Comments on: “See you in 25 years” http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html Free Trade and Free Minds. Politics for Reasonable People. Independent Political Blogging. Top 20 Blog. Libertarianism. Laser Kitties. Tue, 10 May 2011 21:47:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Charlotte Gore http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7352 Charlotte Gore Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:52:56 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7352 Yeah, it's rather more like visiting middle earth after the elves have gone. ;) Yeah, it’s rather more like visiting middle earth after the elves have gone. ;)

]]> By: Andrew Hickey http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7351 Andrew Hickey Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:51:15 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7351 Not really - despite the myths that have grown up around a Liberal-libertarian/SDP-socialist divide, the truth is the SDP were if anything more right-wing economically than the Liberals... Not really – despite the myths that have grown up around a Liberal-libertarian/SDP-socialist divide, the truth is the SDP were if anything more right-wing economically than the Liberals…

]]> By: AJ http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7350 AJ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:49:23 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7350 Charlotte Love the friend staying analogy, spot on. Is this a bit like when you invited the SDP into your party? Charlotte
Love the friend staying analogy, spot on.
Is this a bit like when you invited the SDP into your party?

]]> By: Stacey Riley http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7349 Stacey Riley Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:13:34 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7349 Great post. This country is not a great place to be anymore. It's easy to feel alienated if you don't tick the correct boxes. When I can find work, I love being a tutor and helping people but the bureaucracy means the education system is rarely about educating any more. It's purpose is to fulfil targets and create paper trails. Great post.

This country is not a great place to be anymore. It’s easy to feel alienated if you don’t tick the correct boxes.

When I can find work, I love being a tutor and helping people but the bureaucracy means the education system is rarely about educating any more. It’s purpose is to fulfil targets and create paper trails.

]]> By: James D http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7342 James D Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:57:26 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7342 Charlotte for Dictator! Err, I mean, Prime Minister... Charlotte for Dictator! Err, I mean, Prime Minister…

]]> By: Andrew Hickey http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7341 Andrew Hickey Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:32:13 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7341 Even 'public sector workers' in general haven't benefited. Very specific types (bureaucrats, middle managers, consultants) have, while others (nursing staff, for example) have, at best, been 'given' below-inflation pay rises. Except that these have often not actually reached the nursing staff - when I worked for the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, starting in 2005, the management were 'reviewing options' as to how the legally-mandated pay rises were meant to reach the staff (who were all to be re-banded). When I left in 2008 (having moved to another job, then moved back), the pay rises still hadn't happened, and the view on the ground was that they never *would* happen, as we were all owed too much back pay and the trust couldn't afford to pay it... (These pay rises weren't unreasonable ones, incidentally - just a 2% rise on a wage that was, in my case, £6.50 an hour. But 13p an hour adds up when you're working eighty-hour weeks (as I sometimes was, along with many of my colleagues)). Even ‘public sector workers’ in general haven’t benefited. Very specific types (bureaucrats, middle managers, consultants) have, while others (nursing staff, for example) have, at best, been ‘given’ below-inflation pay rises. Except that these have often not actually reached the nursing staff – when I worked for the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, starting in 2005, the management were ‘reviewing options’ as to how the legally-mandated pay rises were meant to reach the staff (who were all to be re-banded).

When I left in 2008 (having moved to another job, then moved back), the pay rises still hadn’t happened, and the view on the ground was that they never *would* happen, as we were all owed too much back pay and the trust couldn’t afford to pay it…

(These pay rises weren’t unreasonable ones, incidentally – just a 2% rise on a wage that was, in my case, £6.50 an hour. But 13p an hour adds up when you’re working eighty-hour weeks (as I sometimes was, along with many of my colleagues)).

]]> By: Andy http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7340 Andy Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:07:17 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7340 <i>It feels like… well, you’ve invited a friend to stay with you, and at first it’s fine - they’re helping with the washing up, they do shopping and you’re thinking, hey - this isn’t bad. Then 10 years later they’re still here, except now they’re holding all the things they do for you over your head in order to boss everyone around - they get to decide what to watch on telly, they decide when you’re allowed to use the internet, they decide what films you can and can’t watch, they decide what food and drink you can bring into your house and you start thinking… you know what? Wish I hadn’t let that little prick do the shopping all those years.</i> And this is why you win awards. No political party is perfect. Every single one contains a disturbing number of nutjobs. But better to have a nutjob who believes in not interfering with your life to one that does. It feels like… well, you’ve invited a friend to stay with you, and at first it’s fine – they’re helping with the washing up, they do shopping and you’re thinking, hey – this isn’t bad. Then 10 years later they’re still here, except now they’re holding all the things they do for you over your head in order to boss everyone around – they get to decide what to watch on telly, they decide when you’re allowed to use the internet, they decide what films you can and can’t watch, they decide what food and drink you can bring into your house and you start thinking… you know what? Wish I hadn’t let that little prick do the shopping all those years.

And this is why you win awards.

No political party is perfect. Every single one contains a disturbing number of nutjobs. But better to have a nutjob who believes in not interfering with your life to one that does.

]]> By: Jack Hughes http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7338 Jack Hughes Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:40:02 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7338 I weep after I talk to friends in England. Central government and in particular local councils waging war on the public. Bullying and hectoring. Complete disconnection between the public on the one hand and the ruling elite and meejah on the other. Sadly a lot of people have become conditioned to expecting the state to solve their problems and regulate all kinds of things 'for the children'. They are demoralised and like you say this comes out in petty jealousy and a general rudeness. Where to go ? I wonder if a constitution could help - I would say a straight copy of the US constitution. Yes including a right to bear arms. American states have rousing mottoes like "live free or die" and "don't tread on me". Calderdale council has: "everyone different, everyone matters". Jesus wept. I weep after I talk to friends in England. Central government and in particular local councils waging war on the public. Bullying and hectoring. Complete disconnection between the public on the one hand and the ruling elite and meejah on the other.

Sadly a lot of people have become conditioned to expecting the state to solve their problems and regulate all kinds of things ‘for the children’. They are demoralised and like you say this comes out in petty jealousy and a general rudeness.

Where to go ? I wonder if a constitution could help – I would say a straight copy of the US constitution. Yes including a right to bear arms.

American states have rousing mottoes like “live free or die” and “don’t tread on me”.

Calderdale council has: “everyone different, everyone matters”.

Jesus wept.

]]> By: Scottish Politics http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7337 Scottish Politics Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:39:49 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7337 Hi Charlotte, Just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful post. SP Hi Charlotte,

Just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful post.

SP

]]> By: Dick Puddlecote http://charlottegore.com/2009/09/29/see-you-in-25-years.html/comment-page-1#comment-7335 Dick Puddlecote Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:23:31 +0000 http://charlottegore.com/?p=1700#comment-7335 <em>"They’ve created a hostile, malicious, suspicious country full of jealousy, envy, anger and hatred, winners and losers at each other’s throats because they know the only difference is that one’s got the Government on their side and the other’s got the Government actively working against them"</em> So glad to know I'm not alone in seeing it that way. It just seems to me that Britain isn't a nice place to be, anymore. The people in it can't have changed that drastically in the past decade, it's just that they (we) have been cajoled and manipulated in such a way as to create a natural mistrust and enmity towards one another. Thanks for the link. :-) “They’ve created a hostile, malicious, suspicious country full of jealousy, envy, anger and hatred, winners and losers at each other’s throats because they know the only difference is that one’s got the Government on their side and the other’s got the Government actively working against them”

So glad to know I’m not alone in seeing it that way. It just seems to me that Britain isn’t a nice place to be, anymore.

The people in it can’t have changed that drastically in the past decade, it’s just that they (we) have been cajoled and manipulated in such a way as to create a natural mistrust and enmity towards one another.

Thanks for the link. :-)

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