aided in great part by the US who realised that it was in its own self-interest - if nothing else - to avoid another post-Versailles world).

 

And Britain? Bankrupt, infrastructure and industry almost ground down to nothing by 6 years of war, it turned its back on modernity - squandering Marshall Plan money propping up the pound and trying to hang on to an Empire that had already started to fray at the seams even before 1939. Antediluvian practices - on the shop floor, in the office and in the board room - became not only ossified but entrenched, no small part due to poorly thought out nationalisation (no German style deals of “if the workers guarantee to do X, the government guarantees to do Y”) The political class (mostly made up of the middle class, the upper middle class, the aristocracy [even in Labour]) just tinkered with society. And like a political Arthur Daley, instead of cutting out the rotten metal and welding in new and sound metal, they simply slapped some body putty on, gave it a nice coat of paint and hoped that no-one would notice….

 

Which brings us to today: much of the UK’s infrastructure remains Victorian (thank god, the Victorians knew how to build well) and - in places - crumbling, with money (some would argue) being poured into all the wrong places. Although there isn’t much industry left to modernise, the old “us vs them”, workers vs everybody else, mentality remains both ossified and entrenched; the Labour party - which at one time spoke for the working man [more or less] has been hijacked by - to put it kindly - the sort of Champagne Socialist Orwell detested and despised; and whilst the land-owning aristocracy may no longer be politically powerful, they have been replaced by a new upper middle class aristocracy (in law, the media, the arts and - especially - politics) whose byword seems to be “do as I say, don’t do as I do”; too many young people get into heavy debt for “Micky Mouse” degrees or degrees that are worthless unless you can be supported by your parents, parents who also “know people, who know people” and in many places within the machinery of government, going to the right schools and knowing the right people is more important than knowing the right things…

 

And whilst Britain burns, the assorted political Neros in Parliament just continue to play the same tired old tunes on an increasingly out-of-tune fiddle. Justifying their huge salaries by passing huge swathes of legislation - often poorly thought out - creating layer upon layer of law of which most is not needed and much is counterproductive if not destructive.

 

Perhaps Britain needs another Cromwell?

It's worth remembering that Cromwell was in fact a secular radical extremist whose attempt at government ended very badly indeed. 

 

Like Churchill he was the man for the moment, produced some quite dazzling oratory but clung on far too long and his overall vision was simply not viable.