Bit optimistic Lardi. The Grenfell enquiry isn't exactly a model of transparency, the Russian interference stuff is in limbo, and over 500 days since Boris announced an enquiry into Islamophobia in the Tory party, they haven't got around to starting yet. And Dominic Cummings lockdown excursions were brushed aside. We'll wait and see I guess, but a lot of this stuff (asking mini businesses with no ppe experience to provide ppe) should never have happened. And the normal business practice of including clauses that the stuff should meet certain specifications or payment would be void was repeatedly ignored, so the tax payer ended up paying pir a load of useless defective equipment.
To be fair, Ken has often criticised the way things are going in Spain. Nobody is claiming Spain has handled the pandemic any better than the UK. But the issues that we're discussing here are bound to be UK issues, not Spanish ones. Even Charlton fans living abroad have a natural interest in what's going on over here. Perhaps (potential or real) dodgy dealings are exposed more easily here than in some other countries. That is something to be reassured about, not worried.
By the way, if one the small companies referred to earlier is Pest-Fix, I am familiar with them, working as I do in the same industry (not PPE, but pest control). They insist that the PPE they produced was fully compliant with the original specifications they were given. And I'm strongly inclined to believe them on that.
The thing is Mr Lardiman we should all realise that in the eyes of the @Appalling Rug the likes of @Ken Shabby are not allowed to have an opinion as he does not live over here.
Private Eye, as our Landlord knows, has done sterling work in tracing the cronyism in the awarding of contracts, and I should get the new edition delivered today. It's just another example of how this excellent publication is so often ahead of the rest of the media. It's a pity that Richard Ingrams gave the Eye such a bad name with his determination never to let the truth get in the way of a good story (much like the press), and the reputation still sticks.
Which would mean he wouldn't be posting about anything in the US as he doesn't live there? Right? And would run around telling everyone who does so to stop posting about the US too, as he would look a bit of a hypocrite otherwise
Interesting little snippet in the Eye about how the sainted Marcus Rashford has avoided paying hundreds of thousands of pounds tax which would have helped to pay for free school meals.
It saddens me to hear that. I hope they have their facts right and aren't putting any spin on them. It's the easiest thing in the world to trash the reputation of somebody who is trying to do something good.
But he does have a large Twitter following, and my envy will be long lived, as I dismally failed the Twitter Ego questionaire.
Found my source from 30 October. He paid himself £4978 from MUCS Enterprises and took an interest-free Director Loan of £395, 808 in 2018.
I suppose tax wheezes like this are so endemic that they are standard practice amonth the highest earning footballers these days. And a player earning huge wages would be considered a fool not to use them. I'm afraid that rather shoots Rashford's fox as far as I'm concerned. It's good to be concerned about poor children in the UK getting one decent meal every day. But if he doesn't pay the taxes that he could be paying, Rashford has no moral authority to tell the Government how to spend other tax-payers' money. He's made me (somebody who has always paid his taxes in full and has never sought ways to sidestep paying them) feel like a fool for supporting him and criticising the Government over this matter. I have done nothing morally questionable regarding my taxes (unlike him) so I should not feel foolish. But I do anyway. It is also disheartening that so many wealthy people seem to feel that paying taxes in the manner that everybody else does is a mug's game. I suppose it's always been that way. But it still makes me sad to think about it. PS: I know this subject is a bit off-topic in the Coronavirus thread. But Rashford's campaign did partly arise due to extra concerns about school time being missed by kids because of the pandemic.
On the breakfast news this morning; A sharp rise in the abuse of shop staff by moron customers during lockdown. This behaviour is disgusting. The perps should be tracked down and severely punished. No warnings or slaps on the wrist.
The anti-muzzle anti-vacc brigade have a lot to answer for. The rest of us want to see the back of Covid19.
I was very, very reluctant to wear a mask while shopping when that rule first came in, for several reasons. I'll confess I'm still not comfortable with it. But I would not break that rule, and I would never dream of being hostile or abusive to shop staff if one pointed out a mistake I might have made regarding virus protocols.
Anyone who wants to know what is going on in the world of vaccines should invest £2 in a copy of Private Eye, and read MD's column. Given a choice I'll be going for the Oxford vaccine.
Yes, that would be my first port of call. Some of these are probably great, but frankly, the speed of some of them worries me they might have skipped a step or two when they were testing for safety. They've started using the Chinese vaccine in Morocco this week so if there are issues, we'll see them at some point, but side effects are a cause for concern.
I wouldn't be very confident that the Chinese vaccine has been fully tested, but I'd happily take any of the Western developed ones. Side effects are a remote possibility. But next to the current situation (which simply cannot go on) I think the choice is clear.
