Why did I bother to turn the radio on?

Try watching Boom Radio, or better still, get a Playlist going on Spotify.

Iam64

The history and culture in America is different than in the UK. That’s one of the reasons I am much of a union supporter. The other is my commitment to fairness, to the idea that working full time shouldn’t mean you depend on feed banks.
As I recall, no One relied on good banks in the 70’s

Your last sentence is probably true Iam64 but Tory run UK is not the only country in Europe to have them - there’s one in my town in Spain, set up in the last 5 years whilst under Left Wing Government.

I’m sure other posters can add knowledge of their own countries and governments.

It’s changed a great deal since then.

Legal aid !!!! ? I had legal aid for my divorce , many years ago. I used to get 5 or 6 letters per day , all asking the same questions in different ways - at £25 per letter. I had to go to the solicitors office and tell him , very firmly, to STOP IT ! He shrugged his shoulders in an ‘ Okay , busted’ attitude. Think of the revenue barristers could generate from such antics!

Mollygo

A percentage of union membership fees in the UK also goes to political parties, though members have no say in how their membership fees are used.

as Farzanah says, members have to opt in to the political levy. It's been like that for many years.

Members do have a say on union policies (which would include use of membership fees) through delegates to the Annual Conference. But, speaking as a former union rep, most members really aren't that interested.

I suspect you’re right varian. It’s interesting that demographically most Tory voters are older, and the triple lock pension was announced just a couple of days ago! More oldies turn out to vote too.
Mollygo if you belong to a Union you have to opt IN to the political fund.

A percentage of union membership fees in the UK also goes to political parties, though members have no say in how their membership fees are used.

The history and culture in America is different than in the UK. That’s one of the reasons I am much of a union supporter. The other is my commitment to fairness, to the idea that working full time shouldn’t mean you depend on feed banks.
As I recall, no One relied on good banks in the 70’s

Trade unions are much less popular in the US, due in no small part to their involvement with the mafia and embezzlement of millions of dollars of membership funds. Also, percentage of membership dues go to funding political campaigns. Union jobs have become very much a legacy situation in this country. It's often difficult to get into a union if you don't have a relative or friend to grease the skids. In that regard, unions have become the opposite of what was intended at their foundation. I had a relative who was a lifelong union member. He was a great guy in many ways, but he absolutely approved of non-union members being intimidated physically and/or experiencing property damage (usually to cars) in order to "encourage" them to join. Hard to believe, but that stuff still goes on. For these reasons, I'm not much of a union supporter.

Thanks Callistemon.

I might just turn the radio on to hear the results of the two by-elections tomorrow.

I predict that the Labour Party will win back Wakefield but I am not at all sure that it is possible for the Liberal Democrats to overcome a colossal majority of 24,239 over the Labour party in 2019 and 27, 086 majority over the 2019 LibDem candidate who actually came third.

The result might be fairly close but I suspect that many of the readers of The Telegraph, The Sun, The Daily Express and The Daily Mail will still vote Conservative.

I do hope I am wrong and the LibDem candidate pulls off a historic win.

Callistemon21

^The amazing thing is, that people who care about the poverty and injustices in their own country, also care about what happens to those in other nations who are worse off than themselves. Witness the charities, movements, action groups in this country trying to improve the lives of those in war-torn countries and other, impoverished nations. Who knew!^

Astonishing, isn't it!

In fact, there are charities and individuals helping those in dire need in this country - should they just say to those people "Count yourselves lucky, stop whingeing, things are worse elsewhere so we're not helping you!"

The fact that these charities exist to help people here is an indictment of our society.

Yes, it's the scathing "first world problems" syndrome. The implication being that you should not complain about anything because other people in other countries have it far worse.

If we followed the 'logic' of that argument, we'd never have advanced as a society.

Amazing that people don't understand that it's possible to care what happens in your own relatively stable country to those who are less fortunate, and also care about Ukrainians, and others, in the third world... at the same time.

My personal feeling as that such comments are an attempt to invalidate the complaints of the person concerned.

I wish I could go on strike because I am an unpaid carer and if I didn't feed him and do everything around the house, he would not be long for this world. Apparently this saves the government £119 billion per year!

I wish I could go on strike because I am an unpaid carer and if I didn't feed him and do everything around the house, he would not be long for this world. Apparently this saves the government £119 billion per year!

The amazing thing is, that people who care about the poverty and injustices in their own country, also care about what happens to those in other nations who are worse off than themselves. Witness the charities, movements, action groups in this country trying to improve the lives of those in war-torn countries and other, impoverished nations. Who knew!

Astonishing, isn't it!

In fact, there are charities and individuals helping those in dire need in this country - should they just say to those people "Count yourselves lucky, stop whingeing, things are worse elsewhere so we're not helping you!"

The fact that these charities exist to help people here is an indictment of our society.

Belated happy birthday nadateturbe ?

DoNotDisturb

Wow MtM... thank goodness you don't live in Ukraine eh!

We can probably thank 'goodness', God, luck - you name it - that we don't live in Ukraine... Iraq, Burundi, Liberia - any number of different countries, come to that.

In fact we could simply keep thanking our lucky stars continuously saying 'thank goodness we don't live in x y or z', and completely ignore what is happening in our nation on the basis that someone, somewhere, will always be worse off.

In fact, you could suggest it to the government policy advisors as a fail-safe method of dealing with any discontent among us. Can't afford to keep the roof over your head? Don't have enough money for repairs, replacements in your home? Your energy bill will force you to make stark choices about food? Mired in poverty no matter you work two jobs? Can't afford your kids' school uniforms? Just be thankful you don't live in Ukraine (or those other places) - there, problem solved.

The amazing thing is, that people who care about the poverty and injustices in their own country, also care about what happens to those in other nations who are worse off than themselves. Witness the charities, movements, action groups in this country trying to improve the lives of those in war-torn countries and other, impoverished nations. Who knew!

Thanks for the birthday greetings Varian and * LauraN*
It is a special birth day. I have watched the sunrise in different places in NI and been to Newgrange.

I came on to suggest ‘The secret barrister’ but has already been mentioned.
Agree no point in pitting services against each other. It’s the same with all
These jobs.

One of the problems with striking for the NHS is that ultimately the workers go into that kind of work to help and feel too bad about leaving people suffering that strikes can’t have the full impact they should eg the junior doctors strikes - emergency care still occurred so some juniors did indeed work ( plus they could only strike if represented by BMA so if they hadn’t paid that privilege they weren’t allowed to strike and it’s quite costly on top of all the other fees - GMC, insurance, courses etc - and all us seniors carried on doing what we could to ensure the least disruption to the patients in the hospital. The whole NHS would never walk out and realistically for the government to be forced to change, that is what would be needed!

MtM, you’re right. Things are unremittingly hard for so many people in this country^ but we are glad we’re not at war like Ukraine. I don’t think anyone would deny that.

And no, Just because things are worse elsewhere doesn’t automatically mean we have to roll over and accept without complaint the social and other inadequacies on our doorstep.

on that basis, just about every thread on GN is invalid.
NB
Don’t wear a hair shirt today. I read on one thread that the temperature will be 32°.

Well remind me to look out my hair shirt for today!
Of course I’m lucky I don’t live in Ukraine, or am not starving in a Third World country, or homeless or currently under hundreds of tons of rubble in the Afghanistan earthquake, but on that basis, just about every thread on GN is invalid because “worse things happen at sea”.
So pardon me for not being ecstatic that life in this country is still unremittingly hard for so many people- those trying to make a living in the hospitality sector, children trying to get to their exams, people of all ages waiting in vain for hospital treatment or even a face-to-face with a doctor, those who will be choosing between “heating and eating” before long.
Just because things are worse elsewhere doesn’t automatically mean we have to roll over and accept without complaint the social and other inadequacies on our doorstep.

MawtheMerrier

DoNotDisturb

Wow MtM... thank goodness you don't live in Ukraine eh!

Is that addressed to me? ????

Yes I expect so Maw. Daft or what

DoNotDisturb

Wow MtM... thank goodness you don't live in Ukraine eh!

Is that addressed to me? ????

DoNotDisturb

LauraNorderr this is EXACTLY what is happening in the NHS - so many senior clinicians leaving, taking years of priceless experience with them, because they haven't had a proper payrise in over a decade - and in fact had a pay FREEZE for 5 yrs, meaning the 3% eventually offered was an insult. Not wishing to demean the role of the judiciary but I wonder how many lives they have directly saved, hands on, during their careers?

Divide and Rule helps no one. Their work is different but it’s not a competition. I bet the doctors appreciate the work of senior judges who are asked to make life and death decisions, like those involving children, where the parents and doctors are in dispute.

LauraNorderr this is EXACTLY what is happening in the NHS - so many senior clinicians leaving, taking years of priceless experience with them, because they haven't had a proper payrise in over a decade - and in fact had a pay FREEZE for 5 yrs, meaning the 3% eventually offered was an insult. Not wishing to demean the role of the judiciary but I wonder how many lives they have directly saved, hands on, during their careers?