sadoldgit

I call you Delldays/Batman because that is who you are. You have been banned from here twice but keep coming back. Where have we met? I used to work around the Camden area, perhaps you cooked me breakfast in one of the cafes? 😉 I’m sure I would have remembered you. Oh, and I’d rather be a smug cnut than a bigoted, blinkered Little Englander. I should have mentioned that the reason Macron was so incensed was because Johnson’s letter was totally at odds with a conversation that they had on Wednesday evening. So unlike Johnson to say one thing and do another! If you go back and read my post again you will see my thoughts on the issue, not that it will be sorted out by a few internet keyboard warriors.

Absolutely no surprise that you should write this drivel Delldays/Batman. Try reading things before jumping to your usual anti Johnny Foreigner rhetoric. Since when has been getting in a dingy been “illegal”. You sound like the love child of Priti Patel and any one of the Tory front bench. Tell me, since when has it been illegal to seek asylum in another country?

Totally agree. It doesn’t take much to piss of the French but it takes a special type of incompetent diplomat to piss them off to the extent where they pull the plug on a crucial meeting just after 27 people have lost their lives. Neither side has covered themselves in glory over the handling of this situation but when we have Johnson and Patel handling these affairs we are hamstrung from the start. The point was well made on QT last night, the labelling of these people hasn’t helped. They are human beings and need to be treated as such. One of the problems seems to be that you actually have to be here before you can claim asylum. Is it really beyond the capability of our government along with the EU to set up a system where you can apply and have that application processed at clearing station outside the UK? It doesn’t help that we have over 80,000 claims waiting to be processed at the moment. Yet another incidence of our not having the resources to deal with an issue. It has been over a year since Patel said she was going to sort this yet it is getting worse by the week. It isn’t just a UK/France problem. The issues in the Middle East are affecting many EU countries along with Turkey. There needs to be a collective of joined up thinking and action by all affected nations, but the Anglo/French meeting would have been a start. So much for that.

Hypo, you still don’t seem to have grasped the fact that I can still see your posts when someone quotes them. Oh well…. Anyway, having seen some of your comments here I note that, despite your recent laughable supposed conversion to liberalism, you are still firmly rooted in the far right mind set. Your defence of this individual who took an automatic weapon to a demonstration (illegally by the way) and killed two unarmed individuals comes as no surprise. Neither does the time and effort you spend on defending like minded individuals. Trust me Hypo, you are not and never will be someone with liberal sensibilities.

I’m beginning to wonder if the vaccine is responsible for our second half displays. What do you think SS? 😉

Yes, he is the BBC’s go to consultant and dialogue coach for period pieces from the 1960’s and 70’s. He did some of his best work on Life on Mars.

This will probably pass right over a few heads here. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59347577.amp

Someone who can do both would be useful.

Johnson still behaves like a rogue from an 19th century romantic novel. He looks like one too.

Keeps you in a job though Delldays. Without politicians willing to wage war you would have no one to feed!

I was here Whelk and didn’t comment but thanks for dragging me into it anyway. It sounds like the claims of heroism might be wide if the mark. It seems like the bomb went off early and the taxi driver was lucky to get out of the cab alive.

You beat me to it Whelk. Excellent programme and yes, it shows just how the NHS can’t cope with this and what a huge problem this is.

Pelle was excellent for us but you still slagged him off. Remember?

If I could revisit one year for music alone it would have to be 1972. I saw some of the most memorable concerts of my life from albums released that year - Trilogy, Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Close To The Edge, Yes - Foxtrot, Genesis - Machine Head and Made In Japan, Deep Purple. Other great albums released that year included Thick As A Brick, Jethro Tull and Exile On Mainstreet, The Rolling Stones. Hard to believe that, in a few weeks time, all this stuff happen half a century ago!

Indeed. I wouldn’t change mine for anything but I’m sure there are people getting into music now who think the same about current bands. I’ve just read a piece by Paul McCatrney where he talks about Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly etc. The guitar bands I grew up listening to were all influenced by that stuff but I wasn't interested in their influences, only them so I had the Beatles, The Who, Small Faces, Kinks, Animals etc as my golden era. Looking back I would say my favourite musical decade was mid 60’s to mid 70’s.

I’ve got access to virtually everything on Apple but I still have box loads of vinyl, tapes and CDs in the attic which I can’t bring myself to part with. Renting music is convenient but there is something about actually owning something that is important to you. There are vinyl albums that I will probably never play again in that form but I just love the album covers.

Never really got the whole Britpop thing as it was totally derivative of the 60s. The argument between Oasis and Blur about which one of them was The Beatles (and between the Gallagher bros as to who was John Lennon) was just embarrassing. Don’t get how the Verve headlined Glastonbury with maybe 3 good tunes to their name (although Mrs SOG likes Richard Ashcroft and his solo stuff is better). I still listen to R.E.M., James, Ash, Moby, Massive Attack, Lloyd Cole and dug out some Corrs and Cranberries CDs the other day, but having grown up in the 60’s and 70’s was spoilt when it came to my golden era and the 90’s pales in comparison. Just read this again and can’t believe I missed off the Stones Roses (first album) and Feeder. In fact the more I look through my CD collection the more I find stuff from the 90’s that I still really like.

Someone on Question Time raised a good point last night. If some MP’s are earning considerably more than £82k outside of their MP’s salary, which job becomes their “second job”? Would those people relaxed about part time MP’s be just as happy if their elected representatives was moonlighting as an MP instead of a lawyer etc? Also wouldn’t it be good to hear that some had second jobs working with foodbanks and other worthy social causes rather than just filling their bank accounts up even more.

Re your fourth comment Duckie, suddenly you are displaying previously unseen levels of sensitivy. Could it be that you are finally becoming “woke” 😳? As for the PM having a second job as an MP, as you are fully aware, the two are inexorably linked. We are not talking about him about doing something completely different from his day job, but then you know that they are two different things don’t you and you are just looking to create an argument where one doesn’t exist.

Typical Duckie, just trying to find an argument with anyone left of Attila the Hun. The Prime Minister’s position is slightly different to other MP’s, wouldn’t you agree? Silly question really, of course you will find a reason to disagree. If it were Labour or LibDem MPs involved you would be all over it like a rash. if “bad behaviour” involves breaking the rules why should the voters decide? Why aren’t they just sacked as they would be in any other job. The problem is that you don’t have to do the job very well to keep it. Harold Shipman would probably have been elected in my constituency if he was a Tory. “How the world is” is shit, so why not change it, or try and change it? Trouble is, this shit world suits you just fine doesn’t it Duckie.

Good question. I don’t know about comparable pay to other civil service jobs but MPs do have their salaries reviewed by an independent body and would assume they factor this stuff in. I don’t think that the basic pay of £82k plus very healthy expenses is too bad. I also don’t think that not having a guaranteed job for life is a problem. No one does and they know what they are signing up for. Many people sign up for short term contracts not knowing exactly is going to happen at the end of them. The issue of people voting for a part rather than a person is a big problem. There are many poor performing MPs who get elected in safe seats. Unlike HGV drivers and nurses, there is never a shortage of people putting themselves forward as candidates. The pay and conditions can’t be that bad. There is something seriously wrong with the system if people have got enough time on their hands to do two or more jobs. Either they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing or they don’t have enough work to do, in which case, we need to ensure that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing or give them bigger constituencies and more work. I appreciate that many non ministerial MPs sit on lots of committees etc and that there is more to the job than just sitting in the chamber yelling here here now and again, but, for me, an MP’s job needs to be full time and well structured so that the people who vote for them get value for money. I have signed contracts before that prevent me from taking on another job. Why should this be any different? As for getting a better calibre of MP if you pay more, I don’t think that is necessarily the case. You are more likely to get someone who is just doing the job for the money. I would rather pay a reasonable wage (which I think they get) and appoint candidates who want to do it because they want to serve the electorate and want to make a difference. Parliament is full of career politicians. I want my MP to care about improving the lives of their constituents and not be more concerned with their bank balances and how they can use their positions to make more money. The world is changing rapidly, we could do with a complete overhaul of or electoral processes and they way we run our Parliament so that it is a fit system for world which is very different now to the one this Parliament was designed for. I believe that his staff take care of his constituency matters so it isn’t an issue. They probably make a better job of it too.

I appreciate that Badger, but surely it goes with the territory? No one has a job for life these days. If they do their job well then perhaps they will keep it for a long time. I’m sure many of them use their position to forge links that could be useful later down the line should they lose their seat. If they tighten up the rules, as I believe they should, I don’t think that there will be a shortage of candidates still wanting to stand. Perhaps it will encourage a better standard of candidate, those who want to do it to make a difference for their constituents rather than those who see it is a money making opportunity. I’m not holding my breath! 😉

They are two different jobs so why do both? An MP should be an MP. A health professional should be a health professional. If they want to be an MP they should be prepared to give up their job (any job) and dedicate their time as an MP. Am I missing something? Is it a part time position? I want my MP to be working at their job full time. What is the basic pay? £70/80k a year? Seems reasonable for a full time job to me.

Even the Express and Mail have turned on him today. Hopefully even his staunchest supporters can now see what a poor PM he is and the Teflon PM will finally find that some of this stuff is starting to stick. This whole business of second and more jobs stinks. If they need more money perhaps being an MP is not for them. How can you represent your constituency properly from the West Indies? They are paid to represent the people. To then top up their wages by taking money from corporations and businesses to further their aims in Parliament might be within the rules but it is not right and the rules need to be changed. During the Covid pandemic we have seen a rise in cronyism in an unprecedented way with huge contract going out to “mates” without tender. Now that the Tory press have decided it’s an issue perhaps, finally, something will be done about it. Removing this incompetent PM would be a start.

Yes I am confused as I am not saying that talking to friends is the way forward?Talking to anybody about your problems has to be good but if you are having suicidal thoughts you really, ultimately, need to be talking to your doctor or mental health professionals.Your friends may offer support but they can’t prescribe meds or provide you with the access to the therapy that is best for your condition. I think we have probably confused each other and are on the same page.