I have been involved over the last couple of months in assessing Swansea – the city in general and what it has to offer, through comments made on a Linked-in discussion, and the city centre in particular. The former has been almost all positive, with virtually everyone saying Swansea has so much to offer, and that as long as we positively address any negatives these can be overcome. So what about the latter?
Well, I get the impression from my involvement with the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) that there has also been a lot of positive talk since the issues in the city centre have been highlighted. So it is very frustrating when you read the articles in the Evening Post which don’t say this.
The most recent one from Monday 18th July just dwelt on the antics that went on at the council meeting. Yes, it is annoying that councillors from different parties can end up just point scoring & finger pointing – this has been happening for centuries and will probably carry on for many more. But it would have been so refreshing if instead of reporting back on this the paper had mentioned the motion that whilst put forward by Labour virtually had all party agreement, and with a few amendments was carried. And that urgent measures would be, and since have been introduced, and relatively quickly, to try and help alleviate the problems traders are facing – fewer antisocial problems, free & cheaper parking fees around the High Street, traffic wardens applying a bit more leeway.
I suppose I must accept that newspapers will always be selective in what they choose to write, but I can at least wish that they leave in the important bits as well as the peripheral stuff that they obviously feel sells their papers.
Les
Friday, 29 July 2011
Saturday, 2 July 2011
Double Pensions Whammy
As I haven’t done anything on this blog for a while (and assuming some of you missed me!) thought I’d do a double whammy on pensions …
Following the Bully Boys’ mantra on public sector pensions some other ghastly Tory was going on the other day comparing them with the private sector. Needless to say he was arguing that the proposed changes are ‘fair as public sector get a far better deal than those paying into private pensions’. In that case improve the pensions that the private sector get ie get the fat cat employers to contribute more (anything!), not reduce those that people have worked hard most of their lives for!
(if you want to know why have a picture of these 'two', you'll just have to read to the end!)
And then there is the question of men & women retiring at the same age. I do agree with but I cannot see why the Tories have speeded up the timescale which means that thousands of women – many low paid, many struggling to carry on but do so because they could see the end of the road – will have to wait up to another TWO YEARS before getting their state pension. By now the vast majority of these women will have paid more than enough into these schemes so basically this government is ROBBING THEM! Yes, I admit I'm one of them but then I've finally found a career I enjoy and will carry on doing for as long as I can, but I feel very angry on behalf of those so not lucky.
I have said this more than once but the only way these, and all the other disastrous Tory measures, are overturned is by getting rid of this shower. But I just feel so wretched that even if this happened tomorrow it will be too late for the businesses who will have gone under, the workers who will have lost their jobs, the schools, libraries & other civic ammenities that will have been closed, and the communities & families whose lives will be wrecked.
So I will end with my new (but probably not original!) tag line ...
It just isn’t fair, but then they don’t care!
Les
Following the Bully Boys’ mantra on public sector pensions some other ghastly Tory was going on the other day comparing them with the private sector. Needless to say he was arguing that the proposed changes are ‘fair as public sector get a far better deal than those paying into private pensions’. In that case improve the pensions that the private sector get ie get the fat cat employers to contribute more (anything!), not reduce those that people have worked hard most of their lives for!
(if you want to know why have a picture of these 'two', you'll just have to read to the end!)And then there is the question of men & women retiring at the same age. I do agree with but I cannot see why the Tories have speeded up the timescale which means that thousands of women – many low paid, many struggling to carry on but do so because they could see the end of the road – will have to wait up to another TWO YEARS before getting their state pension. By now the vast majority of these women will have paid more than enough into these schemes so basically this government is ROBBING THEM! Yes, I admit I'm one of them but then I've finally found a career I enjoy and will carry on doing for as long as I can, but I feel very angry on behalf of those so not lucky.
I have said this more than once but the only way these, and all the other disastrous Tory measures, are overturned is by getting rid of this shower. But I just feel so wretched that even if this happened tomorrow it will be too late for the businesses who will have gone under, the workers who will have lost their jobs, the schools, libraries & other civic ammenities that will have been closed, and the communities & families whose lives will be wrecked.
So I will end with my new (but probably not original!) tag line ...
It just isn’t fair, but then they don’t care!
Les
PS Another glimmer of hope? Governments like this one are often brought down by a side issue and mayby, just maybe, the 'brothers' Iain Duncan Smith might have sunk the ship with his 'British Workers for British Jobs'. Before he said this only most people were against them but I think/hope that this just about alienates all of them!
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
United we Win, Divided we Don't!
I caught the latter part of the following conversation on the radio yesterday. One person pointed that disabled people will be amongst those hardest hit by the government’s cuts, using quite reasoned & well thought out arguments to put her case. When asked the other person disagreed and made disparaging remarks inferring that other charities would be making similar unwarranted claims over the summer. I immediately thought ‘typical Tory’ but he then went on to say the worst off would be the hundreds of thousands who will be out of a job.
Oh how David Cameron would laugh his head off to hear a perfect example of ‘divide & rule’! It doesn’t make any difference who will be the least, in between, or worst affected. What does matter is that millions of people will suffer genuine hardship because of what this government is imposing, now clearly (mis)lead by the Gruesome Twosome.
They are the only people who gain out of this facile kind of point scoring. It seems obvious to me that we must NOT fight amongst ourselves but must unite to fight them, and so get rid of this selfish, heartless, uncaring government AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
Les
Oh how David Cameron would laugh his head off to hear a perfect example of ‘divide & rule’! It doesn’t make any difference who will be the least, in between, or worst affected. What does matter is that millions of people will suffer genuine hardship because of what this government is imposing, now clearly (mis)lead by the Gruesome Twosome.
They are the only people who gain out of this facile kind of point scoring. It seems obvious to me that we must NOT fight amongst ourselves but must unite to fight them, and so get rid of this selfish, heartless, uncaring government AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
Les
Saturday, 7 May 2011
The morning after the night (and a bit of day) before
There are days when I hate politics! I go and stay up til 5 in the morning hoping to see the Gower result when BBC pulls the plug, and I was so looking forward to seeing the face of the person who came bottom!! But then that’s the media all over.
Seriously, maybe it's just me but have you noticed how TV especially doesn’t do political news. Instead they comment on what they want to report. I remember last year being really disappointed that they didn’t show Geraint getting Swansea West, then someone explained that they had expected him to lose, & when he didn't they simply weren’t interested. I know it’s probably pointless but one wonders if it’s worth telling them that it’s about time they gave us ALL the news not their selected tit bits!
As for t
he Welsh Assembly election results, I feel it’s been a day of ups & downs but on balance I think we have a lot to celebrate. Getting 31 seats was virtually impossible with the regional list system, and not only do we have 30 – personally I am really hoping Carwyn will hold his nerve and we go it alone – but we’re also 16 seats ahead of second place. And we comfortably won all three Swansea seats, Julie James getting in here in Swansea West, with the LibDem candidates only managing to do better than the BNP!
Les
PS Who’s for leafleting this weekend?!
Seriously, maybe it's just me but have you noticed how TV especially doesn’t do political news. Instead they comment on what they want to report. I remember last year being really disappointed that they didn’t show Geraint getting Swansea West, then someone explained that they had expected him to lose, & when he didn't they simply weren’t interested. I know it’s probably pointless but one wonders if it’s worth telling them that it’s about time they gave us ALL the news not their selected tit bits!
As for t
he Welsh Assembly election results, I feel it’s been a day of ups & downs but on balance I think we have a lot to celebrate. Getting 31 seats was virtually impossible with the regional list system, and not only do we have 30 – personally I am really hoping Carwyn will hold his nerve and we go it alone – but we’re also 16 seats ahead of second place. And we comfortably won all three Swansea seats, Julie James getting in here in Swansea West, with the LibDem candidates only managing to do better than the BNP!Les
PS Who’s for leafleting this weekend?!
Saturday, 30 April 2011
What Taxes?!
I nearly fell off my chair (I actually did the other week!!) when I read that David Cameron ‘doesn’t pay his taxes to keep alcoholics, drug addicts and the obese in the welfare system’. But it wasn’t his attitude to these groups that got me as we all know he’s heartless & uncaring of anyone who doesn’t fit into his elite world.
No, what nearly caused me to fall off my chair (again!) was the idea of him paying taxes. Yes of course he does but, and it’s a BIG BUT, he still takes home more than the rest of us can dream of plus having a vast personal fortune.
Believe it or not there is a positive side as the more he comes out with this evil claptrap then the more people will realise he is definitely son of Thatcher, only worse. ‘Not possible’ I hear you cry, to which I can respond in true pantomime style ‘oh yes he is’!
Les
No, what nearly caused me to fall off my chair (again!) was the idea of him paying taxes. Yes of course he does but, and it’s a BIG BUT, he still takes home more than the rest of us can dream of plus having a vast personal fortune.
Believe it or not there is a positive side as the more he comes out with this evil claptrap then the more people will realise he is definitely son of Thatcher, only worse. ‘Not possible’ I hear you cry, to which I can respond in true pantomime style ‘oh yes he is’!
Les
Friday, 15 April 2011
The Biggest Con Trick of All
With my business hat on I have just received an Interim Report from the Independent Commission on Banking and it certainly makes for interesting reading. (They gave a choice, either to read the full version at 214 pages, or the summary at 6 – ‘no brainer’ I think you will agree!)
So why ‘interesting’? Well, as you know in my recent blog I pointed out the umpteenth lie that the Tories have peddled, but this is the original – that the last government were responsible for the deficit. What a whopper!!!
This independent non-political review clearly and categorically explains that the crisis is totally and absolutely the fault of the banks. (As you all know the bank bosses get paid millions in bonuses, and for doing what? In any other business you’d be sacked for being so incompetent but with banking it would appear that you just get promoted to Chief Executive!) And indeed what the Labour government did, under Gordon Brown, was the ONLY course of action that could be taken, endorsed by this quote in the report: “to avert panic and ensure continuous provision of the basic banking services upon which the economy and society depends, governments and central banks injected vast amounts of capital and liquidity into the financial system”.
Not only did the Tories conveniently hide this they also omitted to tell Jill & Jo Public that if the banks had been allowed to collapse, and one can only assume this would have been the Tories dire course of action, it would be Jill & Jo’s money - our money - that would be lost. That scenario really doesn’t bear thinking about, so we can all thank our lucky stars that they weren't in power at the time!
Les
So why ‘interesting’? Well, as you know in my recent blog I pointed out the umpteenth lie that the Tories have peddled, but this is the original – that the last government were responsible for the deficit. What a whopper!!!
This independent non-political review clearly and categorically explains that the crisis is totally and absolutely the fault of the banks. (As you all know the bank bosses get paid millions in bonuses, and for doing what? In any other business you’d be sacked for being so incompetent but with banking it would appear that you just get promoted to Chief Executive!) And indeed what the Labour government did, under Gordon Brown, was the ONLY course of action that could be taken, endorsed by this quote in the report: “to avert panic and ensure continuous provision of the basic banking services upon which the economy and society depends, governments and central banks injected vast amounts of capital and liquidity into the financial system”.
Not only did the Tories conveniently hide this they also omitted to tell Jill & Jo Public that if the banks had been allowed to collapse, and one can only assume this would have been the Tories dire course of action, it would be Jill & Jo’s money - our money - that would be lost. That scenario really doesn’t bear thinking about, so we can all thank our lucky stars that they weren't in power at the time!
Les
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
How many more ConDem Fibs & Tricks?
Nearly a year since they got in and I’m getting angrier by the day as I discover yet another lie the Tories told in order to get elected. The latest one I’ve cottoned on to is that after all their hollow protestations about the previous government proposing to put up national insurance contributions they are doing it themselves. Such hypocrisy, what deceit!
And coupled with the false hope they peddled at the recent budget – the cost of petrol has actually gone up since then! – it could be seen as a very dismal time for all.
One glimmer of hope – surely they are going to be annihilated at the local elections in May in England? But then mustn’t count on it – the bastards might yet pull yet another con out of the bag!
Les
And coupled with the false hope they peddled at the recent budget – the cost of petrol has actually gone up since then! – it could be seen as a very dismal time for all.
One glimmer of hope – surely they are going to be annihilated at the local elections in May in England? But then mustn’t count on it – the bastards might yet pull yet another con out of the bag!
Les
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