bridge too far

Having a Conservative council here, we only have one wheelie bin and two recycling boxes. However, our council will introduce a waste food bin in 18 months time which will be collected weekly, whereas the other bins will be collected fortnightly. Not a problem for us, but I can imagine some people will be confused. We recycle as much as we can and only have a couple of bags of non-recyclable waste in our wheelie bin. If we have to pay to throw, I'm not entirely confident that people won't chuck their trash in my bin But I'm not against it in principle.

I'm in favour. It works fine in cricket and tennis.

But your pint(s) aren't going to cost any more on Monday than they do today :confused: Unless you're going to drink more :smt102

I think the counter-argument is that the government wants people to spend. If they were to give larger tax cuts, many people would save instead and that wouldn't stimulate the economy or stop the job losses. Whereas, with cuts in VAT, the only way to 'save' is to spend first, if you get my drift.

However, according to the BBC website: Is there some help for small businesses? The planned increase in the small companies rate of corporation tax has been deferred, so the 2009 tax rate will be unchanged. Credit worth £1bn to small firms will be offered by the government via a temporary Small Business Finance Scheme. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will allow firms facing difficulties to spread the payment of all their business taxes over a timetable they can afford, for as long as they need. The Treasury confirmed to the BBC that this includes the self-employed. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7746241.stm

Lucky you - First Great Western are pants

How so?

Not that you're stereotyping of course I think it's great more people use the trains - just a shame the train companies don't provide comfort and space but just grab the money and (metaphorically) run. I guess some people really do worry about emissions (carbon ones) and others recognise that the roads are a nightmare. I'll always choose the train if I can because my ETA is more predictable. It's just a shame that there aren't the stations and branch lines there used to be. Ian Hislop did a good programme on this last week.

This is quite interesting: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7746241.stm It shows how much better off a lot of us will be in spite of changes to NI in 2011. And of course it doesn't include increased child benefit, working families tax credits etc. I was expecting to be worse off TBH

That's my problem Steve - I don't! I'm lucky in that I can work either at home or in the office and do my work remotely. But lately my clients have got mega-twitchy about data security and so now, occasionally, I have to schlep up to the ol' smoke. Hence, I pay extortionate 'last minute' fares and rarely get a seat. I think the train companies should be sued under the Trades Descriptions Act but they'd probably argue they're providing the journey, not the seat.

Aah thanks for that. I wonder who it is then?

oic

What does MILFs mean? Please?

Still a valid point though Bungly Wungly Woo

Isn't that Jon somebody from TalkSport (noooo - what a surprise )

Whereas private businesses aren't? Like banks, you mean? And trains give VfM? I'll come back and kick you for that one tomorrow when I get back from travelling to London from Oxfordshire and back on the train and having to stand all the way I believe (and can remember, cos I'm that old) that Utility companies priced their goods and services far more competitively when they were nationalised. Some people will say there's no competition when utilities / trains etc are nationalised but, hello, what about the cartels that operate, especially in the energy industry? And governments can regulate nationalised industries far more than they can private enterprise (people moan about 'red tape' - remember?)

Girls being the operative word here. Women probably wouldn't react in the same way - well, nice women at least.

Aren't the train companies private enterprises, Bungle? Do we blame the government because British Gas put up their gas bills way beyond the increased cost of fuel? (My daughter, at home on maternity leave with a 6 month old baby, has had her gas DD increase from £110 pcm to £270 pcm and British Gas will brook no argument :shock:) Rail companies and energy companies should be renationalised IMO.

Hello sweetie xx I think you're missing my point. I'm simply pointing out a) that most, if not all, MPs will exceed 280 miles a month on official business. Therefore, those who claim without receipts will be the exception and probably be MPs for inner London constituencies or crap MPs who never hold surgeries and b) the cost of checking claims under £140 will far exceed any money recouped through fraudulent claims. That is all I'm saying. I don't deny that there are corrupt MPs. Was it Ben Dover (gg) an MEP who recently got sacked by the Conservatives for being one (of many) who channel expenses to private companies owned by their families, thus paying their families for work that they didn't ever do?

Yes I know they all were 'unofficially' but I though Baby P's natural father appeared on TV to thank everyone for their support and to express his distress.

NI doesn't go up until 2011.

Oh sorry - my bad. I thought you were being sarcastic. I really did. Friends?

Didn't Baby P's mother have another child whilst on remand? Maybe there were other children too (belonging to the step-father)? I guess, if so, they'd need some sort of anonymity too. I can't remember - wasn't Baby P's real father identified?

350 miles a month is nothing, even for a London constituency MP TBH. Blimey, I do that in half a week, and I'm in the office for half the week! Still, if you think an extra person or two should be employed at say £20K p.a (= £800 pw total cost + on-costs) to catch out the odd MP who claims £140 a month fraudulently, so be it. But have a word with Weston Super Saint first - he wants to find efficiency savings in central government.

Central government funds local government. (OK local government collects council tax to send to central government who then send it back with extra cash). Where central government wastes money is by buying in 'expertise' in the form of consultants (like me). Those consultants originally worked for central / local government, the NHS etc and, as part of a huge cost-cutting exercise in the late 80s / early 90s, were made redundant. So they either set up their own consultancies or went to work for one of the big boys. And subsequently charged way over what they were paid when they were 'civil servants'. And got what they asked for because, suddenly, there was a shortage of people with the right skills and experience. Never mind, the size of the civil service had been reduced. The counter-argument of course is that e.g. a council doesn't have to pay my annual salary + on-costs; it only pays me for the days I work for it. But I'm still earning far more than I did, doing the same job for the NHS Go figure!