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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Litter bugs
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Years ago I was cycling through west London when some tw*t in a transit van just threw a bag of his McDonalds crap out the window while waiting at the lights. All indignant I picked up the bag of rubbish and launched it back through his window. Not a good idea as the guy went f*cking mental and started to chase me down the road in his van and even followed me down a few side streets screaming out the window at me. Pretty bloody scary actually, managed to escape down an alley he could not fit his van down but he was so enraged he continued his chase on foot. At this point, now confident that I was not actually going to get run over I got a bit cocky and started to slow cycle just to let him get within a few meters of me before peddling off again all the time childishly goading the fat angry f*cker. I thought his head was going to explode. I honestly don't think they register the littering part, lobbing stuff out the window is second nature to them, it is not an issue. So in their eyes the trigger for the above events was me chucking something back through the window. I remember on another occasion while enjoying a pint outside a pub with a mate a car with a family in it pulled up and parked opposite. They had also been to Maccie Ds and had a few large bags of food and it was surreal watching the two adults and two kids in the back  unwrap their food and casually chuck the litter out the window. Finally, the empty drinks cups and the chip cartons were dumped on the road, four neat piles of rubbish below each car door. Before they drove off a woman from the pub politely challenged them and the blank confused expressions of the family confirmed that they honestly thought they had not done anything wrong, it was really bizarre. Fair play to the woman she shamed them into tidying up but you could see they looked put upon having to do this.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-48871462
Piracy? That what some libaral are calling this. Claiming the UK illegally siezed the ship in Spanish territorial waters. I beg to differ. Here is a comment I read on another website about this story: “You can't transit the straits of Gibraltar without entering Spanish territorial waters (because of Ceuta).  Seems very odd that the ship would have passed through UK waters voluntarily given that the east going lane of the TSS is well to the South.  I suspect there is more to the story than is currently being reported. ” and here is why the libarlas are always wrong Cueta doesn´t have any territorial waters and Spain has never claimed any as it would rather destroy their arguments against the Gibraltarian ones, the boundary between Spanish and Morrocan waters lies equidistant between the two countries and you can enter the Med solely in Morrocan waters.
The whole tale is kind of interesting since the satellite plot shows the Grace 1 taking the usual southern entry to the Med through Morrocan waters then trending slightly northward towards Spanish waters then at or before 22.40 UTC (so before she was boarded) and at her nearest point to Gib abrubtly turning north directly toward the Gib eastern anchorage. To cross Spanish waters would have taken about 6 minutes and then she was boarded and came to anchor.
Considering the Gibraltarian government had the day before published the order to seize the ship, informed the Spanish government they would take action (they sent a patrol boat to observe) and requested assistance from the UK giving time for the Commandos to be flown down it seems the entry to Gibralter was previously planned, in other words the ships crew informed the Gib government what was going to happen when the ship was hundreds of miles away in the Atlantic AND they made efforts to avoid being detained in Spanish waters. Since no Iranians are mentioned as members of the crew (according to the Gib authorities they are Indians with some Pakistani and Ukranians) you can make your own conclusions about why they though Gib was a better destination.
Once in Gibraltarian waters the ship could have been stopped for a number of reasons under international law;- no certificate for inland waters, harbours and anchorages (it´s too old), breaches of international SOLAS safety rules (on two occasions this year she turned off her AIS beacon) or being unregistered. The ship is owned by a Russian company (who´s directors have Arabic names) and operated by a Singapore company (who refuse to comment) and registered as Panamanian. However Panama says it was removed from their registry on 29th March for abetting terrorism, a reference to her previous voyage this year which involved turning off the AIS beacon for ten days, loading oil in Iran then sailing in the Indian Ocean offloading to various other ships, one of which then discharged in Singapore using a forged Iraqi certificate of origin. Another of the ships is still "lost".
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Pet insurance nightmare..who knew!
Just went through rigamarole of trying to renew pet insurance and the attempts at gouging were disgusting!  Initial renewal quote came through with a 50% increase!  Straight onto the phone to discuss, confirmed correctly quoted.  Asked to be put through to someone more senior to discuss to understand why such a massive hike given no claims, healthy mid aged dogs (both 6).  What a heap of tripe they gave as justification.  At one stage they were explaining that as I've been a customer for 3 years with no claims etc I'm lower risk and so that's reflected by a higher premium to renew than if I was a new customer as I'd not be covered for 14days from taking out the policy.  Still can't grasp the logic to that one.
Next was that they needed to increase premiums due to an increased number of vets and vet surgeries, and better medicines, more scanners etc. (no increase in policy limits etc though......)
Even better was them arguing that they hadn't increased by 50% on my previous year's policy.  Walked them through the highly complex maths and they still insisted it wasn't 50% but wouldn't say what they thought it was.
The reality is that they know folk on a lifelong policy are likely to care a lot about their pets, and so are happy to gouge away knowing that they will likely pay.
Will be moving to new broker!  Though I'm sure that they will play the same game.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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How do you feel about Trump now?
The one thing you can say is that he is shaking up alot of things in a dysfuntional way. So let us turn it round at look at some of the things you can say where he has stirred things up . The jury is still out for me.
1. It was time the West became more economically aggressive to China.Huawei, stealing of industrial trade secrets, etc etc.It has now boiling away.Even the likes of the FT, who are not big fans, have said this needed to be done.
2. lack of defense spending in Europe and reliance on USA spending.Its about time this was called out.
3. Calling out Iran on its funding of proxy wars. Very complicated.
4. Pushing back on regualtions for small business in the USA. You talk to small business owners in the USA and Federal regulation under Obama had bloomed and was considered to be stifling entrepreneurship.
5. Sorting out corporation tax in the USA so that all the money sat overesas was repatriated.
6. USA infrastructure. he is pushing through plans to upgrade ( contrary to normal Republican normwhich is to cut back). He has tentative support from Democrats on this.
Once read an NYT article and they pointed out,there were some things his administration was doing which were good.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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UK is the most corrupt country in the world?
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/when-a-mafia-expert-tells-us-britain-is-the-most-corrupt-country-in-the-world-its-time-to-start-a7057686.html 1
That link contains something that a lot of people miss when they look at the 'least corrupt countries' list;
"the NGO Transparency Internationals global corruption perceptions index only measure *perceived* corruption based upon the abuse of public office for private gain"
I currently live in a country right near the top of 'least corrupt' countries list (Norway) and have recently  encountered some pretty serious corruption relating to a senior police officer and a judge - when I tried to raise the issue with the authorities, they went to extraordinary lengths to not look into it and bent over backwards to brush it under the carpet.... So yeah, 'perceived corruption' is definitely the right term.
Whilst not corruption, I have seen the same thing happen whilst working offshore; people being pressurised not to file accident or injury reports as it will damage the perceived safely levels.
I'm not sure I'd agree the UK is 'the most corrupt country in the world', but I definitely believe it happens a lot more than the pubic think. Corruption in the developed world is just of a different nature, more sophisticated and at a higher level than your Nigerian customs official looking a 'present for his friend's birthday'. UK politicians have an uncanny knack of getting away with stuff that would land your average Joe Bloggs in jail, or at the very least a thorough investigation.  
That said, I don't think a courtroom with major political figure in the dock, in full view of the reporting press is a good place for any blatant string-pulling to occur.....
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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What was the Clear Message after polling?
Quite a lot of people chose not to vote for Labour or the conservatives. Many went with Green, Lib Dem or Independents.
But what was the clear message that the electorate sent to the conservatives?
Some senior MPs think it is get on with leaving the EU as soon as possible, if not sooner.
If that really was the message then why did voters choose parties that did not want Brexit? People voted for parties backing Brexit in the General Election only because they wanted Brexit, despite lots of campaigning on Party policies other than Brexit?  May/Brexit AssertionPeople did not vote for parties backing Brexit because they wanted to punish those parties.  May/Brexit Assertion. She always wins as she can only see Brexit support whatever we do.  She told me I voted that way because I was frustrated about Brexit. She lied. Unless I am not part of "the people" who voted! What all the politicians seem to look at is the reason for people changing.  What they seem to deny is that the pattern of Who Voted and Who Did Not Vote may change too.  I suspect many Remainers who were complacent about the Referendum or who did not vote in it because they did not want a referendum have now given their voice in opposition to Brexit.  I suspect that the vocal people who objected to delay in Brexit may not have voted as a protest.   I do not believe we can assert that people have changed their vote for any particular reason. What about a quick referendum without any campaigning to see who wants a second referendum on Brexit? That would remove the need for any second guessing about What the  People want or do not want. It would not either be a way of stopping Brexit but a simple procedural vote. And if the vote came out for a second referendum then it would definitely be against the Will of the People not to have it, and vice versa.Too simple or too inconveniently open and undeniable or untwistable for May et ReesMock?
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Labours position on brexit?
Labours position on brexit. What a joke.  Same with conservatives and Lib Dem’s.  There can be no position on brexit because as Theresa has found there is zero common ground.  Between party members with ulterior motives for self promotion, between constituencies who have compelling reasons to disagree with each other.  Brexit has zero chance of being all things to all people.  That’s before it even gets to agreeing a deal with Europe who have turned it into a competition to kick us in the nuts to ensure other countries are too scared to follow suit.  Doesn’t sound like a friendly, inclusive club to be part of.
It was decided on lies and deceit originally and it will go on being pushed for or against based on lies and deceit.  Let’s call politics what it is, a popularity contest decided on who can tell the biggest lies and get away with it.  Labour will follow whatever their people are telling them will get them the most votes.  Unfortunately the 2 big parties have lied and lied so much that the public are either not voting anymore or protesting by voting for the pathetic Lib Dem’s.  When no one will listen, the public have a tendency to make huge mistakes if only to be taken seriously and listened to.  Beware what is around the corner.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Free speech now dead?
The idea of people routinely running off to the police and trying to get people jailed, just because they were having a disagreement, and one party regarded the other party's attitude as "offensive", is the very opposite of a civil discussion and a civil society.
It is, indeed, totalitarian.  One big defect of the far-left (which seems to be your politics) is that they have never been shy about using totalitarian tactics in order to impose their moralistic vision of society.
Already we have, in many areas of society-wide discussion, a routine tactic of people trying to getting people sacked by embarrassing their employers, just because they said something that some regard as beyond the pale.   (This is particularly so in the US, though it is getting worse in the UK also.)
It is harming society, it is harming public debate of issues, it is making society polarised into extremes that don't talk to each other.  
You want a law to help to enforce such a viewpoint mono-culture?   I'd like the opposite please.  I'd like a "free speech" law saying that, just as an employer cannot sack someone for being pregnant or black or gay, that they cannot discipline them for personal expressions of opinion, outside a work context, that are legal within the law.
Thus, an employer cannot sack someone after finding that they participated in a gay-pride march; and nor should they be able to sack them for saying that drunks, idolators, atheists and gays will go to hell. Which I believe will happen to them if they do not repent..however we can never force people into accepting/knwoing this truth that is for them to change their minds about.
PS: I see nothing at all wrong with criticising a "religion as a whole".  I regard religion, and especially some religions in particular, as "on the whole" a bad thing, and think I should be allowed to say so and to argue that in a free society. Their is only one correct way and that is Jesus christ.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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The Case for a Second Referendum Now
Everyone knows that run up to the first referendum was bedevilled by lies, false promises and statements "twisted" to present best case scenarios with little real substance. Whether or not this influenced the final vote has been the subject of hot polarised debate ever since, and this situation is not going to change over coming months. All the time Remainers see a glimmer of hope that Article 50 will be revoked the campaign to frustrate Brexit will continue. If we are to make progress one way or the other this needs to be addressed now and quickly. We also need to be aware that today's Leavers and today's Remainers are not the same bodies of people who voted each way 3 years ago. A substantial number of Voters have since died, and a substantial number of voters have since come of age, many people are saying that if there is a referendum now they would vote differently. It is a nonsense to now, in 2019, to claim that the 2016 Referendum result still represents the Will of the People! Far too much water has passed under the bridge since then.
The only way to take the temperature of opinion now is to hold a second referendum now, and before our Government continues to muddle along in the face of growing frustration which is causing so much hassle and real damage to our country.
A referendum now would show whether or not Remainers were right to continue to to cling to their glimmer of hope and settle it one way or the other. If the result goes against them then they should shut up and rally behind the Government to reach an early Leave deal, rather than continue trying to frustrate the PMs efforts.
If it goes in their favour, then again that would be it and similarly Leavers should accept the result, stop clinging to a dated and flawed earlier result, and stop trying to torpedo the UK's membership of the EU.
The question of a second referendum is a very serious one, and is not going to go away unless we hold it. So lets get it over with quickly. Lets not waste the next few months in the same way that we have wasted the last 3 years,  getting absolutely nowhere.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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2022 cars limiting speed.
Just sat down for my break and heard about this on the radio, it would be interesting to hear the opinion of the hive mind on all new vehicles have speed limiters fitted that will detect the current limit and adjust accordingly.
My opinion as someone who lives in a 20 zone that is also a rat run I say bring it on.
My opinion as someone who drives a van for 30k per year I say bring it on in y but I know it will piss me off from time to time.
My opinion as someone who rides 10k a year on a motorcycle I say bugger that for a game of soldiers.
The biggest problem I can see is the mix of pre and post limiter vehicles, I suspect it will cause a lot more angry overtakes until the non Limited cars finally come off the road. I also imagine a massive rise in new car sales towards the back end of 2021.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Our office had a phantom toilet seat pisser. F*cking disgusting it was, like a 2am in a dive club toilet seat. I started basically a game of guess who by eliminating people who weren't in the office when it happened but ended up bumping into the culprit coming out of the cubicle after he left a fresh installment of his grim orange wee. It was the Head of Finance. He basically scarpered when he caught my death stair, so I sent an email to the entire office leaving bullet-pointed instructions for the seat-pisser as to how to use a shared toilet considerately. It stopped immediately, but I wish I'd named the dirty bastard.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Low-grade office inconsiderateness
Imagine:
Your work provides canned drinks for employees. They're kept in a fridge, with more stock kept next to the fridge. A sign on the fridge says that if you take a can from the fridge you should replace it with one from the stockpile, so that there are always chilled cans in the fridge. You take a can from the fridge, look at the sign, shrug and walk off.
Your office has a kitchen with a sink and a dishwasher. A sign above the sink reminds you not to pile up dirty crockery in the sink, but put it in the dishwasher instead. You finish with a plate, look at the sign, and stick the plate in the sink anyway.
Your work has a number of passes for a nearby garden. Employees can take them if they fancy a walk during their lunchbreak, but there are a limited number so there are regular emails reminding people that you should return them when you finish with them so that as many people as possible can use them. You take one, use it, and then stash it in your desk drawer.
Obviously these aren't among the greatest injustices in the world at the moment, but I'm genuinely fascinated as to what peoples' brains are doing when they do this stuff. Do they somehow convince themselves that this stuff doesn't apply to them for some reason? Are they low-grade sociopaths who just don't care that it'll inconvenience other people? Do they think they're maverick badasses who are above your petty bourgeois rules? Or what?
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Venezuela
Poor Little Venezuela should be quite rich Little Venezuela but the problem is - all their leaders have been either bent as ar**holes or totally incompetent and so all their wealth from oil has been stolen or wasted. Whomever gets voted in will end up exactly the same. I used to debate all the shenanigans of the much beloved Hugo Chavez with a rampant conspiracist - he thought the Venezuelan next to The Messiah and I said he was just another carpetbagger - I'll leave everyone to work out which of us was right. God knows what you need to do to change things. The Latino South American mentality is probably where to start but then again I'm rather Old Skool. Internal poliices caused Venezuela’s problems. Blaming it on the US is just lazy thinking it was a massive socialist experiment gone badly badly wrong. As for US sanctions the US has every right to refuse to trade with those whose seek to harm them and their form of democracy. Mass nationalization has destroyed what was a country just on the cusp of becoming a nation at the world’s top table . While I would agree that the current crisis has been exacerbated by US sanctions, its root cause is still consistent mismanagement by government along with a fall in oil prices. The economic crisis is ongoing and has been for years - saying that the economy has been "brought to its knees" by the US ignores the myriad other factors at play. I sound like I'm in favour of the USA here. I am in fact very much the opposite! I have a degree in Hispanic and Portuguese and Brazilian studies, and I've been interested in the USA's relationship with Latin America for a very long time. In fact, I remember writing an essay about the CIA's role in overthrowing Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala for my Cambridge application when I was 17, and getting very indignant about it all (plus Allende in Chile and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua). I am theoretically in favour of what Guaidó is trying to do, because Maduro has proved spectacularly hungry for power and declaring yourself president seems like as good a way as any of trying to get rid of him. It's especially brave in a country where being an opposition politician can be risky. But where Guaidó is on shaky ground is the extent to which he accepts US support. It may strengthen Maduro's hand if Guaidó is seen to be too closely linked to Trump, because of the US's very dodgy history when it comes to Latin America. And Trump is hardly a unifying figure! What is it with Latin America the counties too often move in exaggerated cycles of period of development climbing the prosperity ladder followed by a hitting a spectacular snake back to the botttom. It is a continent of America problem they will need help from outside but others nearer should take the lead . I really hope change is coming a change of regime followed by elections but elections are only any good when you get some options that are sane and moral and have the good of the country at their hearts I am not sure how you develop such people in the environment that’s there atm .
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Spam- sometimes you have to laugh
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So today I got an email to my work email Apparently, I’ve been watching adult videos to have some fun Apparently, I have good taste in said videos However, he has installed something that makes it a 2-way camera so he’s got me on film watching said videos If I don’t pay him $650 in bitcoins (only bitcoins apparently) he will share this video of me having fun with my family and colleagues I mean it’s so ridiculous you have to laugh. The fact it’s a work email makes it even funnier obviously I’ve been having far too much fun at work. #spam #lol
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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How embarrassing!
A colleague did this a few years ago.  Ended up in the corridor of a grotty Bed & breakfast in Dumfries after a seriously heavy session on the booze.  He left his room, naked and went for a pee.  He went back to his room but found the door locked.  He then had the quandary of walking back to reception naked to ask to be let in.  I am not sure what his thought process was but his next move was amazing. Please bare in mind the chap is a hefty lad of at least 17st.
He checked all the doors to see if any were unlocked.  He found one and went in.....naked.  He then had a rumble around and quietly found a pair of golf trousers that he slipped on and left to go to the reception.  He marveled in not waking the sleeping occupants.
Next morning he was woken by a knock at the door by the police and a very angry Scotsman who was effing and blinding about my colleague breaking into his room. Waking him up and stealing his golf trousers.  He had laid there as still as possible trying to look asleep thinking he was going to be my colleagues lay for the night.  
Not sure how but he got away with apologizing to the guy but he is now banned from what is pretty much the grottiest b&b in Dumfries
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Vegans vs farmers
As a farmer I have no issue with Vegans as such, my issue is the way they go about trying to change other peoples minds. In fact, I experienced my own veganism as an eating disorder when I was younger. It was shit. I got physically ill constantly despite being really controlling about making sure I got my nutrients and doing everything right. I was living at home and stressing my mum out with my demands and was a grumpy, judgemental asshat for the duration. Hurrah for veganism. In the end I got sick of the cravings and decided to listen to myself... I went to a pub, ordered steak and have not looked back. I'm weightier than I was when vegan but I'm fitter and healthier despite being 10 years older. I don't think its better for the environment overall, I don't think its better for health, I think it still exploits poor countries to feed the whims of the rich. It didn't start that way I don't think, when it was a few hippies with lentils, but it's been commercialized, marketed and away we go. I think the idea that you are "saving" the cows is flawed. And overall I dislike the moral superiority that seems to come hand in hand... then getting all offended when people react to that. Or argue that may be veganism isn't so awesome. And you can't discuss because 9 times out of 10 you are dismissed as either an aggressive meat eater who feels threatened by their superior lifestyle or as "needing education".  Hmm. Ok. And yes, when I was vegan I was an asshole too... think I was missing something in my diet that made my brain function differently to be honest! Lol Vegans rely to a huge extent on sensationalism much of which cannot be backed up with fact but once its out there can never be taken back. A recent example is a way they are trying to bring environmental issues as a reason without being totally upfront about their figures. They are making a big thing about carbon footprint and then forget that every hectare of grass farmed to feed cattle or sheep takes 400 ton of carbon from the atmosphere just to grow every year and often is in places where you cannot grow any crop that will feed a vegan existence either through terrain or other constraints. I’m afraid that it is very easy as an affluent society in the west to get very high and mighty about these things with full bellies. The UK animal farming industry is right up there with the best in the world from a welfare point of view although you would never find the detractors admitting that. There have been recent ASA adjudications that have upheld industry complaints about unfair advertisements by those opposed to livestock farming. They are very happy to use footage from abroad and make out that is common practice in the UK when it was banned years ago. As I said before the public saw the adverts but the ASA judgments get no coverage and the message sticks.   Has anybody considered where the money is coming from for all this advertising? look no further than a few very wealthy celebrities that are also linked to businesses that sell vegan meat substitutes, now what's that all about!  Surely you eat meat or a plant-based diet whats the need for something that looks like meat.
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retaggrsoapbox · 5 years
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Drinking at Christmas
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There are still plenty of heavy drinkers out there but it is probably less the norm than I remember as a kid. Every Christmas would see the gents driving to the rugby club for a few pints before coming back to a kitchen full of inebriated cooks while gran sank another sherry by the fire and let her head loll forwards for a pre-Christmas dinner nap. I wonder how many kids left a non-alcoholic drink out with the mince pie last night, 7 billion sherries is probably pushing it on a work night even for Santa.
Pubs still seem busy in the town but it's mostly old timers and underagers. The rural pubs are really just held up by tourists. To go for a pint after work now would be an expensive and pointless risk these days; and who goes out for a half pint? Unfortunately, unlike our Masters in Holyrood I don't have a multi-million-pound tram to get me home from the pub, there's not even a regular bus. Some people still do it. They're unlikely to get stopped but it happens, a local farmer was done last year. His own fault really but it's a harsh sentence for someone who needs a vehicle to work. It can be a lonely existence being a farmer. The thought of replacing the camaraderie of a pint with your friends in the pub after a 12 hour day in the fields with a can of tennents on your own at home is too grim to bear so they just risk it. He's got his licence back now but he wouldn't have been the first to have been found swinging from a tree in the morning after having it taken away. I used to take my Gran out for Sunday dinner when she was alive, it always tickled me a bit that in the eyes of the law she would technically make a better driver than me if I had drunk a glass of wine or a pint with my lunch, despite her being in her 90s. Aye, reaction times my ass.
I guess it's not all bad, in general, we drink less, smoke less, do more exercise and have better diets. The jovial reaction to casual alcoholism that once formed a bond has been replaced by the mildly patronising and worried look you get if you decide to decork a second bottle. It kind of takes the pleasure out of it but then maybe that's no bad thing, you're lucky if you have people around you that would rather you didn't get liver cancer 20 years down the line. It'll soon be my first year without smoking since I was a teenager and I've definitely been drinking less. I guess salt and fat will be the next of life's joys to rest their head under the guillotine. To para-quote Basil Fawlty, just another avenue of pleasure closed off.
What about drink driving I hear you ask?
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I'm not pro-drink driving by any means but I was never a fan of the reduced limit in Scotland. I'd rather they tackled more heavy and regular drink drivers rather than getting their Christmas quota of early morning over the limiters or the one-pint and drive home-ers. I remember phoning the police a while ago because the boy racers that tear down the street every night were obviously completely off their faces and flinging empty drinks containers out of the window. No one turned up. It's not the police's fault, they're stretched too thin. The local police station is mostly empty now, I spoke to one bobby who said they sometimes use it for the toilet when they're passing but it's not manned. The next town's station down the way is usually empty now as well. There's a lot of road traffic accidents around here, the police don't always have the manpower to park up at accident black spots because they have to respond to the most complaints, one hamlet in particular which has a number of older influential residents involved in the community councils and local politics tends to have a patrol car in it every week. There's been one recorded traffic accident there in living memory and it's got to be the most absurd use of a 30mph speed limit in the country. Yet I drive past upturned cars in the same places all year and it's a rarity to see a patrol car there. Why do they stop every car going out of town to work on Christmas eve but they don't tackle the year-round heavy drink driving epidemic? There's not enough of them, and everyone knows it so the solution seems to have been reducing the drink drive limit and hope it polices itself and I'm not a fan of that.I don't like substituting proper policing with harsher deterrents, I don't like city focussed policy that ignores rural needs and I don't like inconsistency in the legal system. If drink driving is about reaction times then test reaction times instead of alcohol levels, we have the technology. But no one would want that because it would mean they'd have to think twice before getting behind the wheel tired, or after a long shift at work, or after a row with their partner, or after they've spent the night getting high, it would mean confronting your inability to drive safely as you got old. Alcohol isn't the only thing that inhibits your reaction times but it's much easier to demonise one thing that the bad guys do. Those naughty drink drivers lets punish them incredible severely and ignore everything else. Getting behind the wheel after one pint isn't any different to driving when you're tired, but one's acceptable to society and one will have you stripped of your licence. It's like being prosecuted for touching your phone to change track when it's hooked up to your blue tooth dongle, but the guy in the £90k range rover with a touch screen computer can crack on unhindered. The farmer that drove home after a pint didn't do anything worse than any of us that drive home after a long day at the crag, in my eyes at least. I don't think that's a popular opinion.True true, people did used to walk to pubs and for sure there are still pubs around I could go to if I wanted, but there used to be more of them and society is more mobile now so we don't all have the local within an arms throw of where we live and work and when combined with the cost it's much more attractive to most people to have a drink at home. It would be a 3 mile walk from work to the closest pub for me, and then a 20 mile walk home from there. Even the tourists that stay with us byob a lot of the time now instead of going out for a pub meal. I'm not sure what the other options are that are more attractive, there's probably some nice late open cafe's and bistros in Glasgow but my legs wouldn't thank me for the walk home ;)
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