I worked in Kays warehouse in Leeds for a while after Uni. I've never been so knackered at the end of a day. They tried me in one job and I simply couldn'tm keep up with the conveyor - it took a couple of months to get people up to speed, they gave up with me and put me down unloading lorries. I'd go home, eat tea, lay on the sofa dozing till about 9 then go to bed.
I have to say, they were a good bunch of lads and it was not unpleasant. Friday I felt like I'd earned the envelope of cash and the right to sink a few beers.

Try a shift down a coal mine mate. No toilets, no fresh water, and eating sarnies covered in dust. Now thats a bit rougher.

Try 22 hour shifts on a trawler in the Arctic Circle, spending three weeks in the same gear and the only chance of a bath is if you get washed overboard

Yes mate, had relatives from Marfleet Lane, George Lewis , so know where youre coming from. The same peaple and Dockers were brilliant for the miners in the 84-85 strike.

The Yorkshire men are getting a bit Pythonesque here.

Don't forget the lorry drivers (scabs excepted), I never crossed a picket line in my life and nor would I.

The British disease reaches it's senile years!

Try working 100 hours a week cooped up with a bunch of City winkers in an investment bank and you will feel fully entitled to a six figure bonus.

Don't doubt it, my Dad did enough hard graft for both of us. That's why I work in a lab.

Aye, but I'm working down South. (*)





(*) [size=85Paraphrasing the old John Smith's advert[/size.

Tetley's

John Smith's

I hope those of you who voted Tory are pleased with yourselves.

The Commons (on the Welfare Reform Bill) have voted to overturn the Lords recomendations. They have voted for: ESA to be time limited to one year. Its retrosepective too so as from April 6 this year anyone who has been on ESA for one year or more will get it stopped on that day.

They voted not to give cancer patients unlimited time on ESA, its the same as everyone else and they will be put on JSA after one year and told to actively seek work. Some will be going through chemo and radiotherapy but they must seek work or lose the benefit.

Disabled children who are born disabled, once they reach adulthood (1icon_cool.gif they will not be entitled to ESA simply because they have not paid into the system. So in effect they won't be entitled to any benefit once child benefit stops. This is disgraceful. As one person has put it "thats disabled kids in the dustbin"

I have never seen such a heartless government in my life, I don't know how they can sleep at night. I am so lost for words right now.

The Tories are undoubtedly weak and perfidious - but to load the blame on them entirely is to completely miss the greater political machine they are now slaves to. Cameron isn't carving up public sector investment like some deranged serial killer simply because he feels like it. I mean, yes, the Tories are traditionally perceived as the party of small government and yes, even without a recession they'd likely spend less than Labour. But the orders for this assault have been issued from a far higher level of power than Cameron could ever hope to achieve. Britain, like just about every other nation is being blackmailed by the IMF (as well as a host of other international organisations whose members are similarly unelected, unaccountable and share no national loyalties) to cut public services, privatise state assets and open up markets - or face crushing economic sanctions which would destroy the economy and turn us into something akin to Russia under Yeltsin.

By all means blame Cameron for having zero intestinal fortitude but the REAL blame should be assigned to the people who made it easy for us to be extorted in the first place (Thatcher, Major & Blair) signing up to completely undemocratic international treaties that were never explained fully to the electorate in order to allow transnational corporations free reign to operate with impunity wherever and whenever they please.

You'll be telling me next they all have scaly skin and belong to the NWO

I don't disagree but things like Hull White Star pointed out such as cancer suffers on chemo having to actively seek work can directly be attributed to this government. They have a choice as to what they cut and how they cut it. Part of the problem is they are to a large degree incompetent and I firmly believe they do not think things through and so we see unintended consequences result. Which bits are the result of their bonkers ideological stance can sometimes be easy to spot as can the more stupid policies because the latter seem to end up hurting peoples pockets and/or quality of life but at the same time don't actually save much money if any at all.

I have been reading stories for the last two hours of how people will be losing their homes and will have to go into residential care (paid for by the state £3000 a week anyone?), partners giving up work to care for them because they can't afford to pay someone (partners going on benefits therefore costing the state more). This is going to end up costing the state a lot more than the £94 a week we get on ESA. Then theres the DDA and the Human Rights Act that as I type is being looked over by lawyers. The government could end up paying out millions if a test case wins.

Mass reductions across the board and trapping the sick, elderly and vulnerable is inevitable with any Tory fiscal strategy as they have not got the will to look at it closer and target where the cuts need to be made and let those that are in genuine need be looked after with some dignity. No matter what political leaning you are, it is obvious that there are far too many people who are on benefits that can work if they were offered the work, but choose not to, for whatever reason, I know because I (unfortunately) have some in my own family.

The answer is not to cut benefits to levels of below low wages, but to strive to get wages to a decent level for those that choose to work. I understand it is not viable for a man/woman with a partner and 4 kids to take a job on £6 per hour, it isn't the benefits that are excessive it's the bloody wages that are the problem. I would, however stop increasing allowances for those that continue to have children while out of work, plenty of people in work have to save and wait to be able to bring kids into the world. I have first hand experience of someone who has not worked for over 5 year due to 'incapacity' and had three kids, who was allowed to have a vasectomy reversal so he could have another child with the same partner he has three already with.

Benefit reforms are needed, but NOT sweeping across the board ones which hurt those who need the safety net.

I wouldn't go that far. But if you look today at the way power is wielded across the globe the label "New World Order" is undoubtedly better than most. Ascribing to some of the theories suggested by NWO aficionados (secret societies, seedy activities, grand visions of global dominance etc.) is largely an act of faith - but given what verifiable evidence we do have about the activities, relationships and dependencies of these people arguing over their true nature (rapacious businessmen, bond villains or aliens) seems largely an exercise in splitting hairs. Actions define character and if theirs don't suggest green scales the truth is maybe not so far away.

Gideon's been attending Bilderberg meetings for some years now, I believe

Just read out your post to my hubby not usually known for his stupidity but said why is he going to Build-a-bear?





Gave me a chuckle on this rather bleak, depresssing day.

No its not.

The IMF has been lukewarm on the UK's austerity measures.

Last summer's IMF report on the UK concluded that if the UK did not return to growth soon then there should be a slowing down of the public spending cuts and the UK should look at further monetary stimulus (ie quantitative easing, which the Bank of England did a few months later) and tax cuts targeted at the lower paid (which have the largest stimulus effect on output).

Christine Lagarde has been pushing the agenda of deficit reduction being a medium term rather than immediate objective and warning that lost growth is more dangerous.

Sure the IMF is still dominated by the old Washington Consensus that believes in free markets but it is not the IMF that is calling for attacks on disability benefits. For that you have to look closer to home, the right wing tabloid press that has stirred up a large proportion of the country to supporting this, because most people think that those on benefits are putting it on.

Thats the part that really annoys me, its exactly the same as car insurance companies blaming hikes in premiums because xx% of claims are fraudulent.

The solution is very simple, if these organisation know that xx% of claims are fraudulent then its because they have the data to prove their claims, and if they have the data to prove their claims then go for the throat of those whom they know are claiming fraudulently.

Its simply not acceptable to punish the majority for the wrongdoings of an often miniscule minority.

Of course, I am assuming that both Ministers and Insurance Companies actually have this data to hand and haven't just made it up to suit an agenda, but I'm gullible like that.

Quote ="McLaren_Field"Thats the part that really annoys me, its exactly the same as car insurance companies blaming hikes in premiums because xx% of claims are fraudulent. The solution is very simple, if these organisation know that xx% of claims are fraudulent then its because they have the data to prove their claims, and if they have the data to prove their claims then go for the throat of those whom they know are claiming fraudulently. Its simply not acceptable to punish the majority for the wrongdoings of an often miniscule minority. Of course, I am assuming that both Ministers and Insurance Companies actually have this data to hand and haven't just made it up to suit an agenda, but I'm gullible like that.'" research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fem ... _sep10.pdf If I have it to hand then I'm pretty sure the Ministers have too They are using fraud as an excuse. During this afternoons sitting in the Commons while the Labour MP's were giving their arguments as to why the ESA limit should be 2 years not one, they were interupted at least 3 times by the same MP stating how much difference in cost it would be between one year and two. Excuse me, but I thought this was about helping us back into work, not saving money

Quote ="McLaren_Field"Thats the part that really annoys me, its exactly the same as car insurance companies blaming hikes in premiums because xx% of claims are fraudulent. The solution is very simple, if these organisation know that xx% of claims are fraudulent then its because they have the data to prove their claims, and if they have the data to prove their claims then go for the throat of those whom they know are claiming fraudulently. Its simply not acceptable to punish the majority for the wrongdoings of an often miniscule minority. Of course, I am assuming that both Ministers and Insurance Companies actually have this data to hand and haven't just made it up to suit an agenda, but I'm gullible like that.'" research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/fem ... _sep10.pdf If I have it to hand then I'm pretty sure the Ministers have too They are using fraud as an excuse. During this afternoons sitting in the Commons while the Labour MP's were giving their arguments as to why the ESA limit should be 2 years not one, they were interupted at least 3 times by the same MP stating how much difference in cost it would be between one year and two. Excuse me, but I thought this was about helping us back into work, not saving money

I heard one female conservative MP being interviewed and her reasoning was: "I have a number of my constituents who would dearly love to get back into work and being a productive member of society again. They are unable to do that because they are caught in a benefits trap".

So the solution is, reduce the benefits to a point that the less-able in society are forced to take any job that comes along because you tw[ia[/its are reducing benefits to below subsistence levels?

Give me fooking strength