Current Affairs 2024

[Mervyn and Trish]

Nearer to home I see nothing in the budget for me. I do however understand that the NI cut focuses the benefit on those in employment and should help the economy. But will it get the layabouts off their backsides?

[Ray B]

All the money being pumped at the north, there should be more jobs to get people back into work. Eastern counties and South West get thrown a few crumbs.

[towny44]

I wonder how true any of Hunts claims that the UK economy has outgrown most EU countries and most G7 countries since the pandemic.
I only caught snipets of Sir Keirs reply but his views are at total variance with Hunts.
I want a totally unbiased referee to use the same criteria to categorise all the major economies and publish a regular league table, so we can see where we stand.
Then they can do away with the hectoring PMQs, and provide us with a weekly response to our position in the economic league,

[Mervyn and Trish]

Like all statistics they can be bent and twisted to say anything.

[oldbluefox]

All the money being pumped at the north, there should be more jobs to get people back into work. Eastern counties and South West get thrown a few crumbs.

Not sure that's right. There are pockets of the country which receive very little, Cumbria included. There are vast tracts of the country which suffer deprivation for the benefit of our wealthier home counties. It was ever thus.

[towny44]

All the money being pumped at the north, there should be more jobs to get people back into work. Eastern counties and South West get thrown a few crumbs.

Not sure that's right. There are pockets of the country which receive very little, Cumbria included. There are vast tracts of the country which suffer deprivation for the benefit of our wealthier home counties. It was ever thus.

I think those on modest salaries will be finding the cost of living a significant problem, regardless of which county they live in.

[oldbluefox]

I wasn't talking about cost of living, more a case of levelling up, infrastructure and investment.

[Ray B]

Don't get me wrong, I live in Norfolk and would hate the government to finance anywhere in Norfolk as they have in the likes of Cambridge.
But a small amount to finish our roads east to west etc would be fine.
With out good links how can businesses expand.

[oldbluefox]

I agree Ray. Our road and rail links are woeful. Rail links are old and outdated whereas many of our arterial main roads are little changed from 150 years ago. Woe betide you if you get behind a tractor or a farmer on his way to market as there is no way you will get past.
Without a modern transport infrastructure industry and commerce are loathe to set up.

[Stephen]

I’m thinking of getting a tractor to contend with the pot holes.

Road tax, that’s a laugh.

[barney]

I agree Ray. Our road and rail links are woeful. Rail links are old and outdated whereas many of our arterial main roads are little changed from 150 years ago. Woe betide you if you get behind a tractor or a farmer on his way to market as there is no way you will get past.
Without a modern transport infrastructure industry and commerce are loathe to set up.

We are fifty minutes from the nearest motorway and like it like that.
New roads mean more people.
More people means more traffic
More traffic means more congestion
We prefer to be a bit isolated

[oldbluefox]

I’m thinking of getting a tractor to contend with the pot holes.

Road tax, that’s a laugh.

There's plenty of benefits in having a tractor - no road tax, potholes don't bother you, the road ahead is pretty much clear and friendly motorists wave at you and hoot when they eventually get past you.

[Ray B]

Barney, that's exactly how we like it. But no matter how good or bad the roads are, them there Londoners are turning coastal villages into suburbs of London.
I would fully support passport type control on roads into our county and a visitors permit with limited amount of days allowed to stay.

[towny44]

Barney, that's exactly how we like it. But no matter how good or bad the roads are, them there Londoners are turning coastal villages into suburbs of London.
I would fully support passport type control on roads into our county and a visitors permit with limited amount of days allowed to stay.

That's presumably because you're not in the hospitality business.

[Ray B]

We like visitors to the county ,the more the better, but like looking after the grandchildren,after a while they have to go back.

[oldbluefox]

I love following the visitors through the Lakes as they crawl along admiring the views, stopping to take a selfie, totally oblivious to the trail of traffic behind them unable to pass on our narrow twisting roads. Must admit I avoid the Lakes through the summer.
For anyone thinking of having their holiday in the Lake District, don't do it. It's expensive, the roads are clogged up, the car parks are all full, Keswick is full of dogs and it rains a lot. It's much nicer darn sarf!!!

[barney]

We don’t tend to venture too far during the school holidays due to traffic, but then don’t really need to.
Beach a short walk, country side a slightly longer walk, 4 pubs walking distance.
Only really need to take the car out to go to Tesco.
North Devon is twinned with Heaven.

[Stephen]

I’ve got a specially made compass. It only points South.

You can keep your Kendal Cake and 24hr rain

[Mervyn and Trish]

Poor little Me-Me is now bleating she was cyber bullied. So here's the thing. No-one forces you to look as social media. I presume she was expecting them to be fawning over her every move. And talking of bullying, where does making TV series, giving TV interviews and writing books slagging off your family figure on that scale? What crass hypocrisy.

[Ray B]

Merv, if you didn't read the story then you wouldn't get a bit uptight with her.
I just get fed up with the stories that appear daily about them and ignore them. Happy days.

[Slapstick]

Poor little Me-Me is now bleating she was cyber bullied. So here's the thing. No-one forces you to look as social media. I presume she was expecting them to be fawning over her every move. And talking of bullying, where does making TV series, giving TV interviews and writing books slagging off your family figure on that scale? What crass hypocrisy.

Couldn't agree more Merv, ironic really, they've used social media to help amass their vast fortune, but have the audacity to slate it at every opportunity.

Would be interesting to see these so called bullying posts, if they really exist of course, and even if they do what did they expect after slagging off their families as they have, it was bound to have a backlash.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Merv, if you didn't read the story then you wouldn't get a bit uptight with her.
I just get fed up with the stories that appear daily about them and ignore them. Happy days.

Good advice Ray. Though I'm not really uptight. Just boggled really that she can't see it's all self inflicted!

[oldbluefox]

I don't think she's being bullied. Truth is we just don't like her. What goes around, comes around. She deserves everything she gets.

[towny44]

I don't think she's being bullied. Truth is we just don't like her. What goes around, comes around. She deserves everything she gets.

I don't think I am interested enough to care one way or the other.

[Ray B]

Oh my good, The Princess of Wales has sent out a mother's day photo that may or may not looked good enough, so she touch it up.
What's the problem ? Adverts on the telly show how photos can be made more presentable, and this seems to be what she has done.
Time to get on with life.