WFP and politics

[PhædrusR]

yes if you want them to a proper job, do you realize just how much correspondence alone they have to deal with ? usually a MP with have one researcher and one assistant (at least) because they are always being asked to look into things, correspond (especially with councils) with institutions and then have to understand law, prep questions, prep for select committees. Also most live away from their family for the week that the house is sitting.

Few of us on here would or could want to do their role.

Agreed, well said. With the advent of email, twitter, social media too they get a lot more comms and casework, much easier to contact your MP than write and stamp and post a letter or phone call.
After you filter out the nutters, repeat correspondees, etc.

Suspect many MPs need the staff to deal with the day to day casework so they can concentrate on parliamentary and political work, bills, legislation, select committees. The important stuff to them.

Rather be doing that than dealing with Muriel's problem with her neighbour Hammy's overflowing water gutter affecting her damp course, with the Council doing nothing about it.

 

[PhædrusR]

US election:

Can't decide who I think is worse.

The lesser of two evils?

Harris: poor candidate, can't think on her feet, can't talk off-script, can't answer simple voter questions, flip-flops on issues, has no purpose, no principles, seems to stand for nothing and has the worst, whiny, nasally, voice that I could not listen to for long. Not President material. Democrats should have had a candidacy election, not a VP annointment, for someone with charisma and appeal.

Trump: egotistical, playground bully who wants power for himself and no other and no other purpose. Cares little about other people. No understanding of geopolitics, or much else except business. And not great at business either. Questionable past business ethics. Speaks badly. Thinks badly. Only understands the do worse or say worse than the other and embellish everything. Say it enough times and some people will believe you.

My vote would go elsewhere if I was eligible to participate.

 

[Scraping the barrel]

Hi Phaed.

You got rather a rough response on the IW forum and this subject is probably too complex and emotional to be handled there.

Some posters are also quite sensitive and take everything personally.

As for grammar and spelling, well none of us are perfect and auto text and typos can take a hand here. Your no doubt well meaning attempts to correct the use of there for their for example fell on stony ground.

I did notice that the "student" Emily was prone to such errors in her brief span of postings which I found strange for someone at university. Her spelling and style was also similar to existing posters.

The reason I posted on WFP was because I personally am going to be hit by the loss. I used the money to store up a supply of logs and coal to take the strain off my ancient central heating. I don't consider myself to be poor and there must be many like me. The PC level is too low to make the cut.

I just wanted to make these points clear to you as I did not feel you were being personal or offensive.

Such discussions make a change from the deplorable antics of Peter Simon & Co.

Agree about grammar. It really bugs me I admit but didn’t wish to get involved on this topic on that particular board.

None of us are perfect absolutely. The use of their/there/they’re was irritating me actually and still does and I see no harm whatsoever in at least trying to educate somebody. If we all stood back assuming that there are other issues and not even try to inform or educate then we would all stand still and be uninformed.
One can only try and if it fails fair enough then maybe there are other issues in play..but never assume that someone cannot be educated. Where would we all be if everyone assumed that any education is wasted?

I know sweet f.a. about watches and made it clear on that board and one of the members educated me a little after my request. I now know that they show you the time

 

[Lord Helpus]

The your/you're interchange is a pet hate of mine as well as their/there/they're. I have noticed that at least one of the culprits persists despite the error being pointed out to them. Why?

Does it matter? Well I suppose it depends on the standards one adheres to. When writers make these errors one can usually work out the correct meanings. However, they look horrible to anyone with good grammar and if used in official documents or a CV I think puts the writer at a disadvantage.

We have to accept we are living in the age of texts and whatsapp where words are constantly abbreviated or butchered. This has become the norm. I don't see it getting better.

 

[Lord Helpus]

I have stopped contributing to IW Random Musings. I came to feel I was experiencing deja vu. Does anyone else agree?

Comments I made weeks before were getting repeated by another poster almost verbatim. I probably did likewise myself. We seem to go round in circles nothing ever changes. The presenters and the channel continue in their wicked ways, hype, overpricing, outrageous comparisons, lies, vulgarity, fake buyer names.

What was once amusing such as the schizophrenic ramblings of Peter Simon, the egotistical antics of Mike Mason and so on is no longer funny.

No disrespect to the regular posters. Their comments and links are often clever, witty and ingenious. Sometimes they drift off subject which is interesting. But to me there is too much repetition. The forum is after all 10 years old. The only thing that really changes is when IW go bust every few years.

The ASA aren't interested in complaints nor are the show's producers. I think we've established that by now.

Personally, I don't think shopping tv has much of a future. By next generation it will be gone. In the meantime I hope the forum users continue to enjoy themselves. Cheers!

 

[Scraping the barrel]

I have to agree with you Mr Helpus. Bad grammar really infuriates me especially now we have predictive text.
Anyway sorry that you don’t contribute to the IW musings board. I think you,like me,were so peeved with the outright lies and ott descriptions that you felt the need to join in.

I agree it all goes round in circles and is very repetitive to such an extent that I am also getting a little weary of it but rather than say the same things about the presenters I try to tell small storys with tongue in cheek humour as best I can rather than keep slagging off the presenters with the same faults over and over again.

I think folk go on there for a bit of ‘companionship’ (if you will..Masonism) and enjoy like- minded people to bond with.

It seems most of them are cynical old gits like me ha ha.

You are right,things won’t change. The presenters won’t change their ways either as they seem untouchable.

Be nice if you could pop on occasionally as i found your posts amusing and well thought out rather than the posts that just say “oh so and so is on now “ “What has she done to her hair blah blah “

 

[Scraping the barrel]

@PhædrusR I must admit the WFP ( now sticking to this boards agenda as I went off track) is not something that I need if I am to be honest. It was unexpected and just went into my savings account. I won’t miss it but I am one of the lucky ones I guess.

I know folk that actually just gave it to charity. They were either being benevolent or just felt guilty but either way didn’t require it

 

[PhædrusR]

@PhædrusR I must admit the WFP ( now sticking to this boards agenda as I went off track) is not something that I need if I am to be honest. It was unexpected and just went into my savings account. I won’t miss it but I am one of the lucky ones I guess.

I know folk that actually just gave it to charity. They were either being benevolent or just felt guilty but either way didn’t require it

Yep, exactly, same with my elderly relatives. They didn't need it and it just went into the bank.

The stats showed something like 75% of those pensioners receiving WFP didn't need it. Just a nice to have.

Of course, the question was then where you do set the threshold to receive it.
Personally I would have set higher than the PC £11.3k income level and set it a bit higher at the basic rate income tax £12.5k level.
Reasoning being if you're paying income tax as a pensioner, your income is probably sufficient to not miss/need the £300 WFP.

 

[PhædrusR]

I have to agree with you Mr Helpus. Bad grammar really infuriates me especially now we have predictive text.
Anyway sorry that you don’t contribute to the IW musings board. I think you,like me,were so peeved with the outright lies and ott descriptions that you felt the need to join in.

I agree it all goes round in circles and is very repetitive to such an extent that I am also getting a little weary of it but rather than say the same things about the presenters I try to tell small storys with tongue in cheek humour as best I can rather than keep slagging off the presenters with the same faults over and over again.

I think folk go on there for a bit of ‘companionship’ (if you will..Masonism) and enjoy like- minded people to bond with.

It seems most of them are cynical old gits like me ha ha.

You are right,things won’t change. The presenters won’t change their ways either as they seem untouchable.

Be nice if you could pop on occasionally as i found your posts amusing and well thought out rather than the posts that just say “oh so and so is on now “ “What has she done to her hair blah blah “

Lord Helpus said:
I have stopped contributing to IW Random Musings. I came to feel I was experiencing deja vu. Does anyone else agree?

@Lord Helpus @Scraping the barrel
Yes, agree wholeheartedly with you both on the repeated sameness of the IW random musings thread and posters. The creativity is good.
But the same themes recycled continually.
I dip in and out and only try to say something new or a new take on what I occasionally see on IW for a few moments usually.

Certainly don't watch IW long and not for hours at a time like many on there, nor want or need a running commentary on who is on and what is being sold at all times! Also don't particularly like the personal comments against the presenters.

I can tolerate their, often laughable, sales patter, they after all are trying to sell stuff and are only the front behind the company.

The line comes when they cross the line and mis-sell or tell mistruths.

Like I said elsewhere, they should take commission as Chinese manufacturer sales reps!
Or Chinese cargo container ship facilitators!

I only discovered and joined this forum site about a year ago when IW2 had Eric Knowles on with his disastrous performance selling Nubeo watches, where it was so bad, it was good!

Anyway, I like the community aspects and chat elements of this site, good chatting with you and others about stuff, reminiscing, remembering things others recall.

Good stuff.

 

[Lord Helpus]

I will probably pop back here now and again if there is anything to discuss but I'm done with IW3.

I do get the community vibe and that people have dropped anchor in a safe haven. But I don't want to grow old reading the same things over and again. Each post has a currency of a few days at most and then the comments get repeated. I saw a new link to a song video that I had posted weeks ago and some of the folk who reacted to me then did exactly the same to this latest post. And I thought is it me or them? Do they not realise we'd been there just recently? We are all in the same bubble.

It's like going to a local pub and hearing the same jokes and stories endlessly. Predictable. Some people like that, it is a comfort to them. Fair enough.

 

[PhædrusR]

I will probably pop back here now and again if there is anything to discuss but I'm done with IW3.

I do get the community vibe and that people have dropped anchor in a safe haven. But I don't want to grow old reading the same things over and again. Each post has a currency of a few days at most and then the comments get repeated. I saw a new link to a song video that I had posted weeks ago and some of the folk who reacted to me then did exactly the same to this latest post. And I thought is it me or them? Do they not realise we'd been there just recently? We are all in the same bubble.

It's like going to a local pub and hearing the same jokes and stories endlessly. Predictable. Some people like that, it is a comfort to them. Fair enough.

What I do enjoy is the quality and good language and writing of presumably the older generational members on the site. Overall quality of language, not just syntax/grammar points.

Do you think it's just you learn more as you get older and read and write better, or a sad indictment of our younger generations' teaching methods?!

 

[Lord Helpus]

What I do enjoy is the quality and good language and writing of presumably the older generational members on the site. Overall quality of language, not just syntax/grammar points.

Do you think it's just you learn more as you get older and read and write better, or a sad indictment of our younger generations' teaching methods?!

I have to say we were taught better in the 60s/70s.

My old mum bless her left school at 14 way back when but she was the best speller I ever knew. We learnt times tables.

You hear so many stories of school leavers, even graduates, who are not able to perform the basics properly. We are told this no longer matters. We have calculators and spell checkers. If so why do so many messages and posts look such a mess?

There was once a misplaced apostrophe society but in the end they gave up as it became a lost cause. I fear any attempt to reintroduce good grammar and language will go likewise.

 

[PhædrusR]

I have to say we were taught better in the 60s/70s.

My old mum bless her left school at 14 way back when but she was the best speller I ever knew. We learnt times tables.

You hear so many stories of school leavers, even graduates, who are not able to perform the basics properly. We are told this no longer matters. We have calculators and spell checkers. If so why do so many messages and posts look such a mess?

There was once a misplaced apostrophe society but in the end they gave up as it became a lost cause. I fear any attempt to reintroduce good grammar and language will go likewise.

Hah, yes. My now elderly Mum was similar, left school at earliest, but can spell well, taught me to read and write before I started infants school. We used to play spelling games in the evenings amongst the family. "Spell 'pneumatic' ..." with the dictionary at hand if needed.

We learned our times tables at junior school late 70s. Had to recite them and teacher gave us a chocolate if no errors. Simple, but effective!
At secondary school in the 80s we had end of year exams in key subjects every year. No stress like SATS are now, just regular and checking stream progress,.so you were used to them by the (last years of the) 'O' levels.

 

[Lord Helpus]

Ah yes and the Internet was going to be this endless fountain of wisdom and knowledge. But what have we got? A giant bubble or echo chamber which gives everyone more of the same. Thomas Paine wrote of the age of reason. This is not it. What a wasted opportunity to educate and advance humankind.

 

[Lord Helpus]

Can we revisit WFP which saw the instigation of this thread?.

My status. I receive the basic standard pension and don't qualify for credits. And I won't get the payment. I only got it for one year after retiring. I drive a 19 year old car which I was relieved to get through the MOT recently. Reeves didn't increase fuel duty THIS TIME but she will. I live in a country village and need personal transport to travel to the shops, doctors etc.

I had planned to use the WFP to get the chimney swept (£65) and to buy a store of smokeless coal and small logs for my Parkray stove. This supplements my ancient central heating system. I have no other income.

I can't believe Labour wanted to hit people like me. No, I didn't vote for them and I'm glad I didn't. The Unite union, one of their biggest backers, is taking the government to court over this arguing the threshold was drawn far too low.

They could and should have taken WFP away from pensioners on higher rate upwards. Not the ordinary OAPs. But no, they preferred to give £10K to highly paid train drivers and 22% to doctors both without productivity improvements. And by thus doing created half the black hole they constantly yap on about.

The budget is a disaster. We can discuss that if anyone would like to. Putting NI up to 15% loads employers with yet more costs and this will result in less jobs being created and lower wage rises. How does that help the working class?

And Trump's re-election will render the UK's doomed attempt to reach carbon zero utterly ruinous.

There you are, enough to be going on with or should I talk about who is on IW?