Current Affairs 2024

[Mervyn and Trish]

Wash your mouth out. He's just very popular, particularly among people who don't want to die unexpectedly.

[Ray B]

Media just can not let photo shopping drop. When you go back and look for touch ups to old photos just for another story.

[oldbluefox]

Having badgered for weeks there was no news and no photographs of Kate what did they day this morning in the light of the photos shown in The Sun? When will we see the next one!! For goodness sake they are never satisfied.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Funny old world. The media have been publishing retouched photos for years, before Photoshop was even a thing. Now they've gone all twitchy about it. But today they happily publish photos taken without permission by a random member of the public. They need to give their heads a wobble and ask themselves where is the logic?

[Slapstick]

Strange how they used the doctored photo on the front page to sell papers, then tell everyone they don't use doctored photos.

The mind boggles

[Ray B]

As hard as I try ,I can not see any likeness of the Lidl logo with tesco clubcard roundel.
I will give them that the Tesco is simular with it being round, but that is all. No way would I say to someone, "look that Tesco club card round look the same as Lidl."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68607823

[Stephen]

A fuss over nothing.

[Ray B]

Here's another one then.
A Banksy 'ArtWork ' filling a bare tree with greenery if stood in the correct position, has been vandalised. In reality ,Banksy was the first to vandalise the wall of someone's house and then another person comes along and throw more paint on the wall.
No story there then, it's happening all the time.

[oldbluefox]

And now they're saying the photo of Kate and William it was a Kate lookalike. Pathetic. It seems it's anything to discredit and stir up trouble.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Where's Keefie when you need him to put them straight?

[oldbluefox]

I do miss the miserable old b****r!!!
He's probably stuck in the kitchen following one of MeAgain's recipes for Sourdough Toad in the Hole as she bids to re-invent the pair of them.....again!!

[Stephen]

I do miss the miserable old b****r!!!
He's probably stuck in the kitchen following one of MeAgain's recipes for Sourdough Toad in the Hole as she bids to re-invent the pair of them.....again!!

[oldbluefox]

Don't laugh Stephen. She and Hazza are America's answer to Fanny Craddock and Johnny, cooking with titles. The Americans will buy into any old rubbish if it's got a title.
(Waiting to hear from Keefy if he's out there)

Meanwhile Where's our friend Moby?

[Ray B]

O.L. has been gone for a month now.

[Stephen]

Don't laugh Stephen. She and Hazza are America's answer to Fanny Craddock and Johnny, cooking with titles. The Americans will buy into any old rubbish if it's got a title.
(Waiting to hear from Keefy if he's out there)

Meanwhile Where's our friend Moby?

I’ve been messaging Moby with no reply.

He was knocking on a bit ………croak

[Mervyn and Trish]

I realise this is going to make me unpopular with some, but I struggle to understand the Waspi women issue. I know they lost out on pension they were expecting but only because they were moved to the same terms as men. If that is deemed worthy of compensation can I also claim it on the grounds that I got my pension five years later than women born the same year as me, and who statistically were likely to live 2 years longer? I'm very much in favour of equality but surely that means taking the downsides as well as the upsides?

Retires to put on hard hat.

[david63]

I cannot say that I have been following it closely but one thing that I picked up on was that some "claim" that they were not informed of the change which if true does warrant some investigation.

I do wonder though how many would have still retired when they did and not carried on working for the extra years.

[towny44]

I cannot say that I have been following it closely but one thing that I picked up on was that some "claim" that they were not informed of the change which if true does warrant some investigation.

I do wonder though how many would have still retired when they did and not carried on working for the extra years.

Presumably there is still the option to purchase extra years to compensate for any missed, my wife did to ensure she received The minimum pension at 60, whilst waiting for me to reach 65.

[Stephen]

I agree with Merv.

[barney]

I realise this is going to make me unpopular with some, but I struggle to understand the Waspi women issue. I know they lost out on pension they were expecting but only because they were moved to the same terms as men. If that is deemed worthy of compensation can I also claim it on the grounds that I got my pension five years later than women born the same year as me, and who statistically were likely to live 2 years longer? I'm very much in favour of equality but surely that means taking the downsides as well as the upsides?

Retires to put on hard hat.

I'm glad that you've said this Merv, because I thought that I was the only one who didn't get it.

If they get compensation, then millions of men will also claim
My 'contract' with the government was to work all my live, pay my contributions and receive my state pension at 65.
Later, they changed the deal and I got my pension at 66.
So, by logic, they owe me a years pension.
Me, and millions more men.
It will actually bankrupt the country.

When I looked into his situation, I find that it was announced in 1995 that there would be a change.
It was to be fazed in after 2010 but changed totally in 2011. (so that's after 2010)
Nobody told us , they claim.
Well, I knew all about it, as did millions of others.
Do all of these women live in a box?
I understand that they are piddled off about it, but repayment?
Nah ! I don't think so.

[Chalgrave4]

The Employment equality legislation came in around 1975, that's when women's pension age changes should have been announced. Why the 20 year wait.
My wife (born 1954) received several Pension statements from DWP in the early 2000's and was under no misapprehension that she would get a pension at 60. So how did these ostriches not know.

[towny44]

I realise this is going to make me unpopular with some, but I struggle to understand the Waspi women issue. I know they lost out on pension they were expecting but only because they were moved to the same terms as men. If that is deemed worthy of compensation can I also claim it on the grounds that I got my pension five years later than women born the same year as me, and who statistically were likely to live 2 years longer? I'm very much in favour of equality but surely that means taking the downsides as well as the upsides?

Retires to put on hard hat.

I'm glad that you've said this Merv, because I thought that I was the only one who didn't get it.

If they get compensation, then millions of men will also claim
My 'contract' with the government was to work all my live, pay my contributions and receive my state pension at 65.
Later, they changed the deal and I got my pension at 66.
So, by logic, they owe me a years pension.
Me, and millions more men.
It will actually bankrupt the country.

When I looked into his situation, I find that it was announced in 1995 that there would be a change.
It was to be fazed in after 2010 but changed totally in 2011. (so that's after 2010)
Nobody told us , they claim.
Well, I knew all about it, as did millions of others.
Do all of these women live in a box?
I understand that they are piddled off about it, but repayment?
Nah ! I don't think so.

But I assume you are on the new pension rules for those born after 6th April 1951, which gives you a higher pension of £203.85pw as against £156.20pw for those born before, so you are already getting your compensation.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I reckon Stephen needs to get the photocopier going. There's going to be a big demand for compo forms. Get your orders in early.

[Slapstick]

I don't see the argument that women were not told, I suspect they were but didn't realise the longterm impact on their pensions, as has been said this has been in the pipeline since the 90's, not knowing is not a reasonable argument.

My retiring age has risen from 65 to 67 like many millions of others, do I expect to be compensated NO.

The system was always unfair, women 60, men 65 where was the equality in that.

[Stephen]

I reckon Stephen needs to get the photocopier going. There's going to be a big demand for compo forms. Get your orders in early.

I'm doing a 'Special', 5 for the price of 10.