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Nice People 13: Nice Save
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vivatifosi wrote: »My aim is to buck that trend, though I'd describe myself as centrist, rather than left- or right-leaning. I think it also depends on the department.
I think also that you can see, particular in senior positions, career civil servants or local government officers who have spent their entire career in the public sector and have no understanding of the private sector or its needs. We criticise politicians for this reason, but many of those who work for them are cast from the same mould.
I don't think I agree with the public/private sector distinction that so many on this board perceive to be such a big divide.
Maybe it's because I've spent my career doing a public sector type job but actually in the private sector, and don't perceive my position to be significantly different from those who do the same job actually in the public sector. Maybe it's because my parents (who worked in a state school and a university) and one brother (civil service) were/are public sector and my other brothers are private sector (engineering company and small law firm), and it doesn't seem to make much difference to our views as we discuss things with each other.
Probably it's mostly because my perception is that the people at the top of organisations tend to be out of touch with the people at the bottom, regardless of the sector. I was talking just the other day with another part-timer at the school where I teach. Our senior management, who are all full time and are on the premises for long hours, all get in very early (or else live on site) and have no trouble getting one of the limited number of parking spaces. Those of us who have chosen to work part time for one reason or another would like to be able to arrive later in the day and park closer than a 20 min walk away, but they don't perceive that as important.
The blindness at councils doesn't seem to me to be primarily about lack of experience in small business, or in business in general. I've no business experience whatsoever. But I know what it's like to be a shopper, and therefore I can think sensibly about what shopping locations need to provide in order to attract me to shop there. That's the main thing that's required here, and I still don't really get why councillors' experience of going shopping doesn't inform them of what shopping is like. Maybe it's because they can park at the council offices and walk to the town centre from there, but even so it argues a singular lack of imagination.Do you know anyone who's bereaved? Point them to https://www.AtaLoss.org which does for bereavement support what MSE does for financial services, providing links to support organisations relevant to the circumstances of the loss & the local area. (Link permitted by forum team)
Tyre performance in the wet deteriorates rapidly below about 3mm tread - change yours when they get dangerous, not just when they are nearly illegal (1.6mm).
Oh, and wear your seatbelt. My kids are only alive because they were wearing theirs when somebody else was driving in wet weather with worn tyres.
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Excellent - can be applied to any sort of procrastination! :TVery expensive.
DS used to swim, gave it up a few years ago but I am still on the committee and involved with our local swimming club. Competition costumes costing over £200 a shot, can only be worn a very few times. Travel to meets, accommodation, entry fees - and all the training takes place early mornings (5-7 am) and evenings, maybe till 10 pm - it's no surprise swimming often loses out to other sports.
Numbers at Masters are often much smaller, especially if you choose your events carefully - I did think about getting back into that myself.
:eek: at the highlighted bit!PasturesNew wrote: »If they put me in charge ... I'd have free parking after 4pm.
Our local council is trialling a scheme where the car parks are free to local residents until 11 am on (I think) Thursday - Saturday mornings, to enable quick shopping trips at the quieter time of day.
We used to have free parking in the evenings from 6pm if you had a local resident badge in the windscreen, but they've just started issuing a different permit - £20 for 2 years. As I'm often in town in the evenings it's well worth it but people who had previously been entitled to a badge, then moved out of the area but continued using it, were rather miffed to have the scheme changed!
A colleague and I are twins. I'm a few hours older than her
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Many years ago I nearly went out with a bloke who was born 3 years before me, on the same day.Do you know anyone who's bereaved? Point them to https://www.AtaLoss.org which does for bereavement support what MSE does for financial services, providing links to support organisations relevant to the circumstances of the loss & the local area. (Link permitted by forum team)
Tyre performance in the wet deteriorates rapidly below about 3mm tread - change yours when they get dangerous, not just when they are nearly illegal (1.6mm).
Oh, and wear your seatbelt. My kids are only alive because they were wearing theirs when somebody else was driving in wet weather with worn tyres.0 -
Not defending but there are EU targets around air quality which in many cases can only be met by sharply reducing traffic.
Indeed. We have massive air quality problems to tackle because of the layout of the place. Councils have tried different possibilities but all face lots of hostility from drivers.The blindness at councils doesn't seem to me to be primarily about lack of experience ...
The councillor in charge of the most recent policy on driving (shutting a major road) doesn't drive. He cycles instead. His ideas had little credibility because of this. I think he's usually a sensible chap, but some of his pronouncements were just weird; and his cause lost further credibility when a colleague of his said "we don't need to consult the residents on this expansion of anti-driver measures because everyone's in favour" - when the consultation they'd just closed was 90% against!0 -
I only possess black socks for general wear and white socks for the rare occasions when I wear trainers. No other colours at all!
I don't own any white socks, and I think only one pair of black socks ( with sparkly bits.) I have three pairs of black and metallic socks.
My 'neutral socks' are beige ( sort of skin colour) or pink. ( other sort of skin colour) I wear boots outside most of this time of year anyway, so my socks won't get seen for a while. 
. Today when we went out I just wore my slightly smarter yard boots:o. With pink socks with red toes and heels. 0 -
Not defending but there are EU targets around air quality which in many cases can only be met by sharply reducing traffic. I don't thionk rent increases will drive out shops - surely rents are set at the level the shops can support, an empty shop is not much good to a landlord. Locally there are few empty units despite horrible parking charges that also penalise local workers but the shops cater either for those with no car (pound shops etc) or those who are not price sensitive...middle income families are not made welcome.
There were quite a few but not dozens of empty units. One of the shop keeps said they had lost their lease ( so that's competition for lease) and would take another lease on the right shop but weren't desperate too. Business, they said, was ok for them, and they would only consider a good location, if they didn't get it.....their were other locations, like me, they could just as easily look in bath or other similar 'cache' in the sw.0 -
Not defending but there are EU targets around air quality which in many cases can only be met by sharply reducing traffic. I don't thionk rent increases will drive out shops - surely rents are set at the level the shops can support, an empty shop is not much good to a landlord. Locally there are few empty units despite horrible parking charges that also penalise local workers but the shops cater either for those with no car (pound shops etc) or those who are not price sensitive...middle income families are not made welcome.
Reducing traffic ( or rather ..pollution) makes huge sense....... When you have systems there to support it.
I used to love no traffic days in Milan( done for that reason) ......but we lived centrally enough to do everything on pt, even if a big shop was easier by car. They were on Sundays ....when independent traders rarely open, and other shops didn't often either. Sunday trading laws were starting to go through changing a then...not sure what outcome has been) tbh.
If you need to drive in to a main shopping area OR an area of transport links from somewhere else the extra stage adds complication, time and frankly again competition is lesser. One of the most thriving market towns here has no rail station. Its beggared frankly with no car access.
The new art gallery in a Bruton Somerset recently added / is adding a hugely expensive extension on its rail line or something, to facilitate London tourism ( it was about a ten minute walk on foot, but the road is a bit dicey). There is TINY shopping potential in Bruton, but some big money around the area.
Woah.......his is like house prices and economy...what happened....I just wanted to whinge for couldn't buy me earrings for my Christmas stocking
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It's been a very long time since fir or I tried to paint anything at all. ( and neither of us pretend to be artists)
This is our first attempt at a cloud ceiling.
It hasn't come out in photo too well, but also it is a little pale. We decided easier to build up than take away.
I think its an ok first attempt but glad we started in the wardrobe not somewhere more vis able!
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PasturesNew wrote: »How come your wardrobe looks half the size of my living room?
Cos the sky is in it.0 -
lostinrates wrote: »Cos the sky is in it.
I always reckoned someone here would reveal they had an indoor hang-gliding arena in their home. 'Tis that day! There is no honour to be had in not knowing a thing that can be known - Danny Baker0
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