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blackdog
Posted on: Apr 23 2018, 08:42 AM


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QUOTE (gel @ Apr 20 2018, 04:56 PM) *
After retune I'm still getting "That's Thames Valley".


Never mind, you don't have to watch it.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #120789 · Replies: 7 · Views: 14,861

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 21 2018, 09:43 AM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Mar 20 2018, 12:26 PM) *
And they are the ones at the front of the queue when it comes to complaining over how things are run. I think it's only fair to say that any government, ( local or national ), is only as competent as the opposition members allow. Sort of "Peter principle" in politics.
Now that is a conspiracy theory to contemplate. cool.gif

It doesn't help when the opposition is outnumbered 12 to 1.

We may complain, but it is the electorate, us, that puts them in place (and the council officers who tell them what to do).
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #120068 · Replies: 60 · Views: 81,129

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 19 2018, 01:45 AM


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QUOTE (Berkshirelad @ Mar 18 2018, 10:45 PM) *
...but not aluminium foil or wrapping.

Or aluminium pie trays, pet food containers, etc. If it ain't a can send it to landfill.

  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #119994 · Replies: 60 · Views: 81,129

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 17 2018, 08:02 PM


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QUOTE (Cognosco @ Mar 17 2018, 12:33 AM) *
I may be incorrect on the Council making money, not sure to be honest I know a neighbour who is a keen gardener buys it. But the point is that all the current kitchen waste etc will now go to landfill which creates tons of methane when slowly rotting in landfill. Unless of course all the present green waste bins are paid for?
Can you really expect that to happen? rolleyes.gif


There will, of course, be resistance to the new charge, and those using it least will be the most able to cope without it. Bigger families with a small garden will be the most peeved, already complaining about having fortnightly collection because the black bin fills up - so little room for the grass cuttings.

It is the big users who are most likely to pay up - and they provide most of the green waste. It will be interesting to see what transpires in the recycling figures.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #119964 · Replies: 60 · Views: 81,129

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 17 2018, 07:41 PM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Mar 17 2018, 03:54 PM) *
And still we don't know which plastics go in which bin. Maybe councils have no idea either so they muddy the pond further by charging twice for stuff that will end up in landfill.
Poor joe bloggs at the end of the line is expected to shoulder the disposal cost of something that is not of his making. Why can't all items that require plastic packaging use a product that is recyclable? If this part of the equation was rectified maybe the green waste removal would not be such a financial issue.


It's not that easy - after all WBC will only cycle some recyclable plastics, not all of them. Councils need to be forced to recycle all recyclable materials - for instance aluminium, why don't WBC recycle something so easy to recycle?
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #119963 · Replies: 60 · Views: 81,129

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 16 2018, 11:51 PM


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QUOTE (Cognosco @ Mar 16 2018, 05:26 PM) *
But then there will be far more going to landfill as people will put food waste etc and obviously grass cuttings, in bin bags, in the general waste bins. Also less green waste going for composting which I understand the council currently make money from! rolleyes.gif

Do the council make anything from recycling? I would have thought that would be a Veolia perk.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #119936 · Replies: 60 · Views: 81,129

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 15 2018, 01:11 PM


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QUOTE (Biker1 @ Mar 14 2018, 11:12 AM) *
Likewise.
Refusing to pay it is a matter of principle.
They claim it will raise £900,000.
That would assume that 18,000 households are going to pay it?
Surely there aren't that many mugs in the District?? unsure.gif


The council tactic is obvious - slap on a charge and hope no one pays it, then stop the collection alltogether and save the £900k they currently pay Veolia to collect it.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #119916 · Replies: 60 · Views: 81,129

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 9 2018, 01:15 PM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Mar 9 2018, 11:50 AM) *
Back to topic.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-43328066

Once again the political elite showing it's complete inability to evaluate the facts. We have been culling the hapless badger for years now with no decrease in the TB incidents in cattle. Bovine Tuberculosis is a zoonotic disease which means it can infect and be carried by any mammal, indeed the ministries own research indicates that 50% of ( those tested) rats carry the mycobacterium and 40% of feral cats.
No one suggests we should be doing nothing but surely a cattle vaccination programme is long overdue. How are we going to address such issues as cruelty within the meat industry when the very people who can bring about change are shown to have scant regard for our wildlife? angry.gif


I agree to the need for a cattle vaccination programme - all we need is a vaccine. About £4m a year is being spent on its development - but there isn't one at present apart from good old BCG - which has the minor problem of infecting cattle innoculated so that they all show positive when tested for TB. This might be okay if it was 100% effective - but it isn't.
  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #119779 · Replies: 932 · Views: 604,013

blackdog
Posted on: Mar 8 2018, 11:45 AM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Mar 8 2018, 10:28 AM) *
Little more humour for the hard working element to appreciate.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/20180...arkle-baptised/

The bit that amused moi was that "holy water" was imported from Jordan. Hardly the centre of modern civilisation, what is wrong with H2O out of the tap? Or even the Thames, though I would not use it a member of my family. cool.gif

It says the water was from the Jordan, not Jordan. It could as easily have been imported from Israel (I suspect tourists bring back gallons of it every year). If you believe in Christ's divinity then water from the river in which he was baptised might be meaningful.
  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #119767 · Replies: 18 · Views: 19,025

blackdog
Posted on: Jan 30 2018, 07:00 PM


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QUOTE (x2lls @ Jan 29 2018, 05:30 PM) *
This thread is now over 5 years old without what I can see, a representative view from the faith.

We can only wait, so time will tell.

As none of the 7 users of the forum are moslems the wait will probably be a very long one.
  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #119014 · Replies: 932 · Views: 604,013

blackdog
Posted on: Dec 19 2017, 06:31 PM


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QUOTE (On the edge @ Dec 19 2017, 04:39 PM) *
Breaking news this lunch time. Councils will be permitted to raise an extra 'rate' to increase police budgets! Is our Theresa running scared?


Not totally accurate - councils will have no choice in the matter - PCCs are the ones to be empowered to implement a raise of up to £12 per household.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #118593 · Replies: 65 · Views: 75,782

blackdog
Posted on: Dec 8 2017, 05:51 PM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Dec 7 2017, 12:56 PM) *
???????
One would have thought they had increased relevance with 101 channels of mush , though I agree that a guide in a weekly publication would be a little pointless .

TV Guides in papers only show a few of the channels - the guide on my TV shows them all - I never look at the TV pages of the paper.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #118407 · Replies: 27 · Views: 36,959

blackdog
Posted on: Dec 7 2017, 12:06 PM


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QUOTE (On the edge @ Dec 7 2017, 06:49 AM) *
Ironic this; I hate to admit it, but I always thought the TV guide in NWN was simply pandering to down market tastes. Pretty pointless as they come with the national Daily and Sunday national titles anyway.


TV guides in any paper are pretty pointless now we have so many channels available.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #118368 · Replies: 27 · Views: 36,959

blackdog
Posted on: Dec 5 2017, 12:50 PM


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The NWN prints a lot more local news that it ever could in the 'good old days' when everything had to fit into 8 or 16 pages. Today it is so much bigger that it can carry the trivia that sells it - as well as the news.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #118306 · Replies: 27 · Views: 36,959

blackdog
Posted on: Dec 3 2017, 12:46 PM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Dec 2 2017, 09:09 AM) *
Best plan is to ignore xmas completely . Sir W's top tip . wink.gif


No - don't ignore it, just put it off for a month. By mid January Christmas trees are readily found on a bin near you. You can recycle all those cards folk sent you in December and buy all those Christmas goodies as the stores are slashing prices to dump them.

Even better, if the 25th is on a weekday, the kids will be at school for most of the day so you won't have to put up with their ludicrous expectations all day.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #118268 · Replies: 13 · Views: 18,943

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 24 2017, 07:04 AM


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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Nov 23 2017, 02:07 PM) *
Not amongst the payers I believe.


A universal law of taxation I suspect.

QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Nov 23 2017, 02:07 PM) *
The principle is fairer, but the policy they tried to implement wasn't.


How did the policy differ from the principle?
  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #118123 · Replies: 11 · Views: 13,805

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 23 2017, 12:47 PM


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QUOTE (On the edge @ Nov 22 2017, 02:17 PM) *
Yes, Corporation Tax is like Poll Tax was, unpopular but easy to 'legally' avoid.

Have to disagree there - Corporation Tax is pretty popular, though the popularity is from the perception that rich companies should be paying it.

Conversely Poll Tax was unpopular - but far fairer than the Council Tax that that took its place.

  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #118085 · Replies: 11 · Views: 13,805

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 22 2017, 01:34 PM


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QUOTE (Turin Machine @ Nov 22 2017, 10:58 AM) *
Many cars now have a speed control system, it relies on map data and cameras which can actually read speed signs as you pass them, very clever. It just needs the men in grey to legislate that these can not be organically switched.


I hadn't realised they were so available - the first step is to legislate so that all new cars must have them fitted and older models have them retrofitted within a few years. Once they are commonplace increase speeding fines/penalties massively (an automatic 1 month ban for instance) - so drivers opt to use them. Once most are using them habitually public opinion will approve of the off switch being removed.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #118073 · Replies: 60 · Views: 80,075

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 22 2017, 01:23 PM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Nov 19 2017, 11:34 AM) *
Surely the idea is that HM collector of Taxes closes any loopholes that allow avoidance of said payment ? They are , after all , paid to do exactly that .


Surely they are paid to collect taxes - not to enact legislation. The Chancellor is the man responsible for tax law.

I suspect the problem is with the tax itself - the method used by the likes of Starbucks, Apple etc is cleary a corporation tax avoidance scheme, but I struggle to see how corporation tax rules could be adjusted to overcome it. They set up a subsiduary in Jersey or similar that the US parent licences to control brand rights in Europe - this then charges Apple UK an immense sum for the right to use the Apple brand (name, logo, etc) - enough to ensure that the profits of the UK arm is around zero. Thus Apple Jersey rakes in immense sums from the national operations all over Europe and makes an immense profit - in a country where corporation tax does not exist.

I suppose this loophole could be closed by a new 50% tax on brand rights payments - or 80% - as long as it is higher than Corporation Tax. But then we will have iPhones and Starbuck coffee imported via Jersey - with a huge mark up as they nominally pass through the tax haven - once again reducing the profitabilty of the national operations. Profits are so nebulous, so easily moved offshore by multinationals, taxing them will always be fraught with difficulty.
  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #118072 · Replies: 11 · Views: 13,805

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 22 2017, 12:36 PM


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QUOTE (SirWilliam @ Nov 21 2017, 01:54 PM) *
Interesting to note that my (very) recent communication with WBC regarding a street parking restriction sign that prevented wheelchair passage was met with " The sign has been there for a number of years without anyone complaining but as our highways budget has been used for this financial year we will review the matter in 18/19 " .
If it wasn't so funny it would make one incandescent . angry.gif


Seems a reasonable, straightforward response to me.
  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #118071 · Replies: 6 · Views: 8,188

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 22 2017, 01:26 AM


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Animals certainly don't feel pain like we do - one of my dogs has a tooth abcess - looks like the sort of thing that would have me screaming. He shows no sign of noticing it is there.

  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #118061 · Replies: 85 · Views: 82,592

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 22 2017, 01:21 AM


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QUOTE (TallDarkAndHandsome @ Nov 21 2017, 02:50 PM) *
Back in the day it was "acceptable" to go down the local have five pints and drive home. You were "unlucky" if you got caught. Now you are seen as a danger to all and quite rightly so. Perhaps in a few years when driverless cars ensure people stay under the speed limit your actions will be deemed senseless and moronic. Just saying...


Odds are that driverless cars will eventually go faster - because they are better driven they will be safer at high speeds.

But you don't need driverless cars to speed limit cars - all you need is a GPS, a link to the engine management computer thingy and a bit of software - absolute doddle costing very little to implement. They should have been fitting them in cars for ten years - many would use them even if there was an off switch. After a few years it would be socially unacceptable to use the off switch.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #118060 · Replies: 60 · Views: 80,075

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 16 2017, 11:04 PM


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QUOTE (dannyboy @ Nov 16 2017, 06:43 PM) *
It has been shut for a lot longer than that. Still, it is up for sale, as a pub. £430,000 guide price.


Therein lies the problem - worth £430k as a pub, much more as a private house.

Still - The Castle at Donnington has re-opened.
  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #117996 · Replies: 8 · Views: 14,965

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 9 2017, 03:58 PM


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QUOTE (On the edge @ Nov 9 2017, 09:29 AM) *
She is an elected member of NTC and a very vocal one so just as NWN has, unless she specifically says otherwise, this is what she is campaigning for. This is just how the Greenham Tower project started.

Once you've been elected to public office, your own views when expressed in public can't be considered personal.


Equally a comment from a member of the opposition party cannot be seen as council policy - or an indication that the council are discussing it.
  Forum: Random Rants · Post Preview: #117924 · Replies: 48 · Views: 53,410

blackdog
Posted on: Nov 8 2017, 11:18 PM


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QUOTE (Andy Capp @ Nov 8 2017, 06:11 PM) *
Brexit.


Everyone drowning their sorrows?

  Forum: Newbury News · Post Preview: #117919 · Replies: 18 · Views: 24,671

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