General Chat

Mary,
in all honestly I agree with you - we DO live in a dictatorship -I was just trying to be vaguely positive!!!
Can't even protest without being coralled into a corner for hours - if criminals were treated in a similar way there'd soon be objections!

Mary my point was, how many of those shouting about abuse of an individual's privacy DO hold loyalty cards and think that those are totally innocuous.

Sue

Talking of the BNP in ascendency, as your do, and not wishing to turn this thread into a political debate, today, in a township just a couple of miles up the road from me, they are holding a rally. Also in attendance is a 'peaceful' protest by the Anti Fascist League. The police helecopter has been out since first thing this morning, and several arrests had already been made by 11.00, according to local radio. The police have also got some kind of aeroplane up to take photos. All this in a county whose police force is severely under -funded. An estimated cost of the police operation today alone is estimated at half a million pounds, and many officers have had to be drafted in from surrounding forces, and others have had their leave canclled. Last year there was 36 arrests.
When OH takes the grandchildren home at tea-time he would normally drive through this area, but, as his car would be a red-rag to a bull, and for the safety of the grand children at least, he is going to have to take a more circuitous route.
All this in this quiete little corner of England.
Julia in Derbyshire

Yes, I agree with much of the above. We are constantly being drip-fed 'scare tactics' (crime, economic doom, terrorist threats, disease, food scares etc.) most of which are either grossly over-hyped or the subject of biased reporting. Knee-jerk reactions to some of these produce legislation that has not been thought through and adds to the bureaucratic, 'jobsworth' nature of the state. This leads to an ever increasing amount of legislation that erodes freedom and common sense. We may glibly say 'I have nothing to hide' but when you/your son/husband/sister or whatever is detained for 28 days for inadvertantly talking to the 'wrong' people, or being in the 'wrong' place, perhaps we'll think again.

Lol Sue-m...Loyalty cards are what generate all the unwanted junk mail that comes through our letterboxes everyday as the owners of said loyalty cards sell all our details to other parties.

Another good book comes to mind about all of us being monitered and told what to do. 'Animal Farm'...It would seem we are all being herded quietly into a place whereby we all have to live by new rules but those rules don't seem to apply to the rule makers.

Did George Orwell know something about our futures and if so how? or was he just making up a story?

Edited to add.-
We are the only country in the world to have more cameras watching us even more surveilence (sp) than China)

He was probably psychic

:-)

Maybe he was an alien from our future :- )

I'll delete this if it doesn't apply,
but do you think that when these people of vision, george orwell for one, and other science fiction writers,have " Prophesied" their vision, we, the general public wish to see their dreams come true? space travel,fly faster than sound, etc

and inadvertantly allow this erosion of liberties to happen?

Bob

If I remember correctly, animal farm was based upon the russian revolution. Where in the end, some were more equal than others.

At the moment in the UK, you could say some are freer than others.

BtwI don't have any loyalty cards because of the issues mentioned.

Steve.

Thats right Steve...Animal Farm was about Commmunisim.

Two legs bad four legs good..which turned out to be two legs bad four legs good except some four legged were better than other four legged.

Most of our politicians have a double standards of life approach...when they are found out that is.

Just thinking about our rights and changes that are being done 'for our benefit', - how many of you know that in September, 'ordinary' light bulbs will stop being manufactured?
This means we will all have to pay the higher price for gloomy 'energy saver' light bulbs. In all reality the amount of energy saved will be miniscule, and some of us will have to change our light fittings.

Analogue TV will be turned off in 2012. New TV's needed and those of us who receive cr*p TV through freeview will be forced to buy satellite as well as paying a TV licence.
The government also want to switch off analogue radio in 2015 - meaning we all need to buy new radios - how many of us actually get a constantly good signal from DAB? Car radios will be useless etc - all at a time when unemployment is rising.
Have any of us actually had a say in these changes to our basic way of life? How many of us actually think they're an 'advance'.
As we've had years of the two running side by side, why can't it stay that way, so we have a choice?

Don't forget that while all this is going on, our money has been used to prop up banks that couldn't actually handle money properly yet still insist on giving vast bonuses to the useless bankers in charge!!!

The car scrappage deal ensures the car industry is still making cars, but it means there will be fewer second hand cars for the not so wealthy to buy.

This country is certainly becoming a two tier state!!!

WOW


I have just read this all the way through and am marking it into my bookmatks. Eldrick I believe that you are absolutely right, including the bit about fox hunting!

I will be back latter to add to this, visitors have just arrived

bridget

Strange thing is...I remember a debate about this about 2 years ago...I said more or less the same things and Eldrick said more or less the same but it was someones elses thread and we got it in the neck for disagreeing with the poster.
At least i think it was Eldrick,,,the other poster was called Ian so maybe it was and mabye it was another Ian. Not that I agree with everthing he says mind. : ))

We must live in a democracy - we can discuss these and other matters in public.

Maggie 2012? No our analogue is being switched off 19th August (this week).

Re the energy efficient bulbs we have used these for years and you won't have to change your light fittings as they are available in screw/bayonet in all shapes and sizes and you WILL save money very quickly.

I don't really object to any tracking via legal agencies, experienced enough of that years ago when living abroad. BTW if you do object hand in your library tickets too.

I DO object to being told what is good for me, that's my choice and should remain so.

At the moment we can discuss things like this in public - but we don't know who's taking notes!!
We used to have the right to protest - now (especially in London) we have to apply for permission!! What the hell's the point of a protest if you have to ask permission? Not only that - permission can be denied - therefore we have lost the right to protest!
Very subtley done - 'for our safety' of course!!!!

Sue,
Different places are having analogue switched off at diferent times - the whole country will be digital by 2012.

As for the energy saving bulbs - I have tried them.
They're useless in at least half of my fittings, either because they are too dim (especially when the lampshade is art noveau style) or just don't fit with the lampshade - uplighters for example - there isn't enough space for the energy saving bulbs.

Maggie, time to bulk buy the old style bulbs :-))

Now all of you on this thread moaning about your loss of civil liberties should be spending the time writing to your MP. I am on first name terms with mine...lol

It may not actually change anything but at least you have registered a protest.

Sue

Actually Sue-M I am...lol and yes he did listen and got back to me...but it wasn't about this.

I quite agree with Eldrick. While I am glad some of the laws have been passed, it's our apathetic roll over and take attitude that irritates me. I remember a fuel cost protest a year or two ago, when HGVs drove around the North Circular for a bit but not for too long and no nearer London because they didn't want to cause disruption. Meanwhile the French were blockading roads and ports and bringing their government to its knees over the same issue. Vive la France I say. They don't take any shit and I admire them:)