Westministender: Amen to that!

[RedToothBrush]

On the Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Johnson went to Westminster Abbey and was trolled. Its almost divine in its irony.

In a week where just about the entire right wing press has turned on him, for being... well shit... They have the dawning realisation that yes all those annoying lefties were right all along when they said he was full of nothing but hot air. He's been ridiculed for being paid £150,000 a year and not being able to feed his 5000 kids and the pictures to mark the anniversary of him becoming PM do little more than look like a man who couldn't tie his own shoe laces without a nanny to help him.

But its not really a laughing matter. This man doesn't understand what legal agreements he's signed so his solution to his ineptitude is to throw his toys out of the pram together with the rule of law. Which he also does not understand.

Johnson is also ever increasingly keen on ripping up inconvient human right and workers right and he has ample opportunity to do all this in the middle of a pandemic.

Unfortunately the hypocrisy of his cronies isn't exactly helping the behaviour of the public and you have to pity the poor behavioural scientists who have to tell him that 'of course the public are going to give you the vs when you tell them you shouldn't do this when your chief advisor claims to be maybe going blind'.

It seems the whole government strategy on managing the virus seems to be falling flat on its face rather sooner than planned cos they stuck Dildo in charge who wouldn't know her Rs from her elbow if it hit her in the face. And we've got Hancock going full on 1984, telling us not to believe the reports that no one can get a test because its all lies - except half the country has either first hand experience of the travesty of Track and Trace or has a close mate who they know is a hell of a lot more reliable than any of these fuckwits when it comes to telling the truth.

Meanwhile in America Bader Ginsburg has managed to die at possibly the most inconvient and dangerous time possible just as the future of democracy in the US is clinging on by its finger nails.

And yes. Money laundering. Haven't we talked about that a lot on these threads. Its almost as if FinCEN was predictable...

Taking back control was always about the elite taking back control from the masses. But if you've managed to keep following all this time, we've been saying that since April 2016 and no one listened then, so why would they start listening now?

We could probably get pensions transferred to pay directly to our French account

Can you do that? I used to work in the pensions industry in the UK and I have vague memories of telling overseas customers that we could only make payments to a UK bank account. I may be mis-remembering or it may have been a rule of the old legacy scheme we administered, but it was my first concern when I heard about bank accounts closing as that's why I'd kept mine open.

Give on R4 now.

Gove.

Tell me when it's over

FatCatThinCat Yes you can and people say the exchange rates are quite good. I don't know if it is true of all providers, but ours said they could. It would be a real pain to have to exchange the money twice to pay for anything in the UK though.
The problems caused by the loss of financial passporting would be huge though. Such a ridiculously retrograde step.

Pepperwort I don’t think you are appreciating why so many immigrants from all around the world are being recruited into highly paid jobs.

To categorise it as some sort of hunting mission to exploit superior education systems is very simplistic. We do still, just about, have one of the best higher level education systems in the world. Though it is far from a level playing field it was also improving in terms of access for those from deprived backgrounds and underperforming schools (and I do mean deprived backgrounds and underperforming schools, not just sharp elbowed middle class parents gaming the system). We have plenty of homegrown qualified graduates seeking careers in business, science, academia etc and if 25% of top earners come from abroad 75% come from the U.K.

However if you are a business or organisation that is part of a global market or activity, diversity in your workforce brings many benefits in terms of widening your skill base and the diversity of thinking (as indeed is including U.K. women, ethnic minorities and the disabled) . It makes collaboration between a multi national, multi cultural workforce / networks more effective. And obviously if you have a bigger pool of talent you have a greater range of skills, ability and experience to pick from. Immigrants bring with them ability, diversity of thinking and of experience. One of the big criticisms of Brexit is that in Science and academia we have already driven away many academics along with their projects and funding.

And it does not have to be a London centric city skewed activity. That is the result of a failure of government to invest in nationwide infrastructure. Much Science and Tech ended up attracted as moths to the flame to the countryside around Oxford and Cambridge even though there is not the infrastructure to support it. One of the few pet projects Dom has got right is to highlight the thinking of Scientists, including the President of the Royal Society that the northern universities could with the right infrastructure act as a seedbed for the development of science and tech there with good transport links to the deprived towns to include them in that benefit. But then Dom doesn’t understand how you encourage thriving science and tech, not least by not inhibiting the access to global collaboration and talent, and unfettered access to the markets and networks of our neighbours.

And of course not driving our own best graduates to seek work overseas.

Hilary
Private pensions can be paid anywhere in the world
STATE and PUBLIC SECTOR pensions have to go into a UK bank account with a UK IBAN
which is rather a problem for a LOT of people now

LQ that is not what we have been told nor is it the case for people who already live here. My provider is LGPS from one of the largest counties in England. Is this a recent change in the rules?

Does DC BJ not look at TV schedules? GBBO is starting again tonight at 8pm which is the same time that BJ is supposed to be addressing patronising the nation.

I know which one I'll be watching

From Gov.uk
Your State Pension can be paid into:
a bank in the country you’re living in
a bank or building society in the UK.

BigChocFrenzy
Would she have got the job had she not already been made chair of NHS Improvement in 2017, despite her having to step down from her previous role as chairman ofTalkTalk – when four million of her customers had their personal data stolen

Nov 2015;
"Almost 157,000 TalkTalk customers had their personal details hacked in last month’s cyber-attack on the telecoms company."

"The total is 4% of TalkTalk’s 4 million customers and is a small fraction of the number feared when news of the attack broke."

www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/06/nearly-157000-had-data-breached-in-talktalk-cyber-attack

She didn't have to step down after the cyber attack -

20 July 2016;
"Dido Harding looks to have steadied the ship at TalkTalk less than a year after the cyberattack which affected more than 150,000 customers last autumn."

www.standard.co.uk/business/talktalks-harding-on-firmer-ground-after-cyber-attack-a3300271.html

Good job you weren't with TalkTalk and had your data hacked then, isn't it Clavinova? As for steadying the ship after allowing the boat to be holed at the waterline - bravo, what a heroine!

Immigrants are a fantastic way to run a country.

1. You don't have to pay to educate them.
2. You can kick them out at any time if they get arsey
3. They can't vote
4. You can tax them the same as citizens, but still make them pay for NHS etc
5. When you're done with them you can kick them out and not have to pay a penny in state pension

What's not to like ?

Especially for those more skilled jobs where the indigenous population start doing weird things like noticing what's going on and being respected by others.

It's not an accident the UK has taken so many immigrants. It's one strand in a policy towards permatory rule. It always was. And it was a stroke of near genius to ensure it long continues by getting the thick racists in the UK to agree to it without question. If I didn't live in the UK, I would be impressed.

Moving off to Dido Harding ... when the Talk Talk breach happened, I did a case study on it for my employers IT Strategy forum. It was that bad.

Boris Johnson walks into a bank to cash a cheque. As he approaches the cashier he says, "Good morning Miss, could you please cash this cheque for me?"
Cashier: "It would be my pleasure. Could you please show me your ID?"
Johnson: "Truthfully, I did not bring my ID with me as I didn't think there was any need to. I am Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister.
Cashier: "Yes, I know who you are, but with all the regulations and monitoring of the banks because of impostors and forgers and requirements of the legislation, etc I must insist on seeing ID."
Johnson: “Just ask anyone here at the bank who I am and they will tell you. Everybody knows who I am."
Cashier: "I am sorry, Mr Johnson, but these are the bank rules and I must follow them."
Johnson, "Come on please, I am begging you, please cash this cheque."
Cashier: "Look sir, here is an example of what we can do. One day, Tiger Woods came into the bank without ID. To prove he was Tiger Woods he pulled out his putter and made a beautiful shot across the bank into a cup. With that shot we knew him to be Tiger Woods and cashed his cheque."
"Another time, Andre Agassi came in without ID. He pulled out his tennis racket and made a fabulous shot where the tennis ball landed in my cup. With that shot we cashed his cheque. So, Sir, what can you do to prove that it is you and only you?"
Johnson stands there thinking and thinking and finally says, "Honestly, my mind is a total blank...there is nothing that comes to my mind. I can't think of a single thing. I have absolutely no idea what to do. I don't have a clue."
Cashier: "Will that be large or small notes , Mr Johnson. ?....

Good job you weren't with TalkTalk and had your data hacked then, isn't it Clavinova?

Clearly - but that doesn't excuse the Independent columnist from repeating incorrect facts. Also from the press reports;

"In the days before the TalkTalk hack, the youth gained access to a database of 693 staff and students at Manchester University containing email addresses and identity numbers"

"then attacked a library website belonging to Cambridge University"

"also obtained computer files including names and passwords for server systems belonging to Nasa, after a Skype contact forwarded the details as "a little present".

@ListeningQuietly

Hilary Private pensions can be paid anywhere in the world STATE and PUBLIC SECTOR pensions have to go into a UK bank account with a UK IBAN which is rather a problem for a LOT of people now

... afaik, the S1 system, which would continue even if some of the WA crashes, means that the UK state pension is paid by the country of residence e.g. I was informed I would receive my UK state pension paid by the German pension authorities, along with my German state pension (which is multiples more, despite having far fewer years !)

"I don't disagree with the Spectator letter and personally do think that Gupta deserves a hearing - I don't know the other two.
But what is wrong with asking for a clear objective with the policies and targetting those most at risk? It cannot be worse than the present knee-jerk policies, if they can be called such."

Targeting those most at risk is a policy independent of lockdown, SD restrictions on anyone else
e.g. Germany targeted care homes during lockdown and hence "only" had about 3,000 deaths there

"Protect the vulnerable" is always touted by those wanting to drop measures for everyone else, as if it is a new idea, instead of what should be normal practice anyway

It is just a cover for the fact they want everyone else to get on with their lives - which inevitably means spread to the vulnerable

Social Darwinism in action - just not in the open

Great speech by Starmer!

Why was the red army music playing outside 10 downing street?

^Dido Harding has been given vital jobs in public health without having any knowledge of the subject
and with hardly an impressive record even as a manager

She got these jobs without allowing competition
from what must be hundreds of highly qualified people in the UK,
entirely because of being a wealthy privileged Tory, with Bullingdon friendships

Yes that is absolutely true BigChoc. We had paid into a French scheme for a bit but had insufficient contributions for a French pension so UK remains are competent state (no irony intended) and we have S1 forms. This is about the bank account used for our pension payments. We could have them paid directly to France, but have chosen to use our fifty year old UK account and organise a flexible transfer ourselves for the last fifteen years. Some banks are talking about closing some accounts for non UK residents in some countries.
The papers and social media are enjoying a bash the British pensioners in Europe fest as usual.

Dido Harding's rise is a blatant example that the government is running a chumocracy of mediocrity,
not a meritocracy

Even in ordinary times, let alone a crisis, we should have the best qualified people in such vital public health jobs

She has a past of failure and a future of failure too

but this chumocracy costs lives, not just money
It's no longer just a matter of ferry contracts to a firm with no ships that copies pizza delivery terms & conditions

Doesn't look like receiving UK state pension should be a problem:

www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad

"Bank accounts your pension can be paid into
Your State Pension can be paid into:
• a bank in the country you’re living in
• a bank or building society in the UK"

Well the scrapping of the UK-GPS system seems to have slid under Brexiteer radar, naturally.

www.express.co.uk/news/world/1338123/galileo-brexit-news-satellite-system-gps-eu-space-sector-boris-johnson-theresa-may-oneweb

This caught my eye:

They added: “Having licensed OneWeb, under international treaties the UK is now legally liable for the OneWeb satellites

“If OneWeb goes bust and abandons its hardware in space, the UK is responsible for the debris.”

...

Obviously no longer an issue if treaties are now advisory.

What intrigues me more is the suggestion about "rejoining Galileo" - a project only open to EU members.

Note, that (rather unhighlighted) story is in the Express - hardly known for talking Britain down over Brexit. Maybe they didn't believe hard enough.

Doesn't look like receiving UK state pension should be a problem:

Not really my area, but I'd have though exchange rates might be ?