bridge too far

They should be thankful that we have enough people moving here that are prepared to look after them in their dotage (usually starts at about 45 I think).

riviera

fleece

centric

alter

speck

smith

Interestingly, it's just been reported on BBC News that countries that have taken a similar stance to the ConDems to address their deficits have seen the gap between rich and poor grow even wider.

grab

purchase

trumpet(to)

gondola

I also think benefits should only go to people who 'deserve' them, as you rightly say. I do wonder, however, where all the jobs for 'shirkers' will come from, once the second downturn is under way.

Strange - I didn't see any of Philip Green's wealth coming my way. Oh hang on a minute - he doesn't pay tax, does he.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11079496

The CHEATS are 1 up

I've seen the film. It was very thought provoking, IMO. I remember the insurance scam bit and something about people rubbing their hands with glee at all the repossessions. Very disturbing.

fern

"The Met Office provides the meteorological data and the presenters, who front the bulletins for the television and radio broadcasts, and are paid for that by the BBC" http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/bbcweather/features/aboutbbcweathercentre.shtml There you go! But I agree - it seems looks are more important than ability. That seems to be the case for female presenters at least. Although I do admit to a slight penchant for Alex Deakin.

Exceptional I know - but here's a good example. Two state educated children: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11029642

Nope - two different professions. Doesn't work. However, if you'd said squaddie to a Field Marshal (I don't know army ranks - the top dog, you know what I mean) well, that you would show that you'd grasped the comparisons.

I don't know if this still happens here (I think the last government changed the rules a bit). But I do remember, a few years ago, that my boss (and owner of the company) did this. He paid himself peanuts and then he and his wife divided up what was effectively the rest of his salary as dividend. Her contribution to the company? Well she made his lunch for him so I guess that's OK.

I resigned from the Labour Party - mainly because of the Iraq war but also because of things like PFI - introduced by the Tories but continued by Labour. The party was moving away from what I recognised as the Labour Party. So I've been saying that the Labour government was not left wing since 2001. I've voted Labour since for pragmatic reasons only - because the alternative was just too awful to entertain.

Some Labour MPs are funded by trade unions (in the same way that some Tory MPs are funded by businesses). Some Labour MPs are left wing. The last Labour government was NOT left wing.

Ted Heath - biographies and other books Margaret Thatcher - spent two years on the backbenches. Wrote her memoirs John Major - left the Commons in 2001 (4 years after his defeat as PM). Commands £25K per after-dinner speech. Chairman of the Carlyle Group. Gordon Brown - still a backbencher. Oh and Tony Blair receives no income for his role as Middle East Peace Envoy.