7 replies to this topic

[yorkshirechris]

Listening to adverts on the radio earlier made me stop and think, what on earth is going on?

I can't remember the advert that sparked it, but it was something warning us about doing or not doing something to avoid whatever consequence it was.

Have we brought this on ourselves by walking blindly into a culture of blame and the attitude that we will not take responsibility for our own actions?

Or is it the government, media and money-makers creating the 'do-gooder' industry, machine, money-spinner just to line their pockets? Or to distract us all from the real issues?

I'm sorta floating inbetween 'normal' thought and 'deep' thought here so bear with me...

Is our attention is being forced towards things which we really should think or "do" anyway?

"Don't drink and drive"
"Don't leave kids or dogs unattended in the car"
"Keep your attention on the road"
"Pay your TV license or you might end up in jail"
"Don't leave the chip-pan handle sticking over the edge of the cooker"

WE KNOW!
Alright I haven't really dug deep and found much that relates directly to what's in the media at the moment but you get what I mean.. I hope

Then there's the other side of it - councils fining people for not putting the right rubbish in the right bin - fining people for running a minute over their parking ticket - fining people for driving a few mph over the speed limit.

It just seems to me that people want control, they want to squeeze more money out of us and for what?

The example of the pensioner who refused to pay the 5% rise in her council tax because her state pension only went up 2.5% at the same time, what good did throwing her in jail do? Why don't people use common sense a better idea would've been to stand up, hold up their hands (whoever 'they' are, seems an obvious thing but 'they' seem to avoid any chance to answer questions or even admit it's their responsibility) and say "you're right Mrs Jones, it is unfair, and as usual the poorest people in society have had to pay, but we'll change it, and sorry for it getting this far".

I hope some more of you will agree or at least sympathise because I've got to the point where I think I'm getting too old too young

EDIT: missed out a few words in my deep thought

Edited by yorkshirechris, 01 January 2008 - 10:25 PM.

[Bean]

but it was something warning us about doing or not doing something to avoid whatever consequence it was.

And the prize for 'Most Vague Referencing...' goes tooo....






But I do get your point, yes.

Although the sad fact of the matter, with the 'Drink & Drive', 'TV License' etc... People just don't seem to be able to grasp these concepts. And whilst it may be annoying to keep being told off for something that the majority of people are perfectly capable of sticking to, the adverts have to be there for the minority of the population who think they know better...

Generally though, this country is going utterly absurd

My Mum was given a parking ticket in town the other day. She went over to the ticket machine and bought a ticket. When she came back, the traffic warden was there and had stuck a parking ticket on her car



Taxes are ridiculously high.

My Dad's boss pays the same amount in tax that Dad gets as his salary!!

We pay council tax out in the country for the 'services' provided by the council. Living 8 miles out of town though, all we get is the dust-bin 'people' (Gotta be P-C, right?) , and a black bag given to us. Whoop-de-friggin-do! We're not on the main sewerage system (obviously), we don't get the road leading to my house tended to (which has so far wrecked the suspension on 3 cars)... we get absolutely nothing, but still have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for living on our own land!! Heck, when we were in the caravan, they wanted £800 council tax!!!???!


Useless, money grabbing.... >



Oh - and I'm not that much of a grumpy arse ... But how many people's council tax was used to fund the fireworks over the Thames, last night!? How many hundreds of thousands of pounds did that cost?

[Mini_Magic]

Yeah.

[yorkshirechris]

I think the fireworks over the Thames was something ridiculous like £1.3 million.

And then the NHS is in "cash crisis" why? When we're the most overtaxed nation in.. well probably the world where does it all go? Seriously I'd love to know!

[minimarco]

i don't know what the situation is over there but.... what do you like about you country? anything you are proud of? if there isn't any, then maybe you could consider emigration? its kinda extreme and not easy to do but either conform or do something to make you life happier......instead of whining

[chairchild]

we're British - whinging is what we're good at!

[Ethel]

we're British - whinging is what we're good at!

Here, here

'n drinking

'n having ridiculously overly inflated expectations in team sports

[Ethel]

But I do get your point, yes.

Although the sad fact of the matter, with the 'Drink & Drive', 'TV License' etc... People just don't seem to be able to grasp these concepts. And whilst it may be annoying to keep being told off for something that the majority of people are perfectly capable of sticking to, the adverts have to be there for the minority of the population who they know better...

Any sober person would never consider driving when drunk - it'd be better to make it easier for people not to use their car when drinking.

'bout time the telly licence was scrapped - the BBC have started giving away all their programs on the 'net for free: how on earth can they have the cheek to ask UK residents to pay for a licence?

Generally though, this country is going utterly absurd

My Mum was given a parking ticket in town the other day. She went over to the ticket machine and bought a ticket. When she came back, the traffic warden was there and had stuck a parking ticket on her car

As long as they gave her ten minutes that's fine, she can always appeal



Taxes are ridiculously high.

My Dad's boss pays the same amount in tax that Dad gets as his salary!!

I'd say your dad's boss's salary is ridiculously high in that case

We pay council tax out in the country for the 'services' provided by the council. Living 8 miles out of town though, all we get is the dust-bin 'people' (Gotta be P-C, right?) , and a black bag given to us. Whoop-de-friggin-do! We're not on the main sewerage system (obviously), we don't get the road leading to my house tended to (which has so far wrecked the suspension on 3 cars)... we get absolutely nothing, but still have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for living on our own land!! Heck, when we were in the caravan, they wanted £800 council tax!!!???!


Useless, money grabbing.... >

Most of your council tax pays for schools, police etc. You could have applied for a reduction if you weren't living in your house - that's what money grabbing property developers and the hoorays that are turning Cornwall into a holiday village do.



Oh - and I'm not that much of a grumpy arse ... But how many people's council tax was used to fund the fireworks over the Thames, last night!? How many hundreds of thousands of pounds did that cost?
[/quote]

Dunno, hopefully your dad's boss or some overpaid merchant bankers picked up the tab.




Happy New Year Bean

Edited by Ethel, 02 January 2008 - 11:25 AM.