Dominic Cummings Enq'

[Vince Green]

Cummings was only ever the hired help, a skivy (although admittedly an influential skivy). That's his problem I suspect, deep seated resentment that he was never elevated to the status he thought he deserved 

[enfieldspares]

On 26/05/2021 at 19:35, CaptC said:

Most shell fishermen in Cornwall for a start. Oyster industry finished. Hill farmers struggling on £20k a year. Fact. 

It was what the people voted for. A majority. To leave. And among those that voted to leave will no doubt have been fishermen in Cornwall. We've now left. Some have that wished to remain have lost their jobs or livelihoods because of that vote to leave. And now it's the turn of those that voted against remaining to also lose theirs. Fair's fair.

Edited May 28, 2021 by enfieldspares

[Vince Green]

11 minutes ago, enfieldspares said:

It was what the people voted for. A majority. To leave. And among those that voted to leave will no doubt have been fishermen in Cornwall. We've now left. Some have that wished to remain have lost their jobs or livelihoods because of that vote to leave. And now it's the turn of those that voted against remaining to also lose theirs. Fair's fair.

We are still a nett importer of both fish and meat.  Not by a small amount either. The situation is not being helped by the French being difficult but its not as bleak as it may appear.

[Mungler]

12 minutes ago, Vince Green said:

We are still a nett importer of both fish and meat.  Not by a small amount either. The situation is not being helped by the French being difficult but its not as bleak as it may appear.

The French, our European best friends whom we have historically always got on well with and were oh so close to in that Euro club thing where is was all sunshine and smiles, being ‘difficult’? Mais non but surely 😆

[Vince Green]

2 minutes ago, Mungler said:

The French, our European best friends whom we have historically always got on well with and were oh so close to in that Euro club thing where is was all sunshine and smiles, being ‘difficult’? Mais non but surely 😆

Its like a divorce in so many ways

[JohnfromUK]

9 minutes ago, Mungler said:

The French, our European best friends long standing enemy whom we have historically always got on well with defeated at regular intervals through history and were conned by successive Prime Ministers into being oh so close to in that Euro club thing where is was all sunshine and smiles, being ‘difficult’? Mais non but surely 😆

Corrected for you

[Mungler]

It is funny how all the Brexit wrangling washed away the decades of factual history and has re-written our relationship with the EU as leaving the club of peace, harmony, milk and honey.

I was born in 1972 and I can remember it’s been a permanently pot holed road ever since I can remember.

[JohnfromUK]

6 minutes ago, Mungler said:

it’s been a permanently pot holed road ever since I can remember.

You could easily argue that for all of 'known' history, we have had a long series of conflicts with our various European neighbours.  Of course that is partly because they are the nearest - and many conflicts in Europe occurred long before much of the world was really 'known'.  It seems to be in man's nature to have conflicts - and they are probably most likely with those geographically close.

Personally, I think that a 'world level' society needs to be divided into' blocks' - lets call them countries. 

• If you make the blocks too big - then there may be too much variation across the block for it to work 'harmoniously'.  These may be differences in culture, climate, natural resources - and any of these can be a seed for envy/disagreement/jealousy etc.
• If you make the blocks too small, they may struggle in other ways, notably being vulnerable to larger blocks, or economically unviable.

Therefore - the idea of having the blocks self governing, but with economic (which is what the 'common market' should have remained), or defensive (like NATO) alliances has some appeal - but getting the balance right is difficult - and (in my humble opinion) partly difficult due to the culture of continuously needing to change the status quo.

I am fiercely conservative with a small 'c'.  The grass is NOT always greener, and change is not guaranteed to be for the better ....... therefore change needs much closer scrutiny before taking the plunge.

Far to many changes are led by politicians/government (from lets go in a Common market - no that didn't work, lets leave - to buy diesel cars - the pollute less - to scrap diesel cars - they pollute more) without thinking it through properly.

 

[ditchman]

i can remember pre EU...........quite honestly it was a mess ........and could have been sorted...but the govt took the easy way out.......

who remembers the awful British Leyland debarcle....the issue of petrol rationg cards......wheat mountains butter mountains..wine lakes......unions ,,,strife.....blackouts..........

i hope we have learnt since then............the govt's in power then were detatched and totally unqualified to deal with a changing world

im pleased we are out of the EU.....things im sure will be difficult for a while............

[Vince Green]

2 hours ago, ditchman said:

i can remember pre EU...........quite honestly it was a mess ........and could have been sorted...but the govt took the easy way out.......

who remembers the awful British Leyland debarcle....the issue of petrol rationg cards......wheat mountains butter mountains..wine lakes......unions ,,,strife.....blackouts..........

i hope we have learnt since then............the govt's in power then were detatched and totally unqualified to deal with a changing world

im pleased we are out of the EU.....things im sure will be difficult for a while............

Things would have been just as difficult for us if we had not left the EU, in fact progressively more difficult as the noose tightened.

Cummings may have overplayed his hand since but he got us out of the EU. If he had stopped there he could have been a national hero

[Mungler]

3 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

You could easily argue that for all of 'known' history, we have had a long series of conflicts with our various European neighbours.  Of course that is partly because they are the nearest - and many conflicts in Europe occurred long before much of the world was really 'known'.  It seems to be in man's nature to have conflicts - and they are probably most likely with those geographically close.

Personally, I think that a 'world level' society needs to be divided into' blocks' - lets call them countries. 

• If you make the blocks too big - then there may be too much variation across the block for it to work 'harmoniously'.  These may be differences in culture, climate, natural resources - and any of these can be a seed for envy/disagreement/jealousy etc.
• If you make the blocks too small, they may struggle in other ways, notably being vulnerable to larger blocks, or economically unviable.

Therefore - the idea of having the blocks self governing, but with economic (which is what the 'common market' should have remained), or defensive (like NATO) alliances has some appeal - but getting the balance right is difficult - and (in my humble opinion) partly difficult due to the culture of continuously needing to change the status quo.

I am fiercely conservative with a small 'c'.  The grass is NOT always greener, and change is not guaranteed to be for the better ....... therefore change needs much closer scrutiny before taking the plunge.

Far to many changes are led by politicians/government (from lets go in a Common market - no that didn't work, lets leave - to buy diesel cars - the pollute less - to scrap diesel cars - they pollute more) without thinking it through properly.

 

 

Don’t get me wrong, I voted remain and selfishly for the status quo but I can stand back and call ‘b s’ on the much vaunted relationship we are now told we had with the EU prior to Brexit.

 

[JohnfromUK]

7 minutes ago, Mungler said:

 

Don’t get me wrong, I voted remain and selfishly for the status quo but I can stand back and call ‘b s’ on the much vaunted relationship we are now told we had with the EU prior to Brexit.

 

I'm very similar - in that I voted remain - after a lot of considering the pros and cons and deciding the process of leaving would be so difficult that it would cause great problems .........).   Once the vote was leave - I have got behind the leave because that is the way the vote went - and I'm a democrat (small d).

[Mungler]

1 hour ago, JohnfromUK said:

I'm very similar - in that I voted remain - after a lot of considering the pros and cons and deciding the process of leaving would be so difficult that it would cause great problems .........).   Once the vote was leave - I have got behind the leave because that is the way the vote went - and I'm a democrat (small d).

Likewise.

I also don’t believe that any future is set in stone and the future will be what we choose to make of it.

[Rewulf]

10 minutes ago, Mungler said:

I also don’t believe that any future is set in stone and the future will be what we choose to make of it.

My personal belief is that the days where we get to choose our own destiny , democratically or otherwise, are rapidly slipping through our fingers, never to be regained.
People are very accepting of what they are given, comfortable with their lives , and more and more disinterested in what and how society works.
If anything, covid should have bought that home, as people welcome 'the new normal' they have barely noticed how much the landscape has changed.
The 'sheeple' description has never been more apt.

[TIGHTCHOKE]

7 minutes ago, Rewulf said:

My personal belief is that the days where we get to choose our own destiny , democratically or otherwise, are rapidly slipping through our fingers, never to be regained.
People are very accepting of what they are given, comfortable with their lives , and more and more disinterested in what and how society works.
If anything, covid should have bought that home, as people welcome 'the new normal' they have barely noticed how much the landscape has changed.
The 'sheeple' description has never been more apt.

Indeed and I would add that people have become disillusioned about the ability to force change that makes a difference.

The world had a go with Trump and a few others that did not fit the professional politician mould and none of that went well.

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, TIGHTCHOKE said:

I would add that people have become disillusioned about the ability to force change that makes a difference.

Very much this:

Major complaints locally are about the condition of the road surfaces, edges and verges.  Looking back at old photos from 30 or more years ago - it was all kept tidy.  There was a 'lengthsman' who lived in the village who kept it nice.  Verges trimmed, brambles whizzed off with his hook, elder and other brash kept down. 

When he retired, his son (who is now in his 80s) took it on, but was soon moved to a 'crew' with the council - and spent most of his time sent to other areas, but it was still reasonable.

When the son retired, nothing now gets done other than a flail mower passed over the first one pass (the verges are several passed wide in many places).  The rest is now a huge bramble and scrub growth and inhabited by foxes, rabbit, squirrels and rats.

But at the recent council elections - what do we have a choice of?

• Tory (incumbents) - steady as she goes basically, keep increases in council tax minimised
• Lib Dem - reduce spending on roads, build more cycle paths, spend more on social care, spend more on leisure projects etc. more recycling.  Free up planning to allow more houses
• Labour - spend more on social housing, fight 'government cuts', increase social spending, take services currently privatised back in hand and pay more for them
• Greens - it wasn't clear what they wanted other than banning cars from almost everywhere, and making everyone eat compost or some such garbage.

It wasn't a great surprise when the (Tory) incumbent was re- elected with a huge majority - getting more votes by far than all the others put together.  Actually, he is quite a nice chap and a keen fly fisher ......

But ultimately the choice boiled down to

• Present (not very good) incumbent,
• somewhat worse (and a bit more expensive),
• quite a lot worse (and quite a lot more expensive) , 
• bonkers and un-costed.

 

[ditchman]

i used to employ the lenghtman system in africa.............it worked very well.............on one of my roads from Songea to Tunduru............we always had a problem with lions and were always having to cough up 60,000 shillingi to the famaily taht had their relation taken by a lion.............you could always tell where this happened as the ditches were overgrown and full of weeds..

was in Tunduru one night in a bar and a bloody lion walked straight thro the bar ...into the kitchen and took the the cook

christ i was lucky that night

Edited May 29, 2021 by ditchman

[udderlyoffroad]

5 hours ago, Rewulf said:

If anything, covid should have bought that home, as people welcome 'the new normal' they have barely noticed how much the landscape has changed.
The 'sheeple' description has never been more apt.

It's genuinely baffling to me how many have 'had a good war' and are in no hurry to get their liberties back.

Well I used to not understand, but the more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that people are just selfish a-holes.

[ditchman]

see boris and carrie got married in a low key do at westminster catherdral............and dominic cummings was the best man.........................

 

...........................................

 

.................................................not

[Vince Green]

43 minutes ago, ditchman said:

see boris and carrie got married in a low key do at westminster catherdral............and dominic cummings was the best man.........................

 

...........................................

 

.................................................not

Good luck to them, I wish them all the best

[McSpredder]

2 hours ago, ditchman said:

see boris and carrie got married in a low key do at westminster catherdral............

"You may strut, dapper George  (Boris), but 'twill all be in vain;
We know 'tis Queen Caroline, not you, that reign."

That satirical rhyme is from the days of King George II.   He kept a succession of mistreses, but was married to a very clever woman (Caroline of Ansbach) whose used her powerful political friendships to manipulate government policy.   Does history repeat itself?

[matone]

23 hours ago, Mungler said:

It is funny how all the Brexit wrangling washed away the decades of factual history and has re-written our relationship with the EU as leaving the club of peace, harmony, milk and honey.

I was born in 1972 and I can remember it’s been a permanently pot holed road ever since I can remember.

Yes,we were never welcome at that table but did have money to pay for the meal!!!

7 hours ago, McSpredder said:

"You may strut, dapper George  (Boris), but 'twill all be in vain;
We know 'tis Queen Caroline, not you, that reign."

That satirical rhyme is from the days of King George II.   He kept a succession of mistreses, but was married to a very clever woman (Caroline of Ansbach) whose used her powerful political friendships to manipulate government policy.   Does history repeat itself?

Always!

[ditchman]

19 minutes ago, matone said:

Yes,we were never welcome at that table but did have money to pay for the meal!!!

Always!

just about sums it all up................the EU's quest for "filthy Luka"....

[mel b3]

15 hours ago, ditchman said:

i used to employ the lenghtman system in africa.............it worked very well.............on one of my roads from Songea to Tunduru............we always had a problem with lions and were always having to cough up 60,000 shillingi to the famaily taht had their relation taken by a lion.............you could always tell where this happened as the ditches were overgrown and full of weeds..

was in Tunduru one night in a bar and a bloody lion walked straight thro the bar ...into the kitchen and took the the cook

christ i was lucky that night

Now that's a job that would keep you switched on 😲.

[ditchman]

20 minutes ago, mel b3 said:

Now that's a job that would keep you switched on 😲.

the main attacks were in the mid 80's i was responsible for the Ruvuma area in the ealy 90's and we were still loosing one or two a month even then.........oh ....was down on Mbama bay on the lake ...watched a german tourist go into the lake and got taken by a croc....and he was told not to swim there....what a wally