Current Affairs 2025

[Onelife]

Well lets all hope they get accidentally tasered three or four times before they get a slap on the wrists from the courts…

f**king Morons..

[Mervyn and Trish]

Am I missing something. New photos show Trump, Andrew and Bill Clinton also Bill Gates from the Epstein files. All have said that they have done nothing wrong, something Andrew has been saying for ages, only Andrew has been the centre of interest to the press. A cropped photo shows Andrew talking to Bill Gates, nothing wrong with that, but the original also had the King there as well.
So far there is no 'Juicy bits' that have been proven, only speculation, all getting rather boring

I think the reality is firstly that Epstein was a business financier so lots of people will have met him. Secondly he was a convicted child sex offender.

Not all those who met him in the first role necessarily had anything to do with the second.

However his conviction related to procuring under age girls for sex with others. And one of those claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew. Who has been caught out in lies in relation to her and mysteriously paid her off with £12m, an odd payment to someone he'd never met. I think that's why there's more interest in him than Bill Gates, for example.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Well lets all hope they get accidentally tasered three or four times before they get a slap on the wrists from the courts…

f**king Morons..

Only three or four? You've gone all soft.

Be tragic if they slipped and fell in the cells too.

[Stephen]

I know where I’d like to put the trunk of the tree they cut down.

[david63]

Yet another mass shooting in America - apparently almost 400 mass shootings this year.

Good to hear that he who revoked Biden's gun laws describing the shooting as "a terrible thing, and all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt." - no there is more that you can do - get the gun laws changed to protect people, oh sorry that would upset your beloved NRA who can do no wrong.

[oldbluefox]

And a shooting at Bondi Beach. Getting to be commonplace.

[towny44]

I have now lost any sympathy for the resident doctors, it is plain greed to continue with strike action after receiving a 30% wage rise over the last 3 years. Furthermore looking at the picket lines, I would be somewhat concerned if one of these scruffy individuals turned up at my bedside if I were in hospital.

[Stephen]

Where’s old Doctor Finlay when you need him.

[Portsmouth]

Still being looked after by Janet I expect

[oldbluefox]

I have now lost any sympathy for the resident doctors, it is plain greed to continue with strike action after receiving a 30% wage rise over the last 3 years. Furthermore looking at the picket lines, I would be somewhat concerned if one of these scruffy individuals turned up at my bedside if I were in hospital.

Whilst I like the idea of strikes no more than others I don't feel we value our doctors, nurses, teachers et al enough. We are quite happy that they work long hours without pay yet we baulk at the idea of paying them for their skill and dedication. These people are highly skilled as were the tradesmen who came in to instal my kitchen. However when I saw and paid the bills I couldn't help comparing their skill levels and the amount they were charging for what were essentially straightforward jobs with those providing valuable services to the community.
Little wonder young doctors are leaving these shores for better pay in properly resourced hospitals. I support them.
And yes they do look scruffy!!!

[Ray B]

charging for what were essentially straightforward jobs

A trades person make jobs look easy to the householder, but the bill is materials, transport, insurances, plant, taxes and the trade person etc.
Doctors deserve a good salary for what they do.

[oldbluefox]

charging for what were essentially straightforward jobs

Doctors deserve a good salary for what they do.

I know what you are saying Ray but as one who has, over the years installed kitchens and bathrooms complete with decorating I would say I had a good idea of what was essentially straightforward work in my kitchen although I would not touch electrical work. Compared to what doctors are earning and the levels of expertise there is a huge mismatch both in pay and expertise.
Successive governments have initiated pay freezes over the years to such an extent many professions have lagged behind. The consequences of these policies have now come to a head.
Interestingly MPs have managed to maintain pay parity.

[towny44]

The BMA are claiming that junior/resident doctors have lagged behind the RPI since 2010, which happens to coincide with the Tories taking office, maybe not a coincidence.
Now I dont have any stats to support my theory however I would suggest that most workers in the UK private sector have similarly lagged behind the old RPI index, and I would also suggest that the resident doctors pay has infested quite a way ahead of the average public sector pay.
So I have no sympathy for them at all, and I find their view that we are losing many doctors to overseas better paid jobs, somewhat at variance with their claim that they need more jobs for them in the NHS.

[david63]

Having listened to some of the rants from "resident doctors" about what they want and what they want for the NHS going forward (all of which is laudable) the one question that nobody is asking them is "where is the money going to come from"?

I have been saying this for ages that the country has to decide what they want the NHS to be and then accept that one way or another that it will have to be paid for, but the problem is that all the Government is interested in doing is brining taxation down which is the polar opposite.

Sooner or later the Government of the day is going to have to take some serious, and unpopular (even political suicidal) decisions about the NHS rather than just tinkering around the edges and applying sticky plasters.

[Onelife]

Understanding the reasons to why the Government/s find themselves in this situation is by and large of their own making. I’m very much in the camp whereby every job has its value but the value of some jobs has to be measured by the dedication, sacrifice and personal cost which is required in reaching that chosen profession. I personally don’t think doctors are out of order in asking for better pay and job security bearing in mind that they will have done five years at a bear minimum to become a qualified doctor and another 2 years foundation work if they want to progress.

MP’s starting pay is £93k with perks, whereas a newly qualified doctors starting pay in the region of £38k with a few perks…successive Governments should get their own pay structures in order before telling dedicated doctors what they should or shouldn’t be entitled too. Imo

I concur with Foxy about what some trades people charge for their services, this is especially so if you live in the lovely Shropshire Hills where most have no option but to pay over and above daily rates to even get a trades person…thankfully I have my own estate workers to do all that stuff

.....

David, you are absolutely correct…

[david63]

MP’s starting pay is £93k with perks

And, in my opinion, is one of the reasons that we have such poor government - too many MPs are in it for the money.

It is totally ludicrous that one day you can be working in a job paying minimum wage and the next be an MP in Westminster with no experience earning £93k. MPs should start on the national average and work their way up the ladder to reach the maximum - just like everybody else has to do.

[oldbluefox]

We ask where the money comes from. It may help if we didn’t waste millions on dubious projects which are totally unsustainable. How much is it a case of not enough money or making better use of the money we have?

[Onelife]

MP’s starting pay is £93k with perks

And, in my opinion, is one of the reasons that we have such poor government - too many MPs are in it for the money.

It is totally ludicrous that one day you can be working in a job paying minimum wage and the next be an MP in Westminster with no experience earning £93k. MPs should start on the national average and work their way up the ladder to reach the maximum - just like everybody else has to do.

David, you are absolutely correct…I could make a habit of this if you are really nice to me

[Onelife]

We ask where the money comes from. It may help if we didn’t waste millions on dubious projects which are totally unsustainable. How much is it a case of not enough money or making better use of the money we have?

Foxy, you are absolutely correct…

[david63]

We ask where the money comes from. It may help if we didn’t waste millions on dubious projects which are totally unsustainable. How much is it a case of not enough money or making better use of the money we have?

Which ties in with my previous post of inexperienced MPs who are only there for what they can get out of it.

==================================

P.S. I am getting a bit worried about OL - has he started on the Christmas spirit early?

[oldbluefox]

P.S. I am getting a bit worried about OL - has he started on the Christmas spirit early?

Me too. I’ve been working on him and threatened I would tell Stephen if he didn’t mend his ways. He’s a work in progress

[Onelife]

P.S. I am getting a bit worried about OL - has he started on the Christmas spirit early?

Me too. I’ve been working on him and threatened I would tell Stephen if he didn’t mend his ways. He’s a work in progress

For gawd sake Foxy…I’ve lost a tenner on the gee gees, I’ve just had my tooth pulled out and now you’re threatening me with the scantily dressed Stephen…can this day get much worse?

[Mervyn and Trish]

It could if Stephen takes that petticoat off.

[Onelife]

It could if Stephen takes that petticoat off.

That'll be the one he was wearing when we last met up

[towny44]

It could if Stephen takes that petticoat off.

Just the thought of that is likely to give me nightmares.