"..and therein lies the rub"...............21st April, 2009
I have just seen that Gordon Brown has posted a new policy, or aim, on You Tube! My God, how Churchill, Attlee, Hume, McMIllan, even Wilson, would cringe at this slippage from true government procedures. This is probably the key to it all. The loss of any real credibility of our current politicians. It is fine for me to play on the net, and I know the modern lot will take me to task, but, come on, our leaders should be way above this crap!
Time for an Attila the Hun phase I feel....
Cato and Wellington update 14th April 09.....
He can't see me here......
He thinks I can't see him in that pot..........
G20 - London - 1st April 2009....
I think people will now realise that I am hardly a Banker/City supporter. However, given the disparate groups allegedly in London to object to, or protest to, the G20 meeting, an awful lot of them strike me as having little else to do. I would be more impressed with genuine protestors, and not those hell bent on disruption; sorry but that is how I see it. Not one of them has any clue how to solve the financial crisis, howsoever caused, it is just an excuse for Che Guevara lookalikes and mostly layabouts to have fun playing revolutionaries or anarchists.
Whatever, in the end, unless you advocate and support anarchy, then World Governments do have to meet and try to solve World problems.
Mother's Day Quickie.............
Class 1 asked to prepare a statement on their own, each of them, to announce to Assembly in front of Mums for Mother's Day. Elizabeth stands up and bravely and clearly states, "I love my Mum because she keeps me healthy"! All the other Mums swung round to look closely at Vicky.
They were also told that Mums were prone to cry on occasions like this and not to worry about it. Elizabeth told her Mum about it and then asked if she wanted to practice crying before the event!
Kids, eh? Smashing.
Clarification at last, thank God...of the economic/financial situation......
with thanks to my Brother in Law
Jack Tweed (Jade Goody's man)...............2nd March 2009
Was he at Wembley yesterday watching the Carling Cup Final. Many say he was which says it all really.......
RBS Results out today and all that stuff.........26th February 2009
(or could you survive on £57,500 per month, albeit gross before tax?)
I feel, somewhat optimistically sometimes, that I am fairly intelligent. Thus, I find it immensely frustrating to admitting that I find it very difficult to take on board bank losses of £24 billion by RBS, or any other £X billion by any other bank these days. On top of the RBS figure, there is a stated "bad asset" number of £324 billion, I think!
There is a lot of talk about bailing them out and us footing the bill for years and years to come but there is very little explanation of how the banks actually got into such a dire position. When I ran a Company, or sat on the Board of others, we had a reasonably good idea of where we were heading at any given moment, even daily on occasions, be it towards profit and loss in the year and our auditors took great joy in nudging us very hard if we did not! Does this mean that it was all risk and that management just sat there and took a flyer? By that I mean they just hoped that all the bad loans taken up by various banks, futures, paper trading, hedges, bear spreads, you name it, would never go wrong so life was fine and rolled on....... So what checks were being made in the RBS, what financial risk management was occurring and so on?
Still their Chief Executive, bless him, has "retired" on a snivelling pension of £650,000 plus a year but he was "very sorry" about it all. Even then, one can see him taking on more overseeing roles yet in his career and gaining further pensions to bolster his later life.
And I am, or is it I was, a capitalist but in times when management meant managing and not employing spivs to play games with the money they were honoured to look after. What a complete bloody shambles it all is................. My old and loyal Bank Manager, who saw Sheila and me through very muddy waters on occasions, retired in his mid fifties when they forced him to sell insurance, etc. Sadly he died in his early sixties and I am sure he is up there somewhere saying, "I told you so"! Incidentally, I have not actually seen my Bank Manager, if he exists, for several years now, just a series of nice but uninspiring "Personal Managers".
Incidentally, I am not at all opposed to the normal, small and conventional bonuses being paid to the non gambling, hard working, staff at Lloyds TSB, one of the few Banks, as far as I can see, not to go overboard on the punting side of things.
A final fact to chew on. Peter Sherwin's package, retiring CEO of Murdoch's News Corp, reads as follows:-
$28.8m he earned last year, plus $27m in deferred compensation, plus $11m in pension funds, plus a six year movie and production deal insisting that Fox must buy two films a year from him at high (2004-set) prices, plus the continuation of company pension contributions during those six years, plus continuing stock options, plus 50 hours annual usage of a News Corp jet, plus a company car, full secretarial support and his country club fees.
A Paramedic, which person I can truly relate to these days, gets about £25,000 per year!!
CATO UPDATE........from Life Obs 2
Perhaps it is time for an update to our invader Cato, sorry Nelson, and how the three boys are coping together.
It has not been easy. I think all have tried and there is a degree of acceptance and tolerance now but it is still a bit difficult for all of them in different perspectives. Nelson - "Nels" - is a lovely young cat, very loving and obviously over the moon to now be part of a family after a year of fighting for his existence. He tries so hard not to annoy his much older "uncles" but does so want to play and can alarm them sometimes with his speed and dives at them. Then, if they react adversely, he will react with a right hook and a spat. He has many scars from battles from his stray days.
Wellington - "Wells" - who is also the most loving of cats and more like a dog really has always fought his corner - Cornish born you see - and is still wary of this young buck on his territory. Oddly, they will lie on a couch together but Nels's attempts to play or be over friendly can provoke some sparring and Wellington has never run away from a fight. Nels has started to creep onto our bed at night too which has always been Well's special place. However, we think this summer may well see some further improvement as they do try to relate to playing with each other in the garden.
Napoleon - "Naps" - dear old Naps, our two stone monster and full brother to Wells, just keeps his head down, bless him. I think Nels actually frightens him and he will put his mitts up on occasions when he comes near. If any of them realised it, one body slam from Naps could win any battle but he is a gentle old boy and just does not want trouble. He remains totally besotted by his braver brother and they are so close.
We are stuck with Nelson now and nothing can change that and we are sure it will slowly settle down further.
JADED................22nd February 2009
I feel very, very, sorry for this woman, not for the yobbo groom, but I also feel there is something entirely wrong with the media hype and coverage of it all. It is eerily ugly in fact. We have an old friend with the same thing and she must just wonder at what is going on. I will leave this there.
Cancer - Pros and Cons............ 19th February 2009
Do you ever wonder about the army of people who seem to study everything and produce very little. Sheila reading Mail behind me this morning:-
One glass of wine a day increases the chance of cancer. I've had it, absolutely!
Three cups of coffee a day reduce the chance of a stroke. I'm ok then, by a mile.
Apples reduce breast cancer chances. I'm not good with apples but I am a man!
Joining "Facebook" increases the chance of cancer. What total guff is this study!?
Rugby - Wales v England 14th February 2009
No doubt that Wales probably just deserved their win, and no excuses for some English indiscipline, but I have a sneaking feeling that the ancestors of the South African referee fought at Rorke's Drift!
Probably pointless but a warning to all........... 8th February 2009
I hope this is mostly self explanatory . Fundamentally, as I did not realise I had to, I failed to advise Lloyds Bank/AXA that I was on medication when we booked air tickets last July for January this year. Subsequently, it was felt best not to travel on this occasion, see medical observations, so we attempted to claim. It is peeing into the wind, but.................
On reflection, this probably looks pathetic but, surely, someone has to try to make a point......
AXA Assistance Claims Centre Ltd.,
PO Box 54098
London
SW20 8UU
Dear Sirs
Claim - Lloyds TSB Premier Account
Thank you for your, yet again, unsigned letter dated 6th February, 2009. How, utterly, sad was the expected reply. Today’s general business response to genuine folk never fails to disappoint. I know it means nothing to any of you but I have paid my taxes, national insurance, insurance and other dues since I was sixteen. I have never owed anything or attempted to mis-claim insurance of any type including injury or whatever. Perhaps I have been a little remiss in not reading all the small print on occasions but I have had an inherent trust of people to be fair. How wrong my naïve outlook is proving to be at sixty seven.
Firstly, you comment that I did not enclose the e-tickets This is totally untrue as I actually scanned them and watched my wife fold the letter and e-tickets into the envelope when I sent it. Thus, you lost them. Irrelevant now but you may care to comment?
Then we come onto the actual refusal of the claim. Some points:-
Why do I bother to pay £300 to Lloyds for a Premier Account if it is all meaningless? I was on a Platinum Account when the tickets were ordered, before changing up to Premier Account, and which, allegedly, gave the same cover on travel insurance anyway. I might just as well now revert to the Classic Account for all use the Premier Account is to us in our sixties. We would probably only ever use the insurance side of it anyway and this has proved to be utterly meaningless.
I had not realised that I had to inform you of my medication. OK, my fault, but Doctors had said, up to December 2009 that I was perfectly fit to fly so it just did not occur to advise you. How sad that you cannot, even in today’s hard World, recognise something genuine and exercise a little je ne sais quoi!
I presume that if, as hoped, my condition improves a little and we decide to try for another holiday abroad, we are now covered as we have advised you of my condition and of being on medication? Please confirm soonest so that we know exactly where we stand. If we are not covered then I may well cancel the Premier Account forthwith and revert to the Classic Account, ignoring all the glossy advertising that Lloyds TSB put out. So much for over 40 years of loyalty to Lloyds Bank.
Frankly, I cannot think of much else to say. However, I am copying this letter to the Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB, and it will appear on my own amateur Pulmonary Fibrosis website, embarrassingly entitled www.dickydasent.co.uk, as I do believe that ordinary, honest, folk have had enough of being mislead in what they believe is an area covered by so called friendly advisers.
Yours faithfully,
"Snow Go" - 3rd February 2009
Here I go Meldrewish again! I know the snow has been bad in places and we certainly did not escape it here in Sussex. However, I am sick and tired of the wimpish and nannying reports or advice given out over the last few days. This morning I even saw advice on how to brush snow off my car and not to wear a silk shirt if venturing out - eh?!
One who totally disagrees with me today. School closed.
My main moan, however, is that these days schools seem to close at a glimpse of the first flake and people do not go to work at the slightest excuse. If it snowed when I was at my secondary school, some 3 miles and 2 walks and 2 bus rides away, and it snowed much more often in those days, you got to school come hell or high water and on time if possible. If the heating did not work on top of that, tough, except that you may be allowed to wear your outer coat until milk break. Where work was concerned, although I grant you that trains and buses seemed to run come what may in "the old days," you had to get in somehow, it was expected.
An argument could be that if there is no public transport, you cannot commute and get in to work so is that where the modern problem lies but I guess a deal of it lies with peoples conscientiousness too, perhaps even some of today's teachers?
PRESS RELEASE - 1st February 2009
In the light of extensive, and ongoing, press coverage, involving Lindsey Oil Refinery, at Immingham, I just want to make it clear that I am no longer a Director of Lindsey Oil Refinery or, for that matter, of Petrofina who shared the refinery with Total Oil from 1970. How sad was it that Total Oil won the merger battle!
In saying that, I am having a huge task in understanding what the "workers" are on about as, in a massively technological environment, multifarious nationalities of workers have always been employed/called in to refineries to build, erect, whatever, specific, and complex, process plant. This embraces British expertise working abroad also.
Thus, even as a rankish Tory, shading Commie nowadays, even I cannot side with the torrent against Gordon vis "British Workers" on this one.
Must doze now as after 12.30 pm. and the white coated nurse is circling!
My new Assistant Editor....Wells....
Joseph - 2/1/09
Vicky and Ant gave us tickets for Joseph for Christmas and Sheila's birthday (1st). Rife with very heavy colds, which does not help me at all, we were full of trepidation in driving up to London, parking - £30, eating, ready for the show at 7.30 pm at the Adelphi in the Strand. London was my ground in the old days but it is a bit different now and at our ages.
Just to say what a great present. Lee Mead's last week and the energy, sounds and lighting were stunning. We thoroughly enjoyed it all.
The journey back was fine after we crawled through the first part of exiting London. Crazy at 10 pm. Finally got home to the three boys (cats) at midnight, very tired and coldy but very chuffed. Thanks "kids", you do make us do things which has to be good. The only thing is that Sheila has now lost her voice completely.
PS - Sheila had a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Jem and Jon on 1st. Sheila's birthday is a nightmare on New Year's day as most places are dead and most people close to that too.
A quandary........prompted by Gaza....
I find myself with a big quandary, at an age which is probably too late for any rational answer.
Jesus, on whom the last 2,000 years of a form of civilised living has been based, was a Jew. That is an Israelite.
So, given, albeit the Arabic pitch on the story of Jesus, why do most people, including Christians, find the thought of Israel utterly confusing and, in general, not think much of the Israelis? Why should they not have their land in the Middle East?
However, I am a Christian, i.e. a believer in God and Jesus, but I cannot understand the Gaza thing. Palestine was there as well and they deserve their land also, so how can the problem ever be solved and how can/will I ever understand what the hell is going on?
In reality, it is all down to hate which, unfortunately, seems eternal and stronger than any wonderful story of Jesus or the evolution we have had over the last twenty centuries. It seems the World remains tribal in reality and always will.
Sad eh!?
Coincidentally, and oddly, there is a current article in the Guardian on this very question which I stumbled upon:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/09/christianity-judaism
An Elizabeth anecdote............19/01/09
We took Elizabeth to see the Ice Show at Brighton yesterday. A very good show. Mum and Dad had a break as she slept over on Saturday.
Driving out of Brighton after the show, before she slumped into a doze, E was clutching the plastic snow storm pony we bought there.
"Nannad, can you please change this into a fairy"?
"No, I can't do magic like that, I am a penny magicker". (I often do a bit of sleight of hand stuff with coins!)
"Yes, you can, you can, stop the car and do it, please, please"!
"I can't do magic like that Bips, I am not a full Wizard and I'm driving anyway".
"Yes you can, you can, I know it. Say all the magic words and all the fruit words and it will 
work. I know you can do it"! "Mmmm, I'll think about it when I get home", was the only reply we could come up with. Fortunately it did not come up again when we got home where Mum and Dad were waiting to pick her up.
Such faith in a person is to be wondered at and what was "all the fruit words" about?
She is a delicious oddball!