Mungler

Husband has come out in the news today to say he doesn’t think she went into the water and he wants all other lines of investigation kept open….. He probably shouldn’t be second guessing the police or discussing his views in public, right? (Insert shaking head here). Does anyone still think we shouldn’t be discussing this or the police decision to focus on their ‘theory’ she went into the water, thereby closing off all other lines of enquiry and public assistance / awareness? I increasingly find this forum stocked full of some very thick people who are only too happy to entirely switch off their brains, turn off any enquiring thought or go against the Daily Mail or what they are told. The situation to hand isn’t about some massive conspiracy - but it raises a number of questions which should be discussed and considered. There we go. .

I meant to thumbs up this - this 15 minute cities idea is straight out of 1984 I was lucky enough to be forced to read 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Animal Farm, all quiet on the western front, Ivan Denisovitch, Wilfred Owen and a few other classics as part of what was then GCSE syllabus. I look back at how so much of education was wasted on me, but how much sunk in and how our teachers were trying to open our eyes.

Whoever runs the Tory party, and following the mess that was Johnson, Truss and now Sunak your guess is as good as mine, well they have lost touch with conservative voters, the silent majority and common sense. Rishi has a chauffeur. He’s never filled a car up or tapped to pay for something. His wife is a billionaire. Appointing Rishi as leader and MPs granting themselves a pay rise whilst we face a cost of living crisis, inflation, strikes and a recession is just such a breathtakingly arrogant state of affairs.

As a net contributor into the system I couldn’t agree more. I reckon over half of what I earn now goes in taxes one way or another (and yes I probably should get a more creative accountant) but even now I’m constantly told by socialist media that I need to still pay more… why? If I thought I was getting value for money and not supporting the poorly run, the badly administrated and the feckless then I might feel happier but as far as I can tell my hard earned money just gets hosed up a public sector wall somewhere.

I’ve been watching Wales and Scotland and hope that we can all see that devolution is the path to total madness. Big state means big tax. Each government (and the Whitehall blob) encourage each generation to become more dependent on the state and less dependant on themselves. It’s all about growing the state and the machinery of governance. We really don’t need it and I don’t welcome some sort of soviet era ‘permission’ based system.

Yes it’s the lack of value for money in anything the government ever does or touches be that conservative or Labour. Unbelievable they’d give themselves a pay rise - I’d half the number of MPs and pay them twice as much, but it’s the failure to read the room - a pay rise, now?

They failed on the delivery of their plan, but their plan was the right direction - growth and getting the economy (and everyone in it) back to work. There was no choice at the last election, people have short memories. Corbyn and Co in Covid and with the power of lockdown? Anyone admire New Zealand or Canada still for their handling of covid and their people? And then there’s Corbyn and Russia - the Salisbury poisonings he wanted to send the samples back to Russia to have them confirm if it was Russian Novichok. Bonkers. As ever, it’s going to be holding your nose at the ballet box and voting for the best of a bad bunch and for me that’s always going to be the party that is going to pick my pocket the least or put another way, leaves me to keep the money I went to work to go and earn.

Yes. I caught covid on the way out to Rhodes last year. It’s not a biggy - the way to avoid covid these days is to just not test for it.

Errrr because the dog was out for a walk and was under control, and the owner didn’t end up in the river? I’m amazed that everyone will blindly accept what the police say and without challenge, but suggest something else and it’s up there with Martians snatching her.

No, not whilst under control or on a lead. But indeed, it wasn’t wet was it? As hard as you want to make this, on a balance of probability I would say that it is more likely than not (51%+ probability) that a cocker spaniel being walked by it’s owner next to a river, and the owner goes in….. well I don’t see a scenario where the dog isn’t (1) wet (2) with the body. And that is of course my theory. The police have their theory too. But if the police are wrong, no one (including the police) is now looking anywhere other than in water. That seems odd to me too. .

I would also add that our cocker spaniel (as well as absolutely loving water and taking any opportunity to jump in to it) had ‘chosen’ Mrs Mungler to the extent that the dog was glued to her and wouldn’t have ventured far. Like I said, who knows what’s gone on but I am still flummoxed by the dry cocker spaniel.

So, that’s one spaniel, out of how many you have / have had / have known. Would you say it common for spaniels to avoid water? Would you say it more probable than not? Let me put it another way for the hard of independent reasoning…. 😆

And the police are never wrong eh? There’s nothing wrong in having an enquiring or challenging mind, that said, if you do you won’t want to be reading the Daily Mail. As above, what perplexes me is there being a dry spaniel in the equation when the woman is supposed to have gone in the river. Lastly, for the police to call ‘river’ without conclusive evidence or a body, well it’s killed off all other lines of investigation and public assistance hasn’t it because everyone is happy to accept the police theory (and it is just a theory) and what they are told in the Daily Mail. Needless to say, if it turns out she’s not gone in the river…..

Funniest thing on telly by a country mile

Why? We’ve discussed and speculated on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, earthquakes in Turkey and the murder suicide of a headteacher. That’s normal life for you.

What’s the cost of the NHS each year? £200 billion (ball park) and they reckon that’s a cost per man, woman and child of between £2,000 and £3,000. And bear in mind the number of people actually working / who are productive in the economy and who actually put into government coffers and who don’t take out or are a net drain (that’s 50% of the population). So, we give the NHS another £100 billion and spend £300 billion each year. And what do we think will change? Will we all live to a 110 years old and never face a queue or a wait to see a GP? We just can’t afford the NHS in its current shape and form and it’s time to start again.

Ah but the experts (the police) have already determined that she fell into the river. So we can’t discuss that?

Alright then, so how weird is it? My 2p. I’ve had a spaniel and been round hundreds. I’ve not seen a spaniel yet that wouldn’t follow their owner into water. And the dog was found bone dry. So, without knowing anything other than cocker spaniels, I’m 99% certain she didn’t fall in that river. Armchair sleuths, discuss.

When is enough money, enough money? When can we objectively look at the NHS and properly weigh up if we’re getting any value - comparative costs of other systems in other countries, our own life expectancies and so on. Anyone I know whose had treatment in France / Italy / Portugal under a hybrid system where the state pays the lions share and the patient makes a contribution can’t but help pass comment on how the queue was shorter, the hospital newer / cleaner and the treatment better. I can see us just tipping more money into the NHS leaky bucket and expecting some sort of change or better service. What did Einstein say about the definition of madness?

Nope. I married well 😆

But it's not just the view of one doctor is it?

I didn’t get married to end up doing my own washing up 😆

They go in the dishwasher, and when they are blunt I run them through my D ick RS-250 Duo; for a quick edge I use a D ick rapid steel ‘clicker’. For me, it’s time and speed. Hand washing and hand sharpening are just not for me.

Good post. To add that when they had problems like this in China (packing rubbish into foundations to bulk them out), they just executed everyone involved.

Nasty tarry sloppy poop is top of the list and the boring answer is lifestyle alas. Edit I would add that as I get older I begin to appreciate the simple things in life - how my day goes will depend solely on whether I’ve had a decent night’s sleep and a nice poo in the morning. Indeed, once you’re over 50, mastering those two things is the secret to a life 😆