Dr W

They sound like an umbrella company, worth checking with a few places just to see how their fees vary because they all do basically the same thing. The firm I'm with are currently offering an ipad2 if you sign up by the 31st and stay with them 6 months which isn't bad. Some places want every receipt sending to them, others only ask for some, worth checking how much admin you have to do and how often you have to send them stuff

What the hell is pockling? We have a joint account we both contribute to and the rest of our money stays in our own bank accounts. We're supposed to be saving to try and pay off the mortgage in the next 10 years but I occasionally get questioned when we have a house meeting as to why my savings haven't grown quite as quickly as expected :yp: but I blame that on the price of petrol

Be wary of IR35 and being effectively classed as an employee if you are working for just one company. An umbrella company can be a good way to go for minimum hassle etc and you can get tax relief on a number of expenses. You do however pay employer's ni on top of your own ni and paye so have to make sure your expenses cover it to make it worth while. For me working for one employer as a contractor I absolutely caught by IR35 (look at definitions of employed vs self employed on HMRC website to see what their tests are) and so an umbrella company was the best way for me to go for peace of mind (I could have gone as a company and done everything myself and paid myself a dividend but I didn't want the risk if I was investigated that I would be stung for a large tax bill as they can go back quite a few years). Using the benefits of an umbrella company only works for 2 years as you're supposed to be on temporary assignments not working for one company. If you want any advice about the umbrella route then send me a PM.

I wonder if some women can't tolerate watching 2 women together but would enjoy watching 2 men? or more likely they don't care because they're not driven by their balls and as long as it was a loving relationship they'd be happy.

I'm with Hiscox and no requirement to list separately

Not sure that's an entirely acceptable solution

But what is the help you want to give them? Lock them up? or decriminalise it, stop wasting billions trying to police it and pump all of that money into helping the addicts? Most people who do drugs would do whether they were legal or not, the same as most people who don't do drugs wouldn't do if it were decrimalised. I'm not saying had it out at schools but stop trying to lock up those who do use it, get them help instead.

Nope but smoking canabis doesn't make you do heroin. I think it's a lot down to the individual and if they have underlying mental health issues smoking canabis will probably acerbate the problem. It's alot down to the circles you mix with to get the canabis and the people who are smoking it, you'll always get some who want to try more and more but you'll also get plenty for whom it's a passing fad and then they give it up. I know plenty of lawyers, teachers, accountants, engineers who i went to Uni with who all experimented with bits and pieces (as kids do) and then stopped and went on to have successful careers and happy families.

From my school year I know 4 people who have died One started smoking canabis, didn't have a particuarly happy home life, got into heroin and one day OD and died. The other 3 died from alcohol I guess these simple stats show which is the biggest killer (not counting those slowly dieing of smoking). When I started working one of the partners in the firm had it all, young family, 2 kids, new Jag, partner in a buiness, nice house. Slowly over the 5 years I knew him he started drinking first of all 3 pints of stella at lunch, then couple of bottles of wine then he'd disappear at 11am when the pubs opened, then he started smelling of alochol when he came in, in the morning. His wife then moved out with the kids, he started drinking more, he crashed and wrote off his Jag, he ended up in hospital, he moved in with his mum and then he died. I remember one day in the pub at lunch time he was having an orange juice and him telling me that the Dr's had told him if he didn't stop drinking he'd be dead, he tried but unfortunately fell off the wagon again. RIP Jeff. He had an addiction and needed help but didn't get it, now if this was instead drugs some people on here would say he needed locking up and not help. Why the difference?

You'll also have to include Stamp duty, vat and inheritance tax

As I said what gain is there to society for locking up a student who smokes a few spliffs at Uni and would then normally go onto have a succesful career but any chance of that is lost because he has a criminal record? You don't smoke a few spliffs and lose the plot (unless perhaps it was laced with acid), it requires some serious dedication. You also don't go out and cause trouble, fight etc when you're stoned you're too busy looking what's in the fridge. As Mungler said, do anything to excess and it will cause you problems, most people realise that.

I think alcohol related issues in those same places probably dwarves the drug users. How much police time is wasted policing our streets for trouble caused by drunks come kicking out time. The reason hospitals need security is mostly for drunks. Most drugs don't cause you to run riot (except perhaps crack but it's use is relatively very small). I'm not suggesting banning alcohol but that causes a much larger problem to society. There is no easy fix to the issue but giving it to those that want it along with treatment might be one way to stop them committing crimes to fund their habits, (on the flip side if you continue to give it for free to addicts what reason is there to stop).

Because 1 or two members of staff can man 4-8 tills and most people can manage to use them apart from problems when buying alcohol etc. I guess if you don't like them then don't use them.

But the point is that the Govt makes the call whether legal or not, so if they made them all legal are you saying you wouldn't have a problem? I think he has a point, let the healthcare system treat the addicts and the police and judical system work on catching the suppliers. A lot of the time it's a fad that kids do and most stop and go onto lead productive lives (pretty sure quite a few on here have dabbled in something at some point) what is the point in giving them a criminal record and ruining their careers for popping a few pills etc. As has been said those that commit crimes to get high need help to get off and if they don't supplying them with free drugs would at least stop the crimes, until they get clean they're never going to be a useful member of society, let them get on with it without needing to commit crime.

Because obviously the deterrent method is working so well

Got to agree with Diceman, surely you're just teaching her that she doesn't have to work for her money, £90 a week at 17 for doing nothing, jesus! I think I'd have said she could do better and help to find something else to do and give £20-£30 to live on while she's looking.

Wasn't it Stingray? Totally agree on other points I have loads of great memories of getting in to scrapes as a kid, avoiding the police (not for crimes) but mischief like garden hopping, getting on the school roof etc. I wonder how kids who stay in (a lot because parents won't let them wander too far) will manage to to develop their social interaction skills or will they only be able to talk to each other through electronic devices?

Well that would be my suggestion but I'm not paying for it and he'd prefer a spotty teenager to charge him a fortune to fit a cheap part badly but I guess he needs the car back on the road quickly.

One or two might be considered an accident but I fail to see how any more could be considered so

Well he hasn't sold any recently, madness, how on earth does it cost another £1.50 to post?

And the prize goes to Paul223 who correctly guessed we fried the alternator according to the AA man, a quick trip to Halfruads for a new one but haven't asked him how much yet. The AA guy was surprised I haven't done something to my P38 as it's full of electrics but I guess his battery was so flat that it cause any problems apart from melting my jump leads.

I ended up shouting at the TV last night when a lady not born here was asking why she should have to move from her comfortable flat paid for by the state and move to a cheaper area, because she couldn't work as she had no one else in this country to help her look after her child??? And that is the problem, a lot of people think they are owed something for nothing and can't understand why people are trying to cap benefits. I have a friend who lost his job after working hard for years and paying his way and got virtually no help. He retrained as a tiler and is now doing ok (still a struggle) but no thanks to the State who should have been there in his hour of need. That's what benefits should be for, helping us out in our hour of need. I'm sorry if you can't afford to live in an area with capped benefits then who should be forced to move to a cheaper area, I can't afford to live in certain places which I'd love to, so I moved somewhere cheaper. For those who benefits don't meet the rent I'd personally give them 6 months to a year to find a job or a cheaper place to live and then cap them.

Probably due to the cost and the fact he now really wants one

Because mine is a much larger battery? Fingers crossed it's just a bit of melted plastic and it starts ok when Mr RACman gets here.

Oops, but why should it smoke when we had it the right way round? It didn't when we had it the wrong way round (just melted my jump leads)