Generations and politics

I was thinking about the last election, and my own take, which I posted, and how there was no real standard requirement that the politician had to pass through to determine his or her experience and ability for the job. In the very old days it was a sort of gentlemen’s club where people of… Continue reading Generations and politics

Hours of working

I’ve been too long out of touch to comment on working hours of most of the trades, in my day it was eight o’clock in the morning to six at night, for the trades, nine to five for civil servants, posh offices like solicitors, accountants, and the rest had their own rules. Shops varied considerably,… Continue reading Hours of working

Cheaper by the dozen

I am at that stage in life, where I seem to have less interest in learning, than I do in being amused, but when you live alone, with all your contemporaries no longer here, being amused, becomes almost a matter of will power, that is to say deriving one’s own amusement, however banal. Believe it… Continue reading Cheaper by the dozen

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A stage too far

I am of a generation who looked upon sport as a pleasure, for those on the touchline and for those playing, not something that was so important that it had grown men crying in public. When I was younger I played in amateur games, went to matches as a spectator, and watched sports on television… Continue reading A stage too far

The knock on effects

I believe the biggest mistake they made with the budget was to increase the VAT. Psychologically it was wrong, and I question whether the value of 3% of VAT spread among the other sources of income for the government, would have been too difficult to manage, or are they trying to make a point? I… Continue reading The knock on effects

The demise of the cheque

In doing my accounts, I have discovered that not only I, but everybody else is dilatory in cashing cheques, for a number of reasons. We obtain our loose change from a hole in the wall, and consequently rarely go the bank. The amounts that the cheques carry are often small, money presents to small children,… Continue reading The demise of the cheque

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Behind the razamataz

I looked at some of the World Cup opening ceremony, and it reminded me very much of the Africa that I knew in the late 20s. It had that innocence, instead of the technocratic approach in so many of the other opening sequences. On the other hand, I watched the first match and it saddened… Continue reading Behind the razamataz

Things I find strange

Strange Meerkats I have written before about the fact that people are prepared to trust the information given by the picture of a disgruntled dog with adenoids, called Churchill. The other day, I was informed by someone in the advertising business, that the advertisements using meerkats are an incredible success. It’s all very well to… Continue reading Things I find strange

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Attacking the taxers

Do you, like I, not only feel confused about the current taxation philosophy by the government, but actually find it counterproductive in many ways. One of the things that I refer to, is the question of budgeting. The Labour party, when they were in power, fostered some things that made sense, Iike trying to maintain… Continue reading Attacking the taxers