New Year's Honours!

Another year gone and another list of people who have received one of the New Year's Honours. Good to see a number of people in the list who actually deserve an honour either for bravery or for doing somehing that they did not get paid to do but there are still far to many people in the list that have got an honour for doing what they got paid to do. I am waiting for the list of people who have to give back their pay for not doing their job properly, you know all those responsible for the fancial collapse or for the enourmous uncontrolled overspends of public budgets like the Ministry of Defence or the NHS.

One should not get an honour for doing ANYTHING that is related to the job one is supposed to do. I will not name names but if you read through the list you can pick them out yourself. They should be ashamed to accept the award and be listed with those who really do deserve them.

No politician, either from the House of Lords or the other place, should have got an award considering the bloody mess they have got the country and the economy into and unless the business of a 'captain of industry' has increased it's contribution to the exports of the country AND at the same time increased the number of UK citizens that it employs AND reduced its carbon footprint, then they should not get one either! It's no good being good at some minor issue and completely useless at the rest and THEY ARE USELESS OTHERWISE WE WOULD NOT BE BROKE!

We've been framed!

I have just been watching a re-run of a Christmas episode of 'You've been framed' on the Telly and had a few mild chuckles at some unfortunate folks suffering from collapsing dining tables, collapsing chairs, Christmas trees that fall over at the slightest touch, crap that comes out of crackers and the inevitable junk present that some distant aunt, uncle or cousin bought. And then it struck me!


The stuff that we get sold is mostly low quality rubbish, a collapsing dining table isn't funny it's pathetic, so are chairs that can't take the weight of an average adult. A Christmas tree that falls over when you put decorations on it is as much use as a chocolate teapot. Why do we put up with this junk. No wonder the British economy is going down the drain all we make or sell is crap.

There are laws that state that an object has to be fit for the purpose for which it is sold, so if your table or chair collapses, or your Christmas tree won't stand up, once you've sent the DVD to 'You've been framed' for your £250 ring the Trading Standards Service and get them to get the rest of your money back too.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Card Charges

The years go by and still the government does not act against totally unfair credit and debit card charges. It is going to take another year whilst they "consult"! Consult who? If they consult the public they will not find one person who agrees with the charges so once again they, the government, are going to do what commerce wants and not what the people want.

I don't have a problem with credit card charges BUT they should be built in to the advertised price of the goods or services and NOT added on at the end of a transaction. That way we can determine who is offering the best deal and vote with our wallet or purse.

With regard to Debit Card charges they should not be allowed at all especially if the government has any intention of getting rid of cheques or perhaps even cash at some point in the future. Why on earth should be have to pay, what we were told when Debit Cards were issued, was electronic cash!

Oh, yes! I bet all that happens anyway is that the companies who charge us for giving them money just change the name of what they are doing to something like "Booking Fee" or some other title that allows them to get around not calling it a "Credit Card Charge" and once again escape the new legislation when ever it arrives - if ever.