If it's hot you don't get the money!

[Horus]

Well at last we seem to have some budget proposals that make some real sense, our illustrious chancellor Mr Osbourne has just announced that as of 2015 the ‘cold weather’ payment which is paid to our pensioners and is supposed to offset the high cost of keeping warm in a cold climate, but in reallity it was paid to every man and his dog regardless of where they were actually living. Not only were people living in a hot climate getting the payment, but anyone living elsewhere in the EU who had ever worked here also received the payment, as of 2015 this will now only be paid to those who do not live in a ‘hot climate’ so I can see a few disgruntled expats in a couple of years time as the payments cease. No doubt some will still try to claim it by using a UK address, but if they do they will be breaking the law and liable to imprisonment or a heavy fine and in these straightened times no doubt plenty of people will blow the whistle on suspected welfare cheats. Another one that may impact is the new requirement that is going to see claimants for unemployment benefit having to sign on each week instead of every two weeks and to spend more time being interviewed, if this was extended to disability claims as well we may see some really big welfare savings as many people get these payments but live abroad returning at regular intervals to renew their claim and then going back again afterwards.

Another interesting change is going to be that any welfare claimants will have to be able to speak English in order to claim, if they cannot then it will be a requirement to attend English lesson classes until they are capable of using the language in an every day context or they will not get any benefits. These seem such a basic steps to prevent all the current abuses of the welfare system that one wonder’s why it has taken so long to be enacted.

[LovelyLadyLux]

YES!!! THAT is most sensible law that I've read in a long time. Can't for the life of me understand why we (society) are bending over backwards to accomodate people with language - And (let me explain) - if you are within 3 months of arrival for a permanent living situation I don't expect you to be fluent but I DO expect you to be able to respond to simple queries - what is your name? where do you live? And I do want to see that you're wanting to live in my country one indicator of which is your excitement and willingness to learn MY language and if within a year you can't (for whatever reason) are unwilling to learn the official language of the country then you're not going to get my $$ via taxes.

HERE (Canada and USA) we DO bend over backwards providing people with translation services for years and years making it virtually unnecessary for them to learn english. I could possibly be persuaded to make some accomodations in that if you're the great grannie (70+) and are gonig to be only living with a family I can understand you are possibly not able to learn my language BUT if you have an expectation of getting financial benefits then you WILL be in a class attempting to learn. I would not exclude people from coming to my country based on language but to come for $$ only wouldn't work.

As for hot weather allowances - we don't get those here (but in Canada I do believe there is an allowance to buy firewood - or there was just not sure). I'm sure there will be many disgruntled expats. Too bad the gravy train is winding down as there just is not any more $$ to keep you in the manner to which you feel you want to become accustomed yet have failed to put your own efforts into acquiring.

IMO I do agree with social programs and I strongly favour those that give a hand up. Those programs that just give hand outs only create dependence and in the long run provide no real benefit to anybody. I also have no problems having MORE programs for the elderly and those truly in need.

Just my rant re: disabilities - there are many people who have a minor disability that play it up. For example - you have 1 leg - doesn't mean you can't do ANYTHING however many with such disability use this to sit at home collecting full benefits just because the benefits are so readily available. Why are we (society) not asking - what CAN YOU DO? Just because you have a disability doesn't mean you are disabled but when a disability can give you a completely free ride many take it. There should be on-going comprehensive testing and evaluations to constantly ferret out what a person can do. I've seen far too many people opting to just and do nothing claiming disability. This means we as a society are failing to help these people reach their potential and we are also denying them the opportunity to become contributing social memebers.

[Grandad]

Like you Horus I am happy that, at last, some stronger actions are coming into force to address benefit cheats and those who are really unjustified to receive benefits. I didn't listen to all of Osborne's speech but my understanding was that winter fuel allowance has to be paid for expats within the EU under EU rules.

An expat friend who lived in Luxor wrote to the DHSS, or whatever it is called now, requesting that they stop paying him this allowance. He did not still have a UK address. They replied that it was too involved to stop it so just keep accepting it. I believe that if we could search deep enough you or I could soon find inefficiencies within existing government departments and save some real money.

I understand that he (Osborne) is going to further squeeze local authorities to make additional savings of around 10%. Horus, you and I have both worked in industry and I am sure that, like me, you remember working in a culture where any waste was loss of profit. I only have to walk around the city or go to the Council offices to see lots of Clip Board Johnies whose role in the overall scheme is questionable. But then, they do not have sales and profit reports to worry about.

I'm on my soapbox again, sorry

[Horus]

The EU is just another example of a gravy train in action we have become the milch cow of the Western world, when I see him going on about ring fencing foreign aid and then listing all the cuts to he will make to genuine things such as libraries I just want to throw a brick through the TV set. As you say Grandad the biggest wasters are local councils who need a bloody good shake up, far too many none jobsworths who seem to contribute very little, only this morning I watched as our hughly expensive all singing and dancing waste disposal wagon came up the street to collect "the blue box" that must only contain 'Glass' 'Cans' and an internal plastic bag for your old newspapers and magazines. This was followed hours later by another seperate all singing and dancing vehicle complete with driver and operatives (another different crew) to collect the contents of my 'Green' bag which must only contain (on pain of death) my waste cardboard which on a good day probably has a recycle value of 10 Pence, but has cost at least £5 to collect You really could not make it up and I bet it all goes in the same skip or more likely landfill in some other country, we should take all these 'Greens' and string them up by the B***s they are costing the Earth.

[Grandad]

You really could not make it up and I bet it all goes in the same skip or more likely landfill in some other country, we should take all these 'Greens' and string them up by the B***s they are costing the Earth.

Stop it Horus I had put my soapbox away for the day but you have brought up one of my pet hates......recycling

[Horus]

Ooh Grandad don't start me off on recycling every week the place looks like a gypo camp with bins, bags and boxes all over the pavements. Collected by scruffy Herberts who sling the empty bin/container anywhere they please, I am told that my bins must be on the border of my property by 7 am, they must have the handles facing outwards and the lid must be closed otherwise it will not be emptied, yet those useless *******'s can pitch up any time they like, usually after midday, sling the rubbish all over the place and leave your bin anywhere within a hundred feet of your property and that's supposed to be OK. After they have gone there is more paper blowing about the streets and bins strewn everywhere until the owners return home, what a bloody shambles and you like me can remember a single bin collection once a week with everything going in it, it was quick and it was efficient, all this 'green' bulls**t is driving me nuts, just another layer of unnecessary expense and it is we who are paying for it, end of rant

[LovelyLadyLux]

Recycling is the bane of my existence here. Firstly our collection day changes every month - why is anybodies guess. Our council can't be happy with designating each area with a consistent day of the week. Instead you constantly have to carry around "The SCHEDULE" as to which is garbage/recycle as it changes. THEN we are probably the ONLY place on earth that does NOT recycle GLASS!! Glass is classed as garbage and we do NOT recycle it. Course we DO recycle tins, aluminum, cardboard, newspaper, paper and on an on and on.

We also weekly recycle kitchen waste. All the leftover edibles are recycled so that the City Council can compost them and we can buy back our own decomposed veggies..........

As an aside in my last office it was decided that we all had to recycle IN THE OFFICE. They handed out to each cubicle its own complete recycle kit of containers. You recycled IN your cubicle and then had to carry it all out weekly to the hallway so it could be carted away. The individual cubicle recycling lasted about a month until the fruit fly invasion became so intense they almost had to close the office to fumigate out the fruit flies. Was awful. Even my Betta Fish that lived on mydesk couldn't bring himself to eat another squashed fruit fly thrown into his bowl.

I do have to say that our floor was so bad at recycling they (HQ) finally cancelled us with a big show of disgust that we all were too inept to figure out the recycling. I swear every category of container had its own recepticle. I've got a University education and I couldn't figure it out - BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD......me and recycling don't mix.

[Grandad]

Here we go....you've opened this can of worms ....or can of garbage

In their wisdom, our council is extending the recycling form August from the current; Black bin for landfill, Green bin for garden waste, Clear sacks for everything else EXCEPT glass. (you have to take that to the bottle bank) Collections alternate weeks.

New system: Black bin for landfill, Green bin for garden waste, Blue bin for tins, glass, plastic, Red handled box for papers and cardboard, Lockable caddy for food waste, Small caddy for food waste in the kitchen. Collections, food wate weekly, all others fortnightly.

What the council do not seem to have considered is the many terraced houses in the city with front doors opening straight on to the pavement....where the hell are those residents supposed to keep all these bins? ON THE BLOODY PAVEMENT I SUPPOSE.

Bring back one lidded galvanised bin for weekly collection and burn or bury it.

[Horus]

It is just another example of how we allow the lunatics to run the asylum
I have several benchmarks that I use to evaluate people, for example the very fact that someone WANTS to become a politician should automatically BAN them from standing in the first place!
The other is that anyone who comes up with a GREEN idea should have to do it all themselves for at least 10 years to show the rest of us that it really works, before we tell them to **** *** and nail them to a barn door.

[Grandad]

Returning to Osbornes 'spending review' of yesterday; it seemed to focus almost entirely on making savings by cut backs in government departments and local authorities, and also pulling in the reins on social benefits. Any 'cut backs' whether in government or local authorities means one thing.....job losses.

Whilst I am in full agreement to route out waste and inefficiency, I did not hear anything that would seriously encourage economic growth and therefore job creation. This afternoon Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the treasury, will outline proposals for major Government investment in infrastructure, such as road and rail. Although this will create jobs for some it does nothing to help generate growth with small local companies who provide employment where people want it, near to home.

And these projects will not start, at best, for several years and economic regeneration is needed now. The more people who are in work, the more money is spent, and the more tax revenue to the government to help to reduce the deficit. I am still not convinced that Osbornes plan A (there is no plan B) will solve our economic problems in this government or the next.........

[Kiya]

OMG! Grandad I cant believe the amount of waste bins you have that would do my nut in

I have just 3.......black wheely bin for most waste..food, some packaging,grass etc........... blue box for all papers,mags,cardboard.........black box for all glass & plastics................thats enough for me thank you

[Horus]

Kiya we have:
1 Black Wheelie bin for general domestic waste
1 Brown Wheelie bin for garden waste.
1 Blue Box for Glass & Cans (must be washed out)
1 Blue plastic bag for magazines & Newspapers
1 Green reinforced bag for Cardboard.
1 Pink plastic bag for all Plastic bottles etc.
1 Slop bucket with lid which I absolutely refuse to use, if they want me to keep festering garbage in a bucket all week then they have another thing comming. On the other hand if they want to give me a free piglet to fatten up that's a different matter.

We also have a guessing game as to what bins to put out on each occasion, is it a 'blue' week? or a 'green' week? all will be explained on your free planner which may vary considerably depending upon the proximity to a public or Bank holidays, or if the wagon breaks down, or if Alf has not turned up for work today.

[LovelyLadyLux]

OMG - you are definitely beating us in the number of bins you have to take out but we DO have Grandad's described situation of houses with entrances at street level with no place to put all the bins. Presumably they can disguise them as avante garde furniture in their livingroom.

Here they also expect us to recycle ALL kitchen waste and keep putrid barrels of swill fermenting all week so they can compost it however they refuse to accept yard waste!! We cannot recycle yard waste but we MUST recycle kitchen waste. Guess I am not educated or savy enough to understand the difference......and if any of the garbage men see one blade of grass sticking on the bin they'll refuse to empty the entire bin and when each family is limited to one bin per week having a bin refused for 2 weeks can result in a significant problem.

Not sure who started the recycling craze but it meka me crazeeee....

[LovelyLadyLux]

Just seems timely. Am sure our Jayway will recognize it.......BUT I'll tell you NONE of our trash collectors would do this so this scenerio is UNrecognizable to me!!

A refuse collector in Australia, is driving along a street picking up the wheelie bins and emptying them into his compactor.
He goes to one house where the bin hasn't been left out, and in the spirit of kindness,
and after having a quick look about for the bin,
he gets out of his truck goes to the front door and knocks..
There's no answer.
Being a kindly and conscientious bloke, he knocks again - a bit harder and then harder still . .
Eventually a Chinese man comes to the door..
"Harro!" says the Chinese man.
Gidday, mate! Where's ya bin?" asks the collector.
'I bin on toiret," explains the Chinese bloke, a bit perplexed.
Realizing the fellow had misunderstood him, the bin man smiles and tries again.
"No ! No ! Mate, Where's your dust bin?"
"I dust been to toiret, I toll you!'' says the Chinese man, still perplexed.
Listen," says the collector. "You're misunderstanding me. Where's your 'wheelie' bin?'"
"OK, OK.." replies the Chinese man with a sheepish grin and whispers in the collector's ear.
"I wheelie bin having s ex wiffa wife's sista!

[Horus]

very good

[Kiya]

I wonder if the councils would give us all free sheds to keep all our bin's/boxes

[Grandad]

I wonder if the councils would give us all free sheds to keep all our bin's/boxes

Good idea Kiya.....and Roy could convert it into his bar

[Horus]

I wonder if the councils would give us all free sheds to keep all our bin's/boxes

Good idea Kiya.....and Roy could convert it into his bar

Or you could put it near to your bench and sell ice cream in the good weather and hot dogs when it gets a bit colder

[Grandad]

I wonder if the councils would give us all free sheds to keep all our bin's/boxes

Good idea Kiya.....and Roy could convert it into his bar

Or you could put it near to your bench and sell ice cream in the good weather and hot dogs when it gets a bit colder

Better get an order for plenty of hot dogs then Kiya

[Jayway]

Sorry . this has made me hysterical - - I shall now describe my rubbish life . Anything faintly edible=hens. Plastic water bottles,jumped on, sacked and taken on my handlebars up the road to the plastic bin,once a month. All other rubbish sacked and taken to the wheelie big bin. Anyone can leave electrical goods, mattresses,furniture, garden rubbish by the side, a truck collects twice a week. The small charge is included in my water bill. Easy life in my third world country - - haaaa haaaaa