This is one of the reasons I get annoyed whenever I hear private sector workers - of whom I am one - banging on and on about public sector pensions. Leaving aside the fact that there seems to be little point in being the world's 5th wealthiest economy (or whatever we are) if many of your citizens can't even get a decent pension, the squabbling between the private and public sectors is a classic example of the government getting the people to do their dirty work for them. Don't allow powerful rich people to tell you who your enemies are ...

...err..

....so what is the best chassis..and does it need to flex or not ? .....anyone have a prefference for different oil...and if I vote Conservative, Labour or not at all would I be better off with Maybors, Toyo or Firestone in the winter....anyone got any opinions on welding with or without gas?

Thinking of setting my valve clearances...any thoughts on that?

Why not just let the wife peel those onions bud?

I saw something this morning that encapsulates exactly what I'm saying. While walking to my car on a car park a woman driver went straight over the give way sign at the exit, almost colliding with another car who actually had right of way. The other car beeped at her, so she stopped, wound her window down, and in the haughtiest tones I have ever heard said "Do you have something to say?"

The guy just sat there - I couldn't believe it, he said nothing! I was mentally willing him to speak up How about "yes - watch where you're going you nearly caused an accident" I thought, but he just sat there in silence.

And that to me, is a microcosm of what is happening in this country. Haughty fellows are considering the law only applies to others, and browbeating those that have a right to be aggrieved, or dare to question them into silence.



Exactly. Think for yourself. Question stuff, that's what I'm advocating - not joining some oxmoron organisation like the 'Socialist Workers' then misleading all who will listen in the student bar how you don't have to pay council tax if only you say this or do that. I just wish folks would think about what they are being told/sold by those powerful, rich people a little more than they do.



Hmmm....thought this was the off topic section? Yes I have thoughts on it.



Only joking squeeze - I'll shut up now.

OK Mr Nail good point..

...I appear to have made the off topic thread...err...on topic...

...will go and ponder some off topic things...

http://www.carolcox.com/

be back later

It's an anything thread John, I'm only raggin' ya. Hey, and I clicked on that you bugger. The wife will never believe it was your fault I was on there.

Me too. Knocked my bloody coffee over in shock.

I have to come clean and say I'm one of these agents of terror with a printed card (not laminate but printed onto) that certifies who I am, what I am and that it is my warrant and authority for executing the duties of that office.

Hi Pete.

This could be useful. Define this authority you have Pete. Then tell us who granted that authority to you, and we'll see if it's real.

For example, have I granted you any authority over me - implied or otherwise? And if so how? Or do you just presume to have it, and then tell me that you do by showing me a warrant card? Seriously, I'd like to hear your views on that.

You see where I'm at. Increasingly there are people willing to tell me how I must do this or I can't do that. Quite often they actually believe they have a right to dictate such things to me, so I decided to begin questioning just who has the authority to do what, and to whom.

I'd also like to know how much of this authority is real, and how much perceived. When someone in authority tells me that I ‘must’ do something or other, I’d like to know under what law I am required to do it? I ask this because lots of things we think we ‘know’ are just not the case. They are due to flawed perception.

We all know for example, that when a crown court judge bangs his little gavel and shouts ‘Silence in court’ you’d better just shut right up there and then hadn't you, or it’ll be considered contempt of court. Am I right?

Well No, because British Judges don’t have a gavel to bang. Only auctioneers use them, but how many here have been mislead into thinking, believing, or ‘knowing’ that they did? It's an example of the public's flawed perception.

Where it gets really irritating is that today every minor official or company employee takes it upon themselves to dictate their own interpretation of your obligations. I recently had a rash of nuisance phone calls, all asking for a guy named Christopher. No matter how many times I told these people that there was no Christopher here, they continued to ring. Sometimes five times a day. After a month or so I changed my number.

On the second day with my new number I again got a call asking for Christopher! On that occasion I once again politely told the caller that she had the wrong number, yet the same dumb bitch rang up again five minutes later. “Can I speak to Christopher”. It turns out ‘Christopher’ was applying for loans left right and centre, and giving out made up contact numbers. That still doesn’t explain how he gave out both my old and new number. That’s weird.

Anyway, a few days later the same woman called again asking for Christopher. This time I said ‘Yes, Christopher speaking,’ and she started telling me all about the loan I had applied for...no security questions – nothing! I listened carefully for a while - then cancelled the loan. She seemed surprised, when I said, rather casually, “Yeh cancel it, I don’t want it now’

Then she asked again if I was Christopher, and I said “Christopher who?” The woman went ballistic. She told me that it is illegal, “totally against the law” to imitate someone else when seeking a loan!

“Really?” “So according to you, repeatedly phoning a private number, and giving out details of a loan application without asking any security questions is all fine and dandy, but saying my name is Christopher when I answer my own phone is an offence?

Wow. But what if my name is Christopher? Who should I say I am when I answer my own phone?”

The calls for Christopher have now stopped.

But you see what I'm saying? The default line of thought for that person was to attempt to criminalise me, to consider that she was right and I was out of order, when I was just sat at home minding my own business. There's far too much of that. It's time to kick back.

Yeah you could wind yourself up about shit like that, or just get on with your life because frankly, it's too short.

Wow Old-Nail - thats exactly how I feel when nuisance calls come thorough - why is it I feel like I'm being rude or bad when I tell them to feck off when I didnt invite them to phone me in the first place!? Grrrr......